Would it be wrong to travel without the children after passport mistake?

[Halohalolumpia]

Alright, so we’ve made a silly mistake and found out our eldest’s passport is expired, and we fly tomorrow. We didn’t get travel insurance so that’s a couple of grand down the drain. The two options are to leave the kids ( 2 years 9 and 5 years 8 months) with my parents whom they stay with every week anyway. Or we just all don’t go. It’s such a waste and I am torn. My hubs is ok going on our own but I feel sooooo guilty! The kids were so looking forward to it. Has anyone been in this situation and is it bad parenting going on our own :/ We’ve been away on our own before for a wedding for a couple of days but not 6 days. thanks xx

I could never even consider that. One doesn't go, none of you go.

Can't believe you have even posted this question. It's only money ffs. The choice is damaging your children by leaving them behind, or lose a few grand? Ermm..lose the bloody. It's not their fault their parent's aren't responsible enough to check expiry dates on a passport. Jesus

Could you change the holiday? I know it’s very last minute and you have probably missed the deadline, but the problem would be solved if you could go to Jersey or NI instead.

Just in case you’re counting votes, I’d also say one parent goes with youngest and one stays with eldest unless all being together was the main purpose of the holiday. Not relevant in this situation but always get insurance.

If it had of been a much younger child whose passport hadn’t been valid (under 2) I might have suggested leaving that child with grandparents. But at 5 they will remember and I don’t think I could in good conscience go without them. You’ll likely feel guilty the whole time- is it really worth it?
Contact the passport office and make sure you’ve exhausted all options about getting an emergency one before you give up completely. But yeah, unless you can get one today/tomorrow it’s probably not worth it for six days and you’ll have to take the hit on this one.

That would be brutal on the kids. Actually awful!

also…why isn’t paying to change an option 🤷‍♀️

Those people go on holiday and then start a Go Fund me page along with some crap reason why they didn’t get insurance.

It would be extremely nasty to do that to children looking forward to a holiday. I wouldn't even consider it.

I think you could have gotten away with leaving the little one. But not the 5year old who knew they were going on holiday. Unless you can talk them around to not being upset, with a very big bribe of treats when you get back. (Wouldn't work for my eldest, but might for some kids...)

So you’d go off when they’re really looking forward to it and leave 4 children behind?? Wow. And believe me, they’ll remember that for life!

Every summer, there is almost a thread every day from a parent who booked a holiday and didn’t check their kid’s passports and now they can’t fly cause their kid’s one is expired. How are people this irresponsible?

You cannot go on holiday and leave your kids. That’s so shitty. Can you afford another holiday so they don’t miss out?

I’m confused, isn’t it the 9 year old, same either way. I thought the kids are 9, 5, 2 and 8 mths?

At that age, I would never have forgotten nor forgiven my parents if they'd done that to me. Thankfully they didn't.

I think she has two kids.

2yrs and 9 months
5 years and 8 months

Fucking hell
really
you have messed up buy you don’t want to miss out
No you really can’t, morally, or in any sense of being a good parent, go without the kids

Bloody hell! Don’t do this.
It would be appalling to disappear on a holiday that your kids had been looking forward to without them, op (even worse with one of them 🙄)
Personally I wouldn’t even consider it.

You wouldn't be the first if you did decide to go...

My daughter was dancing in Disneyland, Paris, with her dance school a couple of years back.

One of the other families discovered (at the 11th hour) that their daughter's passport was expired. This was the daughter who should have been dancing there.

They still went ahead with the trip to Disney without her & even came & watched the performance that she should have been in.

I couldn’t even consider this. Everywhere you go you’ll surely think oh x would love this, y would enjoy this. The guilt would be horrid

why the hell does this happen all the time on mumsnet…. Does nobody actually look at the passports!!!

Yabu and one parent should stay and get an emergency passport.

I wouldn't go. You won't enjoy it knowing the kids should have been there anyway.

They can't; the holiday is 6 days, and child passports take a week minimum to process. Not happening.

It's six days, hardly the trip of a lifetime. I'd go with other half and rearrange something special for both children as soon as I could afford it. The youngest will be none the wiser and the eldest will soon forget once they're offered something else just as good or better.

Options

Parents go
Parents + Youngest
One Parent + Youngest
Nobody Goes

Shame you can’t gift the holiday to your parents

This can’t be real?
Expired passport, no insurance, might sack the kids off? Surely not.

Wouldn’t do that to my children myself…but each to their own I guess