So obviously, nothing is wrong with London for a 3 year old.
But for people who have limited travel budgets, a trip to someplace like London may be a once in a lifetime kind of trip - and those people may not want to spend the $$$$ to do a trip like that until they can really see and do all the major tourist attractions (including all the major museums, castles, etc.) - things that young kids may not have the attention span to sit through day after day.
Obviously there are plenty of kid-friendly things to do in London (I lived there for a year, I know!) - but if I was only going to be able to do one trip there in my lifetime, I probably wouldn’t want to do it when having to revolve my plans around a 3 year old’s needs/nap schedule/etc. Other people may feel differently, but I understand the sentiment.
Of course. But that’s not what she said in her post. She said she loves travel and to explore. Pre-kids, they enjoyed London, Quebec City, etc. She was using those as examples of what they like and felt they couldn’t do now because three year old. I was saying the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Ah, I missed that last paragraph clearly.
Well…I still kind of feel the same way, even as someone with a pretty generous travel budget. I will absolutely take my kids to places like London someday, but I think I’d probably wait until at least elementary school for trips like that. I want kids that can walk everywhere and not get tired, lol. I feel like the under 5 set needs a lot of downtime (or maybe that’s just my kids).
This is so kid dependent. My 4 year old still will not walk. Like we went to the mall and after 5 mins she refused to walk and either H or I had to carry her the entire time. It is exhausting and the idea of taking her to London or some other big vacation with a lot of walking is my idea of hell. We actually took my kids to Disney for the first time last year (ages 7 and 3) and it was fun, but SO much work. It was a good experience, but we will not be going back until DD2 is old enough to walk more.
We traveled a lot prekids too and I'm glad we did. Not our trips are smaller. My parents live in FL, so we go once a year and do kid friendly activities: pool, zoo, play places, maybe 1 amusement park per trip. Our other vacation is a driving trip to NH to 2 smaller, completely kid oriented amusement parks (catered to the under 10 crowd). We go every year and the kids love it. We also hike, shop, go to waterfalls, go swimming, etc. It is really fun but it is all geared towards things our kids like to do. We do trips into the city in the summer and do museums and things, but they are mostly day trips. I'm just not up for big trips with the kids until DD2 is a little older (or at least gets out of the carry me stage).
So I'm with the posters that say embrace the kid friendly life. Going to Disney a few times a year sounds pretty awesome to me! I'm not willing to spend a lot of money on bigger trips until they are more enjoyable.
chocolatepie: Off topic, I'll be in FL for a week in April! Any advice for kid friendly activities that aren't Disney (it was too much work, I have PTSD from last year)? We'll be in the Sanford area and then the theme park area for 3 days. We're thinking SeaWorld this time and the kids love the Crayola factory. But I'd love any other advice from a local!
Of course. But that’s not what she said in her post. She said she loves travel and to explore. Pre-kids, they enjoyed London, Quebec City, etc. She was using those as examples of what they like and felt they couldn’t do now because three year old. I was saying the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Ah, I missed that last paragraph clearly.
Well…I still kind of feel the same way, even as someone with a pretty generous travel budget. I will absolutely take my kids to places like London someday, but I think I’d probably wait until at least elementary school for trips like that. I want kids that can walk everywhere and not get tired, lol. I feel like the under 5 set needs a lot of downtime (or maybe that’s just my kids).
I do see your point! All kids are different, yup.
I’m coming from a perspective where I was the OP. I was worried to travel and keep her entertained in places that were not inherently kid-friendly.
So, we dipped our toes into other places. And it went better than imagined. Charleston was actually quite fun with her! We did a tour with horses, the aquarium, the battleship and then nice dinners. It didn’t look exactly like pre-kids but it was nice in a totally different way. I was worried about PR but she did even better! We’ve found a groove of meeting her needs as well as ours and it came by just trying and practicing.
We took her to London over Christmas where she refused to walk so I bought a damn stroller. London was shockingly stroller friendly. And it was peaceful walking at a pace we liked with her tied up. 🤣
But, it truly is kind-dependent. I just want the OP to consider that travel beyond Disney is possible with small kids! Start small, learn your groove and see where it takes you! And maybe your kid will not be tolerant but hey, at least you tried.
Lake houses can be really nice vacation for kids at that age. We've been to Maine many times when the kids were that young and its beautiful, relaxing with lots of things to do for the kids and adults.
