To ask... are holidays abroad with kids worth it?

[ImALittlePea]

I'm currently fixated on going abroad in late September/early October with the family (myself, DH, 9yo and 2yo). I don't know why, really, but I'm desperate for the children to have the experiences that DH & I never had as kids of going to the A/I style resorts, planes etc. 9yo has been abroad once, before starting school and covid hit. 2yo has never left the country. We've done UK holidays - Airbnbs, holiday parks etc - all-in-all quite successful (and one only a couple of weeks ago - four nights in a holiday park along the south coast of England), but I can't shake the feeling of wanting to take them abroad.

But as I look at the packages and prices, I'm starting to second guess myself about whether it's really worth it. We have a modest budget with which I can find what seem to be packages that I'm happy with - a week of A/I in apartment style resorts with plenty/enough for kids to do, space for us to chill once they're in bed etc. But if we do spend the money and go away, we'll feel the pinch and have less freedom/leave from work over the long summer holidays.

Please help a holiday-hungry overthinker out!

YABU - holidays with kids are harder work than they're worth
YANBU - life is short and for living - holidays are always worth it

One reason we always did SC was because the whole unit/flat/ house etc is yours, so you can let them wander round more easily than in a hotel.
And after lunch when sun is too hot they potter/watch dvd while we snoozed on sofas.
Then at night they are alseep and you have the house etc. not stuck in a room with sleeping toddler.

I find with a pool, that kids will play for hours and hours. We just needed to be prepared to sit on the steps in the shallow end with them pottering in and out, or stand and catch a thousand jump ins.
(go somewhere with big shallow steps into pool, so good for toddlers to potter in ankle deep water)
It was nice to play with them but it cost so little mind space, just hanging out in the pool.

I just got back from a week abroad with 5 yo and 2. I think I'll go abroad again when my youngest is 4+

Depends on the temperament of your little one

I've never found overseas holidays to be particularly hard work, so it's worth it for me as I find it more interesting to go abroad and it's great for the dc to see new places. I like to see other cities and just have the whole overseas experience. In many ways UK holidays are harder work as we don't drive and it's easier to do certain types of holiday abroad than some UK locations. Have gone abroad a few times a year since dcs were a few months old and they've always taken it in their stride.

We don't usually do AI holidays, prefer city breaks or theme parks or Eurocamp and tend to book things independently. Agree with getting a SC apartment rather than a hotel, it's nice to have the extra living space and kitchen facilities even just for snacks.

Just got back from 2 weeks with my 6yo and an 8yo. Was feeling a bit unsure beforehand but it was so wonderful to spend so much time with them and we had so much fun.

No, it's not the same as a holiday just as adults in terms of relaxation, but there is a whole different sphere which is getting to watch them have those experiences.

Yeah it does depend from place to place of course. Any on the quality of the drinks and food included in the AI. In my experience, a budget AI is definitely going to require eating out. Or even a medium range one for e.g. Tui type places if you like a bit of variety. Depends what you are after ok, and some of them are really good. It's worth looking at the reviews for food and snack options.

When Dts were small it was a bit same shit, different location but we had a mobile home in France and could load up the car with all their stuff, and the dog no worrries about luggage allowance and airports.

But overall I'd rather be dealing with the same shift somewhere warm with a pool / by the sea than at home so yes worth it.

Did long haul when they were three and that was horrific. I'm still traumatised.

Not everywhere ‘abroad’ is too hot; even a tropical island can be breezy and pleasant. Food wise, pasta, bread, fruit, yogurt are available wordwide, child does not have to eat spicy food.

We mostly did self catering in france and drove, so much easier though ferries were cheaper then. I didn't take mine out of school and we couldn't afford school holiday plans prices.

Ps road trips taken with mine as little ones were easy enough but I'm a chilled out sort who doesn't do rigid naps or bedtimes. We coslept so always looked for super king beds!

Why not look at france for next year? Choose a holiday park with activities, pool, on site restaurants etc. the vendee is a great spot

We didn't until youngest was three. And there were only 2.5 years between them so easy to please everyone.
Best times of my life.

I'm the other end of the price range, and have (mostly) always camped. Took 5 year old DS1 and 4 month old DS2 to the Dordogne in October with XP- we found a little house in a holiday complex for £100 for a week!! DS2 was basically a living blob- it's very easy before they're mobile. DS1 got loads out of it- we went to Lascaux, lots of other interesting places, it was lovely (apart from XP being a colossal arse 🙄)

Then I had a hiatus until DS2 was 3, and took them camping in Normandy and Brittany. I'll never forget DS2 taking a dump on the manicured lawns in the middle of this very middle class campsite at a chateau in Normandy 😱 But even when he was 3 he got a lot out of it.

