In your experience, what is the best type of vacation to go on with a toddler? I'm debating between things like a local beach town (in SoCal), flying to visit the peninsula in Washington state, and some kind of all-inclusive resort location. I'm having a really hard time deciding what to do because we haven't been away with LO (who will be 16 mo at the time of the trip; I should also note he is a very active guy and loves to run around) and I'm just not sure what will be a) most enjoyable for him (and by extension us!) and b) what will be the easiest. Any advice from those who have taken vacations with toddlers??
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Our best bets have been resorts because it is hard to move around with him too much. Lots of space to run around and easy flexible schedules without any place to be is best.
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We have done several types of vacations with out toddler...beach, city visits, mountains, etc. I would just pick what YOU want to do. Each type of vacation has pros and cons and our son really just adapted to it and enjoyed it. We always make a point to do something specifically for him every day whether it be a children's museum, the beach, the hotel pool or playing in a city park.
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We've done the local beach town in socal (we live here and like to go to SD), and the all inclusive resort thing. I think both are great for toddlers!
The all inclusive resort was more tiring just because it involved a long flight, and we had to lug everything there... but once we got there it was so nice to relax and enjoy all the amenities at the resort without ever having to leave.
With the beach town it'll probably require a little more planning just in terms of what you want to do for meals and activities. We love San Diego because there's so much there (coronado beach, wild animal park, SD zoo, sea world, lego land, carlsbad outlets)... and delicious, cheap mexican food!
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Assuming you're coming from California, Mexico's pretty close, so an all inclusive would probably be pretty awesome! Flight wouldn't be as long as it is from elsewhere. I'm in Canada, so think that any tropical beachy locale is a hassle just because it's a long flight to anywhere like that.
Although, we went on a cruise with LO and it was pretty enjoyable. Royal Caribbean has a nursery for babies, so we were able to leave her and have a nice dinner to ourselves, and even go on an excursion while she stayed there and played with the nursery staff and other babies and had a great time. -
Getting to Hawaii was crazy but it was awesome once we got there! I would agree with picking somewhere YOU want to go! Then you'll make it work!
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I vote all-inclusive somewhere close (like Mexico). Having a large semi-enclosed space LO can run around is a big stress relief for us. I'm from SD and although there's a lot of kid-friendly locations, it means a lot of commute time, which my LO isn't used to. Of course, visiting family and friends makes it worthwhile, but I still an find all-inclusive more relaxing.
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Anywhere where you can fall into an easy routine. Beach town or all inclusive - wherever is easiest to get to. We are on a beach trip now and it is great and my 2 year old is in heaven. But we are all tired after a morning in the sun so we are happy to send one parent home to nap while he naps and we are somewhere teeming with families so most restaurants are kid friendly.
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The beach is great for toddlers (and everyone else)! I agree with previous posters that if you plan a beach trip, I would expect to hit up the beach relatively early (8 or 9ish), leave in time for lunch, and prepare to take a long nap in the afternoon. Unless you're traveling with the human equivalent of the Energizer Bunny, the adults will all be happy to sleep for a few hours then, too. I think the key with little children is not to try to cram in too many activities.
We spend a lot of time at the beach and I've never seen a bored or perpetually unhappy kid there, so that would be my vote!
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We're taking E to an all inclusive in Cancun next month. I think the flexibility of getting up and eating whenever and playing then napping away some sun time is going to be ideal.
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@Dagny: We just got back from an all-inclusive in Mexico with our 16-month-old. It was incredible. We rented a car & explored some of the local beaches and parks, but we also had fun just hanging out at the resort. The all-inclusive fees were worth it 1000 times over. Sadie had so much fun!
We leave at the beach, so we've done lots of weekend trips around here. They've all been lots of fun, but none of them even compared with Cozumel. I'm with everyone else - pick somewhere you'd love to go!
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@blackbird: You're going to have so much fun! We usually did beach after breakfast, then lunch and a long nap, then pools in the afternoon & evening. I've been on some great vacations, but none of them were as fun as watching Sadie enjoy and explore this time!
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I wanted to add our experiences with toddler vacations. We have access to a beach condo in Mexico that is about a 4 hour drive and it has been great. The condo is nice because you have a kitchen, so we just bring the food we like and know LO will eat and it works great. We try to do easy stuff like oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast, pick up local tortillas and make quesadillas and fajitas etc.
I have never been to all inclusive but my LO doesn't do great at restaurants non stop so being in control of the food felt like an easier bet for us. Also when my LO was that age, the ocean was a little intimidating so it was good to go someplace with a pool too.
If you want to go the condo route, vrbo.com lets you rent directly from owners and might be worth a look.
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We went to Cancun with DD when she was 17 months old and we loved it!
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Beach vacations have been very enjoyable for our kids. They can literally spend all day at the beach.
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I agree with just doing whatever you want to do. We visited Austin, TX when LO was 17 months and we just mixed it up doing things she wanted to do and things we wanted to do. We rented a place through airbnb that had a pool and a second bedroom so we could all be as comfortable as possible, and we picked a relatively central location so we could come back for naps. We took her swimming, went to the Children's Museum, and visited the state capitol...it was a very nice balance of "us" things vs "her" things...and of course our main goal was just to explore the city so it was kind of easy to achieve that while keeping her happy.
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I agree with the beach. LO can wear themselves out and you get to enjoy some sunshine. But like others have said, pick what you want to do, and you'll make it work! Just don't overplan - yes, children's museums and zoos etc are nice and all, but your 16 mo old will be just as happy at a playground for a couple of hours.
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My LO isn't quite a toddler yet, but we love the Olympic Peninsula in WA. However, all the sights and towns are pretty spread out so you'll end up doing a lot of driving. Have you visited that area before? Maybe you have a home base area in mind?
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There's no way I could follow the "pick what I want to do and make it work" vacation...haha. I love to go to musesums, visit sidewalk cafes, go to churches and climb up to the very top and enjoy the view...no way my son would be able to do that.
So, for now, we do things that are fun for him, such as going to the beach, Disney, amusement parks, children's museums. Things where they mostly cater to children and their parents, because I don't need to be stressing about my kid's behaviour.
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@photojane, YAY! So glad to hear that! We're going somewhere else now, though, b/c they got all booked up
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Somewhere with a short-ish flight that has a beach, and a room with your own kitchen/fridge/washer/dryer if possible, would be my suggestion. We took DS on a beach vacation when he was 17 mos and I think it worked out really well. He's a super active guy and playing in the water/sand really tired him out!
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