Can you talk me through taking small children abroad as if I'm an idiot?

[BessSedgwick]

DS (5) has decreed that he would like to go on a plane. We want to go during October half term, and it would be two adults and two children (5 and 2).

I feel completely overwhelmed by the idea of taking them abroad. Can anyone kind explain what I should be thinking about as if I were five years old and not very bright?

Our usual type of holiday would be walking, city break, nice things to do and see - but that all feels impossible with smalls! Some sun would be nice; ideal airport to fly from would be Stansted (though could do another London airport if necessary); the shorter the flight the better.

And if you have any recommendations of countries/cities/hotels you have loved, I'd be very grateful!

How about a cruise?

Umm just because he says that's what he wants, it doesn't mean it's what should happen!

Tell him that when your youngest child starts school, you'll take them both somewhere.

Somewhere geared up for families is a good bet. Holland isn't too far and doesn't get too hot (which can be hard with small ones). Center parts are cheaper over there. There's also a brilliant place called Duinrell which has amazing swimming/ theme park on site. You can get there by ferry and take your car (less stressful than flying and you can take food etc). Good luck!

You could even take them up to Edinburgh. That's a short flight so he'll get the experience but you won't be abroad.

Why does it have to be abroad? You could take out some of the complexities which seem to concern you by taking a short flight to, say, Edinburgh or Newcastle, in both of which you can have a lovely city break, with nice things to do and see. The possibility of sun seems less, I’ll grant you, but it could be a trade off?

I think you need to think about that your kids like doing, and then come up with a holiday that fits that bill. For most kids that age, it’ll be beach/pool/access to playground. Can you get that on a short haul flight in Oct? I’d be inclined to wait till next summer

I agree.

All inclusive with splash pools and kids club are your friend at this age OP. Spain/Balearics can be hit and Miss weather wise in October but can be lovely, otherwise I’d be looking at the canaries which is a longer flight but more than doable. Honestly I wouldn’t even try and do City breaks/sightseeing with really little ones unless they’re used to walking around a lot and don’t get irritable out of routine.

I would love Holland, @Sandia1 , but am worried that it would be cold and wet in the last week of October? Definitely something to look at for the summer though, thank you!

I've never been on a cruise, @HermioneWeasley - are they suitable for children? They sound a bit scary - what if the kids get seasick?!

I'd recommend Portugal as it's really family friendly.

The smaller they are the easier travelling is imo. Go for somewhere all inclusive and you can spend your days by the pool while thr 5yo plays and the 2yo can swim then nap in the pushchair. All food is sorted, entertainment in the evening. Any of the canary islands are a good shout, gran canaria is my favourite. You will have to pay for a seat for the 2yo now though

Assuming you actually want to?

Do you all have valid passports?

You could travel in the U.K. if you wanted eg Bristol to Edinburgh. Everyone needs his or her own seat.

Factor in additional costs such as accommodation, food, luggage, travel etc
travel insurance is a must

first aid kit must not contain sharps if going in hand luggage and same for batteries - lists are available.

Look at weather where you are thinking of going and any potential strikes etc or political section

Cost is a huge restriction for most of us

There are thousands of family friendly destinations. If you are daunted, perhaps take a look at the Tui website and see what packages fly out of stansted and filter by family friendly hotels. Age 5 & 2, assuming neurotypical, should be a doddle to a European destination. Perhaps canaries in October for Sun and beach or cyprus maybe…..or if not fussed about cooler then anywhere! Check trip advisor for accommodation reviews before you book. Check average monthly weather for destinations you’re considering. Don’t forget to book solid travel insurance and work out car seats. That’s it!

I'd just go somewhere all inclusive for your first one, choose somewhere near shops, other things to do if you like going out, youve then got the choice. all inclusive you've got kids clubs too so you can actually have a break. going October half term you might need to go canaries, although flight is longer. places like majorca the pools might be a bit chilly.

I'd say wait until an overseas holiday is something that you want to do , rather than the 5YO being in charge of the timeline.

He's saying he wants to go on a plane, in reality it's not that much different to a pain in the arse to get onto bus, and if he said he wanted his dad to drive a ferrari or to live in a castle, that probably wouldn't be happening any time soon either.

If you do fancy it, Portugal is kid friendly, short flight, won't be hot end of October and you could get some nice days, but honestly you don't sound like you want to do it, so he might have to wait!

I would go short haul. The canary Islands should still warm that time of year. All inclusive, with a pool, playground, and kids club. Nice little walk in to town. Keep it simple for the first trip abroad. Tui fly from lots of local airports so no need to travel to London.

Apartment in a nice resort in the canaries is what I'd do.

I go overseas a lot with my children. My advise will be, if you want to get on a plane, to pick a destination near an airport. Not something like Duinrell. That requires a transfer from Amsterdam and it can be too much for 5 and 2.

You can pick a city break. So look at what flights are available from Stansted. Then google family holidays to those destinations. There are a lot of bloggers who have blogged about itineries for little children.

You can stay in either a hotel or airbnb. It doesn't have to be overseas, but plane tickets to say Edinburgh isn't any cheaper than Amsterdam.

If you want a Duinrell type holiday but by flight, I have been to Billund, Denmark. It's a tiny town and the airport has free shuttle into the town which has Lalandia, Legoland and Legohouse. There might be other destination similar, but I can't think of any.

Otherwise, go for bigger cities which will have museums, their own zoo, amusement park etc.

It'll be a fun adventure for the whole family.

It's really variable depending on what you and your children like.

Our typical abroad holiday is an apartment somewhere within a 5 min walk of a beach with some other things to do nearby - e.g. Barcelona, Valencia. We usually alternate beach days with days doing other things like aquariums or zoo or science museum.

We like self catering over AI - usually we have a simple breakfast at the apartment, a nice lunch out, then a light supper in the evening like cheese/crackers.

We prefer it to AI because we like to go to a few different restaurants and because we like the extra space - separate rooms for the kids as they don't do well sharing and enough living space to be able to relax after they are in bed etc

But of course many people love all inclusive and find that more relaxing, it really depends on what you like

I'm excluding the all inclusive because it has already been covered by other PP. You can definitely look at an all inclusive hotel in Greece or Spain.

Thank you all so much for such helpful advice! I think I phrased my op badly - I would really like to take them on holiday (and he's not a spoilt brat - we wouldn't be going if I thought it was the wrong thing!). I'm just not a very intrepid person (something to work on this year!), so I really appreciate all the advice.

I think I love the idea of a little apartment in the Canaries. Can anyone advise where to start?

I think this sounds perfect. Thank you!

This sounds amazing too - 5yo would love Legoland!! Thank you!

We've travelled lots with ours; at that age we had a really good holiday in the south of France which was brilliant and the weather should still be ok in October.

With kids that age I'd go self-catering if you can; so much easier not to have to navigate restaurants in the evening if you don't feel like it.

Our then-5 year old loved Nimes and it sparked an interest in all things Roman for him. Nimes and the surrounds eg the Pont du Gard were great for that age. I think Ryanair flies from Stansted. But other southern small French cities are also easy to get to and to get around when you're there, and France is pretty easy with kids overall.

Oh Billund is a great shout!