Would I be mad to go away solo with 2 and 4 yr old?!

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We have a two week window in sept after schools go back b4 older DS starts school so could take advantage of cheaper prices again. Husband is going to be tied up with work. I'm not.

Would it be crazy to go away somewhere? And if not where would you go?! I think it would probably be rubbish wouldn't it. I'm not really up for a package holiday with kids club. Oh I wish I wasn't addicted to travelling!

I'd probably go to Martinhal Cascais. Cascais is a wonderful family friendly fishing town with good beaches on the outskirts of Lisbon. Trains from Cascais to the centre of Lisbon take just 30 minutes. Martinhal resorts are fantastic for young families. It does have a kids club with complementary childcare.

Go ahead. We travel around all the time due to our work opportunities and it could be done solo. As long as you pre plan well and fit your travel and break times around your usual routines. With airbnb and booking.com and such, you can also book family friendly accomodation. You could go anywhere in the World. It all depends on budget of course.

personally I would look for a UK break if this is your first time taking them away on their own. it means if you do get a bit fed up or struggle too much or one of them isn't well, its not to difficult to get home. once they are a bit older then travelling alone with kids is fab. have done it most of the time due to our work (self employed) once my youngest was at school, then it got really easy.

Ooh quite surprised by these posts. Hmm I was going to stay in the U.K. but I might be brave and go somewhere else.

go to caserio del mirador, (easy flight to alicante but you do need to hire a car, driviing really is easy tho.) ive met single parents quite often there, friendly social environment, other kids without it being kiddy camptastic, perfect for your gang.

Id do it if I had the opportunity and my 2 smallest are the same age as yours.
Quite easy ages to manage and they play together.

Make sure you can put everyones stuff in one suitcase so that its easy to manage, and take a pram for the smallest.

I'd do it if I could find the right place - yes to somewhere like Martinhal or Caserio del Mirador. The latter is very popular and only small, so I think you'd be lucky to find a free apartment in Sept, but it's worth looking and it's an easy flight.

It's not really a break, is it? Small DC like routine, and all their familiar things and places. You'll have all the usual stresses and responsibilities, but without your home comforts and support. Still, give it a go, maybe it'll work out ok. But you're a better man person than I am, Gunga Din!

And I would just go for one week, not two. A two-week holiday can be too long even at the best of times, but on your own for the first time I'd keep it short and (hopefully!) sweet.

I wouldn't do two whole weeks with mine, but have done shorter city breaks. It depends on your children, of course, but in my experience it's been good: mix of touristy stuff (castles, museums) and kids stuff (playgrounds, swimming) and food they wouldn't necessarily have at home in the daytime. And if you tire them out enough, they go straight to sleep and you can enjoy a glass of wine and read a book in peace!

(Mine are prone to meltdowns if they stay up after7pm so never do much in the evenings, yours might be more flexible)

I've flown on my own to to my home country every summer with my DC since they were 1 and 4. I know, it's my home country not an unknown holiday destination but I've still been in sole charge throughout, no sleep-overs with a family etc (cos no-one ever offers in case you wonder). So in essence, some days day trips, some days just chilling in our hired accommodation.

They've all been great trips so my opinion is that you should go for it. But go for one week, I've usually gone for 2-3 weeks and have to say despite the great time, I've been shattered at the end of it. A Week is a great compromise. And as PP said, make sure to fit everything in one suitcase as you still need other hand for pushchair. Mine are now 7 and 10 and they can handle a suitcase each but your 4 year old might struggle.

Have you got any friends with similar age children that you could go and visit? That way the children can play together and you can hopefully relax a bit with friends.

I would say it depends on your children's temperaments. One of mine, I'd go in a heartbeat. The other? No way. I couldn't cope with the meltdowns on my own - but he has extra needs. If your dc are like my second, easy going and easily occupied - go for it! Totally recommend Lisbon btw and also don't overpack as you'll need to be able to wrangle a case, a pushchair, a child's hand and probably a child's bloody suitcase - avoid the latter as they WILL NOT pull it themselves after the first 5mins

I've done solo holidays with mine from a similar age including long haul. I usually go self catering, eating out for lunch then getting something in or simple sandwich or cold ham/salad supper.
Having a washer means you don't need to lug tonnes of clothes.

A warm climate helps with happiness IMO, I could not bear to drag them about in wet and cold. There's always other kids in parks, on beaches etc that they will play with but mine are close in age and are happy with each other.
It is a bit lonely in the evenings - take Netflix or a really great book. Sometimes I use it as a chance to catch up on sleep and go to bed when they do.

Just an update - decided not to go...BUT only because felt bad at spending money when DH couldn't go. Opted to go spend time with granny instead!
Saying that I'm definitely up for the challenge though and will do it if the option arises again over a school holiday for sure. Thanks for all the advice x