Of course. But that’s not what she said in her post. She said she loves travel and to explore. Pre-kids, they enjoyed London, Quebec City, etc. She was using those as examples of what they like and felt they couldn’t do now because three year old. I was saying the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Ah, I missed that last paragraph clearly.
Well…I still kind of feel the same way, even as someone with a pretty generous travel budget. I will absolutely take my kids to places like London someday, but I think I’d probably wait until at least elementary school for trips like that. I want kids that can walk everywhere and not get tired, lol. I feel like the under 5 set needs a lot of downtime (or maybe that’s just my kids).
On the flip side Covid really showed how you can’t take the ability to just travel whenever/wherever you want for granted. But, really there are so many things that might make travel impossible in the future for any family (illnesses, injuries, global pandemics, wars, etc). I guess I’m more of the mind do it when the opportunity presents itself because maybe the opportunity isn’t going to be there forever. I had a friend with a pretty tight vacation budget. She didn’t understand why we were taking our kids all over because they were too young to be able to remember it. I wasn’t doing it for them, I was doing it for me, but that wasn’t her mind set. She wanted to wait until her kids were what she deemed old enough. She waited and waited and waited and then covid hit right when she was finally ready to actually do it. And now her oldest is in college and they never went. Maybe they will one day, but maybe they won’t.
I love taking C to big cities. She and I did NYC when she was 5. Super fun. Was it a different trip than if it was only adults - yes! But still enjoyable. I just make sure to create an itinerary I know she will enjoy too. We did Nashville with her in 2019, DC last year.
Well…I still kind of feel the same way, even as someone with a pretty generous travel budget. I will absolutely take my kids to places like London someday, but I think I’d probably wait until at least elementary school for trips like that. I want kids that can walk everywhere and not get tired, lol. I feel like the under 5 set needs a lot of downtime (or maybe that’s just my kids).
On the flip side Covid really showed how you can’t take the ability to just travel whenever/wherever you want for granted. But, really there are so many things that might make travel impossible in the future for any family (illnesses, injuries, global pandemics, wars, etc). I guess I’m more of the mind do it when the opportunity presents itself because maybe the opportunity isn’t going to be there forever. I had a friend with a pretty tight vacation budget. She didn’t understand why we were taking our kids all over because they were too young to be able to remember it. I wasn’t doing it for them, I was doing it for me, but that wasn’t her mind set. She wanted to wait until her kids were what she deemed old enough. She waited and waited and waited and then covid hit right when she was finally ready to actually do it. And now her oldest is in college and they never went. Maybe they will one day, but maybe they won’t.
YES.
My parents traveled all over with us as kids. They wanted to go so they brought us. Do I remember the trips? Not really. I remember being there, I remember traveling, but do I remember touring castles and learning history? Lol no. Not even at 16.
BUT. I learned to travel. I learned that other countries have other norms. I learned how to not be home and entertain myself in different places. I learned to navigate different places and try new foods. There is sooo much to be gained by traveling even at a young age.
We also are doing several trips right now. We are healthy and we have the funds. Both may not be true in the future so let’s do what we can while we can.
On the flip side Covid really showed how you can’t take the ability to just travel whenever/wherever you want for granted. But, really there are so many things that might make travel impossible in the future for any family (illnesses, injuries, global pandemics, wars, etc). I guess I’m more of the mind do it when the opportunity presents itself because maybe the opportunity isn’t going to be there forever. I had a friend with a pretty tight vacation budget. She didn’t understand why we were taking our kids all over because they were too young to be able to remember it. I wasn’t doing it for them, I was doing it for me, but that wasn’t her mind set. She wanted to wait until her kids were what she deemed old enough. She waited and waited and waited and then covid hit right when she was finally ready to actually do it. And now her oldest is in college and they never went. Maybe they will one day, but maybe they won’t.
YES.
My parents traveled all over with us as kids. They wanted to go so they brought us. Do I remember the trips? Not really. I remember being there, I remember traveling, but do I remember touring castles and learning history? Lol no. Not even at 16.
BUT. I learned to travel. I learned that other countries have other norms. I learned how to not be home and entertain myself in different places. I learned to navigate different places and try new foods. There is sooo much to be gained by traveling even at a young age.
We also are doing several trips right now. We are healthy and we have the funds. Both may not be true in the future so let’s do what we can while we can.
Our family motto is, "Take the trip." For all the reasons mentioned here and also because, as my husband says about our daughter, "If she's going to change the world, she needs to see it first."
