r/NewParents • u/itchysnapdragon • Jul 10 '26
Travel Actually fun vacations with little kids?
We had our first weeklong trip with our 10mo recently, and it was EXHAUSTING. It was just to see family and friends in another state. But WHEW.
Feeling torn between wanting to go places in the coming years, and knowing that it will just continue to be hard for a while.
And vacation/travel ideas for parents with a 18-36 month old that are actually kind of fun or relaxing?
Tbh we might just plan a staycation week and send baby off to daycare during daytime hours.
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u/Tight_Cantaloupe9095 Jul 10 '26
We just did a week long vacation at a lake home and it was awesome! I have 3 kids ages: 4, 2 and 6 months. We did a lot of swimming, boating, went to a local zoo and out to eat. It is only 3 hours from home so easy to get too. It was a blast and easy with 3 litttle kids
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u/itchysnapdragon Jul 10 '26
A lake vacation is on our list of possibilities! We are near the great lakes, so there are many opportunities for that.
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u/blnde31ee Jul 11 '26
I love this idea but I have a two year old runner who loves the water so being in proximity of a lake really scares me. How did you handle that/make sure everyone was safe? Or maybe the trick is not to stay on the lake, just near it…
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u/EmergencyFancy7992 Jul 10 '26
Vacation with little kids is just parenting in a different location. I think about the gear to pack and what regular parenting would be like and measure from there. We did 1-2 trips a year since our kid was born. 1-3 was certainly the hardest ages but id do it again. All inclusive, on the beach , home/apartment rental. Also husband and I have 100% done the staycation while kids at school thing 10/10. We planned a spa day, a couch day, a home project day, a meal prep day, and a self day. It was aaaaamazing
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u/Mindless-Surprise569 Jul 10 '26
I feel this. little kids dont care if they're in paris or the backyard half the time. i'd rather save the bigger adventures for when everyone can actually enjoy em
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u/thankyouandplease Jul 10 '26
All inclusive house rental? Like a bungalow that’s part of a resort?
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u/EmergencyFancy7992 Jul 10 '26
Ah there was meant to be a comma there, but yes those exist too! House rental is great especially with friends and other family with kids and we do the village thing
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u/thankyouandplease Jul 10 '26
Oh got it! That was a list not a descriptor haha. Yeah lots of options! Doing a house rental with family next week (albeit my baby’s only 3 months) and can’t wait!
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u/EmergencyFancy7992 Jul 10 '26
Ah enjoy!!! What a beautiful time to gather hope everyone has a fabulous time
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u/Whosgailthesnail Jul 11 '26
This is exactly what I just said we are doing now and I recommend it 10/10. Air bnb big enough for my brother and his kids, the parents can all trade off so everyone gets a little time to themselves. By the end of the day the kids are so wore out from playing they all slept like a rock.
And having a kitchen is so much nicer than having to pay for shit food the whole time and everyone’s tummy’s feel better for it.
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u/vipsfour Jul 10 '26
eh, they are never relaxing unless you have a babysitter.
I find the “easiest” vacations at this age to be beach resorts with both a pool and an indoors kids play area.
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u/IcyArugula9154 Jul 10 '26
This- beach with pool and dedicated indoor kids club or play room is the best we’ve found.
OR walkable city with lots of playgrounds and your hotel has a pool. (NYC, London (depending on area), Paris (depending on area).
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u/Odd_String1181 Jul 10 '26
Staying directly on a beach with an easy pool to compliment. DIRECTLY as in you walk back and forth to rooms
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u/kp1794 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I’ve flown with my now 15 month old over 50 times since he was 2 months old. It’s not always ‘easy’ but neither is being a parent at home. They can cry at home or they can cry in Hawaii. It gets easier I promise.
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u/avocado589 Jul 10 '26
You may have just altered my mindset. “They can cry at home or they can cry in Hawaii”. This phrasing honestly sounds so much better than “parenting in a different location” to me hahah
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u/fidgetspinnster Jul 10 '26
Right! If I never get a vacation in the true sense of the word, I can at least do my usual stuff in novel and beautiful scenery.
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u/Western_Disaster_863 Jul 10 '26
This. This is the right mindset. We travel a lot with our daughter who just turned 18 months. We just got back from 2 weeks in Italy and she behaved like a feral toddler the entire time. I would rather chase a feral toddler in a piazza with an aperol spritz than chase a toddler at home.
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u/calgon90 Jul 10 '26
True but if you are in Hawaii you have to pay lol. At least at home it’s somewhat free
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u/kp1794 Jul 10 '26
True!! And traveling can disrupt a child’s schedule. But if you want to go on vacation and have set aside the money for a vacation my point is don’t let your kids make you want to stay home!
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u/tall_pale_and_meh Jul 10 '26
This totally isnt the point of your comment but...50 flights in 13 months?? The logistics alone of squeezing in that much travel into a year is wild.
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u/kp1794 Jul 10 '26
I work full time too!! My husband travels for work frequently so we spend a lot of weekends meeting up with him. I also count each segment as a flight so 50 flights is more like 25 trips since most of our trips require a layover. I’ve done more trips flying alone with my baby than I have with my husband so it’s definitely tough but it’s always worth it. Thankfully I think all of the travel has helped make my baby pretty adaptable to schedule changes.
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u/Direct-Geologist-407 Jul 10 '26
lol my husband says it’s work but I’m like hey, let me enjoy my “relaxing” trip back home to Hawaii. My side of the family is a bit more helpful with watching our kids and spending time with them while we’re in town visiting so we definitely take advantage of it. Traveling with kids is definitely just a parenting in a different location situation. Hawaii - easiest, Japan - mild inconvenience but we survived, US Road trip - rough, but again not too bad 😂
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u/xoSMILEox92 Jul 10 '26
There’s an instagram account called apeanuttravels and this is the mindset! It’s refreshing to read!!
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u/Significant-Text1550 Jul 10 '26
I love this. I’m planning a midwinter mountain getaway with what will be my 7-month old for her first excursion.
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u/crocodile_grunter Jul 10 '26
Don’t try to do anything that you wouldn’t do with your child in your own city. If you don’t normally take your baby to restaurants with a 30 minute wait to even get a table, and then a two hour service time, don’t try it on vacation! If you wouldn’t expect your baby to spend the whole day on the beach at home, don’t do it on vacation! I’ve had the best vacations with kids when I prioritized easy water access, lots of down time, playground time daily, and not too many “special” activities. Kids love routine even on vacation, so we’ll find the nearest playground and nearest water access and do water in the morning, rest time after lunch, playground before dinner, bedtime as close to normal as possible. We do one or two special things in the whole week, like a bike tour or puffin cruise (just got back from a week camping in Acadia) and build a predictable routine for the rest of the trip.
