to never go abroad on holiday again until the kids have left home...

[liath]

Have been out of the UK 3 times since having the dcs and even when it's gone relatively well there has been the unpleasantness of flying with small kids, endless queues, dodgy weather etc. We've had endless delays, missed flights, gastroenteritis & broken bones. I get back more knackered than before I left.

AIBU to want to spend every holiday between now and my youngest's 18th birthday at bloody Centre Parcs - at least I know the chocolate ice cream there is good.

YANBU. I am not planning on getting on a plane anytime soon, personally. But then I'm not superexcited about holidays anyway TBH.

We have bought a mahossive estate and are planning on holidaying in places that we can drive/ferry to (so UK, channel islands, have been to france as well) and that's it. More than enough to do in those places. Saving anything else for when they are older and can look after themselves a bit.

And at it being "feeble" not wanting to go flying around the planet every 5 mins

good grief - In 3 weeks I'm flying to NZ with a very active toddler! Just me and her - to visit my family.

I plan to find a running track at Hong Kong (where we transit) airport where she can run and run and run & hopefully get so knacker she will sleep on the 2nd 12 hour flight!

We have been abroad a bit with DD but I admit flying can be a nightmare. Then again I think that is the case with or without children!

Flew to Sydney with her when she was a baby and she was brilliant. No trouble at all.

Flew to Jersey with her the year after (almost 2yo) and it was one the worst travel experiences I have ever had. The flight was delayed on the ground and she had such an appalling tantrum that the cabin crew asked for the steps to be brought back and "suggested" I get off the plane with her and walk around a bit to calm her down!

I prefer it when we drive. Also we usually self cater in a gite or something so it is fairly laid back and we can do as we please.

We stayed in the UK last year though and had a terrific time. We are not sunbathing by the pool sort of people so it is not essential that we have lovely weather to have a lovely time.

Sounds like you have had a rough tme of abroad holidays!

I much prefer to go abroad personally. DD is 7y now and been abroad at least once a year since she was 14 months. She has done long haul 4 times and will do LH twice this year too, and SH a few times. DD quite enjoys flying, and finds it much more pleasant tan I do.

The guaranteeded nicer weather is our normal draw.

Have done UK holidays and do enjoy them, but only once since DD was brn has UK been our main holiday. that was when she was 3 months old, it rained every day, it cost a fortune, and it would have been just as easy to have flown SH somewere.

There is no rule that says you need to travel.

We do, but we love it - so just take DS along, he is an excellent traveller now. DS2 will be the same, we shall just continue on...

YANBU.

Same as you - been abroad 3 times and it is hard work. Although am defo considering a mark warners sometime when DS2 is a little older.

We are having a staycation this year. No housework allowed. One meal a day must be eaten out/ ordered in. And we plan to explore all the places that are close to us that we simply havent gotten round to doing.

Weather could throw a spanner in the works, but then it rained no stop when we went to spain so willing to take the risk.

If I only had 1 DC it would be fine to go abroad, but with 3 or 4 young DC our efforts in recent years to do any kind of holiday have been horrendous! Not even in the UK, I just don't have the stomach for it, any more.

downdog we flew to NZ with dd when she was almost 2. Hong Kong airport has a lovely long stretch that goes for miles and miles miles .... we did the exact same with our dd, ran her up and down it.

songs songs songs, that what got us through, particularly those with actions. crayons and colouring books, mini puzzles, night garden on a loop.

Worst flight was on the way back, Auckland to Sydney where we were visitig friends for a few days ! nightmare - she was teething though.

We are go abroad every summer. I'd rather have a stressful journey and have sunshine. Holidaying in Britain is lovely but the weather is shite.

My 3 are used to it now (7 and DT's 4) and are generally well behaved on the flight. Noisy though. I don't envy anyone sitting near us!

Cars and ferries are the way forward - we flew with DD1 when she was 14 months, and never again (she's 7 now)!.

This is what you want Liath - ferries to European destinations from Newcastle here

And then you can feel super-smug about your carbon footprint too, and say "of course, we don't fly any more"

Thanks Liath... Just booked flights last night.

i really think it depends where you go. I flew to South Africa with my 23 month old and 3 month old babies. The flight was a nightmare because it was delayed and I ran out of breast milk and bottle milk, and yes there was more organisation involved, but it was still worth going.

I don't think anyone is unreasonable for not wanting to do it, but it's worth looking around at places that make it easier. Try www.totstotravel.co.uk - shorthaul flights or ferry trips to France, Italy, Spain, with houses that provide everything you need for babies and toddlers.

I've not been abroad for over 10 years now, both mine and DH's passports have expired and the kids have never had one. North Devon has been fab nearly every year for the last 7-8 and will be trying Wales out this year. The thought of flying on my own fills me with dread, let alone with the kids and DH , I'm not the worlds sharpest when it comes to currency conversion either so would probably end up spending a fortune!

