Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:48     Subject: Re:Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:When my kids were young the only true vacations we took were all inclusive places with kids clubs.

Club Med Ixtapa, Beaches T&C, Disney Cruise, a couple places around Cancun. They're teens now and we go on more sightseeing trips now but they still prefer an all inclusive resort on a beach.


But see I look at sightseeing as a vacation.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:48     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with children, only trips. Sorry!


Depends on the kid and frankly the parents.

We definitely take vacations with our kid. We do trips also but we have had some amazing vacations.

Why do you not think this possible?



I don’t get this either. I travel often with my three children and would absolutely call them vacations. But I’m also not the type to sit around a read on a beach for more than a day - I prefer more activity and energy so maybe that’s why?


I work, so it's also a vacation for me to be off work? Idk if other people don't think it's different if they SAHM?
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:47     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with children, only trips. Sorry!


Depends on the kid and frankly the parents.

We definitely take vacations with our kid. We do trips also but we have had some amazing vacations.

Why do you not think this possible?



I don’t get this either. I travel often with my three children and would absolutely call them vacations. But I’m also not the type to sit around a read on a beach for more than a day - I prefer more activity and energy so maybe that’s why?


Really, with little kids? Are you the dad? Picking out where to eat, what to do, where everyone can use the restroom everywhere we go, packing day bags, cleaning, getting through naps and nighttime in a new space, and all the child care stuff is not relaxing. Also, you cant' actually sit around and read on the beach with little kids. You have to watch them. I took really adventurous vacations pre-kids. Now, I'm so exhausted from getting out of hotel/rental with the kids on our "vacation." Our last couple of "vacations" were filled with fun moments interspersed with me crying and having anxiety attacks in the bathroom. My husband and children had a wonderful time though.


Not PP, but I'm a mom and have found vacations with kids enjoyable, provided your expectations are low. We've enjoyed renting houses with the expectation that we'd do one small outing a day. Are they the same vacations we did pre-kids? No. But yes, we've relaxed. And I"m not sure why it only counts if the kids will remember it later....
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:47     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with children, only trips. Sorry!


Depends on the kid and frankly the parents.

We definitely take vacations with our kid. We do trips also but we have had some amazing vacations.

Why do you not think this possible?



I don’t get this either. I travel often with my three children and would absolutely call them vacations. But I’m also not the type to sit around a read on a beach for more than a day - I prefer more activity and energy so maybe that’s why?


Really, with little kids? Are you the dad? Picking out where to eat, what to do, where everyone can use the restroom everywhere we go, packing day bags, cleaning, getting through naps and nighttime in a new space, and all the child care stuff is not relaxing. Also, you cant' actually sit around and read on the beach with little kids. You have to watch them. I took really adventurous vacations pre-kids. Now, I'm so exhausted from getting out of hotel/rental with the kids on our "vacation." Our last couple of "vacations" were filled with fun moments interspersed with me crying and having anxiety attacks in the bathroom. My husband and children had a wonderful time though.


Yes, with little kids, and no I’m the mom!
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:39     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:I'd echo family camp. Taylor Place in Vermont (or something like that).

I also love Woodloch in the poconos. There's no child care but meals are included, tons of kids activities and it's within a 5 hour drive from here.


Tyler Place. And yes, it's truly wonderful. Like summer camp for the kids AND the grownups. Hard to get a spot though, so call early, be flexible, and get on the waiting lists.

Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:27     Subject: Re:Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
When my kids were young the only true vacations we took were all inclusive places with kids clubs.

Club Med Ixtapa, Beaches T&C, Disney Cruise, a couple places around Cancun. They're teens now and we go on more sightseeing trips now but they still prefer an all inclusive resort on a beach.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:25     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with children, only trips. Sorry!


Depends on the kid and frankly the parents.

We definitely take vacations with our kid. We do trips also but we have had some amazing vacations.

Why do you not think this possible?



I don’t get this either. I travel often with my three children and would absolutely call them vacations. But I’m also not the type to sit around a read on a beach for more than a day - I prefer more activity and energy so maybe that’s why?


Really, with little kids? Are you the dad? Picking out where to eat, what to do, where everyone can use the restroom everywhere we go, packing day bags, cleaning, getting through naps and nighttime in a new space, and all the child care stuff is not relaxing. Also, you cant' actually sit around and read on the beach with little kids. You have to watch them. I took really adventurous vacations pre-kids. Now, I'm so exhausted from getting out of hotel/rental with the kids on our "vacation." Our last couple of "vacations" were filled with fun moments interspersed with me crying and having anxiety attacks in the bathroom. My husband and children had a wonderful time though.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:22     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
I travelled with my kids a ton when they were little (dozens of countries and lots of US). The places that seemed most like a "vacation" as opposed to a "trip" were Club Med and Rydin' Hy.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:18     Subject: Re:Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Any where we bring our nanny. The kids and nanny get up and eat breakfast, then play, then DH and I get up and eat, then we do a morning activity (sans nanny) and have lunch, then an afternoon activity (sans nanny) then the kids and nanny have dinner while DH and I get ready and then we kiss them goodnight and go off to dinner and something fun.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:16     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
I think that with little kids, there are only trips.

