One year old Christmas/NY, am I mad?

[VeniVidiVoxi]

DS turns 2 in January. We haven't been far in the last two years and I've got itchy feet. It's so much cheaper to fly before he turns 2 and we have compulsory shut down between Christmas and NY so thinking of going away for a short break of 3-5 night.

I'm worried about Christmas travel chaos in general and persuading little fella that he wants to sit all nice and quiet during a flight.

I need your collective wisdom - where can we go? Looking for short flight and transfer time, something to entertain a busy toddler, a bit of luxury for us knackered parents. Either nice and cold with chance of snow or plenty warm but not overcast and miserable (may as well stay at home!). Am i dreaming? Can it be possible?

Not taken our lo abroad yet (18 months) and we used to go away several times a year. The thought of it stresses me out. However lots do it no problem. But what I will say is NYC at winter could be tricky. Some friends went just after Xmas once and it snowed. Very beautiful however a complete nightmare. Taxis stopped so the the metro and they had to walk miles to visit anything or get back to hotel. They said it was choas and that for a city which is used to horrid weather. Now lots will tell you that obviously people with kids live there but there's a chance you may find yourself not being able to get out very far from the hotel and if you were planning of visiting various sights then it could be a let down

@Klouise777 huh? Where did the OP mention New York?

So sorry I read your post as ny for new York and not new year!!! Oops!! However same would probably apply to other destinations which may snow and travel chaos with a 2 year old??

Ah sorry, I should be clear, New Year! NY would be amazing but I'm not that brave. It's a dilemma for other places though, snow would be delightful but only the pretty nice kind viewed through a floor to ceiling panoramic window with a roaring (and suitably guarded ) log fire, not the blocks all roads and shuts down airports kind, which would be rubbish.

Sorry stinking cold and toddler. It got ny and NYC mixed up 😩

Warning I've not done this with a toddler.

In Austria you can get Kinder Hotels - we stayed at this one in May which was nice - fly to Innsbruck then need car to get to:

www.booking.com/hotel/at/familien-sporthotel-hintertuxerhof.html

They do all meals at the hotel and mountain with cable car walkable which has snow all year round. Ice palace at the top too. Another Kinder Hotel might be better but worth looking at them. Hintertux is very small.

This place in Sweden is nice too again would need hire car from airport (Vasteras with Ryanair or any Stockholm airport). Lots of alpacas on site.

www.booking.com/hotel/se/norrangens-alpacka.html

I fly with DS twice a month and have done since he was 5 weeks old. Almost 2 isn't too bad as I could bribe him with a tablet loaded up with teletubbies etc.

Martinhal apartments in Lisbon could be worth a look?

I'd go to Barbados if I were you and you have the budget. It's not much more than 7 hours on the plane, toddlers cope. Weather will be perfect, the sea will be warm and beach beautiful.

I flew continually with DD from 9 weeks .. all over Europe and the States .
Honestly was very easy ... she loved it .
At the toddler stage we chatted , told stories , coloured in etc
go for it - we have lots of happy memories of then

We travelled fine when ours were babies and toddlers. I always figured people gave babies where we were going so no stress about packing the right things. As far as the travelling is concerned there were some stresses at potty training time but nothing we couldn't cope with, lol