Has anyone ever had a good holiday experience with a toddler?!

[lancsgirl85]

So, having read a lot of threads on here about how it's a nightmare to take a little one abroad, I'm looking for any positive experiences whatsoever of taking an under 2 on holiday abroad. I'm actually starting to regret booking it due to reading about "dreadful" holiday experiences on here as well as my own anxiety tying me up in knots. 😫

So AIBU to ask if there are any positive experiences of holidaying abroad with an under 2? I'll take anything at this point 😂

My now 2 and a half year old has been with us to Spain twice at 12 and 15 months, Center Parcs a few times and then to menorca recently at 2.

we’ve had a great time. All self catering villa/apartments with a pool.

agree it’s about managing expectations- if to you the best part of your holiday is lying on a sun lounger for 8 hours, eating meals at 9pm and going drinking on the strip until 1am, yeah it’s going to be very different.

our general routine was: wake up around 7:30/8, breakfast on the terrace, a little walk to beach or play park before it got too hot, a walk by the marina/sea to see the boats, back to place for a mid morning snack like a croissant or fruit, a play in the pool with all of us (bought inflatable boat which was a hit and took lots of water toys like a watering can, ducks and nets etc), had lunch around 12\1. Then glorious nap time for 2 hours where we could sit and chill in the sun. Then another pool session or trip to beach, ice cream and a substantial snack around 4/5. Are out every night around 8pm, back for bed around 9:30/10 and then once she was down, drinks and games on the terrace.

was lush!

she adapted far easier than I expected and we just went with the flow. Took lots of snacks both for the flight and general day to day, good range of toys, good uv tent and we had a fab time!

hope you enjoy yourselves

Yes! We went to Greece last month with our DD who is 22 months, DD 9 and DD 10. It was fantastic!

We were all inclusive and had a hotel with pools, water park etc so lots for all the DDs to do. Our toddler has started tantrumming so we were wondering how she would be. She had the odd tantrum but generally was amazing. We found as long and DH and I shared the load, and she got enough sleep things were pretty easy.

It's never going to be a relaxing holiday but it was so much fun!

Sounds perfect. I think you'll have a great time. We took our twins to Tenerife at 10 months, Florida at 17 months and Ibiza at 2.5 years. We had a fantastic time on all.of them! Self catering or all inclusive is definitely the way to go so you can get them snacks and meals outside of normal mealtimes.
Have a fantastic holiday and don't listen to the naysayers 🙂

Yes, all of them! I wouldn't get fixated on normal routine though. They may nap at different times, go to sleep later etc just go with the flow or you may end up stressed! Mine were in amazing rountines but it all went out of the window on holidays. Once home the routine didn't suffer it just went back to normal itself. Have fun!

Sounds like you are sorted then. I was going to say about the kitchen so that you can make what DC wants, when they want, not when the hotel says so.

We had two awful holidays with DS at 18 months and 2 1/2. Both in hotels because we didn't know better. Room service warm milk at 2am cost ££££.

Both of our DC hate the heat too (they take after me) so we spent most of the time in the air conditioned hotel and only ventured out in the evening. This was in May 😂.

We found UK holidays to be much better until they were about 8.

Lots of great experiences here. Obviously not as relaxing as if we were away on our own, but still good. We took turns taking the kids for some quiet time/nap in the hotel room after lunch each day while the other person got an hour or two to themselves by the pool.

We went all inclusive mostly as it's just easier to have meal times in the same place all the time at that age. Plus plenty of choice of things for picky toddlers to eat. Our kids loved playing at the pool, kids clubs, mini disco etc. They travelled well on planes as well. Reading all the stories here it seems we were very lucky to be honest!

Yes , took DS to Orlando when he was almost two. No dramas at all and we had a great holiday.

Took him to Tenerife age 2 and 3 too and enjoyed it.

First tricky holiday was once we had two age 5 and almost 2 found we could never relax. Very stressful.

Then got invited on a P&O cruise when DS was 6 and DD almost 3 and it was so amazing we immediately booked another for the following year. Crèches and night nurseries were a game changer.

After that the kids were easier to manage on holiday and we did Eurocamp for a few years.

We have been to Menorca half board in an apartment with:

• DD at 15m
• DD at 2.5
• DD at 3.5 and DS 6m

All were great holidays! Not as relaxing as pre kids but lots of fun, even with 2 kids.

With 2 adults to one child you can easily tag team. AI means presumably buffet, which is great in term of trying bits to see what they like and food being immediately available.

We have low expectations i.e. stay local to the resort rather than days out, keep a similar bed time so they don't get over tired and we sit on the balcony. There is usually a playground and any sort of slide/splash park is great.

I’ve never understood this mumsnet obsession that holidays with kids are destined for disaster.

I love travelling with mine, the Far East, New Zealand and Aus, European cities, British counties and festivals.

We so basically the same holidays as pre kids. Only thing is hotels need pools, and rooms need balconies or terraces. Then once children are asleep you can still chat with a drink and cards, or watch tv or whatever.