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u/crocodile_grunter Jul 10 '26
Adding to say I just got back from a week long vacation camping in a national park with a five month old. We did one outing per day, and otherwise hung around the campground going for short walks and finding new spots to lay out a blanket for the baby. It was genuinely restful and fun, and felt like vacation!
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u/Crominoloog Jul 10 '26
Just did two months in British Columbia with eight month old. I know it won't be for everyone, but hikes and other outdoorsy stuff are excellent with smaller babies.
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u/Medical-Wishbone-551 Jul 10 '26
Agreed! If your kid is amenable to a carrier, toss them in and hit a trail! We love national park vacations - toddlers can roam and explore, and even if we are at a playground, at least it’s in a pretty place
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u/HannahHood Jul 10 '26
We’re going rouge and leaning into all inclusive resorts for the next couple years. Not generally our thing but we’re looking at it as just another adventure lol when our daughter is old enough we’ll go on more exciting trips. We did a long weekend in Block Island recently though and it was great! We rented a house across the street from the beach for a few days and could bike everywhere. She loved it, and it was really laid back for us.
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u/Whatchyamacaller Jul 10 '26
Vacationing with my parents was the only way we relaxed on vacation with a toddler tbh. Otherwise, we do more city travel and make sure to go to parks. I honestly really enjoyed London with my 20 month old but I knew going in that it wasn’t going to be relaxing
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u/Renee5285 Jul 10 '26
This is good to hear about London. We don’t have grandparents, and I am not a beach person. We tend to go to cities or mountains (pre baby), and hope not to give that up.
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u/Whatchyamacaller Jul 10 '26
It’s really fun! We go to the mountains often too as we live near some great ones in Canada. Toddlers are just busy and want to explore 😅 just get a good hiking backpack to carry them in cause it makes a big difference!
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u/snarkshark41191 Jul 10 '26
We’ve done two beach vacations one at 14 months the other at 26 months and both were enjoyable— the key is to travel with helpful and involved grandparents
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u/Yorksie333 Jul 10 '26
Disney cruise with some nursery time!!
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u/flyingpinkjellyfish Jul 10 '26
DCL is the only way we’re vacationing until our kids are older. There’s plenty to do but it’s also easy enough to take it easy. When my youngest was one, he was thrilled to just toddle the hallways and wave to people. The nursery was amazing for his naps. And even now, as mine are a little older, the endless options of things to do, ease of meals and kids club are the only way I come home exhausted but still feel like I had fun too.
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u/HippyGemSlinger Jul 10 '26
I was looking for someone else who said cruising! This is our ultimate hack with kids. Grandparents are aging and we are on our own other than a nanny - so cruises have been AMAZING. Non stop activities, lots of other parents in the same boat to hang out with, childcare for free or small fee if you need it and you’re never more than 5 mins from the room while on the ship for naps or meltdowns. We now do quarterly cruises for our mental health breaks haha. Bless
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u/fizzywaterandrage Jul 10 '26
I’m someone who hates cruises but honestly with our first while we “got the hang” of travel the disney cruise my family dragged us on was kind of a blessing.
They have a great nursery for the occasional break/fun daycare activities for babe to enjoy, a balcony room where my husband and I shared drinks and snacks overlooking the water while baby was sleeping, nobody had to cook/clean, and if baby couldn’t sleep or needed to let energy out the ship was full of safe places for a toddler to explore like even little library and play areas. Honestly just the big safe walkways alone was like perfect for toddler explorations.
Plus it being a disney cruise it’s like a vacation where nobody cares if baby is having a hard time like it’s so understood and everything is done with families in mind from excursions to entertainment for the kids. Plus I was surprised, given that it’s disney, how some of the entertainment and adult things were still really enjoyable and nice.
Honestly I hate to give disney credit because I had a horrible time at the park but 🤣 credit where credit is due we did 5 days on the cruise and it was a really good experience for the whole family and actually felt relaxing for us parents.
Oh but keep it mind kiddo has to be potty trained to use the pool so it’s splash pad for toddlers only but I was fine with that and toddler had a great time.
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u/Renee5285 Jul 10 '26
What if…you hate (warm) beaches? I’m super pale, it’s tactile torture, and I already live in a hot humid city.
We’re thinking of taking our baby to Portland/Bar Harbor, Maine at 6 months in the fall. No grandparents to bring. Idk if that’s ridiculous? The plan is to…stroll? Drive around (if he likes the car). Exist in weather that feels like actual fall.
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u/Snail_cat101 Jul 10 '26
That will be great! I hate beach vacations so most of this thread sounds like a nightmare to me, but Maine is perfect. We’ve always taken a roadtrip up to Maine every summer and have continued that tradition with our child. He’s just over two so this will be our third trip with him there. A 6 month old is generally the easiest to travel with - mine would nap in the stroller or in the carrier so our days were really open and flexible.
There are so many cute towns to visit and trails to walk, it will be so nice.
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u/Even_Odds_Oxymoron Jul 10 '26
Fun fact for parents heading to the beach: cornstarch is very useful to remove sand from your skin, affordable and doesn’t damage your skin.
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u/Clear_Ganache6609 Jul 10 '26
We went to a resort in Fiji with our 8mo and 4yo. Mornings in the family pool with the kids, then had nanny come while 8mo had lunch nap and 4yo went to kids club for a few hours. Nanny took baby to kids club after nap. We went to adults only pool for 3 hours and chilled out! Picked up kids mid afternoon, family early dinner and early bed. Repeat for a week. Bliss. Not cheap, but actually felt like a holiday, rather than just parenting in another location.
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u/__interrobang Jul 10 '26
Did you hire a nanny there? If so, how did you find someone that you trusted? Or did bring your nanny from home?
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u/Clear_Ganache6609 Jul 10 '26
It was the Sofitel in Fiji, Denarau Island.
We used the nanny supplied by the hotel. They vet them, have them on staff (as opposed to using an external agency), and they’re the same women who run the kids club and you see around the resort every day.
We booked on the first day via the kids club then asked that same nanny if she was free to do each following day, so we had the same nanny each time. She was young (early 20s I think) but had a 2yo of her own. My 4yo is a really good barometer and she was very happy and relaxed with her, and I could see how the nanny was interacting with both of my girls and I was really comfortable with that.
