yogiii
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Post by yogiii on May 28, 2014 8:20:01 GMT -5
The last time I took a vacation, I was childless. For various reasons that do not need excessive detail, I do not find travelling with my kids enjoyable when they're in the infant/toddler stage. I can handle a day trip with them but that's about it. I think when they are 3 and 6 I'll finally be able to enjoy myself. I have a whole side of family that is overseas and the likely thing is that we will go visit them, so they can meet the kids and what not. But in the event we decide to go somewhere else, what are your suggestions?
Let's say money is not an option but keep in mind I'd probably have some sort of heart episode spending >10k on a vacation but it doesn't mean those types of vacation can not be suggested.
No offense but I'm not entertaining Disney as an idea. If the kids actually ask me to go when they're older, I'll consider it but it's not happening as MY first vacation in x years.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 28, 2014 8:32:51 GMT -5
My kids are fond of water parks right now. DH found a groupon for one we'd never heard of (and NOT in the Wisconsin Dells area) so we spent a weekend there. There were very few teenagers and a solid third of the indoor waterpark was good for little kids or bigger kids like my boy who's not sure how he feels about water and heights yet. So the weekend trip was probably around $500-$600. Our room had an alcove with bunkbeds and a flatscreen tv mounted on the wall. The kids thought it was awesome. Plus it was decorated in fish!
My kids also have decided they like Grandma's trailer in Door County and camping. And when DH and I were poking around online, we found treehouse rentals in the Dells. I'm pretty sure the kids will absolutely adore that whenever we go.
So, what kind of non-Disney vacation are you looking for? Big city? Weekend on a working farm/b&b? Resortish?
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 28, 2014 8:36:46 GMT -5
Where are you coming from? My childhood vacations were all East Coast. We always did a week in Nags Head, NC. I have fond memories and one of these years hubs and I will rent a house for a week with friends. Im in SEPA and the typical vacation is the Jersey shore, so the Outer Banks were a much more affordable option (especially if you wanted a house for a week). We did Disney when I was 10 and I didn't have much fun. We did go to Clearwater for spring training one year. That was awesome! We also did some long weekends in Cooperstown, NY. I like it there even as an adult.
Hubs and I were in Aruba in March and we saw a lot of families there. Lucky kids! Though my mom did take us to the Bahamas after my parents divorced. I was 5- or six-years-old at the time. It took me 26 years to get back to an island!
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on May 28, 2014 8:40:33 GMT -5
I second you on Disney. We went with my stepson when he was 5. There were many rides that he was too young/ short to go on, which was frustrating for him. Also, I think he would have appreciated more of it when he was a few years older, although he certainly had a good time overall, and has great memories of it even now. But 3 and 6 are too young to really enjoy thoroughly that experience. I totally agree! I am childless, but have been to Disney more times than I can count (mom lives in Orlando and her DBF worked there so we went for free). I saw SO SO SO many unhappy/miserable parents and young children. I remarked, numerous times, that if I was taking children there, they definitely would be school age, or even older. It is way too expensive for most families to have a miserable time!
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on May 28, 2014 8:41:57 GMT -5
Beth - Those ideas sound like so much fun. That type of stuff isn't even on my radar as we didn't really vacation at all when I was a kid. In my head I was thinking a week long trip if staying in the close by states, 10-14 days if going overseas.
meghan - I'm in New England.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 28, 2014 8:43:05 GMT -5
Describe what your lodging looks like on this vacation? Do you want to leave most of the day-to-day chores behind or are you open to some cooking and cleaning?
Standard hotel room?
Suite?
Apartment-style hotel room with a full kitchen?
Resort?
Cabin?
Cottage?
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on May 28, 2014 8:44:38 GMT -5
I don't mind cooking and I don't need to be pampered though I will not be camping. Does that paint a clear picture?
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 28, 2014 8:48:36 GMT -5
Do you want a wide variety of things to do or one real draw?
Are you open to day trips (at your destination) and sightseeing or would you prefer to land in one place and just do on-site activities?
