Travel with three kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The other issue is that it sets you back and you have to wait longer to do some things. Many activities require children to be a certain age so now you all have to wait a few more years to do them as a family. Bike tours, kayak tours, some boat tours, amusement park rides, longer time ruled by naps, longer time having to bring a diaper bag along, longer time to bring car seats……

It is very freeing when kids get to a certain age.

Well, those of us with infertility don't get to pick our age gaps.

[Anonymous]

WE only have two kids, but 4 people with one bathroom and one room is too small IMO. With 5 people it just sounds miserable. So, instead of spending $600 a night for a hotel, we spend $1200. It's a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so fun. Bring a sleeping bag for the hotel floor. Train kids early to be tough, not complain, carry their own stuff in their own backpack (be minimalist).

Now that we have 3 teens we usually do Airbnb if we can. But they can always sleep on the floor of a hotel room if that’s not an option.

Do you always make the youngest sleep on the floor? Or do they rotate?

DP. We don’t have to make anyone sleep on the floor. They beg to.

I don't even like walking on hotel floors in socks or bare feet.

[Anonymous]

OP, we’re in the same spot with two kids, thinking about a third. Our oldest is in a child care program that follows DCPS’ calendar, and we’re having to contend with mandatory days off (spring break, winter break, etc.) for the first time. This has increased travel costs significantly as the days my oldest is off are more expensive travel dates. If we had another kid we’d be looking at an additional $400–$700 per night hotel cost for spring break 2024. Not to mention additional challenges with sitting together on planes, rental cars, Ubers, car seats, etc.

Another factor are child care costs generally. If we did daycare for a newborn, our total child care costs would rise to over $5000 per month, for at least a year. This would cut into our travel budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The other issue is that it sets you back and you have to wait longer to do some things. Many activities require children to be a certain age so now you all have to wait a few more years to do them as a family. Bike tours, kayak tours, some boat tours, amusement park rides, longer time ruled by naps, longer time having to bring a diaper bag along, longer time to bring car seats……

It is very freeing when kids get to a certain age.

Well, those of us with infertility don't get to pick our age gaps.

As someone who has dealt with infertility, stop making this about infertility. PP posted a fact about logistics. It applies no matter why children were spaced.

[Anonymous]

A Mom with lots of kids dressed them alike. Ugh. Thought it was to be cutesy. She said she could keep track of them better, easier to spot them in a crowd.

[Anonymous]

We’re heading to Paris for spring break with four kids 11 and under. We are using Airbnb and have a three bedroom place and we’ll get around the city via Metro so no need for a car. We will do a bunch of eat in meals as I hate to spend a ton of money in a restaurant and watch half the food go uneaten. Yes, it’s not a real vacation for me but I’m ok with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so fun. Bring a sleeping bag for the hotel floor. Train kids early to be tough, not complain, carry their own stuff in their own backpack (be minimalist).

Now that we have 3 teens we usually do Airbnb if we can. But they can always sleep on the floor of a hotel room if that’s not an option.

Do you always make the youngest sleep on the floor? Or do they rotate?

DP. We don’t have to make anyone sleep on the floor. They beg to.

I don't even like walking on hotel floors in socks or bare feet.

Was going to say the same! I don't even let my feet touch the ground. I have 3 kids, nobody ever sleeps on the floor. Gross. We get two rooms or a room with a pullout sofa bed.

[Anonymous]

Schedules. We have 3 with 2 in different colleges and one still in middle school. Their schedules never line up for breaks. Outside of summer it’s hard to find a time we can all go somewhere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WE only have two kids, but 4 people with one bathroom and one room is too small IMO. With 5 people it just sounds miserable. So, instead of spending $600 a night for a hotel, we spend $1200. It's a huge difference.

I see people say this a lot but my family of 6 does fine with just one bathroom for stays of a few days. It's not the end of the world and completely manageable if the room sleeps the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WE only have two kids, but 4 people with one bathroom and one room is too small IMO. With 5 people it just sounds miserable. So, instead of spending $600 a night for a hotel, we spend $1200. It's a huge difference.

I see people say this a lot but my family of 6 does fine with just one bathroom for stays of a few days. It's not the end of the world and completely manageable if the room sleeps the rest of us.

How old are your kids? One bathroom is a no go with my family of 5. All teens.

[Anonymous]

We always get two rooms or an AirBnB apartment. We still travel fairly often but I will say it’s very expensive. When you get to the tween/teen ages, it can be tricky because at least one is moody - rare to get all three in a good mood when you are dealing with time changes and they can’t sleep in - this obviously depends on the age spread of your kids. It’s never held us back from travel though although you have to go into it with a healthy reserve of patience. One thing I’d add is that there have been times we’ve had to take two Ubers or taxis. Just depends on what exactly is available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so fun. Bring a sleeping bag for the hotel floor. Train kids early to be tough, not complain, carry their own stuff in their own backpack (be minimalist).

Now that we have 3 teens we usually do Airbnb if we can. But they can always sleep on the floor of a hotel room if that’s not an option.

Do you always make the youngest sleep on the floor? Or do they rotate?

DP. We don’t have to make anyone sleep on the floor. They beg to.

I don't even like walking on hotel floors in socks or bare feet.

This! Sleeping on a hotel floor is revolting… and uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WE only have two kids, but 4 people with one bathroom and one room is too small IMO. With 5 people it just sounds miserable. So, instead of spending $600 a night for a hotel, we spend $1200. It's a huge difference.

I see people say this a lot but my family of 6 does fine with just one bathroom for stays of a few days. It's not the end of the world and completely manageable if the room sleeps the rest of us.

How old are your kids? One bathroom is a no go with my family of 5. All teens.

Depends what kind of trip and how often we'll be in the room. If we leave in the morning and return only at night, it's fine for us. But for no more than 2 nights.

[Anonymous]

While I appreciate that the travel issue exists, it could never have stopped me from having a third! Yes the third child - like any child - adds an expense, and yes you have to have two rooms or a suite in most places, but as other posters point out, it's actually kind of better to be forced to splurge on more space.

Honestly the thing that makes 3 kids hard is all the activities and sports scheduling, not the travel...