The most relaxing vacation I've had with kids was a Caribbean cruise. There was lots to do and I didn't have to worry about what everyone was going to eat or planning an itinerary. We cruised with Royal Caribbean and they have a kids club for older kids and by the hour paid babysitting for little ones under age 3. We didn't even use it much but it was nice to have the option.

Second to that was probably Grand Cayman. We rented a condo on 7-mile beach and could walk out to the pool or the beach, where they had lounge chairs already set up. We could also walk down the road to a shopping center or to any of the hotels along the beach to go to a restaurant. No need to lug beach chairs around or get everyone strapped in their car seats to go grab dinner. There were lots of outdoor dining options with lots of space so we didn't have to worry so much about the kids being wiggly kids.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 13:13     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with children, only trips. Sorry!


Depends on the kid and frankly the parents.

We definitely take vacations with our kid. We do trips also but we have had some amazing vacations.

Why do you not think this possible?



I don’t get this either. I travel often with my three children and would absolutely call them vacations. But I’m also not the type to sit around a read on a beach for more than a day - I prefer more activity and energy so maybe that’s why?
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 12:35     Subject: Re:Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
The most relaxing was this place in Fort Lauderdale: https://lagomar.com/

Not fancy by any means but it was easy to get there (fly into FLL, not MIA), the place is in a somewhat secluded neighborhood but plenty of conveniences nearby. The pool was great, the beach was great, everything just seemed so low-key. And there's tons to do if you want to explore the area. Get a suite with a kitchen and make a stop at Publix and you are all set!
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 12:33     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Beaches poster from above - we’ve traveled all over with our kids since birth, and they’re great travelers but that all-inclusive resort trip, which is quite different from our normal type of travel, was definitely the most relaxing. We’ve also done cruises (and we aren’t “cruise people” at all) and they are also easy in that you can unpack once and easily see lots of things from one room. We tend to do more interesting and port intensive European cruises though we’ve also done Caribbean. Disney was the best but they’ve all been quite good. Not sure I’m ever going on another one, however.
My kids are now 7, 9 & 12 and we’ve done a lot of travel. This year we stayed domestic and did a bunch of national parks. We live in the city so my kids are good walkers, and we all enjoyed some big hikes and other adventures.


My kids are 7, 9, and 12 & I just posted about Beaches T&C! What else have you got for me. I feel like we are travel twins!


We did 2 Austin Adventures trips this last summer which were awesome - small groups, geared for families and lots of beautiful scenery and fun adventures. They really were wonderful trips. Prior to that we’ve often rented homes or done home exchanges in Europe for 2+ Weeks (dh and I can work remotely in the summer if we plan ahead). We’ve done Provence twice and Portugal once and have a wonderful time doing lots of day trips and having a nice home base with pool and kitchen etc. Hoping to do Italy this summer.
Copenhagen has been one of our family’s favorite international trips. We were there for 4 days before a Baltic cruise which was also great as an easy way to see lots of the Baltic region and find which places we want to return to.
We have family in Southern California and Santa Barbara is a great place to vacation - kids loved surf camp, the zoo (can also do zoo camp), hiking in the hills, surrey bikes along the beach, great food. San Diego is also great for kids who are active and love animals and the outdoors.


Thank you!! I will definitely save these ideas.
We went to Rome over Spring Break 2017 when the kids were 2, 5, and 7. We had a great trip. We have done more stateside / Caribbean than international but hopefully will get more international in sooner than later, with COVID being the hang up lately... We also did Vegas/Zion/Bryce during Spring break 2019 and Bar Harbor / Acadia - Summer 2017 - and loved both of those trips. We spent a month in Sanibel last winter - and if you ever want to stay somewhere longer and work remotely - Sanibel Sea School was great and they have camps, etc. My ILs live in Miami - so we also have had good trips to South FL and the Keys, etc.
We have not taken the kids to CA yet, but I would like to take them to San Diego.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 11:53     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:Just leave kids home if you can. They don't remember any trips at that age.


So? They have a good time at the moment. I took my two year old and five year old to Seattle and then we went to Vancouver. I remember listening to Snow White tape over and over while we drove around Vancouver because that is what kept them entertained. Wonderful memories!
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2022 11:50     Subject: Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”
Anonymous wrote:I need ideas. We have done Disney (Land and World), Hawaii, Costa Rica, Utah, Arizona, SF/Carmel, San Diego, Nantucket + Boston, New Mexico, Hill Country Texas, Idaho, Washington state, Vancouver. Need some ideas! Most feel like a trip and not a vacation. Maybe my expectations are too high!


I am impressed, op! That's a lot of great vacations already! How many kids do you have and what are their ages? I took my 6 year old and 9 year old to London which was fantastic but, with Covid that changes things. Plus, my 6 year old was the youngest.