To not have attempted to go abroad yet

[eatery]

I’m just not convinced it would be enjoyable with two under 5s. Am I wrong, or would it just be SSDL?

A two second Google suggests plenty to do:

Frankfurt offers a fantastic mix of hands-on museums, expansive green spaces, and indoor fun tailored for kids. Top highlights include encountering massive dinosaur skeletons at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum, seeing exotic animals at the Frankfurt Zoo, and exploring the hands-on science exhibits at EXPERIMINTA.Must-visit attractions for families in Frankfurt:Senckenberg Natural History Museum: A massive hit with kids of all ages, housing Europe's largest exhibition of dinosaur fossils.Frankfurt Zoo: Located right in the city center, this manageable, family-friendly zoo is home to over 4,500 animals.EXPERIMINTA ScienceCenter: Features over 130 interactive, hands-on stations where children can experiment with science, physics, and technology.Palmengarten: A beautiful 50-acre botanical garden perfect for strolling, featuring playgrounds, rowboats, and vast tropical greenhouses.Indoor Play Centers: For rainy days, head to the MyZeil shopping center to visit the HalliGalli Indoor Play Centre, which is packed with trampolines, ball pits, and climbing frames.Frankfurt City Forest: Offers a great way to burn off energy. The forest features excellent walking trails and multiple dedicated playgrounds.Pro-Tip: If you are travelling with children through Frankfurt Airport, be sure to check out the interactive play areas—some even feature life-sized Lufthansa jet slides!

@DappledThings i am talking to a poster and if you don’t like that I don’t really know why you’re engaging with the thread. You may not have intended to but since your first reply you’ve been extremely curt and bordering on downright rude.

Sorry if that sounds horrible but it’s actually really impeding on my enjoyment of the thread. I could sit here and google and chatGPT everything but that isn’t what MN is.

Alright, sorry. Just trying to give you ideas of what you could really enjoy. I'll leave you to it if that's upsetting.

I appreciate the apology. Thank you

We’ve brought our three small boys eurocamping in France from a few months old. (I say camping I mean air conditioned chalet) we have a great time every year. Sure it’s not a relaxing adults only break. It’s a family holiday ! Very different to our pre-kids lounging holidays. But Guaranteed sunshine though and outdoor pool fun with the kiddos. We love it.

We didn’t enjoy a holiday with ours (18 months apart) till the youngest was 5 - after that they were grand as no buggies, fighting naps, the youngest had grown out of being an arsehole etc. They have been consistently great since then. Definitely would depend on the kids I think though - two of my daughter would have been fine (chilled/happy) but spending £6k for a 3 year old to moan constantly is not a fun 10 days.

I’ve had some of my best holidays at those ages. But, I love holidays and love the break from routine and not having to work, being in a different country, eating great food, seeing new things, relaxing in a beach, etc.

Well that depends. It took us twice as long door to door to get to Cornwall than it did to get to Majorca. I vowed (after a 9 hour car journey with two toddlers who didn’t fall asleep until the 8th hour) never to holiday in this country again - and it wasn’t much cheaper either!

We’ve taken ours abroad every year since they were babies, they are 18 months apart. Never had a bad or particularly stressful holiday. It is what you make of it.

I've travelled with mine since they were months old. I have three children and my youngest was at Disney in Florida at 9 months, the other two were 3 and 4.

We went to Thailand a couple of years later, after another couple of trips to Florida.

Life's too short and your children need to see the world if at all possible. Whatever you do don't go to an all inclusive or beach or pool holiday, you'll all be bored rigid!

To be fair to @DappledThings we did quite a few of the things on that list! He loved the Zoo (we actually went twice) and Palmergarten, and he was entranced by the Christmas Markets, especially the carousels! His favourite thing is transport so he’d have been happy riding the tram all day to be honest!

We went to Copenhagen before we had him and that will hopefully be our next city break, SO MUCH for little kids there.

We’re right in the middle of the country which helps. I do remember a hellish journey back from the lakes though where we got stuck for five hours on the M6. Ds was only 20 months at the time; he was amazing to be fair to him.

@FettleOfKish it sounds lots of fun. It’s just nicer hearing it from a human than google

Mine were absolutely fine. My nephew and nieces on the other hand...
You know your kids. Mine have always had my laid back personality and were no bother at all.

They were never the type to have tantrums or try to make a great escape, etc. We didn't go away much when they were little due to money but they knew how to behave at home and it wasn't any different being abroad. I didn't see it as it's my holiday and they're going to ruin it, I saw it as 'its our holiday and they'll get attention and to explore then I'll sunbathe/relax when they're ready to let me.' 😁

I can't even remember the amount of trips my kids have been on or how many flights. We live abroad and have done all their lives and we have always exploited our proximity to other countries. I am going to write down all of the places we have travelled to because I genuinely have been meaning to make a list! As I write this I have not yet counted.

Dubai x a few
Oman
Sri Lanka
Bahrain
Jordan

All over Northern Italy many many times, camping and city breaks everywhere, as we live here but that doesn't count!

Camping trips:
Italy: many! Too many to count.
Drove all over France x 2
Germany
Spain

Beach hols
Spain
Sickly

City breaks
Berlin
Paris
Zurich
Sarajevo

My mind has gone blank and I am sure that there are more but our kids all got passports as tiny babies and we are obsessed with travelling. We are going to America for a month this summer. 3 kids aged 4,8 and 11. Been travelling since the eldest was a baby.

The positives… little kids are genuinely excited about flying and watching the aeroplanes from the airport window… most parts of the world are more welcoming to little kids than the UK… Sun and adventure make your child sleepy so you’ve a better chance of a good nights sleep… if you go all inclusive you care less about how picky your kids is, there’s bound to be something they eat…

It’s full on but if you have an equal partner you can take it in turns to give each other a break.

My little one us not quite 3 and we’ve had 3 holidays abroad so far, and seeing the joy on his face has been wonderful.

The pre-school age is great for foreign travel. At that age they are up for anything!
Unless your children are naughty, I'd go for it!

It was so much fun. We had the travel pram and a backpack with reins as he was just walking. He pottered around wherever it was safe for him to, and in the pram if it was crowded.

We are very lucky that he LOVES aeroplanes so flying with him is a breeze, as long as he can see out of the window he’s happy as a clam.

Well the benefits I guess are no household chores, no cooking or driving, but all depends on the type of holiday you are going on!

You do it if you don’t want to stop travelling.

I have 3 kids. We have been abroad pretty much every year since my first was 6 months old.
It's really not stressful. It's less, you don't have to cook or clean for 2 weeks - just focus having fun and playing with your kids.
Yes, they'll be out of routine, but they'll adapt quickly.
It's great fun.

That wasn’t the question, though. If OP had said “going on holiday will cause financial hardship for an extended period, is it worth it?” I’d have framed my answer differently.
OP asked if it was worth going on holiday or was it SSDL, to which my answer is yes.

She said it would be a struggle to afford it if you actually read the thread

Some people do long haul with young children which baffles me to no end- must be awful! I think flying 2-4 hours with small children is completely manageable and obviously no jet lag to consider.

I wouldn't bother. It's looking after the children in a less convenient place, and it costs a lot of money. However as they get a bit older and can swim on their own suddenly it gets good again, so save up for that.

We’ve been abroad multiple times a year since my eldest was 4 months old she’s 8 now. My youngest is 4 and he is such hard work at home but when we are away it’s so different and I love it. Don’t find it stressful at all (apart from the packing 😂)