Agree, the anti-Disney posters are tiresome. |
We lived abroad in Europe with toddlers. We referred to our weekend and longer trips as “pigeons across Europe”. Didn’t matter where we went, mostly our toddlers wanted to feed and chase pigeons. We did have one great afternoon at a Munich beer garden that had an awesome play ground. They also enjoyed French supermarkets for some reason. Also the ice cream trucks in Germany. |
Don't go to Disney World. Ever. |
unless your are obscenely rich. dont go. save your money travel is for the rich. |
really, what an entitled person. probably has a vagina and married someone to pay of their debts. |
I remember traveling to see my grandparents in Fort Lauderdale when I was 3 to 8, and going to see them was a lot of fun for me. I remember flying before there were no-smoking sections. It was entertaining seeing the strange no-smoking lights come on. We started off having to climb up stairs to get into the plane. That stuff was inconsequential when I saw it, but now, when I look back, that was part of a strange and different world. I’m glad I remember a little of it. |
We drove cross country when I was 7 and I remember a lot of it, including going to Disneyland and being terrified on space mountain but also the San Diego zoo and Loews verde and pikes peak and the badlands and Yosemite and the endless flatness that was Kansas in a heat wave. |
I think before age 6 is more accurate, based on knowledge of brain development and experience. My son remembers going whale watching at age 7. But it’s not only about the memories. My son travelled at least once a year starting as a baby and he’s very comfortable with new environments, he’s very social, and he became interested in learning languages and can speak 3, and is on his way to learning another. |
I have one kid who is like what you describe, and one who is not. They are just very different people, even though they have done the same trips, etc. It's nice that you have had nice trips with your son. |
We traveled to Brazil when our son was a baby. People were so incredibly kind and helpful. We never had to wait, were given special accommodations. Of course, our kid doesn't remember anything but it was an amazing experience for us. |
We're taking the kids to Disney Tokyo, what does that say? |
That you are okay with waiting in lines? |
Take photos of everything you might worry about at home- nothing like getting on a flight and wondering if you turned off the coffee maker.
I take a backpack with cushioned straps through airports. It's not chic but it's comfortable and helps me move quickly. My husband travels to more international locations- his advice is to power through the jetlag. I have a "hangry" family + foodies to boot. I plan food/ restaurants carefully. Even on casual days, I have some plan for food. |
All of this is perfectly reasonable but so often when people discuss traveling with young kids the question is whether the kids will remember anything. Another perspective: I don’t care what they remember, if anything. I will remember it! I want the experience of traveling with my kids and seeing the world with them. I want my memories to include the fun places we went together and the experiences we had. My kids are now late teens and we have been traveling together since my youngest was a few months old. We have had years of amazing experiences, I remember all of them and they remember the later ones or funny snippets from the earliest ones. It is all worth it. |
That you are the worst-case scenario. |