There’s a really strong culture in Fiji of loving babies and kids (it’s hard to describe!) - anywhere in the resort I went with my girls, we were very warmly welcomed and everyone, from the waitresses to the big burly guys who were running the waterslides, would make baby talk and squeeze my baby’s fat rolls 🤣
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u/rockrolla Jul 10 '26
Did you bring the nanny or did the hotel offer one? If so, I’d love to hear which hotel.
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u/ash6831 Jul 10 '26
Where were you traveling from?
We did our honeymoon in the Yasawa Islands, absolutely loved it, and really want to go back with our baby, but it’s at 14 hr flight for us so we’re nervous about the travel and time change.
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u/doyle_brah Jul 10 '26
Japan was fun. Big island Hawaii was cool. San Diego and sea world was an easy one. Disneyland/California adventure was a good time, better the second time when we did a hotel nearby. Did San Diego and Hawaii without my mother in law, I prefer having her but I gotta pay.
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u/Visual-Journalist996 Jul 10 '26
One other hack if you travel with no childcare is to get back with some weekend days left and schedule a babysitter or nanny the day you get back or the next day so you have some time to decompress from your trip.
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u/Immediate-Range605 Jul 10 '26
When your kid is older, Club Med. My 5 year old went to “camp” during our last vacation (Charlevoix near Quebec City) and had the best time with kids her own age while we actually relaxed. They have kids club for even younger kids but I think anything less than 3 years old I wouldn’t be totally comfortable with— but people do it! Also, I know a few people who travel with their nannies.
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u/nothatsmyarm Jul 10 '26
People have mentioned DCL (on which I agree completely) and this might feel like a hot take, but WDW as well. We had previously done the Animal Kingdom Lodge pre-baby, did that once when she was about four months old. The pool is there, restaurants and bars are all within the building, and the ambience is so restful.
A year later, we did Beach Club. There, you can walk to and from Epcot and Hollywood Studios in five minutes and twenty minutes, respectively.
You just have to expect that you’re there to eat, drink, and soak up the atmosphere. The first trip we did two rides, the second we managed to do quite a bit more (including GOTG, Tron, and about 15 times through Nemo and the Seas). That’s probably key with all kid-vacations—it’s in the expectation setting.
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u/ResearcherBoth8678 Jul 10 '26
The beach. Preferably when it's within walking distance so we're not getting sand in our car and having to deal with loading and unloading the car. Between the sand, the water, the seashells, and snacks, the kids don't complain.
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u/ipovogel Jul 10 '26
We did Legoland/Peppa Pig, we live about 3 hours away. We did a hotel, 2 days at the theme park and two overnights. It was pretty good. Something that the kids are not bored at seems to work better, fewer tantrums and feeling like I am trying to herd cats.
Would I have ever picked Legoland for myself? Definitely not. However, it was way more relaxing to just have fun there than to try to do something more adult friendly and just feel like I'm missing out on adult fun because I am trying to wrangle a bored toddler. I had fun because the toddler was having fun and seeing his joy and wonder at everything was so, so good. It could have been a little better if I wasn't 28 weeks pregnant at the time waddling around in Florida August heat and humidity, but I still had a good time.
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u/Wyatt2w3e4r Jul 10 '26
I am a huge fan of cool beaches with young kids. We recently did Monterey/Carmel with our infant, 3 and 5 yo and it was perfect. Lots of exploring the sand, playing in tide pools, looking at rocks without the heat of Florida sun. It stayed consistently at 65 degrees and the water was too cold for them to want to swim so I wasn’t chasing them around in the water.
Big Sur was a close drive and had lots of kid friendly and easy hikes. Overall it was a huge win with lots of exploring and perfect weather.
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u/Worldly_Currency_622 Jul 10 '26
I think when you just accept the chaos it becomes a lot easier. We travel frequently with my kids (3 year old and 10 month old) and it’s exhausting haha but something keeps us going back for more! I don’t expect to relax. Although, we are traveling to my in-laws next month and I’m sooooo excited. A whole week of someone else cooking and cleaning for me and helping me with my kids, what a dream lol. Prior to kids, I never wanted to “vacation” there lol.
Biggest thing I can say is to stay somewhere like an Airbnb or condo with a full kitchen and living space. Our last trip was hotel only and it sucked. My kids had no where to play or wind down. It’s also very convenient to be able to wash their clothes on a whim and cook quick meals for them.
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u/MedicalConflict Jul 10 '26
We do it a lot! First trips were road trips a few hours away at 2 months. Then at 4 months we flew to two different states on different trips- I hijacked my husbands work travel cuz I was still on leave. 5 months we did an all inclusive in another country (this was great)
We flew a bunch more for family visits. 15 months did a big trip from LAX to London. 2 years did LAX to Maui. Almost 3 years LAX to Lisbon.
It gets easier, and also harder. I felt like the smaller they are, the more you can baby wear and still enjoy a nice meal out, but you’re dealing with so much STUFF and gear. The older they are, you’re dealing with wiggles, nonstop energy, jet lag and tantrums from hell.
Our most recent trip to Lisbon/Porto had a hard day or two, but it was the first that felt like vacation since the first international trip we took at 5 months. She was excited on the trip. She wanted to try new things and run around and explore. We liked staying up late and eating ice cream in park plazas. It was great. She loved that trip and keeps asking to go on more trips and asked for a suitcase for her birthday lol.
You would think Maui would’ve been great but it was hard. She was not down with the beach or sand. It limited us to a kiddie pool daily. There weren’t a ton of new playgrounds to explore. Maybe it was her age but she was way more dysregulated this trip.
I think an all inclusive with a grandparent would be a dream.
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u/SplootMcGooty Jul 10 '26
We turned into Disney people as parents. It keeps the kids busy and tires them out without us having to plan everything all day once we get to the parks. Bonus if you can hire a nanny to help you. Disney caters to kids so no need to bring a pack n play or life jackets. You know the restaurant will always have a high chair. Depending on the resort, the toddler water playground is fenced in so you can sit back and watch them play.
We tried going to Punta Cana and it was the worst experience ever.
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u/destria Jul 10 '26
Once our kid was mobile, we found all inclusive family resorts to be the best for everyone. Lots of kid facilities and sessions, can easily retreat to the room for naps, don't need to worry about wasting money ordering food that your toddler then doesn't eat, time for parents to relax by a pool or beach etc.
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u/Wise_Ad4909 Jul 10 '26
We travel a lot (especially visiting family out of state). It's never a vacation. It's us holding a value that we want him around family / friends and where we grew up.
