I think I bit off more than I could chew (vacation)

[Brie]

(tiptoes back to Disney thread)

(breathes sigh of relief)

[SJ]

We did a lot of that on our honeymoon. We LOVED Guatemala! I want to know more about the jungle hut near Tikal because the only thing is I would want as many amenities and comforts as possible when traveling with a kid. When are you going? We were at Tikal in June and it was so. hot.

I think the trip is totally doable though! You will have a great time!

[SJ]

Also despite the moving around and the internal flight, our honeymoon was nothing like backpacking. I have done tons of backpacking in my day, but no way with a toddler.

[MamaMaui24]

Yeah, no.

This does not sound like a vacation!

[SJ]

We stayed at Meson Panza Verde in Antigua and loved it. Great restaurant there too! Then at La Lancha near Tikal which is one of Francis Ford Coppola's resorts, but I think it is supposed to be adults only.

No lake reccomendations- sorry!

[havarti]

Can you leave ds with friends or family? Honestly the best vacation for me right now would be for someone to take my kid so I could sleep in, in my own comfy bed! I have lost all sense of adventure, lol.

[lilac05]

Sounds like a great trip, if not a bit challenging (though that can be a good thing for the right person). A lot of your success will depend on your attitude and your child's disposition. Just remember to keep LOs sleeping needs in mind...and what interests a toddler is much different than what interests an adult. (You may want them to enjoy CULTURE!!! Their takeaway: new, cool bug sightings.

When I studied abroad, there was a family in the program that had a 1 yr old. We hit 10 countries in a semester & about 1/2 were developing countries. They had a great time & the baby went on all of their adventures. Invest in a good hiking backpack! It can be done...and enjoyed! If you need reassurance, look for family travel blogs. Not every trip with kids has to be Disney!

[scribellesam]

I don't know that "vacation" is the right word for this trip but I hope it's fun!

I think travel with kids can still be rewarding even if it's not at all relaxing. Of course the most adventurous place I've ever taken DS is a cabin in the mountains during nice weather.

[ellipses84]

While I'm probably not brave enough enough to do it myself, I think it will be ok. If you went on a "relaxing" vacation right now, you probably wouldn't get to relax much anyways with a toddler, so you may as well be busy seeing the world!

I do find that vacations are easier than being a working mom because it's me focused on DS 24/7 with DH's full time help, no work or regular life distractions to deal with. DS is always happy to spend so much time with us and doesn't mind where he is or that his routine isn't the same.

My cousin did a similar style trip to in Europe with 2 kids under 2 and had a great time. You will too!

[magpie]

I'm impressed! I've backpacked it Guatemala, long before DD was even a twinkle in my eye. It was wonderful (and challenging!).

[sent]

Sept 21, 2014 0:30:34 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

My cousin did a similar style trip to in Europe with 2 kids under 2 and had a great time. You will too!

When I think of Europe, I don't think of jungle huts.

[greycat]

Sounds like an amazing trip! I would not be brave enough to bring DS though.

We have a Deuter Kid Comfort II hiking backpack that is great. Comfy, easily adjustable for MH and I. DS loves it and he is normally always moving. He asks to be put in it sometimes. You can also get a canopy / hood for it which has been awesome.

[cricketwife]

And the locals will LOVE your baby so that will help too.

[rupertpenny]

I'm jealous! I think you are not crazy. This sounds like fun. We plan to take B to SE Asia and the conditions might be similar. She doesn't even nap in a stroller or carrier.

I'm also not the kind of person who looks for relaxation from travel though.

[chickadee77]

I have a good friend that just went hiking in Colorado for four days with an 11-month-old. Not quite the same, I know, but she said that a good carrier was key. They also stayed in hotels, though.

But if this is something you're familiar with, I say go for it! It's not like it's the first time for you, so you kind of know what to expect, and if it's something you plan to continue in the future, it's as good a place as any to start!

[rupertpenny]

Who cares if the kid remembers? I'll remember. And if my baby isn't going to remember anything might as just hang out at home all the time. I mean she won't remember going to the pool or the playground anyway. Why bother?

