Also, there are plenty of more adventurous trips that don’t require a big time change. National parks, central and South America. If you struggle with jet lag, those could be easier options.

I am willing to try almost anything once, and I learn what works for our family by trial and error.

My preference is to travel Sat to Sat - giving time to pack / unpack on both ends.

I prefer to fly direct when possible.

When traveling with kids, I feel less is more. We can't see the entire country and go go go all the time, like I could do with adults only. But I often find that I enjoy taking time to stop and smell the roses and that it's a different kind of trip, but good. I kind of aim for one "big" activity a day.

I often think I need a vacation, after returning from my vacation, but that's life with kids IMO.

With a time change - I often leave the first full day unscheduled to adjust. For example, we are going to Hawaii over winter break. We arrive mid-afternoon on day 1. I have no plans that day. Day 2 - no plans until a luau that night - and that's all I'm planning for that day. I figure if everyone is up for it we can go to a local beach before that. Through trial an error, I am trying to stay as much on east coast time as possible even with a time, so in Hawaii if that means going to be early and waking up early the whole trip, so be it. I'll probably try to keep everyone up until at least 8pm on the first day, but maybe I'll consider the morning to start at 5am.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a busy mom, I’ve found cruises to be the easiest, most relaxing vacations.

Unpack once.

Get two cabins.

Someone cleans your room twice a day (evening turn down service). You return to a dimly lit cabin with a freshly made and turned down bed each night.

Room service is included.

No cooking.

Enjoy your veranda where you can check out and stare at the sea. Or lounge on a quiet deck elsewhere. Or lounge by the reggae band.

Wander around ports. Plan your time in port ahead of time or wing it.

I get the appeal, but I hate crowds. I do think we’ll do a smaller boat somewhere with kids at some point. Maybe in the Galapagos.

We prefer smaller/midsize ships. No crowds.

If you haven’t cruised, you might like it. We were shocked how much we enjoyed it. It’s easy, relaxing, and fun. I can’t think of another vacation where I get large chunks of time to check out and relax. It’s magical.

Anonymous wrote:As a busy mom, I’ve found cruises to be the easiest, most relaxing vacations.

Unpack once.

Get two cabins.

Someone cleans your room twice a day (evening turn down service). You return to a dimly lit cabin with a freshly made and turned down bed each night.

Room service is included.

No cooking.

Enjoy your veranda where you can check out and stare at the sea. Or lounge on a quiet deck elsewhere. Or lounge by the reggae band.

Wander around ports. Plan your time in port ahead of time or wing it.

I get the appeal, but I hate crowds. I do think we’ll do a smaller boat somewhere with kids at some point. Maybe in the Galapagos.

As a busy mom, I’ve found cruises to be the easiest, most relaxing vacations.

Unpack once.

Get two cabins.

Someone cleans your room twice a day (evening turn down service). You return to a dimly lit cabin with a freshly made and turned down bed each night.

Room service is included.

No cooking.

Enjoy your veranda where you can check out and stare at the sea. Or lounge on a quiet deck elsewhere. Or lounge by the reggae band.

Wander around ports. Plan your time in port ahead of time or wing it.

For me a beach vacation isn’t relaxing at all. I relax a lot more when there’s no kitchen. It comes with inconveniences, but if there’s a kitchen, it means I’m doing all the same drudgery I do at home. No matter what anyone says is going to happen. Only restaurant staff keep their promises.

Since our kids are small the “family camp” or smaller “family resort” model is the most relaxing for me right now. It’s definitely not the travel I would choose in a different phase of life but it’s the best way right now.

Costa Roca has beaches. There’s little time difference and direct flights.

You could spend the first day or two at the beach there and then move to more adventurous stuff.

I prefer vacations that are a combo of going/seeing/doing and also just relaxing on the beach. You can do a combo like this for say Costa Rica. I wanted to do Costa Rica for winter break, but H was insistent that we have a total relaxation vaca where we didn’t have to think about or do anything, so we are going to an all inclusive in the Caribbean where we will likely not leave the resort. Not my first choice as I don’t love all inclusives, but he makes way more money that I do/works a lot more than I do, so he wins.

You can do it! Find a way. It will leave an everlasting impression on your kids as well.

Some of the things I (single parent) do to keep trips fun:
Let go of the need for everyday to be packed with activities. I leave time for downtime, and we spend some amount of time just watching tv or reading.

Rent an apartment or house when possible so you’re not all crammed on top of each other-when everyone has space and can sleep well it makes for better moods.

Plan things your kids like to do. I remember being dragged to churches and art museums all the time as a kid and was bored out of my mind. So I limit the amount of time we spend on that, and make sure we get sometime doing more kid friendly things (including playgrounds when they are younger.) Let them pick out an activity.

Build in travel recovery. If you have a long flight, plan to have hotel access right away, and don’t book anything elaborate for the first day. Then you can take a nap, or just shower and rest, and you don’t miss something if you have travel delays. Come home on a Saturday so you have Sunday to decompress before you go back to work/school/camp.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We bring a nanny. World of difference.

Gross. I could never do this.

Why is it gross? I was a (wealthy) single mom, and you better believe I brought the nanny (and her husband and kids) on our big vacations. The more the merrier.

Anonymous wrote:We bring a nanny. World of difference.

Gross. I could never do this.

We bring a nanny. World of difference.

Obviously the age of your kids matter. How old are your kids and how many do you have?

I’m so amazed by the fancy itineraries on this board. Costa Rica, Hawaii and Europe, packed with fun activities all day every day.

How is everyone finding the energy to do all this during a week off? Don’t you get jet lagged? Are you not tired the first 2-3 days of the trip, decompressing from the grind of work and parenthood?

I feel like I’m alone in wanting to do more adventurous vacations but just not having the energy capacity for more than a relaxing beach trip with the kids.

I envy and applaud those who do more! Please tell me your secret.