Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Topic Author
Jags4186
Posts: 8198
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Jags4186 »

ScubaHogg wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:19 pm
flarf wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:43 pm
Note that running a 2-year old around on the beach all day usually means they sleep like the dead that night. Use that to your advantage; set up a baby monitor app on your phone and your wife's phone, leave one in the room and take the other down to the hotel bar for a nightcap.
I literally laughed out loud imagining the look I’d get from my wife if I suggested we leave our 2 year old alone in the hotel room. Even if we are just downstairs. 😂😂
I remember being in Aruba with my parents say, 30 years ago, and my parents swapping out who would go down to play on the tables at night lol.
User avatar
BrooklynInvest
Posts: 1183
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2013 9:23 am

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by BrooklynInvest »

UnLearnYourself wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:42 pm
Personally with a 2 and 4 yr old myself all inclusive is the way to go.
Yeah. We're doing an all inclusive with our 3 year old. The parents need a vacation ;-)

We've done a beach house with him when he was younger. Was a lot of fun, but not especially relaxing for us. Someone's always on. Yeah occasional babysitting provides some relief but I think my boy would love a kids club and mom and daddy would really love an afternoon drink and a nap.

When he's a little older we're off to Europe, but this is a bit of a tweener time. He's now good at flying and less good at sitting in a car seat for hours.
finfire
Posts: 322
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 1:52 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by finfire »

Go to an RV or other camping park. Rent an RV , pay to have it driven there and set up or rent a cabin on site.

Avoids airports and lots of travel. Don't overthink it.
EnjoyIt
Posts: 8272
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2013 7:06 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by EnjoyIt »

I have to be honest. A vacation with a child under 5 is no vacation at all unless there is a daycare or night care option preferably both.

Maybe I sound like some horrible parent, but vacation to me means rest and relaxation or doing something that is fun such as skiing, hiking, scuba, etc. Bringing a 2 year old is work and lots of it. Plus, you don't have the child occupying amenities of your own house when you travel making it even harder. I just don't understand the desire to vacation with young children.

Although we do stuff with our kids. We vacation without them until they are old enough to not require constant supervision and attention.
A time to EVALUATE your jitters: | viewtopic.php?p=1139732#p1139732
Starfish
Posts: 2996
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:33 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Starfish »

In the first 2-3 years of my kid's life we traveled to Europe 3 times (Dublin, Germany, Paris, Eastern Europe), twice to Mexico, once to Hawaii. Plus local trips (skiing, hiking etc).
By far the easiest is all inclusive in Mexico. They do have some child care services but we did not use them. If you can include grandparents it's even better.
Jetlag is tough with kids. You can have them running on the streets at midnight until they get tired (did that), but if they wake up at 6am and parents went to sleep at 4am (did that too, days in a row) it kinda diminishes your vacation rest.
Regardless of where you go, if you go with friends with kids of the same age, don't get too drunk. There is a tendency among the tired parents to overdo it.
Last edited by Starfish on Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
HereToLearn
Posts: 1537
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:53 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by HereToLearn »

Jags4186 wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:46 am
Oakdale19 wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:39 am Hello,

Three little ones under five. We’ve traveled extensively with the first two. More than 8, six hour flights and a couple trans Atlantic flights.

A few questions that will help us help you
1) Where are you located (state or at least closest airports)? It’ll help us make suggestions.
2) how many days are you hoping to be away?
3) what do you and your spouse like to do? Camp, beach, mountains, cheap eats, fine dining, people watching.
Have fun and enjoy planning!
1) We live in NJ about 25 minutes from EWR.
2) I would say 4-5 nights probably would be the limit
3) We like beach/fine dining/pool/lounging. We of course enjoy trips to Europe/sight seeing, but I just don't see that in the cards with our current 19 month old. Figure by the time we figure it all out he'll be closer to 2

I have no problem going down the shore, but my wife doesn't consider going to the Jersey shore a "vacation". Tough for me TBH, as that to me is the easiest possible path. I've been trying to convince her that it doesn't make a ton of sense to pay to go to Florida, Mexico, or the Caribbean with a little kid when we can't do any of the stuff we want. I just have no interest paying $$$$ to be tethered to a hotel room from 7:30PM on.
Europe might be more enjoyable than a resort vacation because you won't expect to relax in Europe whereas that is the entire point of the resort vacation. I traveled to Europe when my first was eight months old and then not again until both were in elementary school--maybe 2nd & 5th grades.