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on May 28, 2014 8:51:42 GMT -5
Ok, I will say this. Before having kids I did not understand why people would go to all inclusive resorts. I always took very active vacations with tons of sightseeing etc. Now I understand all inclusives! So yes, a kid friendly all inclusive is on the table but reallly all along for this first vacation I have been thinking active sightseeing, so probably leaning more towards that.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 28, 2014 8:54:30 GMT -5
Beth - Those ideas sound like so much fun. That type of stuff isn't even on my radar as we didn't really vacation at all when I was a kid. In my head I was thinking a week long trip if staying in the close by states, 10-14 days if going overseas. meghan - I'm in New England. LOL. My family vacations as a kid were a week visiting my Dad's parents in central Wisconsin. Surrounded by potato fields. Where the biggest thing was walking 1/4 of a mile to the local bar to watch softball games and picking up bottle caps in the dirt. When I was around 8, we started borrowing a rather remote cabin on a lake for a week instead. We never left the state overnight. But oddly, if any of my siblings (or us) borrowed the cabin now, we'd end up with damn near 20 people coming and going for the week. We have great memories of the place. The relatives who own it seem to be planning on keeping it. As for overseas, I'm not taking the kids overseas for at least 4 more years. They're 4.5 and 6 now and I'm not brave enough to do flights or 8+ hours in a car with them. But that's me.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 28, 2014 8:55:22 GMT -5
I haven't had enough coffee yet -- how old are your kids? I am confused by your first post, but, again, I am not sufficiently caffeinated.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 28, 2014 8:56:08 GMT -5
I'm sorry, I don't remember how old are the kids right now? And are you thinking about this summer/year or planning for next year?
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on May 28, 2014 8:56:48 GMT -5
I'd love to take them to Europe to see my family now but I think everyone else on the plane would turn suicidal.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on May 28, 2014 8:58:20 GMT -5
What?!?!? You guys aren't keeping track of how old my kids are? Sorry, they recently turned 1 and 4, so this theoretical trip is in two years, summer time.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 28, 2014 9:01:33 GMT -5
I'd love to take them to Europe to see my family now but I think everyone else on the plane would turn suicidal. Probably. Kindles (or whatever you prefer) would probably help some. DH and I are still stunned at how much easier grocery shopping with the kids got with the 2nd one.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2014 9:02:06 GMT -5
You might want to rent a condo or house wherever you go. That means you're not searching for places to eat, waiting for the menu, waiting for the food, waiting for the check 2 or 3 times a day. You still have the option of getting takeout or even storing and reheating leftovers from restaurant meals.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 28, 2014 9:04:27 GMT -5
Sigh... now I'm on Trip Advisor instead of working.
Lena had posted about Deep Creek Lake in Maryland a while ago, and I had considered that for a long weekend one of these years. We also did a trip to Massanutten, VA with hubs' family. Are there any resort-type lake destinations near you? You could do the fun outdoor stuff without the camping.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 28, 2014 9:05:11 GMT -5
What?!?!? You guys aren't keeping track of how old my kids are? Sorry, they recently turned 1 and 4, so this theoretical trip is in two years, summer time. How do you think they'll travel in 2 years? Have you tried short trips/weekends? I know you said you hate vacationing with infants and toddlers (can't argue with you) but I'd want to have a guess at how they'd handle long trips before shelling out for overseas.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 28, 2014 9:09:24 GMT -5
You might want to rent a condo or house wherever you go. That means you're not searching for places to eat, waiting for the menu, waiting for the food, waiting for the check 2 or 3 times a day. You still have the option of getting takeout or even storing and reheating leftovers from restaurant meals. Yeah, one of the requirements for us is a fridge. The kids and I do cereal and milk for breakfast, cheese sticks and fruit for snacks and God knows DH and I need/want cold beer and wine! Dh does cereal and almond milk for breakfast. We did sandwich stuff for lunch at the water park a couple of weeks ago. The previous water park trip (about 6 months ago via DD's school) involved eating out for lunch and can we all holler "epic fail" at the top of our lungs at having to eat out 2x a day. <Beth shudders and wishes she had a bottle of wine at work for the bad memories.>
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 28, 2014 9:10:23 GMT -5
Anne is so much braver than I am.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on May 28, 2014 9:13:14 GMT -5
What?!?!? You guys aren't keeping track of how old my kids are? Sorry, they recently turned 1 and 4, so this theoretical trip is in two years, summer time. How do you think they'll travel in 2 years? Have you tried short trips/weekends? I know you said you hate vacationing with infants and toddlers (can't argue with you) but I'd want to have a guess at how they'd handle long trips before shelling out for overseas. I think my son (the 4 year old) is way more rigid than my DD. Now I can basically treat him like a normal person. He was almost to that point when he was 3. I'm basing travelling on the fact that he's the more difficult child and I would have been fine travelling with him at 3. Of course my DD could turn into a terror over the next two years ...