I would relish in the fact that Disney and the beach are both close and affordable vacations for you because they're perfect for a 3 year old. Now knowing what a 6 year old and a 3 year old are both like I recommend waiting until 5 for a different type of trip. That's when in my opinion they come a little more flexible.
i tend to do what I like and then modify it for the kids! So beach vacations worked (either an AI with a great kids club or a villa with a chef as I dont cook on vacation). London and the UK is great with kids, a lot of the museums are child-friendly (lots of dinosaurs for example!). We just build in extra ice-cream breaks and eat earlier than we used to.
So obviously, nothing is wrong with London for a 3 year old.
But for people who have limited travel budgets, a trip to someplace like London may be a once in a lifetime kind of trip - and those people may not want to spend the $$$$ to do a trip like that until they can really see and do all the major tourist attractions (including all the major museums, castles, etc.) - things that young kids may not have the attention span to sit through day after day.
Obviously there are plenty of kid-friendly things to do in London (I lived there for a year, I know!) - but if I was only going to be able to do one trip there in my lifetime, I probably wouldn’t want to do it when having to revolve my plans around a 3 year old’s needs/nap schedule/etc. Other people may feel differently, but I understand the sentiment.
Of course. But that’s not what she said in her post. She said she loves travel and to explore. Pre-kids, they enjoyed London, Quebec City, etc. She was using those as examples of what they like and felt they couldn’t do now because three year old. I was saying the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
It's probably my own anxiety kicking in, really. He tolerates a stroller some (won't sit in it - he stands up in it) but often demands to walk, refuses to hold hands (we're working on it), and his listening skills are... in development. I just see him getting run over by a car in a big city because he spotted something interesting. Which might be a ridiculous fear that I need to get over. We have the most success in places where he can wander freely and explore.
I think I was referring to what we did/enjoyed in those places that we would not do with a young child. Our trips included walking with lots and lots of historical locations (especially churches and places of worship), museums, art galleries, theater, and fine dining followed with cocktails at a bar.
He IS a great traveler in that he is 100% potty trained and has no fear of public bathrooms and auto toilets, can easily skip a nap, and can hang until midnight without any issue. He sleeps wonderfully in hotels and LOVES hotel life. Legit cries each time we leave the Disney hotel. His favorite thing in the world is modes of transportation and there are days at Disney when all we do is ride a bus, monorail, skyliner, boat, and parking lot tram and he is living his best life.
Y'all have given some great suggestions and thoughts - thank you!
chocolatepie - yes, my husband and I traveled very similarly pre-kid!
We had to adjust. We’re back in the hotel now at 9pm drinking on our bed while the kid sleeps instead! Ha. But, we really did figure it out. And we divide and conquer for things we really want to see that will be more boring for a kid.
We live in a city so my kid had to learn how to walk on a sidewalk, hold hands, and sit in a stroller. None of that stuff worries me, but it’s been her whole life so I do understand the concern. It’s not irrational. I can’t let my kid scoot or ride her bike on these city streets because I don’t trust that she will stop….
Post by pinkplasticdoll on Feb 1, 2023 14:56:10 GMT -5
San Diego, Grand Cayman, Niagara Falls, Asheville and our local beach are the trips we have taken with our kids. They were all great trips and they had a lot of fun. There were "moments" while we were traveling but for the most part they were decent travel buddies. We made sure that they were fed because my kids get hangry, we also prepared for places that they would enjoy, like kids museums, swimming with seat turtles/starfish stuff like that.
What’s wrong with London and Quebec City for a three year old?
Plan things that are fun for them and for you. We just got back from London where we did afternoon tea and a playground, London Eye and London Aquarium, Westminster Abbey and Harrods, etc. We pair days with an adult activity and a kid one. If the adult activity was too much then we split up and let an adult do something in peace and the other does something more kid-friendly.
We took our three year old to Charleston and had more trips planned but covid. We’ve had good luck with Puerto Rico and the beach, too.
I think the trick is to just try. It won’t go quite like it did before, but you’ll figure it out and when you do, you’ll see the trips aren’t so bas and you’ll branch out!
