We started taking ours for long vacations overseas at 3 and 6. We have done Paris, Lisbon, Austria, Valencia, Verona and Lake Garda, and are headed to Rome, Genoa and the French Alps this summer.

We rent apartments, relax the rules, lower our expectations of what can be accomplished, and go slow, stopping for a lot of ice cream and gelato along the way. We throw in amusement parks, castles, natural history museums, zoos and aquariums with the churches and art museums so everyone's happy. Best money we spend all year is for those three weeks of vacation bliss in the summer.

Kids clubs OP. They are great.

Anonymous wrote:We almost always travel with our kids, and I love it. I don't ever think about travel as getting away from 'parenting' - that's not my aim. My aim is to see the world.

OP, your kids are so little, and on strict schedules, so I can see how it's not enjoyable for you. When they get a little older it will be different.

+1

Love this!

We've mostly done trips with our kids, but did recently take a kid free one and while it was wonderful to truly relax we also kept thinking how much our kids would have loved that trip.

We've traveled with our older son since he was born including a few cross country flights when he was 1-2 yrs old. We did bigger trips (longer 6hr flights) with both kids when our youngest was 18 months/older was 4. I think everyone's idea of vacation and traveling with kids is different. Yes, you still have to parent and can't fully relax, but I also think it is really fun to explore a new place with the kids and I don't want to put my travel bucket list on hold until they are "good ages" whenever that may be.

When we travel with kids we choose renting a condo/house/apt over a hotel because hotels with kids who go to be early are no fun. With more of an apartment my husband and i can hang out when the kids are asleep. When my older son was 1 we rented a cabin in CA and once he was in bed we'd sit by the firepit. He was also a great sleeper and on a strict schedule at home but on that trip we'd make sure to get in his first nap and then hoped he'd nap on the go for his second. We aren't into night life or staying out late so being back "home" early-ish on vacation isn't a big deal to us or something we feel like we are missing out on.

We are also big on sleep and routines at home and I have always been impressed with just how well my kids adapt when we travel.

As far as whether the hassles of traveling with kids is worth the cost, that's up to you. We've never once regretted a trip we've taken with our kid or felt it was a waste or money. Seeing them explore new places, even if they won't remember it, has always been really fun.

We almost always travel with our kids, and I love it. I don't ever think about travel as getting away from 'parenting' - that's not my aim. My aim is to see the world.

OP, your kids are so little, and on strict schedules, so I can see how it's not enjoyable for you. When they get a little older it will be different.

It depends on whether they would hate it or not. I have toddlers too. I think long flights are out of the question now because that's just too much for them (they would behave, but it's just not necessary). I consider west coast and Europe to be long flights. Mine are tortured just by a 2 hour flight.

We go on an overseas trip once a year still with just DH and I, and my parents watch them. DCUM says I'm a bad mother for this, but I don't think the kids want to go to Japan. We're saving easier trips for when they're a little older (7?). Like fly to Paris and do a Normandy tour. Europe is kid friendly and not that bad of a flight.

I HATE beach trips but my inlaws love them. DH and I really like active trips like national parks and exploring cities. Bonus points for historic cities. Even though it's close by, Philadelphia was one of our favorite trips.

Our best trips with kids under 5 have been local. Assateauge, Shenandoah, Lancaster. It is less money and less pressure.
We did a couple of big International trips and neither went smoothly. We both felt a little resentful about how much money we spent and didn't get to fully enjoy. So, for us, we're saving the bigger trips for when they are older.

We do both. There are many kinds of trips and some will be good with kids and some won't be. Couple time is also important.
We haven't traveled internationally with them yet. We're thinking of something like Costa Rica when the youngest is 8 and we have no interest in Europe with kids until the youngest is at least 10.

OP - just get an Air B and B or two rooms, put the kids to bed and watch a movie. It's kind of great.

Now when we travel, I always want to go to bed before my teens! You just have to adjust to the age your kids are at each stage.

Anonymous wrote:Op here ... I think the hardest thing with little kids is the napping and the early bedtime. My kids are very strict sleepers (and sleep amazingly) but it’s hard to make changes to their schedules. So it seems ridiculous to pay a bunch of money for vacation to just be back in our hotel room or rented house at 7pm every night.

Why is that ridiculous? We are at the beach all day, then have dinner and yes we stay in all night and have drinks. Our kids are older now and we still like this.

We are doing our first big trip with the kids later this year, to London. Kids will be 6, 3, and baby and I think that's still a bit young. We're going because we have a wedding to attend, so may as well make a week out of it. But if not for the wedding, I'd have been inclined to wait another year or two.

To date, we've done family visits, beach, and one national park. I agree a more adult-oriented vacation with kids would just feel like the same show in a different place, not relaxing. I definitely don't see the point of spending the money until at least the oldest is older and can actually remember the experience.

Op here ... I think the hardest thing with little kids is the napping and the early bedtime. My kids are very strict sleepers (and sleep amazingly) but it’s hard to make changes to their schedules. So it seems ridiculous to pay a bunch of money for vacation to just be back in our hotel room or rented house at 7pm every night.

We travel with and without our kids.

When our kids were little, like yours, we did beach vacations and some resorts with kids clubs. Those were real vacations and included some adult only time.

We also try to do vacations that the kids will like -- beach, amusement parks, etc. We didn't do any cities until they were school age and those were mixed trips with sightseeing and fun kid stuff.

Now they are teens, we travel a bit internationally and they like adventure trips. We also do trips to visit family, weekends in NY, and my DH and I travel without them about once a year. It will get easier when they get older!

We travel with our kids.
I like to travel. With kids I think you just have to view it as an adventure.

Do you travel with your kids or without or both? We do both but the trips with kids have so far only been to see family or to go on family trips to the beach with extended family. I just don’t have the energy or will to go on bug extended trips with our kids yet. I feel like I should though to give them good experiences. Granted my kids are only 1 and 3 but I can’t imagine when I will want to do big trips with them.

We as a couple have gone on a few trips without the kids and they have been nice and relaxing. With kids it just feels like parenting in a different location. Plus it seems silly to waste so much money and not really enjoy the trip.

When did you start traveling with your kids?