Since then, I've taken them abroad most years (apart from the Covid years, obvs). Never flying, always driving and camping, until this last one, which was Interrailing.

It's always hard work, but I still love it. It's great seeing them exploring new places and having new experiences. I don't really see what new experiences they'd have sitting round the pool in a hotel all week though, unlimited snacks or no 🙄

How about a pre erected tent/cabin on a posh campsite? 9 year old would probably find a posse of kids to play with, and you could use the money saved to eat out all the time. I found the real game changing age is about 4-5, when they start playing with other kids. You'll notice I stopped taking them on holiday during the worst of DS2 's toddler years!

Also, I don't understand the whole "We have a small child" + "We just want to relax by the pool" thing. IME the single least relaxing place for a parent to be with their small child is next to a swimming pool or other body of water.

@Pottedpalm we took DS to Skiathos in May. Still too hot and no spicy food in sight - but he still got an upset stomach.

It's nice for the weather and if you like chasing your kids round a pool all day - can't say its exposing kids to a vastly different culture by going to Tenerife or the like. We've taken our kids to visit family in a developing country - that was a culture shock but definitely broadened their world view - very anxiety inducing for me and would gladly wait a while for the next trip over there. Probably better to save your money for when kids are 10+ and they get the kudos from their peers for travelling abroad 😄

We had some great ai holidays with our 2 year old - and ai really wasn’t our thing. The trick is to pick somewhere with a creche- TUI often have these and you can have a couple of hours off every day which makes all the difference!

We did two weeks in the Caribbean (self catering, had a car to explore etc) last year when my two were 4 & 1. It was the most amazing two weeks and my kids loved every minute! My eldest still talks about it and we’re now planning a Canadian road trip for next year.

Give your children all the experiences you can afford I say.

We always took our kids abroad from being born, we always went all inclusive.
The kids loved it. In and out of the pool or the sea all day, kids entertainment, ice cream and drinks on tap.
They loved it, even as teens.

I think we’re very lucky since my youngest that is now 11 we’ve been abroad every year even made it abroad in 2020 on a ferry to France!

We’ve also done English SC, our absolutely favourite holidays have been:

Barbados, the history, beautiful beaches and kind people
road trip through France!
Île de Ré an amazing place just off the west coast of France
cornish holiday
Italian lakes

but also done our fair share of AI in Canaries, Egypt, Greece Spain etc and I’d say they’re just different holidays. Go for the best you can afford as it’s the food that makes the difference. Look at Sani in Greece.

I’ve said yanbu. In fairness l would not be bothered if I ONLY had a 2 yo but the 9yo will benefit from the holiday so it is worth it.

We are taking dc age 12 and 4 away on a mini north European road trip - 12 days and 5 locations. It is our most ambitious holiday yet but I want both my kids to be good confident travellers and enjoy new experiences like. We are all counting down sleeps until we leave!

Absolutely worth it! We go abroad for one week a year, always to Spain so far, and have tried self catering and half board. I would prefer self catering because I enjoy eating out, but I found it stressful eating out with two tired kids so we went half board the next time. It was better for them, although I wish I'd found somewhere that opened for dinner earlier (it was 7.30 by which time they were pretty tired). There were times when I regretted it, but I came home happy that they'd had a nice holiday and that we'd had a whole week together.

I'm desperate to take DS to Florida but the thought of an active 4 year old on a 9 hour flight plus the time difference makes me want to weep, so it's shelved until he's at least 8!

I think the kids would definitely embrace the AI snacks and ice creams, and yes both DH and I drink alcohol.

We were really close to booking a Eurocamp in France as it happens, but then discovered that a lot of the kids entertainment (which my two both love) either stopped or was tapered off from 1st September.

I get what you and others are saying about the value of AI vs the benefits of SC and exploring more. For us right now, having everything on site and on tap (for the majority of a holiday, at least) has such a strong draw.

Argh!

This is how we've felt after our UK breaks. It's so lovely seeing the eldest make friends and the youngest discover discos and so on. Lots of bonding and having fun so they've definitely been worth it, even if there are elements of hard work.

We're under no illusion that holidays with kids aren't relaxing, I'm not expecting days lazing in the sun etc etc. I guess what I want is a change of scenery and pace, to be off-duty (in terms of cooking and cleaning - not parenting 😜) for a week, the kids to have some fun and new experiences (which don't necessarily have to be particularly 'cultural' for us, although options to explore are always great), entertainment for the kids that differs from the norm at home (which I'm confident you get at AI, not sure about other board type resorts), and a place to stay where we can chill once they're in bed. Oh, and warm, but not too hot.

Am I asking too much?! 😂

That sounds incredible, and right up my street! Not DH's though I'm afraid 😣