Tips for Holiday Hunting with a toddler?

[amythompson62]

Hi there - for various reasons have not managed to get any holiday sun this year, so have started thinking about next year … with a 2 year old !

Would love to hear how people approach their holiday bookings with kids - what do they search for in terms of what works as a toddler-friendly location , what do they prioritise in the accommodation itself , what do they assume in terms of having wheels (or not, is car free better?)

I’ve always been a very independent travel booker but I’m realising that the kinds of places I normally love to go to aren’t really suitable for a toddler , and also am trying to save some pennies and try some holidays closer to home , maybe reconsider package holidays etc…

Give me your thoughts would love to hear them - how did you change your approach to hols after having kids ?

Thanks !
Amy

We did lots of Eurocamp and apartment / gite rentals when dd was small. What was important to me was flexibility, outside space, separate bedrooms, hopefully a washing machine, pool, proximity to playgrounds etc. An ideal day would be doing a visit to something or beach followed by lunch, nice nap, pool time. Shower, pJs, chill where we are or go for walk with pushchair and see whether dinner out was dobable or get a pizza etc. My 2 yo loved the water and a mini disco.

With a 2 year old you can still visit what you want. When they hit 10 or 11, you still can, but they sulk :)

We found that hotels are a pita while you’re still less flexible with sleep / naps etc. ours weren’t the type of kids to sleep in a pushchair so we found villas, gites, static caravans etc worked best while they were young. We always preferred to have our own transport too.

I’m going senile, my brain swapped the two words around and I thought you wanted to take your toddler on a hunting holiday!

As already mentioned, avoid hotels and look for villas abroad or rent a house in the U.K.

Almyra in Cyprus is incredibly toddler friendly, as is Paphos generally. We went with our then-2 year old.

Thanks everyone !

I guess I don’t really know where to start / how to search for places - any recommendations for particular search / booking sites , or accommodation booking portals that have particularly useful filters like “fully fenced pool” or “no giant drops or infinity pools” etc etc ? 😂😂

When mine were that age I prioritised decent flight times (so the whole day of travelling doesn't impact their routine). Also decent self-catering accommodation with a kitchen so we could feed them at any time they were hungry. Lots of room/s (bedroom, living room etc) so we could relax after they'd gone to bed, and ideally a garden or somewhere else to go.
Mine have travelled quite widely and they enjoy it and adapt to it BUT the first few days are always a bit scratchy as they adjust to the unfamiliar settings. We tend to take them to less classically "holiday" destinations though so if you're going for a week all inclusive in the Canaries these might not be so important to you.
We tend to spend more time in and around the immediate vicinity of the accommodation at the start of the break and then venture further afield as we all become more confident.

I'd start with Skyscanner for a flight from an airport you like, is close and you feel confident at, then choose your destination according to what you fancy/ flight times.

then I'd look on Airbnb , using search settings for "entire place", "2 bedrooms" or whatever. I use the map settings and search in an area I like ( Near a train? Supermarket? Beach? Whatever your priorities are)

These are not hard and fast rules, it's just how I'd approach it.

I think you should decide first whether you want somewhere with childcare or not, as somewhere with a crèche will narrow down your options. Some people love being with their kids on holiday; I was I was that mother - I enjoy spending time with them but also enjoy a few hours of peace to read my book! I find I only enjoy the holiday if there's some childcare.

Do a holiday that you will enjoy and modify to incorporate your child. We mostly did road trips to places we would enjoy but incorporated lots of play parks, kids friendly trips etc into the itinerary

I’m not sure that the toddler will enjoy (and would make it known) the kind of holiday we normally do - last trips abroad were Marrakesh (still a baby so was fine ), Montenegro , road tripping to/from southern Italy ….

and always with a car - would love to just plonk ourself in one place this time