OP here, thanks for all your replies. We may try a beach vacay but I've decided Paris is out. Unfortunately we don't have any family who can/will help out and travel with us so it will be a learning experience. I'm just dying to have my feet in the sand and some warm weather and clear water. We shall see...

I don't enjoy traveling with toddlers. Both of my toddlers need/needed a nap. Having to spend a large chunk of time trapped in a hotel room to only then turn around and 3 hours later need to return to the room to put them to bed just doesn't appeal to me, at all. And, if you are doing a time change, we found that it completely screws up sleep/nap time. Taking our then not-quite 3 year old to California was such a disaster that we haven't even bothered taking the 2nd one anywhere that we can't get to in time to put him down for a nap.

Around 4, when my oldest gave up the nap, everything changed. She was able to stay up later, so if we pushed bedtime to see 4th of July fireworks on the beach, everything was ok. She didn't need a nap, so we didn't have to squeeze an activity into the morning and then basically do nothing all afternoon.

So for now, we stick to places we can get to and get settled in before naptime. I look forward to when my youngest gives up the nap and we feel like it's worth it to travel again as a family.

FWIW, my oldest, now 7, is a great traveler despite not being "conditioned" to travel frequently as a toddler. We've subsequently taken her to CA a few times and ME a couple times and had zero issues with patience for waiting in line or behavior on the plane.

Remember it is not a vacation for the kid. The kid is there because you are. Whether or not it is a vacation for you depends on what you want to do and what you are able to do with kid in tow.

For us, the only time a vacation with toddlers felt like a vacation was when we had family there to help care for them so we could get a break. Even then, most of the time it was just more difficult, and we have one who gets sick on every, single vacation, so we usually spend a lot of time traveling to the nearest medical clinic. These trips always felt like the reverse of a vacation for me until I stopped thinking of them as a vacation for me.

We traveled really well as a family of three when our DS was a toddler, so add me to the voices of encouragement. The worst that can happen is that your kid will be unhappy and you'll have to adapt accordingly. If it's miserable you'll wait a while and try again. Our first loved the excitement of flying in an airplane, being out and about in a new place. He was always content in a stroller or carrier.

I don't know if it's the logistics of two kids or the personality of our 2nd, but after trying a few times as a family of four, we decided that extended family beach vacations will be best until our 2nd is older. And that's fine and fun, too.

My two cents - the success of a trip with a baby or toddler is all about YOUR expectations around travel.

Travel will not be the same with a toddler. Everything will be more complicated! For me, travel is too important to give up with a toddler. We make it work. We have taken him to Italy and Ireland and both trips were excellent! The trick is I don't bother worrying about the flights, I assume they will be a nightmare and I get used to that idea (sometimes they are and sometimes they are not). I expect we won't be able to do and see as much as we might like. and I mentally prepare for when the inconvenient tantrums that might happen. For me, the joy I get from seeing a new part of the word (with my kid no less!) overcomes these downsides. I completely understand that this may not be the case for everyone.

That said, we do not travel as often as we did pre-kid. We used to do 2-3 big trips a year and now it's 1. It takes a lot more mental energy to plan and prepare and I need some downtime between trips to get psyched for the next one. PLUS we use the rest of that vacation time to visit family now.

I think it is absolutely worth it as long as you're easy going and can be flexible about what you do. It is a great time because you can stick your child in a stroller and walk all over the place. Much better than when he/she is 5 or 6 and will complain about all the walking. We ate dinner on the early side and during the day walked all over the place, stopping at beautiful parks or for an ice cream or treat. We didn't get to do everything on our list, but still had an amazing time. Some nights we ate in our room and picked up wine for when toddler was sleeping. Other nights he was in a good mood and we went to restaurants. It is better than not going at all!

OP here. We can't take grandparents bc my mom is dead, my Dad has cancer, my MIL has cancer, and my FIL is on dialysis. Hence, my question about traveling with a toddler. We have a part time nanny but she's not willing to travel, otherwise I would totally take her! And even without the above mentioned grandparent issue, I would totally take a nanny, so no judgment here! Thanks for all the input!

I would skip Paris this year and do a domestic vacation. At that age, we did Disney, quick flight, went with plans in place and we were willing to change as we went along. We stayed at a great resort in a 3 bedroom condo. Did some Disney days, went to Sea World and did some relaxing days at the resort pool, playing on the balcony, in the grass and playground, even ate a few good meals. We also did Hilton Head around that age and stayed in a condo and other than location, we did the same things we would do at home but we had an awesome view of the water and boats going by and it was fine. Actually, I think we rented a boat and my dd loved being on the water and we did pony rides, played at the pool and beach, rode bikes, went to the playground. We ate out some but also cooked some really fresh seafood.

If you want your trip to be like it was before kids, then leave them at home or bring a babysitter with you.