Travelling is not the first thought you have when you discover that you will be a parent. Usually the first thoughts are joy, (sometimes panic) and elation followed by heavy contemplation. We took our first holiday with our first child, Hana, when she was 14 months old. We went to a beautiful resort in Cuba. During the holiday, my husband and I spoke to other parents about the challenges of vacationing with small children. One woman commented that is was "not a Vacation, it was relocation." Yes, this is true. We still have to be parents while we are on vacation, and relaxing can be challenging with toddlers and youngsters.
Many parents find vacation solutions at resorts that offer clubs to entertain toddlers and youngster for a few hours at a time. Other resorts can offer all-day activities for older siblings and teenagers to give parents that feeling of vacation freedom that many work hard for all year long. We enjoyed playing with Hana beside the pool and on the beach, but I suppose if truth be told, it was hard not having one single second to ourselves.
Childcare is not the be all and end all for choosing a resort. For many families, access to a kitchen is a real bonus if your children have specific dietary requirements or just the chance to save a bit of money by eating at your villa or condominium. Hotels usually don't have kitchens available for guests because the rooms are smaller and focused on luxury and room service. A popular option that many families are exploring is renting timeshare condominiums from owners directly. We bought a vacation club membership so that we could save money travelling and we are sure glad we did. It has more than paid for itself.
Resort vacations that provide a mix of adventure experiences and pampering are becoming the industry standard for many families. You can have beach time with young kids, an adrenaline pumping sport, golfing and fine dining all in one day. Costs are quite high when trying to book accommodations for entire families at hotels. Usually, hotel specials are focused on double occupancy rates per day as opposed to a one or two-bedroom suite that needs to sleep four or five people. We have three kids now so we have to think of the bottom line!
A solution to cut costs for many families that enjoy traveling are last-minute travel deals but the chances of getting exactly what you need and the location you want are not always possible. For the reduced cost you can get a vacation that may be cheaper but not always ideal. Another vacation solution for travel with kids are timeshares and vacation club memberships, which I mentioned earlier. Even if you are on a limited budget but you can still have the vacation of your dreams.