@whiteroseredrose

Yes, I wanted the option to self cater if we needed to but also the security of knowing we are AI. The apartments have a kettle, fridge and cooker hob. We are taking a tub of DD's usual baby porridge and have lots of Ella's kitchen fruit pouches in the case etc (this is her usual breakfast every day), so we can give her breakfast in the apartment when she wakes at silly o clock, then her milk etc. And then go down to the AI buffet breakfast for the rest of us a bit later on. My only worry now is whether the amount of baby snacks in our suitcases will put us over the weight limit 🙈😂

Nope, not me either. We had an exhausting holiday with first toddler and then just holidayed in the UK, tried again with the second and it was worse (he was usually the easy one).

Do you have just one child ? If so , that really , really isn’t difficult. Obviously different to pre kids but a billion times easier than with more than one small child until they get older and then siblings are easier as they all play. Does your child nap? Chill then, if you have a partner swap over. Keep things simple, small dc don’t need loads of complicated activities, water and sand and they are happy out. We’ve travelled loads with our kids , one bad thing was how badly they’d sleep and we actually traveled a lot with them so the endless stories of just bringing kids in buggies to sleep in restaurants didn’t apply at all or the keep the up really late (we have loads of family in Europe ) , we always went with the flow for weeks on end and our dcs never slept in , actually woke earlier and earlier despite going to bed v late and so were overtired and cranky etc . Now they are older it’s easier in lots of ways but the still get up at the crack of dawn and it isn’t relaxing but I’ve accepted that a long time ago!! One small child is a walk is the park I my experience.

Tag team - it's fine!

One of you in pool watching whilst the other reads.

Then swap.

Go for walks at nap time and when asleep in buggy sit at a cafe and have a relaxing drink.

I went alone with ds as I'm a LP and it was fine but I didn't get to relax as such because I had to watch him all the time (and he didn't nap from 18 months 🫣).

Took DD camping, driving hols around Spain, Italy, France, self catering Ibiza.

Great times, its a not a couples holiday true but it was lovely seeing her experience different things, used to get her to map read on longer drives... Trouble is she can't remember any of it.

my daughter is now 18 months and we’ve taken her away 10 times so far

always been great ! Been in self catering Spain was fab - loosely did it he usual routine but also a lot of letting her sleep in buggy - by the 4th day she was out until midnight and it was fine she slept in the next day - we took turns having pool time to ourselves without her, took her on a train from London to Edinburgh and did city break one time,
she’s been to Ireland a bunch of times too

and we are off to japan in feb

loads of people will say you’re mad

but if you go into it knowing it won’t be the same as previous holidays and a bit more effort it’s fine

at the end of the day It’s still a holiday - how would sitting around at home be better

We had some lovely trips! UK seaside staying in an AirBnB (so there were separate rooms). Skiing (twice, once aged 2.5, once aged 3.5) - DS had an amazing time, completely loved the snow. Three week tour of the Canadian Maritimes - lots of beach stops, some hikes, some days exploring Halifax, St Johns, etc. Couple of weeks in a national park in Canada - first one was hikes and wildlife-spotting, staying in a cabin. The second was beaches, hikes and boat trips.

Honestly he is probably a worse traveller now he is 5, because he is old enough to know he wants to stay home and watch TV instead of coming on a hike or going to see a museum.

I think the trick is - accepting the actual travel will be shit, and try to minimise changes/waiting times. Book a house/lodge/apartment not a hotel room so you have some space and don’t have to go to bed at 7pm yourself. Don’t plan too much - we would plan a trip to the beach, or a walk and then lunch, and then the rest of the day was free play.

Yes of course :)

In June, we took our 18 month old to Bologna and stayed in an apartment. We explored the city and used trains to go to Ravenna, Rimini, Ferrara and Padova :) He uses reusable nappies and washing them was no issue either.

It was no more difficult than carting him about in the UK and we had such a good time that we booked another holiday to Spain in September :)

We've never been 'sit on a beach' sort of people so I can't speak for that kind of holiday but a city break with a toddler is great fun.

Tips:

Snacks: Find a supermarket and buy snacks! Sometimes if our son was getting cranky then whipping out a bag of rice crackers was enough to keep him busy.

Travel buggy: Get a good portable buggy that folds small. We have the Ickle Bubba Globe and it's amazing. It fits in the overhead locker on a plane so you have it as soon as you're off the plane. Lots of people rave about the YoYo but it doesn't lie flat for sleeping whereas the Globe does. It's also about half the price and you can pick them up second hand too.

Travel cot: We bought a second hand Baby Bjorn travel cot on eBay and my god is that thing light weight and easy to use. Having a familiar bed is great for helping sleep in strange places. A portable blackout blind is great for this too.

Travel highchair: We got a foldable booster seat with straps so we didn't have to worry about finding a high chair as it just clips onto a dining chair :)

Toys: Little portable toys are good to bring too. Our son has a 'lacing cheese' (Google it, I love it 😂) some wooden stacking animals and blocks for the apartment/hotel room, little board books and buckle toys.

