Reply to Why is vacation with young kids so miserable?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Because parents have unrealistic expectations. I'm not judging you - I was the same. When you learn to reset your expectations it gets a little better. But frankly, we just didn't travel very much until the youngest was about 4.

[b]People on this site talk about taking toddlers and preschoolers to europe and hawaii and it going swimmingly and I honestly just think they are completely mad[/b]. I wouldn't do that if you PAID ME. [/quote]

I've taken my preschooler to these places and it went okay enough that we mentally blocked out the rough parts.[/quote]

+1, we did some bigger trips like that between 1 and 5 and it was ok. We had reasonable expectations and made sure to build in things that were genuinely fun fir DC (like going to Paris but spending a day at Disney, or going to the Caribbean but choosing a resort with genuinely good kids club and activities).

However, I will say that things get better around age 6. We still plan vacations very much with our kid’s preferences in mind (both fun activities but also making sure we are never asking too much in terms of endurance or more adult activities like museums), but once you are done with naps and potty training, and your kid develops some emotional regulation and a little resilience, you regain some of that feeling of being able to relax. Oh, and once they can read on their own (and ideally enjoy it) it opens a lot of doors.

I don’t regret any of that earlier travel because I think it sets them up to be good travelers as they age. They learn how to deal with new environments and adapt, and to understand the rewards of trying something new. My kid LOVES to travel and that makes it even better than if we were doing it on our own.[/quote]

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