Where would you go for the entire six week summer hols with a 3-yr-old and a 6-yr-old?

[Stuckinarut12]

I’m a teacher, DH self-employed. Each year, I have time off (obviously!) over the summer holidays but they really do drag

This year, we’ve decided we’ll all go away together. DH is going to work for an hour or two each day, remotely.

But we have no idea where to go!

Our budget is around £6,000 for the whole six weeks, but not including flights (budget from letting out our house - while we’re gone - short term, after tax and insurance etc. We live in London, in zone 2 very close to a tube, it’s a great house and we know we’ll get it.)

Considering caravaning around Europe or caravaning around Canada. Would love Australia but it won’t have the weather.

Any advice?? Any recommendations? We’re so excited about the idea of an adventure! But no idea where to start.

I’m clueless! Have never done a long family trip.

Anyone else done this? Where did you go? How did you find it?

Depending where you go, the weather in Australia could be perfect. I've been a couple of times in August and only had rainy, cool weather in Adelaide once. Sydney was warm and sunny, outback between Adelaide and Alice springs was very chilly at night but beautiful during the day, same in western Australia outback. Going up towards cairns it was quite hot (by UK standards!)

Thanks, NannyR! I think my concern is that I wouldn’t be getting the best of Australia and it’d be my first time. I wonder if it’s worth saving it for when I can go in Australian summer. Or maybe it doesn’t matter too much?!

oohh how exciting (I'm jealous). How about asia (think Thailand, Bali, Hong Kong, etc)?

Personally I think you are right about waiting for Aus, but thats just me :)
(I've only ever been in our Winter there Summer so only know it's absolutly amazing then!)

Buy a canal boat and mooch around the whole UK canal network at your own pace. Your DH can have a little office set up, the DC can have toys and bikes etc with them. You could have many of your home comforts around you whilst exploring.

Whilst UK summers aren't necessarily hot you could be really cosy with a little wood burner on cooler evening's and barbeques on the bank on warmer ones.

A canal boat! I had even thought of that! What a brill idea!

Wanting to explore more than just the uk in these six free weeks, though. DH is from way north, I am from way south west, so we’ve seen a lot of the UK. We often meet family in the middle etc.

But now wondering if a canal boat might work in another country...

newplace Bali, Thailand etc sounds amazing! With such little kids(and flights being both mega expensive and mega stressful!) , we want to fly to one place and then travel it for the time. Wonder if we could stretch one of those out for the holiday?

I once did Oz Brisbane to Cairns in a camper van

Weather was perfect 18-30 degrees

Do consider it

Personally I would not do 6 weeks on a canal boat with a 3 and 6 year old.
Slow travel with the kids cooped up in the boat or on the roof. Towpaths through lots of farmland, locks are dangerous places, I would go mad.

I would do a road trip in Canada and/or the USA.
OR inter railing around Europe, staying in hostels and Airbnbs.

Personally I would not do 6 weeks on a canal boat with a 3 and 6 year old.
Slow travel with the kids cooped up in the boat or on the roof. Towpaths through lots of farmland, locks are dangerous places, I would go mad.

^

Same here. Feel sick at the thought tbh.

Inter-railing around Europe. Visit everywhere, including the far superior Legoland in Germany.

You could do East to West of Canada in a camper. Or the US. Not sure what a camper would cost for 6 weeks though.

My friend went to Canada for a month last summer- it looked amazing!!!!!!!
Never personally considered Canada before seeing their fabulous photos.

I'd campervan around Europe. We had idyllic holidays doing this as children.

Oh how exciting OP! I'd be tempted to hire an awesome motor home and get the ferry to France. Maybe a EuroCamp type place for the first week so you can relax and unwind, then travel round Europe? Then depending on who you hired the campervan from see if you can drop it at your final destination and fly home so the kids get the experience of being on a plane?

I've been to Aus twice. One in Sept for 3 weeks and then again Nov-March. Even when it was their summer we had cold rainy days in Sydney. Made the mistake of going to the Top End in Feb/March during The Wet and couldn't get around the national parks very well due to flooding. So maybe if you went there in August it would be dry? But possibly unbearable heat, and you wouldn't need more than 2-3 weeks there. Perhaps there with the other time spent in one of the stop-over countries? But tbh I think it's a lot of travelling with two very young children, and I'd wait until they're older and can appreciate it a bit more?

I'd travel round Europe. Perhaps hire a campervan or go interrailing.

There are so many amazing places in Europe, I don't think you'd need to travel any further than that, particularly with young children.

It sounds an amazing idea. I'd absolutely love it. Hope you have a fab time!

With the age of your children, I'd say Australia would be perfect in August. Australian summers are v hot (35-40 isn't unusual) and I know my kids would struggle with the heat, especially in a camper-van. I've travelled Oz in June-July time and while Melbourne and Sydney were a little cool (but by no means freezing - around 12-15 most days!), once we got north of Brisbane, it was perfect. In fact Brisbane itself was 25 ish and sunny, rising to 30 ish in Cairns.

Don't take a long holiday on a narrow boat unless you know what you are doing, we had a five day holiday with two small DC and I found it the most alarming holiday I have ever taken, the locks are truly awful things. I found driving around Mexico very relaxing in comparison !
Hiring an RV for the US or Canada might work well if you don't mind driving.

Greece! Beautiful mainland, and endless island hoppping. Great weather, food and varied landscapes. And they adore children!

You could fly to east coast canada, travel around eg toronto up to Montreal, then fly to calgary and drive through the rockies to vancouver (then fly home). misses out the enormous bit in the middle and see the best bits. weather wouldn't be too hot either, very safe, quiet roads. Or slow road trip up california? very jealous!

Oh yes island hopping in Greece would be amazing. Would be a bit hot for us at around 35.

Took my DC canal boating when they were 9 and 11 I think it'd be very stressful with young children .11 year old wanted to help with the locks which we let him but was worried every time he got near the edge.

What about driving down France to Santander and getting ferry back from there. Family member did it last summer saw Orcas from their cabin!

Canada is super friendly. You'll notice lots of families do stuff together.

I'd go to Canmore, through the Rockies, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, then down through Washington & Oregon. Portland is a lovely city. Sigh...want to go on a roadtrip now.

I agree with the pp - a canal boat with children that young, especially the three year old would just be too stressful. You and your husband would never relax!
How about the Pacific Northwest? You could fly into California, visit Yosemite, Big Sue etc then make your way north to Oregon and Washington State.

I'd discount Australia, it is so so expensive, depending on what kind of activities/eating out/accommodation you are looking for it could be a stretch for £1000 a week.

Just a thought, what about a house swap? I’ve never done one but often looked and fantasised. You’d probably be able to swap a London house for somewhere fabulous, or perhaps even 2 or 3 places for 3 or 2 weeks each.

However if you want to do more travelling around than that, I like the pp suggestion of a journey through France and Spain. I’d probably start at the furthest point south and then travel north, perhaps finish with a bang for the DC in disneyland paris or Efteling in Holland. The other option would be west coast USA but expensive and major jetlag.