When/ how do you plan your holidays?

[18monthapprehension]

We are feeling overwhelmed!

Have a 21mo and a 3yo which probably doesn't help...but still, getting completely unreasonably head-swamped by thinking through what a year's worth of holidays should look like.

(I know, I know, uber privilege, tiny violins, etc. Maybe we're just very boring and have no imagination!)

Do you plan your holidays for the year well in advance? How far ahead do you book? Do you do some things the same year after year? Do you go back to literally the same accommodation or just the same area?

And I suppose as a related point...anything you'd especially recommend for kids of this age?

(This all started because we both need to take a week's leave in March and cannot decide what would be fun for the four of us. Over-romanticised a cottage in the countryside and then started thinking through the reality in the cold and wet with a grumpy toddler and preschooler!)

I would go for a hotel and a kids club somewhere hot with a beach. With kids that age you want to avoid self catering domestic drudgery if you can.

Well first of all, you don't need a holiday and if it feels more stressful planning it than relaxing going, I honestly wouldn't. I overthought a few holidays with DS and 'pushed myself' and regretted it, no fun/cozy family memories made because I was stressed and it was a colossal waste of time/energy! Once I got over those stressful first years and the planning seemed fun, I enjoyed it 😂

I tend to scroll a lot on social media and make a list on my phone of places I want to go in future/resorts that look nice. In summer I book the following 'big' summer holiday, and then in Oct/Nov I make a spreadsheet for the following year with all the school holidays/BHs and slot in as many smaller trips/weeks away from the list that I can! I would probably go for a AI somewhere warm, but I don't have a specific recommendation for that time of year.

I have identical ages (my 3yo will be starting school this year). We've just booked Cornwall for April (self catering). We have favourites but not really in the swing of things yet (in terms of what's works for the children). We will book Devon for the summer (also self catering) and camping somewhere (we had a favourite campsite in Dorset that recently closed so not sure where, we live in a tourist area so we might just hike/cycle to a local one). We have been considering Centerparcs again too (a different park to one we've been to before). I am comforted by knowing the area or what to expect.

If you aren’t bound by school holidays it’s normally easy to get something short notice.
main travel times do need some more advanced planning also to keep the costs down.

We varied locations, if we stayed in the UK we went somewhere with lots of indoors options. And definitely at least two bedrooms.

we did self catering until DD was 7. It suited us, we never saw it as a chore like so many others do.
with a very early riser (6-7am) and also hating to sleep anywhere outside her bed at night/evening a hotel was a nightmare for us.

I never thought the planning as a problem either. But we mainly self catered as a couple as well so it was easy to add DD to the mix for us. And we had to travel abroad to see family as well so that helped.

A luxury hotel with amazing childcare. At that age I don't think there's much else?

We book the time off work a few weeks in advance but usually only book where we are going and the flights a couple of days before we go.

For us a holiday didn't feel like a holiday until the youngest was 4 or 5 and we could actually relax a bit more. We tried to holiday with our parents too so we could actually have a bit of a break (but I understand on MN some people hate their in laws/parents 😂). The Butlins/Haven style was quite good for those younger ages. A holiday's not a holiday for me though if it's not burn-my-face-off hot.

When we had young DC we went to places like Butlins where there was something to do if the weather was bad, and I am a big fan of getting somewhere outside of the UK in the colder months.

I can’t stand package holidays in Europe.

we usually go away places in south east Asia, South America etc

We are going to Iceland in a few months for a driving trip in a camper van with our 3 year old and baby.

we basically just decide where we’d like to go and we figure out when is “affordable” time to go there and how to make it happen

What kind of holidays did you do before kids?

where would you like to go in the world?

I don't really properly plan holidays, I feel like I probably should but actually this is how it goes,

Mid January, contemplating what to do with DD during Feb half term, look at local events mind wanders, end up random internet clicking, see an advert for Love Holidays and a bargain 3 nights in Malaga, turn to DH and ask if he'd be pissed off if I took DD to Spain without him because he has to work. Somewhat surprised he says 'No I suppose not', I book it.

One day, DH and I were chatting about what we'd want to do first week of the summer holidays when we're all off, he hates flying, I hate boats so we're pretty limited on locations. Spent half an hour searching some U.K. holiday park sites within a 3 hr drive, found one that looks nice, near a beach and some historic stuff, reasonably priced so booked it.

I either make really quick decisions or put things off for too long, no middle ground.