Be adaptable: We have strict routines for our son at home but these went out of the window when travelling. He ate and slept much later but it all seemed to fall into place naturally :)

I hope you have a brilliant time away! :D

Yep we've had lots of good holidays with both of ours as babies/toddlers
The only bad one was booked by a relative and was a big family get together - the problem with that one was the lack of thought. The accommodation was up several flights of stairs, we didn't have any space away from all the multiple children (we only had 1 at the time) as some were sleeping in the lounge, there was no air con and it was stiflingly hot, the pool was only suitable for the larger children and the complex was a long walk from everything and we didn't have a hire car (we did end up sorting one out for ourselves)
It would have been a nice place but more for adults or older teens.

Yes lots! UK wise we have been to Bluestone off season, gorgeous Christmas decorations, winter lights parade, park, soft play, child friendly restaurants, pool.

Also a few UK places like Flear Farm, Clydey Cottages where they have farm animals on site, little play areas, toys, spa treatments. Holiday cottages by the sea with in-laws - get the odd night out for dinner!

We have also been to Greece, lovely pool with toddler area, play area, trips to the beach, boat trips. We stayed in a 2 bed apartment within a hotel complex, went AI so no need for cooking but did eat out quite a bit - they love children in the restaurants. Managed to either take it in turns to sit by the pool whilst he napped in the room or nap him in his pram and go for a drink or nibbles. Go for somewhere with a balcony so you can sit and have a drink with a view whilst they’re in bed.

Obviously if you wanted to go clubbing or walk 15000 steps a day in New York or Paris or go to Anne Frank’s house you might struggle but build
in low key stuff you enjoy. Of course having a toddler isn’t all sunshine and rainbows but some of the threads here can seem excessively negative. Or perhaps we’ve just been very lucky.

We took out just turned 2 year old to crete for 11 nights in an AI, it was actually a mates holiday we booked before we found out it was pregnant, then covid delayed it a couple of years. So we were with friends who dont have children.

It was awesome. He loved playing in the sea and splashing about in the pool. It was a really relaxing holiday. Take a tablet for the plane! Ds watched peppa for 4 hours in total silence with the sound off. Little weirdo 🤣

I think it depends on your expectations. You obviously don't get to lie on the sunloungers all day or party into the early hours, but if you plan your day around things you know your toddler enjoys, then it's fab. We've just come back from a week AI - the DGC had so much fun, and we got so much pleasure from seeing their excitement.

Yes, all our holidays with our toddler have been great. They include:

Madeira
Butlins
Peak District
South Downs
Paris

We had apartments for them all so we could have somewhere to sit when they were asleep, and somewhere to cook if eating out didn't work.

Butlins was the easiest because it was an under-5s week and we all loved the pool.

Paris was the hardest because we wanted to visit several museums. They obviously didn't find them very interesting. They behaved well but just wanted to toddle about, so we had to tag-team looking after them vs reading stuff!

All holidays are more chilled than they were in my youth - didn't try to cram in too much per day.

I was nervous about the flight to Madeira but they slept for a lot of it because it was a late flight.

Naps all took place in the buggy.

Yes! When DD was 18 months we did 3 week road trip through Croatia and Bosnia and at when she was 2.5 we did another 3 week road trip through Albania and Montenegro. They were amazing holidays. We did lots of wandering through old towns, museums, wine tasting and some beaches. DD was a good napper so we made sure that we were up and about in the morning before heading back to our accommodation for some nap and relaxation time before heading out for our evening meal. Amazing memories to look back on now.

Yeah!! When DS1 was 1 we went to Italy, Dominican Republic and Greece, and when DS2 was almost 1 we did Florida, then before 2 Norway and I think that’s it. It’s really not a problem tbh. Dom Rep and Greece were all inclusive or half board with babysitting and kids clubs (but child too young for kids club). Others were self catering/air bnb. Take black out blinds and own snacks. 🤷🏻‍♀️

DC3 is 4 months and meant to be going to Greece in 2 weeks but passport hasn’t arrived and dreading the heat tbh! And taking the formula feeding stuff etc. Haven’t been abroad with one so young but holiday was booked before she was conceived (covid!).

Yes, took DS(1) at 12 months to a cottage in Cornwall , took him at 2 to Caravan park in the vendee in France, took DS(2) at 6 months to another site in France and to Disneyland Paris , drove to Austria when he was 2 and DS1 was 10.
The crucial things are to keep their routines as similar as possible and to accept that you have to PARENT , ie not sit on your arse on a sunbed expecting them to entertain themselves. Mine were never in the pool without one of us in there and given our age gap that usually meant DH with older one on water slide, me with little one in splash pool.

Blend kid friendly activities with a bit of sight seeing eg use hotels with play areas and pools in the afternoon after a morning trip somewhere. Enjoy a drink in the balcony when little one is in bed.

If flying take a new small toy, comic, sticker book etc and bring them out in stages. Read to them and pack snacks.

You have to plan it and put some effort in but we had great holidays. Lying on a beach for hours on end and partying late does not equal great holiday to me - if it does , that’s where your problems start.