YANBU. I have only ventured abroad with my DCs in the last few years; they are now 12 and 14. Also, my DP doesn't like planes, trains or ferries, so I have to go on my own or tag along with my sister.

A woman I know took her DS to Disneyland Florida when he was 6 months old... what's the point in that?!

It's not that bad, really...!

Ours are used to planes/trains/car journeys as we've travelled lots with them since they were little, so maybe that helps - they know what happens on a plane journey, for example, that they have to sit reading/playing till the light goes off, then they can have DVD/the DS, the stewardesses bring a drink, etc...

That said, we've never had a trip to A&E with them on holiday, or any broken bones despite regular skiing, and I can imagine those experiences can put you off!

has anyone HONESTLY been abroad with more than one child, WITH NO HELP e.g. staff/relatives AND ENJOYED IT?

I suspect it is Having Staff that might help? (including grandparents)

erm, yes, mp.

we go abroad every year, have done since pre-dc.

now we have 2 dc (ages 5 (and ASD) and 2). thye have so far been to Europe (various), USA and Oz.

all holidays were great (took and immense amount of planning, mind you, but we got some fabulous help from MNers) and we are off again at Easter, this time with my brother and family.

Holidays are great - plan well, and it can be a lovely break.

going WITH people doesn't count

mine don't even do CARS really, taking them anywhere is a fecking NIGHTMARE

Easter willbe first time going with other people (and could well be a disaster - db has a young baby (his first), and dd1 is a bit anti-babies at the moment...)

I completely concede that we are lucky our two travel well (although organising food for multiple intolerant children is a bit of a nightmare!)

I like YABF Shall be using that myself sometimes.

DH and I were seasoned travellers anyway before DS - we have never spent our spare money on booze, cigarettes, clothes, take outs, gadgets etc. - we spend it on travel. There was no way we weren't going to travel abroad with our DS as that is just what we do IYSWIM.

So far with our 22mo DS we have headed abroad to Majorca, Egypt, South Africa and Mauritius. We're heading to Ireland, France and St Lucia this year. I'm expecting DC2 in Sept (all being well) and we're planning a trip for early Jan with both DCs. Only one of these trips was with grandparents to help, and that was the most stressful as we were having to deal with them as well as us and DS!

The hardest two trips have been to Cornwall and Northumberland as DS was strapped in the car for a long time and that was hard - on planes at least he can clamber over us, wander around, watch the other people, play with different toys etc.

So many people said to me "Why would you go abroad? Your DS doesn't care which beach he's on so just go to Cornwall" To which my response is always "Well if he doesn't care which beach he's on, we'll go to a beach we want to be on"

But maybe it goes well because DH and I are seasoned travellers so know that there are good times and bad times to go to places, pick the destination carefully for suitable hotel/beach etc. for our child, don't overestimate what DS is capable of, know all the tricks that work for us to get through flights easily, and have been able to plan the best way to do it with DS so we have all we need and therefore don't get stressed out. I can honestly say all our foreign holidays have been pretty much stress free, and in fact our last holiday to Mauritius was the best holiday we have ever had (and we've been on lots of holiday!) as we all just relaxed and enjoyed it so much. No way I would trade this in for Cornwall for the next 18 years! And DS will be learning loads from being abroad as he gets bigger.

I may sound smug, and know I will probably have a horror holiday at some point in the future, but travel abroad is just the way holidays are for our family. YANBU - your money, your holiday, your choice - but I do find it a little bit sad that your kids will only be seeing the inside of CentreParcs for the next however many years Travel broadens the mind and all that!

Our holidays have become more sedentary though - not so much travelling to 4 cities in 5 days as 1 beach in 10

mp: have to admit that we do only have the one child, and it is always with me and DH. Often we do go on holiday with family or friend too.

I agree it can be difficult but you have to change your idea of what constitutes a holiday.

Before DCs we used to go to sleepy Greek islands with nothing whatsoever to do. Or somewhere further afield in winter for some sunshine. It helps that we had 20 years of travel together before embarking on having children..

With children we have been to places we would never have contemplated before. I choose short, daytime flights from local airports and a short journey at the destination. The whole holiday is tailored to meet the DCs needs - if they're happy then I'm happy.

Pay extra for a plane seat for the baby and a 2 bedroomed apartment.
Accept that you and DP work a shift system. One gets to relax while the other does lifeguard duty or digs sandcastles.

Never used kid's clubs.

When they were very little we didn't try to drag them out to restaurants way past their bedtime. We had room service or takeaways and a bottle on the balcony.

Now they are older and can stay up later than me .

I must admit that since our trip to Spain where one child got sick and we were then subject to a violent burglary, we have stuck to north devon

we can always come home in two hours if it all goes pear-shaped

inthesticks talks much sense