Nothing is wrong with it but we can't explore the way we used to pre-kids with them tagging along and being inflexible. It's too much mental energy for me to keep my eyes on the toddler while trying to take in the new place. DS abandoned his stroller shortly after he turned 4 and wasn't a huge fan before that either. I won't really feel like I enjoyed anything. It might just be my kids. I went to Phoenix recently and never even considered taking DS because it would mean feeding him at Chipotle for dinner and then it's a roll of the dice if he will behave in whatever local restaurant we want to try. If we all just end up eating at Chipotle, well I could have just done that back home and saved myself the hassle. Same thing with dragging them to Europe before he's old enough to understand the concept of a different country. We'd be eating McDonald's every day.
If you aren't wanting the beach which was one of our go to's with a 3 year old, then our other go to was visiting cities that had children's museums.
We've been to children museums in Austin, San Antonio, Raleigh, Chicago (also the MSI and Field museum have play areas for younger kids), Ann Arbor, St. Louis and more. Our other go to is playgrounds depending on the weather.
Get an suite or Airbnb so you have separate rooms. A typical day might be breakfast in the room (nothing worse than multiple meals out with a toddler), Kids museum, activity or playground, lunch, back to the room to nap, then adult activity that a kid might be OK with in the evening and dinner out.
We did Sarasota a lot, with kid activities in the morning and pool time in the afternoon. Or beach in the morning and pool in the afternoon. Since you are in FL, that is maybe the norm for you, but it does have a ton of attractions there and in Tampa.
Post by Velar Fricative on Feb 1, 2023 18:20:42 GMT -5
When DD1 was 3 we had DD2 and when DD2 was 3 we had…covid. So no travel during the threenager phase. And we haven’t done plane vacations yet (they’re 9 and 5 now).
Except, we did do Montreal and Mont Tremblant during the summer before DD2’s 3rd birthday and before covid. It was a wonderful trip - Montreal was still fun for our family and then Mont Tremblant had all the outdoorsy family stuff that was perfect for us, and we are driving distance too. We went back in August because we knew they’d have even more fun being a little bit older, and they did.
Also, both DH and I hate beaches so a beach vacation with kids sounds even more stressful than a city vacation lol.
Also, it's a couple of years out, but I will preach the wonders of school. For Kindergarten midwinter break we took V went to Arizona, for first grade we went to Luxembourg. He did great on both trips. We traveled with friends, which probably helped both the kids and grownups lol.
Nantucket was great at 3! Honestly I find city trips easier than beaches at that age — less gear to lug, no water safety concerns, etc. We love walking around cities, taking busses and trains, exploring new playgrounds, going to a museum. Easy food options (vs a beach house where we are cooking).
chocolatepie, is there an easy-to-get to destination that is almost, but not quite, your ideal vacation spot? Could you do a "test" vacation there this year? So, if you prefer cities & museums, maybe go to DC. Direct, short flight (probably?), good lodging options, & good public transport. Visit the museums with emphasis on the bits that might interest your kid more (dinos in Natural History or maybe the transportation exhibit in American History). You could head over to National Cathedral & have him try to find the Darth Vader while you look at other things? Ride the metro & hop-on-hop off buses. Eat some great food at Jose Andres restaurants (we go early with our kids & the tapas form keeps them interested). Have him "off leash" (lol) on The Mall.
Then, if it goes well, you will have some confidence for further, more "adventurous" things?
My kids act differently when we travel. They are more into the new sights & sounds & foods so they are better than we expect when we are out & about. Of course they *completely* fall apart when we are back in our hotel/Airbnb!
Off topic, I'll be in FL for a week in April! Any advice for kid friendly activities that aren't Disney (it was too much work, I have PTSD from last year)? We'll be in the Sanford area and then the theme park area for 3 days. We're thinking SeaWorld this time and the kids love the Crayola factory. But I'd love any other advice from a local!
Not a local, but I have family in the Sanford area, so have done a lot of trips there with my kids. Places we have been to:
Beach close to Sanford (we like to go to New Smyrna Beach off Flagler Ave) Sanford Zoo (they also have a free splash pad in the zoo so bring suits and towels). Outside the zoo there is a separate ropes course. Orlando Science Center (my kids LOVE this and we go every trip) Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona- they also have a children's museum attached. Reptile Discovery Center (they milk the snakes for venom!) We did Gatorland once- we had a good time but once was enough. We also go to local parks so the kids can play outside- some have free splash pads.
ETA: if you are members of any local museums, you can see if they do reciprocity. Our membership to our local Science Center gets us into the museums for free, if you are a member of a local zoo you can also get discounted admission at the zoo.