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on May 28, 2014 9:17:31 GMT -5
We alternate between renting a cabin/cottage somewhere for a week and doing a low key activity and taking actual sight seeing vacations.
When we do sight seeing vacations, we do driving vacations for 10-14 days. The kids do surprisingly well. We structure our vacation so that first day we drive. The second day, we mostly drive, but build in some stops. After that, we drive 0-3 hours a day, until the last couple of days, where we drive a ton on the way home. I've found that it's best to see one thing in the morning, have some lunch, rest, play at a playground or park, and then do one thing in the afternoon. Have dinner, swim in the motel pool and go to bed.
We also try to include the kids and do some kid friendly things. DH and I like going to zoos and aquariums and the like anyway, so I don't feel like we are sacrificing our adult needs for doing "kid" activities. Because we include them with some of the planning, we don't get "I'm bored..." when we do activities that DH and I are interested in.
We also buy "new" things and save them for vacation: new small toys for in the car, new books, new DVDs, new video games. That helps the driving out a lot. It's something they look foward to, because generally they only get stuff for their birthdays and Christmas. Last summer in the car, I read half of the Junie B. Jones series outloud to my kids. We had a really good time.
When my kids were 5 and 18 months, we took a vacation just because it was our last summer before the oldest started kindy. That didn't go so good, because #1 kept #2 from taking naps. We stopped at the Lincoln House in Springfield IL. My 18 month old kept setting off the alarm for going off the path in the house. She also dropped on all fours and started barking like a dog when the docent mentioned that Lincoln had a dog. We still have a laugh about that one.
Next summer, we're hoping to do a three week trip out to Maine and back, via Canada. I'm hoping for two more big trips before my oldest is in college, Europe and then out east at least to Yellowstone. The girls will likely get a trip out to CA, and DS can decide if he wants to come along or not.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 28, 2014 9:35:48 GMT -5
To be honest, I found very young childhood really difficult. It is incredibly physically demanding -- those car seats are NOT easy to carry on one's arm, weigh a ton, and then there is the climbing in and out of the backseat to put the kid in, take the kid out, open the stroller, fold the stroller, put it in the trunk, pack the diaper bag and snacks, change babies in less-than-desirable places, etc. I finally found my groove when both kids could put themselves in their car seats and walk even short distances on their own.
So, I totally get where you are coming from. We started out really slow and really small for family vacations. We often did long weekends by car rather than longer stretches because we wanted to train the kids "how to" vacation. We focused on places with kid-focused activities.
Some places in the New England area we "practiced" in: downtown Boston; Mystic Seaport and Moody's Campground in Connecticut; Storyland in New Hampshire; Burlington, Vermont; Cape Cod; and Portland, Maine. We even stayed at hotels when visiting extended family around New England to get more practice.
We also went to Easton, Pennsylvania (Crayola factory), Hershey Park (smaller and far more manageable than Disney), New York City, and multiple trips to Washington, D.C..
We also rent a cottage on a very family-friendly 3 mile sandy beach in Maine for at least a week each summer and have been doing so for the past 12 years or so (even as older teens, my kids insist that we go back each summer -- it is our "tradition" and holds many fond memories for them). The focus is on beach activities which we enjoy, but a cottage requires cooking and cleaning so it isn't so much a vacation for me.
My kids are 18 and 15 now and we have yet to take a plane anywhere -- a combination of my own post 9/11 anxiety and their life-threatening food allergies. So, we have branched out to include multi-week road and/or Amtrak trips up and down the East Coast and in to the Midwest including Key West, Acadia National Park, upstate New York, Ohio, and Indiana. We do have some cross-country and international trips in the planning stages for the next couple of years so that they can learn how to move in the larger world (including airline travel!!!).
Traveling with them definitely got easier the more we did it. Everyone knew what to expect (new places, new routines, new sounds, hotel hallway behavior, etc.) and we've had some really fun and memorable trips together as a result. While it was a process, I really wanted to travel with them so I tried not to focus too much on the challenges early on and kept looking ahead to bigger and better trips down the road.
