Travel is something that Andrew and I have always enjoyed together and having kids didn’t change that.
If anything, we travel more now that we have kids. We are lucky that our kids are pretty chill and traveling is just another adventure for them.
We just got back from a family vacation to Mexico (again) and this is our first time traveling since the pandemic. We managed to get away on vacation just before the lockdowns and it was great. We went with Andrew’s family. Having the extra (grandparents) hands made for a significantly easier flight and the overall trip.
This was our third family vacation as a family of four.
And this time we went just as a foursome. No family members to help us out! Although we did go with a couple of friends who also have kids, it’s not the same as grandparents.
We are big advocates of introducing things to kids as early as possible because then they don’t know any different. Kaiden was a bit older when we first went on a plane, almost a year old. But then we were on a plane a lot in a couple of months. We definitely did more road trips with him.
Eli was 5 months when we went to Mexico for the first time and then 8 months. And then the world shut down and we didn’t go anywhere for 3 years. So while Eli had been on a plane, he was a baby still and sitting on our lap. This time around, both kids had their own seats! Such big kids now.
Traveling with kids is definitely different.
The planning required for one kid was tough, but two? Whole other level. Except, it’s also not that hard. Sounds confusing right? I’ll try and explain.
I’m a very light-packer, but having kids makes me pack heavier than I normally would. Especially since it’d been a couple of years since I’d had to pack a bag for the family. How much to pack for 2 kids who may or may not have accidents in Mexico?
I ended up overpacking for everyone. Next time I’ll remember, and luckily it’ll be even easier because neither kid should have accidents and they’ll just be that much older.
Even this time! No diapers, no formula, no baby bottles, nothing baby related at all! Freed up so much space in the suitcase. That left plenty of room for the floaties and sand toys. Next time they’ll be able to swim and I won’t need to bring those either.
On this trip, we had one large, checked bag with two carry-on bags. I can’t wait to get that paired down once I don’t have to bring floaties. I won’t have to bring 12 pairs of underwear for Eli. I’m not sure what I was thinking about bringing so many clothes for the boys or Andrew when they lived in their bathing suits (or just underwear) when we weren’t at the pool. And shockingly, I was pretty much the same way!
Three weeks of sunshine, sunshine, sunshine!
We were staying in Riviera Maya and it was perfect. We had great weather; sunny and 29 the entire time. We had only a little bit of rain during the day. 3 weeks was probably a little bit too long for the kids, but it was hard for Andrew and me to return to reality. The resort had a ton of kids’ things to do throughout the day, and we spent a lot of time the first week at the water park.
By the third week, everyone had kind of calmed down, although the kids were starting to go cuckoo bananas with the lack of routine. The late nights, over-tiring days, and just having both Mom and Dad around full time were getting to them. Plus, just eating a lot of different things (and a little too much junk food) really throws them off as well.
I’m already wanting to go back, but know that it won’t happen for a little bit.
Traveling when the kids are young is tough but definitely an easy way to introduce them to it. I’ve always been of the mind that the earlier you start, the better you can handle things. And can learn to adapt to it. As much as I love the idea of not traveling with my kids, nothing beats a good family vacation.
Andrew and I are generally very casual travelers. We don’t have itineraries, we don’t make plans, and we change quickly. Generally, we just go by what the kids want to do that day. Lots of freedom for everyone.
I think I’d like to go to Disney for our next family vacation since the kids will be the perfect ages (4 and 6) and I think Eli will literally die if he meets Woody or Buzz. Mindblown.
Definitely, things to think about. There are so many places to visit and traveling with your kids is just parenting in another location.
Where would you like to take your kids for a family vacation?
J x
