DH thinks overnight stay is pointless for 4 hour round trip

[Usernamqwerty]

Thinking of taking my little man to Thomas Land. It's 2 hours 15 minutes away by car according to Google maps. I want to break up the driving by going up the evening before, staying over (found a hotel at a good price), entering the park at opening time and then driving back afterwards. DH says this is silly and I should just get up in the morning and go and drive back afterwards. I am not a big fan of driving, but he is... AIBU?

Does he think it's not necessary because he'll actually have to look after DD overnight?

I haven't been to TL, but I'm surprised you don't think DD would enjoy it too.

If DH is so happy to do it all in a day, why don't you all go?

Or I've just had a look. One night at their hotel is £114 includes park tickets for all of you and it has 2 double beds - so DH would have his own bed, but not his own room.
It's not that much more than ticket prices.

It if DH still refuses to go, then you plan what YOU want to do, unless there's some outstanding reason he can't look after DD overnight

Have you looked at the updated rude information? There's still a lot not open & a lot of mask wearing.

We wouldn’t normally drive More than 1.5 Hours (each way) max in one day with small kids. YANBU

Oh wow thanks OP - I was completely unaware of Thomas Land - I'll have to take my DS some time (he'd absolutely love it!)

It's 2h15 minutes' drive for me too - I wonder if we're neighbours

(But answering your question) Yeah I agree, staying over the night after sounds like a great idea if you can afford to - certainly not necessary but definitely more enjoyable. And bonus if you can stop off for a nice activity/lunch on the way home the next day too - make a proper 2-day trip of it.

So, reading between the lines, you’re leaving the two year old with your husband and taking the older one to Thomas Land. Your husband doesn’t want to be left with the two year old overnight so is pushing for you to go and come back on the same day.
He’s being selfish. Book the hotel.

Depending on when you are going, Travelodge have some amazing deals, rooms from £24.99 and buy one get one free! We’ve booked a couple of breaks.

Cheap travel lodge works for us when we’ve done long journeys

Having RTFT I would say if he was offering to do the driving then he gets to have an opinion, but as you are the one going on your own, its up to you.

I should add that I love driving but it really tires my eyes so although I could do that in a day, I would probably need to stop for an hour on the way back as I would be knackered and thats not really doable with a little one in the car.

Staying over is safer, but I agree with staying over after rather than before as you will be less tired for the drive and have more time to go proper gut buster on the breakfast!

I operate a 2 hour radius policy for driving myself to things - up to 2hrs one way is definitely a day trip, but beyond that starts entering the region for a hotel stay. 3hrs one way is 100% hotel stay.
For 2hrs 15mins I'd probably still say day trip was fine unless it is going to be an excessively long day or you will need to go to a hotel and shower off mud before a long car trip etc though.

@AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken

So, reading between the lines, you’re leaving the two year old with your husband and taking the older one to Thomas Land. Your husband doesn’t want to be left with the two year old overnight so is pushing for you to go and come back on the same day. He’s being selfish. Book the hotel.

Ooh good call.....

Book a hotel. It’s a long day taking a young child to amusement park and shattering enough without a 2hr+ journey on either end of the day. It’s also a long time in one day for your DS to be in a car.

Make it more a mini break go before relax get ds off to sleep and go park early. Or what I’d probably prefer is leave early right to park then lovely hotel after. Meal there and your ds will be so exhausted he’ll crash out and you can have a nice peaceful evening to yourself. Win win.

I've done similar trips and usually stay overnight. It's too long in the car for a toddler/small child imo. Plus is makes it a bit more fun/special to stay overnight.

Also just because people commute same distance doesn’t mean you should do a nice theme park day out in one day. It’s suppose to be a treat after all not an endurance test. I’d happily drive 2hrs there and back if I needed to for work or appointment or something but I’d rather not go that far for a leisure daytrip. Mileage is irrelevant. I go on a weeks holiday every year only 1.5hrs away from home so takes no time at all. I could go there for the day but I like the area so stay. Does it matter it’s only commuting distance? No of course not.

I would drive up early for Thomas land,be there for when it opens.

And stay that night.Your dc will be knackered ,you get a few hours peace and drive back fully refreshed the next morning.

If you can afford it, I would 100% stay overnight (or 2, if, as some folk say, there is an offer to be had). It would be such a lovely exciting memory for your ds. It would also mean you can get there for when the park opens, before the crowds, and have so much better an experience. It makes a HUGE difference to do this.

I would also look at what IncrediblySadToo suggests. I remember doing similar when we went to Legoland years ago - much of the accommodation near these places will offer a 'deal' on the entrance fee, with accommodation booking.

Neither of you is unreasonable, but for only a 2hr drive, I’d not add in an overnight stay. It seems a massive waste of money that could go towards a real holiday.

If you can afford it and it's your trip it's up to you to decide. If he was going along he'd get a say!
I'd do the hotel thing just to make it more of a fun thing. Its lovely to have one on one time, go for it.
And I think that's quite a long way in one day too.

Thanks! Just to add, little man is nearly 4 and little lady is nearly 2.

It sounds like your “D”H wants to avoid looking after the other child for a night on his own to me..

Well he right it's pointless, but if you want to stay in the hotel stay!

Things don't always have to have a point, sometimes you can do stuff to make life a bit easier or turn a one day trip into a nice little break

I'd stay overnight.
And the premier inn will be the thing he remembers . Mine are older and still love a PI overnight.

We stay far, far too far away from Thomasland to do it in a day (actually we made it a weekend and went to Birmingham the next day!). But I'd second the suggestion of staying in the Thomas Hotel afterwards, my DS loved it.

If you're going alone, I'd stay the night. A day at a theme park with a toddler is going to be exhausting ...good luck

Unless finances are so comfortable the stopover has no impact I wouldn't stay either. Loads of people have a 1.5 hour each way, daily commute, I often drive 2hours for a business meeting and return same day.

OTOH, if I was going to do this trip, I'd do it when we could have a family day out rather than on my own, so DH would be there to share the driving.

*2 small kids ... Sorry I bypassed that one