Your Next Vacation: With or Without Kids ?

For some parents, the idea of a week away (or even only a night) from their kids sounds like paradise…while others would feel guilty and the worse parents in the world. 

Most people will say their happiest memories are holidays with the family. Sharing good time and precious moments together are “happiness anchors” that can help us going through tough times. Furthermore, psychotherapists say travels are good for children. New experiences help them develop social, physical, cognitive and sensory interaction skills. But of course traveling with children, especially babies/toddlers can be challenging and create a lot of stress for parents. But with a bit of planning and preparation, you can easily make it a fun adventure for the whole family.

Here are a few tips to help you:

- Rest well before (to be in a good mood)

- Involve your child in the preparation of the trip, and pack luggage with them

- Prefer off-peak travel times

- Bring surprises like toys, sweets (but prefer low sugar snacks)

- Bring enough food, diapers, toys, extra outfits for a possible delay

- Chose a hotel with a pool fence, nursery or kids club

- Prefer room service for dinner or breakfast (not with teenagers though!)

- Plan your way on a map (many apps available)

- Bring bags for travel sickness

- Bring comfortable shoes and avoid laces

For more travel tips: Erica Levine Weber is a traveler, blogger, expat, and modern mom. Before her baby’s first birthday, she and her family explored over 30 countries.

As parents, we must often combine working long hours at the office, by taking care of our children’s needs. And at some point, we feel we deserve a break, some romantic time with our partner to balance our marriage life.

A getaway can reveal cheaper than couples counseling and is certainly a lot more fun!

Some parents will testify: Only three nights in a hotel with no kids around are like three weeks in parent time, waking up when you want to and having only yourselves to feed and bathe and dress. And our kids will benefit from that as well. 

Time away can give them the confidence to feel safe and secure with and without their parents. Still not convinced? Worried your kids will miss you? Probably for about the first 10 minutes. But if their Grandparents come to look after them they will love to be allowed to do/eat things parents do not authorize or do not do (sweets, junk food, take a ride, play board games).

Most of the times it is a win-win. If you can’t afford a break abroad, it can simply be a weekly/monthly “date-night-out”. If you are single parents go with your friends.

So with or without the kids? What if the best option is to balance family holidays between togetherness and personal space? Times for separate activities, and meals together.

Depending on your budget, we gathered a few suggestions, offering great services (kids clubs/entertainment):

• Alpenrose Kinder Hotel in Lermoss (Austria) - https://www.hotelalpenrose.at/en/
• Mark Warner all inclusive ski holidays (France, Austria, Italy) and sun holidays (Greece, Turkey, Corsica, Sardinia) - https://www.markwarner.co.uk/
• “Villages Club du Soleil” in France - https://www.villagesclubsdusoleil.com/
• Center parks (fantastic breaks in the forest in Europe) - https://www.centerparcs.com/
• First Choice – https://www.firstchoice.co.uk/holidays/family
• Take the family - https://www.takethefamily.com/
• Europa Park near Baden Baden, themed park and resort - https://www.europapark.de/en