To think a 12 hour journey for a 3-day break is too much for 18mo ds?

[Mopandbucket]

That's 5 hours to the ferry, 5 on the ferry, 2 to destination. Does not include loo stops. I want myself and ds to fly; dh thinks I'm being 'soft' . I think it's going to be awful in our car (ds screaming with frustration).
Dh has to drive as he is taking over a scooter to his dad in Ireland but we don't ....

If flying is relatively cheap, I'd go for it. That journey sounds unnecessarily stressful for a short break.

well you wont need loo stops on the ferry.. and if you time it right he can sleep through most of the journey. I have friends who do this trip four times a year and they have it off to a fine art now. Are you actually staying over there for 3 nights though?

Unless your ds is way different from mine at that age YANBU - it would be hell on earth. At 18mo thy want to move.

Would you put your ds in a chair for 7 hours and expect him to just sit there? No - so why expect it in a car?

^^It was this scenario I used w. dh when he suggested something similar.

I wouldn't even bother going personally but that is because I know DS would be a nightmare. But that isn't useful to you so fly if you can!

Yanbu
No way
Nope

Is it soon? Ferry on the Irish Sea at this time of year? Vomit city.

Even without a young child it sounds like a lot of travelling for such a short amount of time.

24 hours travelling for 3 days away? No way!

I'd def fly - my friend has done this a few times when going on holiday where her dh needs to drive there for various reasons. She lets him and her teen take all the stuff, get it unpacked, then flies over with her dd and toddler without any luggage or hassle.

Thanks everyone! I've just read your responses to dh. "see, I am right!" . Hurrah

Noble, it's just after Christmas, so yes, vomit is a factor.

I hope you're on the Ryanair website booking tickets right now!

That journey would be too much for me, never mind an 18 month old. I get horribly travel sick and would spend most of the time in Ireland recovering from nausea, and the rest of the time dreading the return journey.

We used to do 12 hour drives to visit family. After the first one, when DD subsequently went rigid if we tried to put her back into her car seat as she'd hated the journey so much, we flew. When her sister came along I used to fly with the girls and my husband would drive, timing the journey so that he could collect us at the airport on the final leg of his journey. Worked like a dream for years.

I wouldn't travel that many hours for such a short stay without any children, let alone with an 18m old, unless there was a really, really,really compelling reason. I'd save my holiday days and go for a minimum of a week, less often.

Depends on how much you want to do it. We took dd to Berlin for a long weekend when she was 23 months: 17 hours on the train/ferry there and 17 hours back. But then we really wanted to see my brother, couldn't afford the air fare and I had to go there for work anyway. (dd stepped off the train at the Hauptbahnhof and said in a very firm voice "bye, bye, toot-toot")

My nephew at the same age travelled to Italy on the train from Sweden: that was a 3 day journey. My parents did the same with my db when he was 2. But the clue, in both cases, was: they wanted to go. And are people who enjoy travelling anyway.

So yes, it is certainly doable. But it doesn't sound as if you would enjoy it- and there is a viable option. Why don't you just look up cheap air tickets?

YANBU
5 hrs car late at night I've done no bother.

Short IofW ferry plus long car journey had DD1 being sick in the services car park, she was 7 and not often car sick.

Irish Sea doesn't sound great

If you can afford the plane fare then I'd go with that, if not then you'll survive.

Thanks everyone. Am so pleased its not just me. Tbh it seems a long way to go for 3 days even by plane, so ferry/drive is scary thought. Ironically, dh suffers dreadfully from sea sickness and when I reminded him about the joys of the Irish sea he blanched a little .

I would fly out of choice, but I don't think the journey is that big of a deal tbh. I have two DCs that do travel well though.

You should fly... Definitely!

Would be too much for us for three days.

We have been doing an 850 drive (and a chunnel crossing) to the South of France since the DC were about 8 and 11. We break it with a couple of overnight stops there and back but always have at least two weeks in situ.

Way too much for 3 days. We've done a long trip with DD when she was just 1, and around her 2nd birthday for a holiday in France BUT it was for a much longer stay. And we broke it up with an overnight stop

That was around 8 hours drive on day one (Edin-London), overnight stay in London, 1.5 hours ish down to Dover, Ferry (about 1.5 hours ish) then another 3 hour drive.

We've travelled 2 days - with an overnight stop, followed by ferry to my mum's with a 3 yr old, and 18 month old and a dog in the car, for a 5 night stay..... And we brought my mum on the way back - through all that distance and then within 8 miles of home we got flooded into an overnight stop on the motorway -in the car... me, hubby,3yr old, 18 month old, my mum and the dog....

so 12 hours with one is a bit lightweight...

Actually ByTheWay, no one could accuse us of being lightweight! We have an 18mo, a 7 yr old, 10 and 12 year old plus puppy