Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We are having the worst time coming up with vacation ideas.

I just don't feel like anything is going to be a vacation anymore. All trips with extra away from home work. Nothing baby proofed...no sleeping in or staying out late...

I guess I could bring my mother along...but that would have never been considered a "vacation" either.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

With my son who is 4 and my daughter who is just 8 months we still love to travel, and yes I consider it a vacation. Obviously, its a different type of vacation then we once took but its still awesome.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We are going to Atlantis, Bahamas for 4 nights in June. It will be one month after DD turns two. It will be our first "real" vacation with her besides the quick overnight trips. I am looking forward to it, seeing how she reacts to the airplane ride, staying in a hotel, and having so many exciting things to do that she can't do at home! We are bringing along outlet covers for the room, and we have a king size bed so DD can sleep between us. Maybe not the most relaxing sleep situation, but I trust it more then hotel cribs.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We "vacation" back home to our parents houses. At least this way, we get a break. We can go out and sleep in a couple times and they'll take care of DD.

The downside is that we never get to see anything new. We hope to change that in the next year. We may try out one of those beach resorts with a drop in daycare so we can go snorkeling or have a dinner out. Or we might tote a grandparent or two along.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

last year we rented a cabin in Yosemite...due to the time change, our days started at 3:30 every morning!

I go to my mother's house often...

Leo wanted to cruise...but without drinking, gambling, dancing and excursions...seemed silly.

Our HS friends are renting a house on the beach, but to worry about who brought what girl home, who is smoking what...who is drinking and loud...so that is a no go.

I have this monkey who climbs everything....so nothing in the hotel is bolted down.

I think we are doing 2 days in Orlando, 2 in Tampa, 2 in St Pete...then a week at the outerbanks.

I guess we were always just so active on vacation, now it seems like a whole lot of money being spent to contain a kid.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

I have a feeling I will never really relax again on vacation but it is great to get away!

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

Anytime away from home where I don't have to clean or cook is a vacation to me

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We went to Lake Geroge and rented a townhouse so we could enjoy the time after she is asleep.

Maybe a place that has babysitting would be good so then you could get a night out alone with DH? Don't cruises have that?

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

Nope, i consider right now when the girls are in the baby/toddler stage in no way ever to be vacations=just trips.

Too much work, you know it's not a vacation when you need to go on vacation after your vacation is over to catch up on some relaxation.

I wont' consider a vacation a vacation until both girls are in grammar school-no diapers, very well potty trained, able to play by themselves or with others without me right behind them at all times.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We just got back from Santa Fe.

DH got up with her every morning.

If we did nothing else, this made it a vacation for me.

She is a great traveller, and my 2 sisters were with us so they helped out too.

I don't drag a lot of stuff with me - she loves to rip up magazines, play with my fingers, and sing songs so she doesn't need all the toys and rigamaroll. Diapers, wipes, baby food and clothes and we were set.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

To me, a vacation is a vacation. Period. As time goes on, you just learn to pack less, not stress as much over the little things and incidentals and just enjoy the time you have away.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

I just came back from "vacation" with DS (he is 6 months) and let me tell you it was NO vacation. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and nice to get away. DS was great too. But it was not the least bit relaxing; it was a ton of work to say the least.

October is our 5 yr anniversary and we want to go away. I am not ready to leave DS, so he will be joining us. I am trying to figure out where the 3 of us could go.

Vacation will never be the same as it was before until DS gets a bit older or we go without him.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We just got back from 10days in Ireland last week, and yes it was a vacation. We had a blast. Our DD is 4 and she did great. She also came with us to London last year and was great on that vacation as well. Yes it is obviously different than it was before, but still fun to get away and see new things. I don't know if it is hust that we are lucky that she travels so well, goes with the flow and just has a great time or what, but we love to travel with her

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We took a 9-day cruise last December - DS was 7 months. We went with my in-laws, who were all too happy to babysit while DW and I took an excursion or actually had a night out on the ship.

If you get along with parents or in-laws, it's actually not a bad situation. We're doing it again this year!

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We did a vacation last year to my parents' timeshare in Hilton Head. It was definitely not the same, but more realxing than I expected. We are trying to plan another vacation later this year. I'm thinking Disney (combine with a visit to my parents' who are 2 hours away from Orlando) or a Beaches type all inclusive. We tried to rent a house in Hilton Head too with some family, but it was getting to be a PIA because we all had different price ranges & other house requirements. Vacations are not the same as they used to be though. I don't expect to take a "real" vacation again for quite some time. But, someday DH & will have a nice kid-free, relaxing, do what we want when we want to, type vacation (it just might be after all of our DC are in college!) The other thing that's hard is that we spend so much time & money visiting our family all over the East Coast, we aren't left with the time to take a real vacation.

Message edited 4/29/2008 12:08:56 PM.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

you would be shocked at how little I pack!

I guess I mean activities...we never just sat by a pool or sat on a beach ever.

And sex....vacations use to be a lot of sex...now with our little friend in the room...

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

Posted by SuzyQ
The other thing that's hard is that we spend so much time & money visiting our family all over the East Coast, we aren't left with the time to take a real vacation.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

DH won't leave Josh with anyone except my family....he said I can go out and he will stay back with Josh...

as long as he will pick me up when I call, I maybe okay with this arrangement.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

we say they are now "trips with the kids" and not vacations. We tend to go to pretty kid friendly destinations ie. Hilton Head, Captiva, Disney etc but it is still a lot of work with two kids under the age of 3. Our idea of a true "vacation" is a week in Hawaii or Argentina or Italy or Peru, hiking, biking, wine tasting etc most days with a few days of relaxing on a beach with a book and a drink. Definitely NOT what you get when traveling with kids. But we still have fun - its just that we don't come home quite so refreshed!!

I think in the next year or so we will start to attempt different locations like Ireland or Belize and see how that goes. I think if we only had DD we would probably already have tried that.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We go on family vacations a lot. We are leaving for our 9 day cruise with Andrew this week and in Oct we are going to WDW. We love going on vacations. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

the hiking and biking is what we are use to.

We took Josh skiing....never again till he is on his own skis..

The beach...I should have wore workout clothes, because it was a chase seen the entire time. His hat made him mad..

We took him to a winery last year, I watched Leo sample.

We hiked with him at Yosemite...

So, I guess we are headed to Disney and the beach...

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

what do you do with a 1 yr old on a cruise though? that's what we could not figure out...other then pay for them

ETA: I guess its just another change of life.

Message edited 4/29/2008 12:32:30 PM.

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

We just got back from Virginia and it definitely did not feel like a vacation. DH, BIL and our tenat golfed everyday and I took care of DS- like that was a big change from home life. I'm hoping that when we go to Florida in June it will be more family time and relaxing. I really enjoyed Florida last year when we took DS (he was 10 months.)

Re: Do you still "vacation" with kids...or are they just trips now?

we were equipped with 2 sleds...Leo would take a run, then I would go, trading off with Josh in between

never again....ever.

we always try, I am totally not afraid to travel and do things with him, but its so hard for me to spend money vacationing to sit in a hotel room or sit by a pool.

My family is going camping in Montana this summer, Leo was suppose to go with them, I wanted no part of this plan. On top of everything else, grizzly country and a tent...hiking all over with only the things on your back.