US road trip. Should I take DD out of school?

[Dogsandbabies]

My DD is 4 and due to start school in September. DP and I want to go to the US for a road trip, total of 3 weeks. The plan is to go to museums, theatres, sights. Incorporate New York, Washington, Chicago.

AIBU to want to take her out of school for 2 weeks (we would be using half term) in February? She won't be 5 yet so I think legally I am OK to do that, but would you do it?

I would add to the chorus of voices saying this sounds like a really ambitious trip. It's a LOT of driving if you're doing this all by car. And in the winter... high chance of snowstorms making travel impossible at all, possibility of breaking down in the middle of nowhere in the midwest in the freezing cold... Seems like a nightmare. Am surprised your family in upstate NY haven't tried to put you off. But, if you want to go, why not just go to NYC and Syracuse with a day trip in Philly? Or travel to DC by train from NYC. Or yes, April is the perfect time of year, there's nothing more beautiful than an east coast spring.

There's more than enough to do in NYC for a week btw.

Never done Disney post kids. Not jealous - just come back from similar myself. Road trip sounds great but not with one so young and not when weather likely to be an issue.

why don't you go in the school holidays?

Cub trouble- jealous?!! I think most people are advising them against what could be a very dangerous trip. Have you ever been to New England in the winter?

We did an 8 week road trip in the USA when my son was 1 and then came home by boat which took
a further week. It was awesome. Absolutely no regrets. He might not remember it but experiences shape the person you become. I will remember it and he can look at the pictures ;-)

Took our 3year old to new york for 2weeks before she started montessori she loved it. Go for it .

Have all the posters who say go for it actually driven in that part of the world in the middle of winter?

Please remember that a road trip in the US is not like one in the UK. Things are spaced very far apart, and the weather in most of the country in February can be brutally cold and snowy. (Especially if you are in New England, should they get a Nor'easter.)

That might be fine for adults, but I think a five year old would have a boring, even miserable time, constantly being bundled up and driven long distances.

If you do choose to do it, consider driving along the lower east or west coasts. The weather will be more mild, to downright sunny, plenty of things to do and see along the way, and if nothing else, you'll always be near a beach or a park. Be sure to search the internet for things that are a little off the beaten path, like unusual museums, great diners, or odd landmarks!

Source: Am a Yank. Have had countless road trips in my life, and remember being a bored five year old DD herself!

Oh, and I do want to emphasize the whole "driving in the Northern half of the US in the winter" issue. If the weather is clear, you just get cold, that's fine. If it snows, the roads can be tricky or closed for days or weeks. And a lot of the northern US gets a lot of snow and ice, with New England made worse by the lake effect. AlsoI forgota lot of roadside and outdoor exhibits are closed until March, April, or even May. Plan ahead, but be flexible!

I currently live in Maryland (about an hour north of DC so you would be passing through on your way to NY), and agree there's not much less I'd rather do. First off, we just finished going to the ocean (3 hours away) last week with our 3.5 year old and 10 month old and aside from watching a movie, he probably asked "are we there yet" a dozen times going each way. Secondly, January & February are our coldest months of the year and when you're most likely to encounter snow and ice (and OMG I wouldn't go near Chicago that time of year for anything!). I'm not talking about a dusting either - this picture is from January 23rd and as you can imagine it took several weeks to melt. It was almost as tall as my 3 year old, and yup, that's our car buried with snow on the left.

IMO I wouldn't schedule a trip that time of the year, I'd wait until later in the year or do a road trip down south or on the west coast.

I was in NY early Feb this year and bizarrely it wasn't cold. In fact one day I just wore a Tshirt and a jacket because it was so warm.. That said normally it is awful. Friends who went just the week before us were stuck sightseeing in permanent fog and sleet. Not fun and actually would probably make the trip a pain for you.

I would absolutely recommend it for children though. There is so much to see and my eldest (same age as op) would have loved it. We are thinking of going next October during half term. We are also toying with the idea of taking our summer baby out of school (extending an existing school holiday) to do a long haul flight to see family. We want to see how he settles in first before deciding though. If he struggles adapting or is behind the others then I don't think it would be fair.

We have done a six week road trip earlier this year with a 2.5 yo and a 6m old. We started in Miami and ended up in San Diego. And you know what, it was absolutely amazing. You just have to be realistic and acknowledge you're traveling with kids. We didn't stay in downtown Miami, we stayed in a small town outside Fort Lauderdale, on the beach, so the toddler could play to her hearts content. We stayed in Airbnb places so we could do normal food (only exception was Grand Canyon where we stayed in a hotel - the monitor reception stretched to the bar and restaurant, RESULT!). We all loved New Orleans, we stayed with one of my colleagues in Houston (who had 2 pet turkeys and 5 dogs, another hit with the toddler). We all really enjoyed the naval aviation museum in Pensacola. Surprisingly enough Vegas is kid friendly too (lots of colourful things to see, animals, kid friendly restaurants). Then we did a week of beach in San Diego. Again, toddler loved it. Baby didn't have much of an opinion to be frank, but seemed OK with it all.

We limited the driving to about 4 hrs per day and tried to stay in each place for at least 2 nights mostly 3, to make sure there wasn't constant upheaval. Naps were sacred as were meal times. We did visit one amazing soft play (in St Petersburg, FL) and one really cool children's museum (Las Vegas).

So yes, your kid is not CSA yet so if you want a trip like this, do it now. YOu know your child, you know what your DD likes so you will adapt your trip to that.

I do agree with the other posters re weather though ... We did the above trip in February and both Florida & San Diego were definitely a lot chillier than I thought it would be!