As I type this we are on vacation. I should be relaxing, but I had this idea I wanted to put down before I forgot. Newer parents might be afraid to take their young children on a vacation but it can be done.
Our first order of business is where to stay. And that’s important – stay. Toddlers are not necessarily the best at long road trips. Yes, it can take a long day’s drive to get to your destination, but then the trick is to pick a destination you can get to and then stay put.
A few years ago we took a trip to the Olympic Peninsula. We stayed a few days in a motel room as a base of operations and then took smaller “day trips” out and about the area. This worked relatively well, as Xavier was just a couple of months old and Ciárán was 3 years old. An infant is relatively easy to travel with, and 3 years old is sort of at the “bottom” age of being able to travel well.
Earlier this summer we went to Oregon for a week and we are currently in Winthrop, in the middle of the state. Both places are a decent drive away from Seattle, but both are easily managed in less than a full day’s drive. And the key as I mentioned before is finding a place to stay. And stay we do.
We rent a vacation home because it is cheaper than the two or three motel rooms we would need to rent for each person to have a bed, then there is the fact we are able to cook our own meals and save a bit of money. The real advantage, however, is having a base of operations that allows the kids to spread out and not be stuck in a hotel room, and still put the toddler down for a nap.
Yes, nap.
Our 15 month old takes 2 naps a day. While we are on vacation we plan on him having one solid nap, either in the morning or the afternoon. Sometimes we will do an activity that takes us out in the morning and we will then plan an activity where one of us stays in the house with our toddler in the afternoon as he naps. Then again, sometimes he will just sleep where he is regardless of the schedule.
At times when planning our activities we take into account the nap schedule. We can take a lengthy road trip from where we are staying and Tevye will fall asleep in the car. And we are home in time for dinner and regular bed time as well.
Renting a vacation home for a week is more cost effective and enables a more relaxed vacation for our family than if we got a hotel room or two for just a couple of days. That’s how we are able to do it. And we will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.