Would your mother watch your son at her house so that you and your wife could travel to an all-inclusive in Mexico? Three nights alone would be a nice break.
MathWizard
Posts: 6560
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:35 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by MathWizard »

Until our youngest was 5 years old, trips were to grandparents.

Kids under 5 won't remember a thing.

Other than grandparents, you could do trips to a local zoo, or a botanical center, especially in the winter if you are in the snowbelt.
I'd suggest a butterfly museum,but little kids don't understand not to grab the delicate creatures.

If the toddler is in daycare, take a few days off with the child in daycare and just stay close to home and enjoy a respite. If you have a babysitter, you can have a night out .
User avatar
Shackleton
Posts: 947
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2014 5:20 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Shackleton »

When I lived in Denmark, people would leave their babies in those huge prams parked outside the stores while they shopped (this was along the major walking street in Copenhagen.) There would be 50+ prams parked there. When I expressed surprise, my Danish friend said “who would steal a baby?” This was in the mid-80’s. Later that fall, a baby was actually kidnapped, and the queen came on the TV to ask for the baby’s return. And the baby was returned a few hours later. Different times.

My good friends have a nanny, and when they travel they bring the nanny with them. Not a cheap solution, but it works for them.
“Superhuman effort isn't worth a damn unless it achieves results.” ~Ernest Shackleton
Johnny Thinwallet
Posts: 454
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:07 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Johnny Thinwallet »

Ages 1 and 2 were our toughest travel years with our son. We took 3 trips during that stretch.

The first trip was a flying beach trip to Florida when he was 1. Wasn't bad really other than the amount of stuff we had to pack and get through the airport (car seat, stroller, etc). I was basically a pack mule through the airport both ways. The flights themselves weren't bad - two hours each way and he slept for a great portion of both as a lap baby. Once in Florida and at the beach it was fine.

The 2nd trip was a driving trip when he was 1 and ended up being a borderline disaster because he got sick and tired of being strapped in a car seat. We ended up going home a day early. Lots of lessons learned on that trip.

The 3rd trip was another driving trip, this time at age 2. It was intentionally not as far away as our 2nd trip and strategically planned to get out of the car to do fun activities along the drive. Basically we applied learnings from the 2nd trip in hopes to avoid a repeat disaster. The objective was to get him worn out enough to fall asleep for as much of the drive as possible. The plan worked. But it was a self-limiting trip that year; i.e. a smaller getaway to a closer and much less interesting destination.

By the time he was 3 we could use electronics to keep him occupied somewhat in the car for a longer car trip. It worked well enough to survive, but still not great. He did pretty good at our destinations, though, which was part hiking and part beach.

By age 4 the electronics in the car worked better to keep him occupied than at age 3. He did very well at our destinations, which again were part hiking and part beach.

Last year at age 5 we did two trips, both flying. It was a breeze compared to all our previous trips and thoroughly enjoyable. Less stuff to take, plus he had graduated up to a booster seat. Booster seats are so much easier to pack/fly than car seats. And we all had a blast at our destinations.
Starfish
Posts: 2996
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:33 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Starfish »

MathWizard wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:20 pm
Kids under 5 won't remember a thing.
And even later if they do, they don't care. No kid likes "fine dining".
You don't travels for kids, you travel for yourself.
Starfish
Posts: 2996
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:33 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Starfish »

ResearchMed wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:33 pm We were completely beyond belief when we were at a top hotel in the Lake Como, Italy, area, and we saw some signs to hang on the doorknob. You know, like "Privacy Please". "Please Make Up Room", etc. The English wording may have been slightly different.
It used to be normal to leave a baby alone for couple of hours while sleeping and it is still no big deal in most of the world.
On the other hand they would be in disbelief at American custom of leaving the baby in a different room, sometimes far away on a different floor of a large house, for an entire night.
EnjoyIt
Posts: 8272
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2013 7:06 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by EnjoyIt »

MathWizard wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:20 pm Until our youngest was 5 years old, trips were to grandparents.