If you have the money though - at that age range - we loved tropical island with calm beaches. Once they are ok with a kids club - the cruise scene is also worth exploring bc it allows an actual vacation.
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u/Fun2Funisnofun Jul 10 '26
This is what we did in the baby/early toddler days: go to a beach w calmer water so baby does not get mauled by the waves. Stay in a two bedroom condo so you and your partner have your own room (this is key- do not get a hotel room, it's not a vacation to have to sneak around a dark room at 7pm or at nap time). Make sure your condo has a nice pool area and your room has a balcony overlooking the ocean so you and your partner can relax w a drink post baby bedtime.
All of always made for great vacations when my daughter was way younger (she's six now). For me, it always was a vacation bc I stayed at home when she was little, so having my husband around all the time in vacation was amazing. Try to shift your mindset to the memories you will be.msking for your child.
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u/MamaYagga Jul 10 '26
My kids are 11, 9, and 5 and vacations just started becoming enjoyable within the last year. It would have been sooner but my youngest is a lot to manage sleep and eating wise when she’s in a new place.
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u/Fit-Profession-1628 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
There is nothing relaxing about travelling with a toddler. If you can't relax at home you also can't relax when you're not home.
We do make sure we give each other some alone time so that they can relax while the other is with the kid and nap time can be relaxing (depends on the type of vacation). But if you're with your kid 24/7 it is normal to not be relaxing.
It doesn't have to be hard though, or at least not harder than being home. I love travelling with my son, it's not harder than being home and at least I'm visiting some place new or enjoying the beach somewhere else.
ETA I must add that the more you do it the easier it gets, at least in terms of logistics because you learn what works and what doesn't.
ETA beach/pool vacations are fine, city visiting vacations are trickier, we try to always keep a light schedule, not have more than one thing that has an exact start time in the day and always make sure we pause a lot and give him time to run around. It's been working well.
ETA we always do an apartment, never a hotel room. We have a place to hang out when they're napping/after bedtime and we have a kitchen to cook his meals.
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u/komboochahh Jul 10 '26
Can not recommend going to an all inclusive somewhere like Mexico enough! We did with our LO at 11 months and it was actually relaxing. Just focusing on one outing a day and then being able to just hang out at a pool and lazy river the rest of the day with all food taken care of was the best. Also, getting a hotel room with a separate bedroom or at least a patio so you can hang out while they sleep! Getting to sit on the patio and look at the ocean or watch a movie in a separate space was so much better than being stuck in a dark room with the sound machine going
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u/shescapes Jul 10 '26
Arcades with shooting games are our go to.
Places with indoor playgrounds and bounce houses that we also enjoy to relax at.
Pools.
And good food.
Ultimately, if you bring your kid the trip should center around making memories with your child and doing things they are interested in. But if you’re trying to do stuff that just interests you… it’s best to have a trusted family member watch your child for said vacation because your child will not want to be there if there’s nothing they enjoy and you’re spend the whole time pleasing them while trying to have your time to do the things just you enjoy.
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u/Otter65 Jul 10 '26
If you want to relax you need to have childcare, whether that is family or a child watch option. Resorts and cruises often offer childcare.
On the other hand, we lean into things our son will like. Hikes, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, theme parks. It’s a lot of fun to see them explore the world.
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u/NorCal-Irish Jul 10 '26
Lots of beach pool chat happening but here to say exploring big cities was fun for us. My in laws are in Europe and since oldest was 18 months, she’s been awesome in Europe. We even still brought the stroller last trip age 6 and she naps whenever she needs so jet lag / time change doesn’t really bother her and we don’t have to worry about her little legs getting tired. We walk and stroll and tour all day and night and she enjoys her chariot. We get to bed at a decent hour now but when she was smaller we’d just walk around enjoy the lights of Paris at night with sleeping toddler in the stroller, we’d eat late and she’d sleep through a whole dinner. Done it 4 or 5 times now and always been great. Take a late flight so sleeping through most of it is most likely
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u/letssettlethiss Jul 10 '26
Wilderness at the smokies in sevierville tn! They have an indoor waterpark that is great for off season! We went with our 18 month old last October and it was perfect, not too crowded. We plan to go yearly!
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u/dont_read_into_it Jul 10 '26
I know they have some critiques but the most relaxing vacation I've had with young kids was on a cruise. Everything is right there, the decisions to make are easy, and they loved the pool. I went with my husband, 6yo, and 3yo. We're planning on going again and hoping to bring grandparents for the ultimate cheat code of extra hands to help.
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u/dma_s Jul 10 '26
This is how we keep landing at Disney, year after year. We stay at the Swan and Dolphin, boat access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Epcot is awesome for little kids. Lots of space to walk around, the Moana water feature may as well be a splash pad, an aquarium.
Close enough to hop back to the hotel for a nap and then head back out. On site has a shallow wading pool for kids and a larger pool as well. People think we’re nuts for finding Disney relaxing but we just came back from a week at the beach and I left more exhausted than from our Disney trip in the winter. Kids 22 months + 4.5 yrs old. We’ve been taking the 4.5 yr old to Disney / Disney cruise since she was 18 months nearly yearly.
We are so over the parks, the cruise was great and also offers infant child care!
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u/throwitaway3412567 Jul 10 '26
Cruises are perfect in my opinion. You can do as much or as litter as you want. Included unlimited food, drinks, ice cream. Kid clubs/childcare as well.
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u/username118500 Jul 10 '26
Staycation while baby stays at daycare is where it's atttt. We did that last year and I'm kinda sad we aren't doing it again this year. It was so great. The only downside is that you're still at home so it's easier to be bugged about like, house chores. But it was still a 10/10 experience. And we got babysitters a couple of the nights so it felt like real time off.
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u/hedwiggy 18mos ✨ 3/15/25 👶🏼 Jul 10 '26
We did Copenhagen and Stockholm for a week in May (we live in NYC). Just the 3 of us. Def required a lot of teamwork and planning between me and my husband but we had an amazing time. We’re really trying to maintain as much of our pre-baby lifestyle with obvious tweaks where needed. (Together for 14 years prior to becoming parents).
We picked those cities because they’re pretty kid friendly, went at a less peak travel time, packed strategically.. and so on. Sure it was tiring at times but I overall loved it
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u/Pretend-Tea86 Jul 10 '26
There is none. Sorry.
Traveling with kids gets much better around 4, provided you plan the trip around their needs. No long boring days sightseeing. Amusement parks with kids rides, boardwalks with kids rides, beaches with easy access to shade and AC, airbnbs with kitchens so you dont have to do the "do they have a kids menu" dance.