[MadamePresident]

That sounds so fun. I think you should do it. You know your child and your well they would do.

[lilles]

Sounds like my kind of trip! We went backpacking in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica pre kids and it was awesome. I saw a lot of couples backpacking with babies/toddlers/kids. Totally doable. You will have a great time.

Besides the internal flight how are you traveling from place to place? Chicken bus?

Also we have traveled extensively and done all sorts of trips with the LOs and while it can sometimes be exhausting I would never dream of leaving them home.

[dancingirl21]

Without kids that doesn't even sound like a vacation to me. You are a brave soul!

[anna7602]

It sounds doable to me, but I would pack a shit-ton of things like diapers and baby Motrin, etc. since you might not find well-stocked pharmacies along the way. That just means less room for your own stuff. I'd rather risk wearing the same thing three days in a row on a trip than realizing I can only find size 1 diapers at the one pharmacy three towns away from where we're staying.

[Deleted]

I'd love to do it, but the kids would stay with grandma.

[spanikopita]

You're crazy. Have fun!

[ladygrey]

Sounds like an amazing trip, but I personally wouldn't want to take a toddler at that age. It seems like it would be more enjoyable a just a couple's vacation, or to wait until your DS is older.

[wanderlustmom]

I think it sounds great! I would much rather have that vacation than disney and I'm not a disney hater. 

We went to Guatemala, Costa Rica and Belize backpacking and loved it. We would take the kids too

[lg28]

You are WAY braver than me. We are taking the kids to a 5-star in Mexico over Christmas and that scares me! LOL.

Just make sure your kiddo is up-to-date on their vaccinations and see if you need anything else for the trip that he can get that he would normally get when he's older (I'm thinking hep a and b, specifically). That would actually be my hesitation in bringing him.

For Mexico, I've asked for a kettle in the room just so I can boil the water for the kiddos bottle (even to wash, but she will only be 6 months). I'm going to see about the twinrix vax for the toddler since we like to eat and explore off the resort.

[CloudBee]

Everyone knows I'm all for adventure. But diapers while hiking (as your mode of transport) in Guatemala? REALLY?!

I will now go back to researching sailing charters with our 18 month old.

heh

[CloudBee]

Sept 21, 2014 11:17:01 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Sept 21, 2014 11:08:02 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Too bad you didn't do EC so you can backpack efficiently. LOL.

Seriously. Diapers are the only thing making this difficult.

Just seeing this comment.

I agree. This is the worst of it.

[toesie]

You're gonna have a great time! We just came back from a 2 week trip that involved 2 internal flights, a 2.5 car trip one way, a 2 hour car trip back and forth within a day, 4 different hotels/apartments. It was great.

Pack lot of diapers, wipes and pouches. DD is not picky about her food, but got so distracted with so many things/people to see, she subsisted on apple sauce pouches, water and air.

[anna7602]

Sept 21, 2014 14:18:06 GMT -5 lg28 said:

Just make sure your kiddo is up-to-date on their vaccinations and see if you need anything else for the trip that he can get that he would normally get when he's older (I'm thinking hep a and b, specifically). That would actually be my hesitation in bringing him.

For Mexico, I've asked for a kettle in the room just so I can boil the water for the kiddos bottle (even to wash, but she will only be 6 months). I'm going to see about the twinrix vax for the toddler since we like to eat and explore off the resort.

Dengue fever was the biggest issue when I traveled with DD to Cuba at 22 months. There's no vaccination for that and there were no other additional vax our pedi reco'd. But definitely ask your pedi.

and we DID boil all water, even for tooth brushing.

[ellipses84]

Sept 21, 2014 1:07:46 GMT -5 sent said:

Sept 21, 2014 0:30:34 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

My cousin did a similar style trip to in Europe with 2 kids under 2 and had a great time. You will too!

When I think of Europe, I don't think of jungle huts.

Obviously it's not the same, but it was a backpacking type trip through many different countries in a short amount of time with various methods of travel, with 2 young kids.