We tend to stay at Marriott's Residence Inns (or similar properties) because they are consistently clean, safe, roomy, and give us the option of eating familiar meals in the room without the hassle that eating out for every meal sometimes creates. We have done some camping, both tent and yurt, but as we developed a preference for more sightseeing in our trips, all of the work that camping entails became less convenient.
If any particular destination really appeals to you, let me know and I will be happy to help with more specific ideas. I have tons of trips planned in my head and on paper, so may already have some tips. Also, if you are a AAA member, their tour books are really helpful to at least begin the process and include kid-friendly suggestions.
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Sunnyday
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Post by Sunnyday on May 28, 2014 9:35:54 GMT -5
why don't you go to Brittany? Not too far, interesting enough.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2014 9:39:58 GMT -5
first vacation in a couple of years
imo....an all inclusive resort in caribbean
you can pick and choose which islands, and activities you and family may like more
the one we were just at had special fun things for the kids to do, and plenty of kids to do them with
and for the adults, plenty of opportunities for rest and recuperation
you can do 10 days for probably 4-6k depending on which resort you choose
all food, drinks, etc included
add airfare.....and i think it fits what you are looking for
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2014 10:04:28 GMT -5
I know you said no Disney but i heard Disney cruises are awesome (was also discussed here). It is just as much fun for adults and they apparently take care of your kids:)
Another suggestion is an all inclusive in Mexico somewhere. I would definitely do a beach vacation.
Your kids might surprise you. My son has already done two 12+ hour nonstop flights (one at 15 months another at 2 years old). He was with my mom on both trips and he has done excellent.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 28, 2014 10:19:27 GMT -5
first vacation in a couple of years imo....an all inclusive resort in caribbean you can pick and choose which islands, and activities you and family may like more the one we were just at had special fun things for the kids to do, and plenty of kids to do them with and for the adults, plenty of opportunities for rest and recuperation you can do 10 days for probably 4-6k depending on which resort you choose all food, drinks, etc included add airfare.....and i think it fits what you are looking for I thought Caribbean as well. Hell, our nonstop flight to Aruba took only 4.5 hours. There are islands that are quick and easy to get to. Or even an all-inclusive in Florida. Maybe practice being in enclosed areas with a long car ride. Lol.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on May 28, 2014 10:52:43 GMT -5
We just came back from VT, 4 days
It was OK.
Cabot place was booooring. "Climbing" mountains was awesome. Minuture golf would have been great, but it rained. We did glass blowing place. It was 50/50 success.
the hardest part of the trip was going places (like shops) and keep telling my almost 3 yr old and 4 yr old not to touch things.
So next time this will definitely be avoided.
We might do Cattskils (sp?) in the fall
I am not ready for a full week. May be next year.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 28, 2014 11:39:21 GMT -5
I just got back from a 9 day long trip with a 4 year old and 16 month old. We did 2 VERY LONG days of driving coming and going. Then we just camped/hug out on the beach. A couple things, the trip was too long. The days driving were too long. DS is a great traveler in the car, but that long off of his schedule was too much. Getting DD into her car seat was like wrestling an alligator. It was such a struggle. Once she was in, she did ok. We camped, which added some challenges, but we were on a limited budget. I recommend for your first trip - 1. not driving 2 days away. 2. Not going more than a week. Going to the beach was awesome. It was very low key, we went to the beach in the mornings, came back and had lunch, one of us took DS to do something while DD napped in the afternoon, had supper, sometimes did something in the evenings, took showers, wrestled the kids into bed. There are so many options for renting a condo/cottage/house on beaches throughout the US, I would look into it. BTW, my kids hated the ocean, but loved the beach. THat actually our lives so much easier because they had no interest in going in the water and we didn't have to be that stressed about them running around on the beach.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 28, 2014 12:21:25 GMT -5
My 2 kids are 20 months apart and we flew with them from the time they were 6 months old. By the time they were in middle school they were practiced travelers.
My advise. Don't wait until they are older, but start small now.
I'd start with a trip to the beach or somewhere else where you can rent a cabin or condo. You don't have to cook all the time, but it will help keep routines established, bed times, naps, breakfast etc. Some of our first trips were to my parents' lake house.
Then start with some shorter airplane flights within the next couple of years. Get them used to flying and see how they cope. You don't want their first flight (even if they are older) to be 10 hours to Europe.
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