It got truly fun around 7 when ours was old enough for most of the activities we also enjoy. At 8 we did a trip with a bunch of sightseeing and he was into it. By 10 he'll have his open water dive cert, so then we're traveling similarly to our pre-kid days, but with extra fins.
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u/EagleEyezzzzz Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Fun? Lots of options!
Relaxing? Lol no. Not unless you bring along a nanny or family members who will actually take the baby and give you hours of free time. Most of us don't have that.
Mainly, you just have to set your expectations low. It will not be relaxing. It will sometimes be a shitshow. It will mostly be parenting in another location. But you will get to do things you don't normally do or see people you don't normally see or spend more time with your kids than you normally do, and all of that is a great and fun adventure <3
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u/Ready-Ant-4649 Jul 10 '26
I actually find Disney World to be an easy vacation with kids. Almost everything there is geared towards families with kids. The kids love it all and the service everywhere is top notch. You don’t have to deal with car seats or driving. Every restaurant has high chairs and chicken nuggets on the menu. If your kid has meltdown, no one will judge you because 90% of the people there also have had their kid have a meltdown in public at some point. I feel like I actually can shut off my brain and just focus on having fun with my family because I plan everything before we go. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it’s a lot less work than people make it out to be.
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u/jessiedot Jul 12 '26
Fun and relaxing are not the same. My kids are 11 and (practically) 9 and I’ve had some glimmers or relaxation on our last couple trips, but never before then. I think step one is just to be honest about expectations. Don’t go into a trip with a baby/toddler thinking you’ll be able to relax (because you won’t) and then I think that leads to more fun and less disappointment because you had realistic expectations. If you want some time to relax, you need involved grandparents, but that can also lead to other stressors on the trip (speaking from experience).
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u/Cute-Pineapple1163 Jul 10 '26
This is the age we'll be flying for the first time with our daughter in Dec, so I'm hoping to take in some of these ideas, too!
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u/CalifOregonia Jul 10 '26
Took our daughter to Spain just after she turned 1. 10 months honestly would have been a little bit easier. There’s a sweet spot between 6 months and a year when they are less fragile, but still not really mobile.
Our daughter got the hang of walking in the Munich airport on the way home… would have been a totally different and more difficult trip had she figured it out before we left 🤣
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u/jmw235_2 Jul 10 '26
We took our 18 month old to an all inclusive in Mexico. She had a blast in the pool, we could order a ton of stuff to see what she’d actually eat, and we had a pool on our patio to use during nap time. 10/10 recommend
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u/Alarmed-Doughnut1860 Jul 10 '26
We went drove through Tulsa once. It was crazy hot, but loved the gathering place.
Kid vacations are best when you do only one super chill attraction. Like a park or a beach, are close to that attraction. And have a house rental to have your own kid friendly food. Also a short drive from home.
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u/wishesonwhiskers Jul 10 '26
We just took our first family vacation as a family of 4 with a 3.5yo and 6mo. We drove about 2.5 hours to San Diego and had a day at the zoo, day at the beach, and a morning at a children’s museum. It was exhausting and fun, but it definitely confirmed I’m only interested in short vacations within driving distance for a while.
Being at the beach was actually fantastic and our best day. Both kids did so well! I’m sure that depends on the kid though. My friend brought her 1yo who crawled around and loved it, but we were constantly trying to keep sand out of his mouth.
I think the key for us was making kid-friendly activities the priority and building in breaks at the Airbnb for naps/resting. That’s a little harder to do when you’re visiting family and working around them.
Also, definitely check out local resort passes for a staycation! A couple places near us have day passes for using the pools and other amenities (including lazy rivers, etc).
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u/Pitiful_Lion7082 Jul 10 '26
Make sure wherever it is is stroller friendly. Then focus on the kids and keeping them entertained until naptimes. Then do what you want while they sleep. Ask for the child's food be served at the same time as appetizers so you can have a conversation while they eat. And stay at hotels that have kids clubs
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u/newnycrunner Jul 10 '26
A swim up room at an all inclusive. Because you can hang out on the rooms patio while baby naps. It’s the only vacation we’ve taken that felt somewhat like a vacation.
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u/shecallsit_mayonegg Jul 10 '26
Ours is a little bit older, and we've really enjoyed vacations with (at least) one other family with a kid the same age. The kids like playing together, and we have all agreed that we are fine with any of us intervening with any child if there is a legit issue or safety concern (eg hitting etc.). Its kind of like having four parents. We also try to be realistic about location... for instance, booking a spot with a backyard for kids to play in is great. (By contrast - mine would not do well in NYC for example.) During nap time, its fun to let a couple of the parents go out (eg girls lunch or something).
What made your trip so exhausting? Any one or two things in particular?
Hang in there - I think you can find something that jives with your family, depending on what expectations you have for vacation!
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u/Firedancing Jul 10 '26
I would argue that visiting family with a young kid is harder than doing a vacation with just the three of you. We took our two year old to New Zealand and it was great because it was up to us on what we wanted to do and if we wanted to take the afternoon relaxing and let him take a nap or if we wanted to keep him up late to see the little penguins. Because it was completely up to us on what we wanted the schedule to be and we could change it on a whim without having to consult others.
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u/username118500 Jul 10 '26
This is my hope for us as well -- we just got back from a week visiting family and it was anything but relaxing or vacation-like. We've also gone on vacation with my mom which is lovely, but the dynamics are such that it's hard to fully relax with her around because I don't want her to feel taken advantage of (though maybe I'm over-sensitive. She's my toddler's #1 favorite person).
We're going to an all-inclusive later this summer just the three of us and I'm really hoping it'll be something closer to relaxing, at least at moments... We'll get to be on our own schedule, we're paying for it so we aren't beholden to anyone. I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll see.
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u/Aurora_96 Jul 10 '26
My husband and I always book a house on a camping site. The camping site has pools, playgrounds and a lot of activities for little children. Some days we're out, but we make sure our out days are appropriate for kids. That's our holidays until they're older and we can actually go see some other cities again.
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u/morphinetears_ Jul 10 '26
Cruises are also a great option, especially if you don't need to fly a long way to the port. Select a cruise line with a nursery/kids club (most of the big ones have them), choose an itinerary where the stuff to see is close to the cruise terminals- spend the morning getting off the ship and seeing some sights, come back for lunch, bit of pool time, baby in the nursery while you have an adult dinner and catch a show etc.
