Is It Truly a Vacation When the Kids Are Along?

Let me be honest—I can’t say it sounded like a brilliant plan. I’ve traveled with my kids before (just my eldest, as the baby is still a little one), and while those trips had their moments of joy, they hardly felt like vacations. Typically, vacations are supposed to be about unwinding, recharging, and maybe catching up on some reading or sleep. When you throw kids into the mix, what you get is something quite different.

This time, my adventure involved my rambunctious 5-year-old and my 3-month-old. I wasn’t expecting to come back feeling refreshed.

So, to set the record straight: it didn’t seem like a good idea—neither before, during, nor after our trip. We did have fun, I won’t deny that. Traveling with the little ones is not quite the same as sitting at a desk fretting over deadlines, but it’s a different kind of chaos. Let’s focus on the positives first!

Surprisingly Manageable Flight

Surprisingly, the flight wasn’t a nightmare. The baby snoozed peacefully, avoiding any discontent from fellow passengers, and stayed quiet the entire time. My 5-year-old entertained himself with movies and the never-ending quest for snacks. The flight was a manageable four hours, and we made it through without any major meltdowns. Our hotel was an absolute gem—it was right on the beach and boasted two conveniently located pools, not to mention a poolside bar that made hauling our gear around a bit easier. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and we encountered plenty of friendly families.

Challenges Along the Way

Now, for the not-so-fun stuff. If you have a few hours to spare, I can go on. The flight did have its hiccups, like when the baby had an explosive diaper incident at 35,000 feet, forcing me into a rather challenging diaper change. My 5-year-old was a bit of a handful, too, often getting up from his seat and discovering that the snacks he craved were either out of reach, nonexistent, or absurdly overpriced at $10 each.

The hotel was so fantastic that my 5-year-old had little interest in leaving it. He spent a good portion of our stay glued to the SpongeBob movie playing in the lobby, while I was stuck keeping an eye on him because it turns out 5-year-olds can’t be unsupervised. Thankfully, the baby managed to enjoy the beach without suffering from dehydration or sunburn—thanks to our mini condo that shielded him from the sun. I carried a mountain of sunscreen and those silly Gilligan hats, which resulted in me losing a solid 10 pounds in the process. So, there’s that!

Sleep? What Sleep?

One of my main vacation goals was to sleep in. There were no buses to catch, no bosses to please—just the hope of lounging in bed until at least 9 AM. However, with the baby adjusting poorly to the new environment, he was awake for hours each night, and my 5-year-old mysteriously decided that 5:30 AM was the perfect time to rise and shine, eager to replay his favorite SpongeBob scenes.

Costly Adventures

As is the case with most tourist spots, food prices were steep, which would have been fine if my son hadn’t turned his nose up at everything we bought. Drinks were pricey too, but we justified our splurges with a hope to drown our frustrations of vacationing with two little kids. Souvenirs were costly, and my son managed to lose or break every single one we bought him. And don’t get me started on babysitters—they’re not cheap, especially when your kids can test the patience of a saint.

Creating Memories

At the week’s end, we had spent a considerable amount of money to escape the daily grind and create memories with our children. We checked off both boxes, even though one child is too young to remember anything, and the other likely only recalls every word of the SpongeBob movie we watched.

Traveling with kids can be a blast. Parenthood is a journey filled with joys (I know, just humor me). Yet, the experience of vacationing with children is undeniably demanding. There are moments of bliss, and despite the chaos, it’s (probably) worth it in the end. But let’s be real: it’s not the same as it once was. Once you become a parent, nothing ever is—good or bad.

In the end, it’s mostly the latter.

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In summary, traveling with kids is a unique experience filled with challenges and joys. While it may not resemble the idyllic vacations of the past, it certainly creates lasting memories, albeit with a fair share of chaos.