Where should I go for a vacation?

[FireGilbert]

When you have kids work becomes a vacation and vacations become work.

We have done a bit of travelling with our 18 month old including 10 hours to Hawaii and 20 hours to Calgary. The flights were a huge chore and overall the effort was not really worth the trip. Since then we have decided no long flights for a few years but if we do decide to travel it will have to be worth it. For example if I'm on a 14 hours flight I want to be in my destination for at least a month.

Another thing to consider travelling with kids is the time change destroying their routine. If you are going to change longitudes then plan for your first few days to be a write off and make sure to have a few days free once to return to get back to normal.

Finally there are the logistics of being in your destination with kids. Having a quiet hotel room is a must, you need easy access to shops for diapers and medical supplies, and quick access to public transportation and smooth sidewalks for stroller use are also important.

Based on this criteria if I was planning a trip from Calgary I would likely choose a resort in Mexico. The flights and time change are no big deal, your logistics are taken care of, you can relax and be adventurous, and if you need a break babysitting is available.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by WinnipegFan

I saw someone mention it but Croatia is incredible. If you want more info on me we love going here.

Google the images for this park:

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Don't forget to take in all the Ethnic Cleansing sites as well.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Yes - Dubrovnik, Hvar, etc. It's a beautiful coastline. I was there in 2010. Would recommend.

I did a walking tour there with a lady who's family has been in Dubrovnik for 400 years. I asked her the dumbest thing she heard from a tourist. She said one time a guy asked her what time does Dubrovnik open in the morning and what time does it close? He legit thought it was like an amusement park built for tourists. You may guess where he is from.

She points out some of the stonework that was damaged in the war and the replacement stones are lighter in color.

[GomerPile]

Fly to Milan and drive directly North to Sondrio area. Super quiet compared to Como and the like, while still being able to day trip there. The whole valley has south facing wine producers. The food is a really cool mix of Italian, German, Austrian. There is a bike path that runs the length of the valley, along a river and hotels/ Airbnb's were super cheap there. There is a ton of hiking in the region.

It was one of our best vacations we did while living in The Netherlands.

[GP_Matt]

Thanks for all the suggestions.
We seem to be narrowing down to Spain and Japan although everything is still open. I tried to sell Croatia but have not been able to pull it off.
As others have mentioned, we are looking for a destination that we will enjoy. Our son will have fun if there is open space, people to interact with and a playground. I can't imagine him remembering anything long term. When he is older we will likely do the Disneyland trips. We also went all inclusive this winter and had a great time but I don't really want to keep repeating that trip.

Time change on the return is my biggest concern. Normally I plan to take full advantage of my vacation time and return to home the night before returning to work then suffer for a week. I get the feeling that that is no longer an option with a child.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

Thanks for all the suggestions.
We seem to be narrowing down to Spain and Japan although everything is still open. I tried to sell Croatia but have not been able to pull it off.

I loved Spain when I was there and Japan is on the wish-list, so either of those sound like great destinations as well!

[driveway]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

Thanks for all the suggestions.
We seem to be narrowing down to Spain and Japan although everything is still open. I tried to sell Croatia but have not been able to pull it off.
As others have mentioned, we are looking for a destination that we will enjoy.

If you're interested in Japan, take a look at Taiwan. It's a lot like Japan, cheaper, and in many ways easier to navigate (more English availability).