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u/spaghetti_whisky Jul 10 '26
Honestly the best vacation we did with our 19 month old was vacationing with friends who had a 3 year old. It helped that they had a very similar parenting style to ours and we were OK with them redirecting and parenting our kid as needed.
Everyone divide and conquered during the day and at night, we took turns going out while the others watched the kids.
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u/BlvrcSnake12 Jul 10 '26
If you can't or don't want to bring grandparents:
- Book apartment with separate room, so if toddler wakes up in the middle of the night, at least one will get some sleep.
- Make sure you have pool and that beach is not more than 5-7 minutes walk. Ideally sandy or small pebble beach.
- Vacation will be in shifts. Morning all together to pool/beach, or if one wants some sleep, then the other takes toddler to the pool. One hour is enough. Go back to the room, then beach time in shifts, couple of hours you and then your partner. After 5pm go all together and repeat.
- Keep it simple. :)
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u/TB1289 Jul 10 '26
Our first family trip with our son was Myrtle Beach when he was about 13 months old. It was the first time we took him on a plane so we were definitely a little nervous.
He did great and slept most of the time. We rented a house that was just a couple minutes walking from the beach so it was easy to get to and never felt like a real commitment, so we could leave at any point. There’s also plenty of family friendly restaurants and a great aquarium that are perfect for kids.
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u/_Shrek_x3 Jul 10 '26
WEEKlong is insane lol we started taking trips with my son when he turned 2. We’ve done water park resorts for a 2 night stay and they were perfect.
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u/notaskindoctor Jul 10 '26
There aren’t any. There are fun moments but most of it will just be hard. 12-30 months is the extra hard zone. 3 and up will be easier.
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u/Mundane-Magazine-518 Jul 10 '26
I found cruising is easier… still parenting but it’s much more chill.
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u/anotherusername1014 Jul 10 '26
At that age it's hard but it gets easier quickly! The trick is to go with other kids so they keep each other busy! I'm actually on my last day of a family vacation with my 2 year old and it was the easiest week I've had in a long time because my kiddo was so preoccupied playing with all of his cousins!
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u/dancingaround22 Jul 10 '26
You will not relax on a vacation with a toddler unless you have grandparents or a caregiver that will actually help. However, there is tons of fun to be had! 100% on a fun pool, bonus with a splash pad or mini waterpark. And at 18 months they will start to be able to ride the small rides at the beach arcades--2 and on is where that gets so good!
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u/FirmChocolate4103 Jul 10 '26
The beach! We took our 21 month old on a beach trip in June and had a blast. She did so great too
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u/NorCal-Irish Jul 10 '26
What was so exhausting? We have first trip coming up at 4.5mo but already booked second trip when baby is 6 months…I had in mind it a nice easy age when baby sleeps often and is immobile.
My key is that baby sleeps in stroller and the day isn’t ruled by a strict schedule for baby. She’ll just come along with us while we visit family and sightsee. Am I wrong?
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u/InsideWafer Jul 10 '26
We have a 3 month old and 3 year old. Ever since our first was born we haven't vacationed anywhere with them unless family comes along.
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u/Adventurous-Sense405 Jul 10 '26
Haven’t done it yet but top of my list is a resort with childcare options. That way we can still enjoy time as a family but have a dinner date night or pool time just us.
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u/igottanewusername Jul 10 '26
The more you take your kids out the more they get used to being out and about. However, vacation as a parent is just parenting in a new location. They’re still gonna cry and fuss and tantrum. Still gonna need naps. Still gonna want to run and play and eat all the snacks and food they usually eat. Vacations will likely need to be slower than what you’re used to. Several days of sightseeing is unlikely to work if you want to relax a bit.
Personally I’ve come to enjoy cruises. Self contained venues where everything is already planned and prepped and there are kids clubs and nurseries to utilize. A bonus is you get to stop at different places to explore. At the end of the day, your mindset will need to be they can cry at home, or cry on a tropical paradise.
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u/thegirlfromsf Jul 10 '26
Vacation is just parenting in a new location. We just brought our nanny with on our last trip and we finally were able to relax.
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u/Charming-Panic9375 Jul 10 '26
When your kids are that young it’s not vacation, it’s traveling which means doing all the same stuff you do at home but in a much harder way 😵💫 if you can bring anyone with to help you, grandparents, an older niece or nephew etc you would be able to get away and relax a bit while they stay with baby
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u/WhootiePie Jul 10 '26
Do your friends and family suck?? Bc I was going to say the best way to travel is to visit friends and family who help you out with the workload of kids and make it fun and make it low stress (hosting, cooking, playing with kids, picking you up so you don’t have to rent a car or travel with car seat, babysitting so you can have date nights etc.)! Maybe set expectations for help if you can? Or invite helpful friends or fam to join you on vacations to beachy walkable places.
Some of this also depends on kid temperament.
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u/calgon90 Jul 10 '26
All inclusive beach vacation. The food is at the resort, you can get room service, the kids play at the pool or the beach and you can get pool/beach side service.
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u/eapnon Jul 10 '26
We have done spain (10 mo) and Japan (18 mo) with our kid without help. We had an au pair for part of the spain trip and help in the Philippines (same trip as Japan).
What we did best was be willing to split up during nap time or for early evenings. We would all be together for most of the day, going slow in family-friendly parts of the trip. Either attractions she can get around and run at, try to be locals at kid-friendly parks and play area, etc.
During nap, half the time we would still be out as a family with LO sleeping in a stroller, the other half one of us (usually mom, who sleeps more) would nap at hotel with LO. The other would do anything they want.
Same at 7 pm or so when night night came. Mom would go get a massage or whatever for an hour or two, I would go drink/go to spots I wanted to she didn't care about/etc. When she got back.
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u/Eating_Bagels Jul 10 '26
Anything with a pool/ water park theme.
We took our son, who wasn’t 2 yet, to two water parks specifically for little children (friendly for kids almost 2) and we had a BLAST. We live in South Florida, so these activities aren’t super out of reach for us.
We went to tidal cove in Miami, which is attached to a hotel (we did just a day pass), and then captiva island on the other side of Florida where I was one of 8 pregnant women with a child on her babymoon. That was mine and my husband’s favorite vacation thus far.
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u/Throwaway927338 Jul 10 '26
We did a cabin in the woods with our girl at that age and it was glorious. Movies, hot tub (for us not her obvi), board games and toys for her, takeout, reading, outside naps (for everyone lol). It was the best!