Kids under 5 won't remember a thing.

Other than grandparents, you could do trips to a local zoo, or a botanical center, especially in the winter if you are in the snowbelt.
I'd suggest a butterfly museum,but little kids don't understand not to grab the delicate creatures.

If the toddler is in daycare, take a few days off with the child in daycare and just stay close to home and enjoy a respite. If you have a babysitter, you can have a night out .
:sharebeer
That's our attitude.

I remember a trip my spouse and I did to Disney in Florida before we had kids. I was amazed at how many obviously stressed out and miserable parents who were pushing around young kids in strollers. These kids were cranky, exhausted, and equally miserable. The kids were way too young to remember anything. So many frustrated parents. I can't wait to go back with our kids, but not until they can walk the distance, not require naps, and actually enjoy themselves. Thinking maybe 12 years old.

We have taken other trips but with grandparents so that we can take turns watching them. Sure makes a vacation an actual vacation as opposed to shlepping the kids around and then going to bed early.

We have also taken a couple of vacations driving to visit family or friends. We drive no more than 4 hours a day (sometimes more.) After 4 hours we will stop and stay in a hotel with a separate bedroom giving mom and dad a private room :twisted:. Once at family or friends house, there is help or tag teaming child care so that we can all enjoy ourselves.

To OP,
I get it, you want to travel with your 20 month old. You love them and want them to see the world and be with you. If you really want, take them somewhere where you want to visit and see. Understand that it will be work for you but you will get to do something you want. You will enjoy the experience but you wont find it relaxing.....Or, take a vacation from parenting for a couple of days. Get a baby sitter 3 days/nights in a row and have a few date nights our of home. Maybe leave the kids with grandparents if possible and do a 3 day all inclusive. Take the break you deserve because no matter how much you love your kids, parenting is hard work and there is nothing wrong with wanting a couple of days off.
A time to EVALUATE your jitters: | viewtopic.php?p=1139732#p1139732
ponyboy
Posts: 1224
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:39 am

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by ponyboy »

Starfish wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:20 pm
MathWizard wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:20 pm
Kids under 5 won't remember a thing.
And even later if they do, they don't care. No kid likes "fine dining".
You don't travels for kids, you travel for yourself.
Exactly. Our child was 2 and we went to disney. Everyone said that was too young since he wont remember. Well, the parents will remember the great memories. Kid loved it too, but he will not remember when he gets older. Who cares. Live in the moment. We have the memories and a ton of great photos.

I also see a trend of people saying they are waiting to travel with their kids. Its another way for parents to feel better about themselves for never doing anything with their kids. Those same people never traveled even when they didnt have kids. Funny how that works.
epargnant
Posts: 179
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:34 am

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by epargnant »

ResearchMed wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:33 pm
ScubaHogg wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:19 pm
flarf wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:43 pm
Note that running a 2-year old around on the beach all day usually means they sleep like the dead that night. Use that to your advantage; set up a baby monitor app on your phone and your wife's phone, leave one in the room and take the other down to the hotel bar for a nightcap.
I literally laughed out loud imagining the look I’d get from my wife if I suggested we leave our 2 year old alone in the hotel room. Even if we are just downstairs. 😂😂

Customs vary, sometimes to one's astonishment.

We were completely beyond belief when we were at a top hotel in the Lake Como, Italy, area, and we saw some signs to hang on the doorknob. You know, like "Privacy Please". "Please Make Up Room", etc. The English wording may have been slightly different.

And then there was this one:

"BABY INSIDE.
Please notify Front Desk
if you hear baby crying
"

... or words to that effect.

I can not even begin to imagine....

This was a regular doorknob sign, just like the others! :shock:
We still find it hard to believe.

That might (would!?) be actionable in many nearby jurisdictions, leaving a baby in a hotel room and just... going elsewhere!

