THANKS for the update.

I just came across this post looking up international travel with kids lol. I've hit the motherland with judging.

I LOVE to travel and traveled a good bit with my parents growing up and also did some travel WITHOUT them going to summer camp and then on a trip abroad that was life-changing.

What I can say is that it is important to show your kids that you are people outside of your role as a parent. You are a person with interests and that doesn't ALWAYS include them. I've done maybe 1-2 weekends a year plus I did a 1 week trip with my husband this past winter. My kids hung out with both sets of grandparents which was precious time for them. They were SO spoiled and both sets got to work with them in their own way, without me and my husband affecting their schedules or interactions. That was THEIR time.

My kids get plenty of time with me and my husband. We do tons of local and regional travel that includes the outdoors, food, the arts, expose them to different cultures in our community, science, ect. It's tons of day trips and weekend trips- lots of very cheap camping trips. We all have an incredible time. We do a 1-2 week long trip with them annually stateside or abroad- been to Canada, Italy & France.

the thing is - we enjoy all of this and our time apart. It refreshes us and we make an effort to pick places and activities that the kids would not enjoy. It's a win-win all around.

Anonymous wrote:What is it about kids going to college that makes people here say that they have to travel with them before that point? If anything, the best time to travel with your offspring is when they're on break from college. They're old enough to understand how lucky they are to be traveling on your dime, and they are more likely to be sophisticated enough to appreciate the people and things that they're experiencing. And they can stay in the hotel on their own or else hit the town with or without you. And usually, by that time they're over their teen rebellion and bad attitude years so they're actually fun companions. Maybe they'd even invite a friend along. That sounds like a blast.

It’s hard to line up kids’ school breaks if you have several in different schools.

This whole thread is crazy. Why does it bother you if some people like to bring their kids? It literally has nothing to do with you and affects you not at all.