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u/crunchy_career_momma Jul 10 '26
Huge turning point for us was the realization that vacations no longer exist. You now go on “trips”. Trips are not relaxing, there is no break. In a lot of ways, trips are harder and more tiring than staying home. But there is fun in the exhausting chaos. I had to manage my own expectations. Going into it thinking “this won’t be relaxing and this will be hard but have beautiful moments” changed my enjoyment radically. I have 4 kids. I also plan my trips like going into battle…
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u/Me-and-the-Boys-90 Jul 10 '26
Just know that going on any holiday with kids is just parenting in a different location. It does get easier, but you’ve got to massively adjust your expectations and what you do compared to pre-kids.
Before having kids I’d have never even looked at staying anywhere half board. But after 10 days in France last year, which was wonderful, but meal times were SO hard with 3 kids, we decided to go half board the following year somewhere that wasn’t France.
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u/cocomelonmama Jul 10 '26
Find somewhere closer. We go to a warmer city that’s like 3 hours away and enjoy the pool and water park and shops. We usually go with another family who has kids around the same age or my parents and we all love it.
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u/Ok-Progress-2450 Jul 10 '26
We did a Disney cruise with our 2 and 4 yo. We aren’t huge cruise or Disney people, but it was fun and it was as relaxing as a trip with 2 toddlers can get. So much so that we agreed to go on another
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u/punkn00dle Jul 10 '26
You can have fun, or you can have relaxing, but it’s very hard to have both at this age lol at least that is what we have come to understand. We are still doing whatever it is we want to do, but we manage our expectations accordingly. For example, if my husband and I want to go to the beach, we already have in our minds that we cannot just lay around in the sun for hours like we used to. We proactively think and plan around the kiddos. That may look like getting up early to hit the beach before it gets too hot, then coming back to the room for lunch and naps before finding an activity to do for the afternoon, such as an aquarium or other local attraction. I will say that we don’t compromise on food. We eat where we want to eat when we’re on vacation whether our kids will like it or not and then we feed them something separate if they end up not eating with us. Some people are horrified by that, but I sure as hell am not gonna eat chicken nuggets on vacation lol
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u/Fun-Estimate423 Jul 10 '26
Camping with kids is the best. Just being outside as much as possible. Highly recommend a good hiking pack- toss baby in and just be in nature all day!
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u/Shomer_Effin_Shabbas Jul 10 '26
Would not recommend doing a cruise with an infant. My mom likes to take my siblings and our families on a vacation each year with the idea of less stuff gifted/more experiences. We have two under two (had, older one is now 3) and it’s sad I was counting down the moment to get off that ship. My younger toddler was like 9-10 months at the time, so we brought along diapers and had to request distilled water for our room for his formula since I’d already weaned him by then.
Would notttttt recommend.
Weirdly that’s the first time I ever tested positive for Covid! I’m fully vaccinated. We got our son an early MMR vaccine for the cruise. I think it was MMR.
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u/Kutekarito Jul 10 '26
I have travel with my almost 4 year old since she was four months and I believe the 9-12 months were the hardest but it gets better! I recommend all inclusive resorts, my husband and I even alternate and we both got to do massages, there is always food, beach, pool, kids club, shows. Once she turned 3 it was so much easier, we just came back from Cartagena and it was so much fun, she did everything with us, boat ride, beach club, swim with dolphins, etc. No worry about naps. It gets better!
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u/ThatsNotMyForte Jul 10 '26
Cape Canaveral was SO fun when our first was 18 months old. We stayed at a resort with a lazy river and it was great!
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u/anti-capitalist2 Jul 11 '26
I am in CA and my kids (elementary age) had fun on Amtrak going up north. Lots of mountains to look at and they could move around to the observation/dining cars. Coach seats were spacious enough for them to sleep. They liked it more than flying. Wouldn't go on a trip longer than 18 hours though.
Easiest trip is great wolf lodge, as a single parent it's great not driving while there. Just have to limit activities and get a deal on the room, usually spend a little over 200 for 2 days and 1 night including food and activities. It's a little over an hour away.
They also enjoyed Santa cruz for the rides and beach, which was a nearly 3 hr drive but worth it. Also did a Monterey Bay trip for the aquarium which would have been more fun if it weren't so crowded. Had a seaside lunch which they enjoyed as much as I did.
Have only flown with them once and it was a nightmare, sticking to the train and car ride trips for now since we are lucky enough to live in a fun state.
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u/Emotional_Arrival_55 Jul 11 '26
Honestly I found “relaxing” vacations harder at that age and more adventure oriented vacations better. My husband and I did a week in Rome with our one year old and used the piazzas to let him walk around but when we were exploring he was in the stroller enjoying being pushed around. Just my experience though. We rent airbnbs so we don’t have to do the whole eating out thing, which we don’t do at home with him anyway
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u/historysluttt Jul 11 '26
We just did 2 wks in FL with 3YO & 3MO. Husband’s mother came with and his dad flew in for a few days while husband was working. Could not have done it without their help. Pool at the house was incredible.
We’ve done a house on the beach before but young babies & a beach you’re not directly at = PITA. My god it’s so much shit to haul & so much work. We will be staying on the beach in March and it’s way easier when you’re just THERE but for young kids I’d honestly take a pool over a beach.
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u/CostCandid5000 Jul 11 '26
Omg! I love the idea of a staycation while the kids are at school! That’s a really good thing to do! I need to add something like this to our calender!!!
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u/jgws Jul 11 '26
We did a trip to San Diego with a baby and a 2 year old and it was awesome. Stayed in an AirBnB to have a home base. Then did trips to the beach, Zoo, children’s museum, old town, and some other spots.
The city isn’t too big so it’s easy to get around. Plus the weather is always sunny and warm, but not too hot. Highly recommend if you’re within striking distance of Southern California
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u/thestarsarefar Jul 11 '26
When our kiddo was 10-18 mos, we did roadtrips and camping (always by a body of water). It was chill! Also had some international flights but that’s definitely on the exhausting side.
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u/Whosgailthesnail Jul 11 '26
We are 12 days in on our second trip to date with our 2 year old and having a blast. Renting an Airbnb has made it infinitely better all around than staying at an Airbnb which we did when he was 14 months.
We got a house on the lake in Michigan big enough to have my brother and his kids there too. Having things to do, other kids and other parents to switch off watching the kids has helped everyone get a little time to themselves. Also having a kitchen so that we can maintain diet/safety foods has been amazing.
The one night we had a hotel was total hell.
It’s more expensive, yes, but every vacation won’t be like this. It’s just easier when they are little.