RM
Not to mention advertising there is a baby alone… I could never leave a young child alone in a hotel room. How many employees have access? And I can never get this story out of my head: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappe ... ine_McCann
MathWizard
Posts: 6560
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:35 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by MathWizard »

ponyboy wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:20 am
Starfish wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:20 pm
MathWizard wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:20 pm
Kids under 5 won't remember a thing.
And even later if they do, they don't care. No kid likes "fine dining".
You don't travels for kids, you travel for yourself.
Exactly. Our child was 2 and we went to disney. Everyone said that was too young since he wont remember. Well, the parents will remember the great memories. Kid loved it too, but he will not remember when he gets older. Who cares. Live in the moment. We have the memories and a ton of great photos.

I also see a trend of people saying they are waiting to travel with their kids. Its another way for parents to feel better about themselves for never doing anything with their kids. Those same people never traveled even when they didnt have kids. Funny how that works.
We travelled a lot with our kids when they were old enough to enjoy it.
Mainly National Parks and museums/zoos/aquariums. The kids even got to climb a glacier.

We did lots of things with our kids. I helped coach soccer, went with them to martial arts classes,
I was a mentor for cub and boy scouts, mock trial, Lego League and FIRST robotics.
These were things the kids wanted to do.

A major reason to go to the grandparents for us is that they were in their late 60's, early 70's,
so time was precious. Neither of our kids met my dad, and my mother only held my
youngest when he was a baby.
EnjoyIt
Posts: 8272
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2013 7:06 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by EnjoyIt »

ponyboy wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:20 am
Starfish wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:20 pm
MathWizard wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:20 pm
Kids under 5 won't remember a thing.
And even later if they do, they don't care. No kid likes "fine dining".
You don't travels for kids, you travel for yourself.
Exactly. Our child was 2 and we went to disney. Everyone said that was too young since he wont remember. Well, the parents will remember the great memories. Kid loved it too, but he will not remember when he gets older. Who cares. Live in the moment. We have the memories and a ton of great photos.

I also see a trend of people saying they are waiting to travel with their kids. Its another way for parents to feel better about themselves for never doing anything with their kids. Those same people never traveled even when they didnt have kids. Funny how that works.
We travel with our kids for appropriate things that are fun for everyone. The only traveling we do with our kids is to family or friends otherwise we do it with grandparents so that we can all enjoy ourselves a little. Around town we do museums, parks, swimming, pools, sports etc. We have lots of fun together. If you think lugging a 2 year old on a plane and corralling them through miles of crowded Disney terrain for a few days was fun for you, then more power to you. You have very different ideas of what fun is compared to us. Maybe you live near Disney, have a family membership and can spend 2-3 hours there whenever you want. That I can totally understand and would consider doing mid week every so often.

Our other trips are without the kids. Once they are older we will do more age appropriate things they can enjoy and we can enjoy with them. Last year we did a couple trips without the kids including an overseas vacation. We do things that a young child could never do. We weren't forced awake at 7am, nap at noon, and then home by 6p to settle in and go back to bed only to repeat the next day. They were vacations for us from being parents as well. A real (for us) vacation. This is what I am recommending for OP. At 20 months old they must be exhausted. Why take a vacation where they have to work and get very little rest only to come back home still tired. How is that a vacation?
A time to EVALUATE your jitters: | viewtopic.php?p=1139732#p1139732
Starfish
Posts: 2996
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:33 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Starfish »

EnjoyIt wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 3:33 pm We travel with our kids for appropriate things that are fun for everyone. The only traveling we do with our kids is to family or friends otherwise we do it with grandparents so that we can all enjoy ourselves a little.
We travelled with our kid all over the world. Before 6 he went in Germany (twice), Portugal, Ireland, Iceland, Eastern Europe, France (twice), Mexico (twice), Costa Rica, Panama, Hawaii (multiple). We had a a great time and we made great memories. We did a lot of walking and sightseeing (he could walk 12 miles with 4000ft climb in a muddy jungle at 5). I am very happy we used that time and did not wait for him to grow up and for us to get old. Help from grand parents was not available, so we did everything by ourselves, but it was great.
I remember one time in Paris (CDG), being pretty tired from a 12h red eye flight, we have met a mother travelling alone with 3 small kids from Singapore.
EnjoyIt
Posts: 8272
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2013 7:06 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by EnjoyIt »

Starfish wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 1:22 am
EnjoyIt wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 3:33 pm We travel with our kids for appropriate things that are fun for everyone. The only traveling we do with our kids is to family or friends otherwise we do it with grandparents so that we can all enjoy ourselves a little.
We travelled with our kid all over the world. Before 6 he went in Germany (twice), Portugal, Ireland, Iceland, Eastern Europe, France (twice), Mexico (twice), Costa Rica, Panama, Hawaii (multiple). We had a a great time and we made great memories. We did a lot of walking and sightseeing (he could walk 12 miles with 4000ft climb in a muddy jungle at 5). I am very happy we used that time and did not wait for him to grow up and for us to get old. Help from grand parents was not available, so we did everything by ourselves, but it was great.
I remember one time in Paris (CDG), being pretty tired from a 12h red eye flight, we have met a mother travelling alone with 3 small kids from Singapore.
I guess we are lucky we have a support structure that allows us the ability to travel without the kids to more distant destinations. I have a friend who travels with their nanny. Not everyone has those kind of resources. I think at 5 you have much more control of the kids and they have more stamina for walking and long lines.

I personally would rather do 1 trip a year without the kids and hiring someone to help out vs 2 trips with the kids.

I also think at 5 you have much more control of the kids and they have more stamina for walking and standing in long lines. I think 5 and up starts to be a good age to begin bringing kids along.

Just curious, have you done any trips without the kids? If not, try it. I highly recommend it every so often.

Since you like anecdotes I will share two of mine.

1) I sat on an overseas flight near parents flying with an infant and a toddler. No one in that vicinity had a chance to sleep including the parents. I talked to mom for a bit who looked miserably exhausted and they were literally going for a long weekend. I thought, what a waste. Show up exhausted, take 1 day to recover. 2 days of sight seeing and then fly back. Absolutely no time to really see the destination and no time to relax.

2) We set up a trip for our friends once a year. Usually it is a no kids allowed vacation. Every parent loves that trip and is one of their favorites. I constantly get comments how it is one of the highlights of the year for them. Some have kids who are teenagers while others have 5 and under. One year we decided to include the kids and we all agreed. Never again!

We love our kids, but parents sometimes need vacation from parenting as well.
A time to EVALUATE your jitters: | viewtopic.php?p=1139732#p1139732
Starfish
Posts: 2996
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:33 pm

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Starfish »

EnjoyIt wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:41 am Just curious, have you done any trips without the kids? If not, try it. I highly recommend it every so often.
Of course, lots of them but almost never together with my wife. We go separately for work or other reasons.
When we travel to cities, mostly in Europe, I also take long walks at late at night. I love exploring cities at night, they are very different than in the day time.
My point is that I do not see any reason to have panic attacks from traveling with kids. Although is not necessary the best solution for everybody, it's actually pretty easy and it CAN be very very pleasant. At least in hindsight :D
smalliebigs
Posts: 450
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 9:48 am

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by smalliebigs »

I would just choose large cities. At that age, art museums are not out of the picture. Once they're 4, they think it's boring and make a fuss. Big cities give you close amenities in case you need stuff.
BashDash
Posts: 1263
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2016 11:31 am

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by BashDash »

Wondering if there is an update to this thread. Always looking for ideas. Was kimpton seafire chosen as the trip?
QBoy
Posts: 218
Joined: Sun May 05, 2013 7:09 am

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by QBoy »

This resort provides a vacation nanny:

https://fdrholidays.com/free-vacation-nanny/

We went there many years ago with small children, and they loved it.
Zipster
Posts: 100
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2022 4:49 pm
Location: The beautiful midwest!

Re: Vacation ideas with under 2 toddler

Post by Zipster »

DW and I joked that if we took the kids when they were that young it was a trip, not a vacation!

My kids (and parents) enjoyed their time together when DW and I went on vacations. We started taking the kids more when they were around 4 or 5.

In retrospect, I think this helped foster the great relationship my kids now have with their grandparents, which may not have formed later in life as the kids got more into being teenagers and the grandparents turned more into old people…
Post Reply