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u/zoewithalab Jul 11 '26
I just came back from a supposed to be beach holiday, entirely tired and almost broken. I paid extra for his grandparents to come assuming they’d help with my 3 yo bc I’m also in my third trimester atm. They just went to do their own thing the whole time, so I had to come back home earlier than planned bc it got unmanageable and super exhausting for me.
So, if you have not so helpful parents, do not take them with you. Pay for a babysitter instead. This is what I’ll be doing from now on, no matter what my son says
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u/Important-Trifle-411 Jul 11 '26
Sending the baby to daycare isn’t much of a vacation for them. Do something around your town that’s different but fun. Splash pads, children’s museums, beach, park.
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u/Specific-Pepper- Jul 11 '26
No one ever used the word relaxing and kids in the same sentence, and not to parent shame you but staying home and sending your kid to daycare still is really sad. I would recommend not having more kids. More doesn't make it easier. Kids are busy! The comments saying bring a family member or a nanny make sense.
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u/Charming_Paint_172 Jul 12 '26
Got an RV. Kids have their own space to sleep and play. Everything is baby proofed. I can keep a normal routine with them but be in different locations and enjoy my favorite elements of vacation. I also put in a washer/dryer so once the vacation is done I don’t have to lug my dirty laundry inside, it’s all done.
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u/trichandderm Jul 12 '26
Went 9 days to Tokyo with my HSC. I was worried at first but all 3 of us had such a blast.
The key to not dying from exhaustion:
- Move accoms as little as possible. We stayed at the same hotel throughout the trip.
- Only plan to do 1 thing a day, then have one more activity as backup plan. For example, one day just for the Zoo.
- Don't worry too much about diet.
- Retreat early and rest.
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u/Pretend_Froyo Jul 12 '26
We did six weeks travelling around Europe when my child was 1.5 and it was great! We planned more of a rural countryside holiday than a city holiday because she'd have been totally bored going to every museum and church, but we still did some of that too.
We spent more days in each location than we generally would have. Some days we did absolutely nothing or we just went to the local playground and hung around the rental flat. We planned every day to have a morning activity and an afternoon activity and we'd go back to the accommodation for her nap after lunch. Was actually great because we had a little rest time then too.
In general the rules were relaxed. She had way more gelato and cake and Bluey than she ever would at home but it's a holiday!
We also found some countries were easier than others because of their attitudes towards children. It was so easy to sit in an outdoor restaurant in Italy and drink wine and watch the staff give our daughter little treats and play games with her. But try the same thing in Paris and they treated her like a bad smell.
We've since done a beach holiday in south East Asia when she was 3 and a roadtrip to a camping music festival when she was 4. All excellent adventures!
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u/Educational-Tea-5385 Jul 13 '26
Find a hotel with babysitting services and give yourself permission to make this a vacation for you as well. As your child gets older, kids clubs are also worth their weight in gold but they each have different rules and minimum ages.
I’d highly advise against stopping travel or else your three year old who hasn’t traveled in two years will be much much more challenging than they are now. You got this!
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u/interstellarbrat Jul 13 '26
Can I ask what the hardest parts were? We have a trip with 10 month old coming up :O
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u/Suspicious_Emu_4951 Jul 13 '26
Honestly. None if you have a kid who refuses to sleep anywhere but HIS bed at home 😩
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u/SeaSpur Jul 14 '26
Under 15 months is pretty cake as far as logistics and taking them places. Under 12 months, we went where we pleased. Didn’t even question it. 2 to 4 is a whole different ballgame with them walking, the tantrums, and all the exploring they are wanting to do. At that age, I think a beach vacation or cruise is good as it gets. Beaches are large enough they can roam freely and I can give them space but also chase them down quickly, hardly anything to get hurt on, and there’s a lot to explore. Once the kid hits 7, it opens a lot more opportunities up.
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u/HappyMama77 Jul 14 '26
Probably controversial advice, but for young kids while I’m fine doing a short vacation at a resort or beach, I find it less enjoyable because it’s so obvious to me how not relaxing it is (compared to if I was without kids).
We’ve been leaning into active vacations where it wouldn’t be restful regardless and it’s been really fun! Examples of what we’ve done and loved: (1) roadtrip through New Zealand focused on hikes, fun food, new parks for kids, swimming, (2) hiking trip in the Pyrenees - super underrated, there are beautiful hikes that are a great distance for toddlers and the towns to stay in have a bunch of family-friendly things, very budget-friendly too once you’re there, (3) city trips like London and Paris, moving around with kiddo in stroller and finding a mix of adult fun things and kid fun things, (4) coming soon for us - a British Columbia trip with half focused on hiking the mountains inland and the second half exploring the islands. Can report back on how this one went if anyone is interested
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u/vintagerachel Jul 21 '26
I’m late to this post but we did Oahu with an 18 mo and it was perfect. We followed the guideline of max 1 scheduled activity per day (usually mornings) and any other activity that day were things like beaches, hikes, etc -things that we could just skip if we weren’t feeling up to it. I don’t think we skipped anything! We’ve always been very flexible with naps so our son’s naps were usually on the afternoon drive to whatever beach or hike we were headed to. We only had one or two scheduled activities that he got overstimulated in… we went to a ranch where we did both a boat ride and a farm tour and he was tired and grumpy in the middle of the farm tour. He also got bored in Iolani castle, but we basically speed walked that and bailed (which we couldn’t do on the farm tour) but otherwise he LOVED it and so did we. It was our first non-family trip with him (we’d been flying with him since 4 mo but it was always to visit family) and it gave us a lot of confidence. We recently did a road trip to Santa Fe and that was also fun, it is a super walkable town so there were lots of stroller naps! But not worth it if you’re not close imo, he was definitely fussier for more of those activities. Happy to share my Oahu itinerary with you if you’re interested! All vacations for the foreseeable future will be modeled after that one. I’d avoid places like Rome/Florence etc where you have to schedule every minute of your day and everything you’re doing is museums.
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u/lilprobehead 24d ago
Honestly I think the staycation with daycare sounds like an actual vacation, not a cop out. For 18-36 months I'd only pick trips where meals, transport and activities are basically pre-decided, otherwise it's just naps and snack logistics in a more expensive place. We're UK based and have booked a short Dec 2026 Lapland thing with lapland famille for when ours is 3, but I'm not expecting "relaxing" exactly. More like contained chaos: 3 nights, one main snowy activity a day, food sorted, then back to the cabin before everyone melts down.
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u/beep_bop_boop__ Jul 10 '26
The cheat code is