Vacation location with 1 y/o

[I'm a red panda]

So, I am thinking of forgoing some of my unpaid maternity leave in return for the promise of using some of the money earned when I return to work for a family vacation the next year (that way DH can enjoy time with our child too.)

We'd like to go to either Europe (um... broad location there...) or spend some time in Canada (so far, we have only been to Montreal...)

Do you have any suggestions for where we a young child might enjoy going?  We generally like a vacation that is a mix of museums, food, and nature. We love zoos.  I'd think at that age, we would have to plan to move slower than normal through things, but she'd still be young enough to wear or put in a stroller and accompany us on something like a city tour if we want. (No bike tours, I guess...)

Not really interested in just hanging out at a beach. 


Thanks for your suggestions!

[Vindicated]

We did two trips when our little guy was between 6mo and 1yr old.  One was a 4 day weekend where my lovely DW pumped ahead to save up so DS would have milk for a few days, and the Grandparents watched him.  The other was a family trip to Universal Orlando (that was paid for by family) and he came with us.  Uncles and Aunts were glad to watch him for a few hours here or there so we could enjoy rides on our own a bit.

As for his enjoyment?  It doesn't matter to him.  One place is as good as another to a 1yo.  Just keep him fed and giggling, and he won't care where you are.

[Tiger Stache]

my kids love the beach.

[hoping2retire35]

Beach.

Charleston has tons of 'city' stuff. Columbia, 1.75 hrs away, has a very good zoo.

[meerkat]

We went to the beach for a week when our son was one. The biggest issue was that he was a terrible napper if there was anything vaguely interesting going on so he did not sleep in the car like we expected him to. On the drive back we planned the three hour drive to overlap with his nap time. Guess who didn't nap? Guess who was an unhappy screaming mess for three hours (him) and an unhappy wanting to scream mess (both parents). The next time we had a long drive we took off right after he woke up in the morning and he was happy as could be, then (eventually) napped at our destination.

The place we stayed at on the beach had a pool but it didn't open till like nine or ten in the morning. Our son liked to wake up at 5 or 6 in the morning and was typically going down for his first nap when the pool was opening, so we got into a routine of doing the beach first thing after breakfast and having it all to ourselves, then naps for everyone, then pool, then lunch, then afternoon nap, then playing in our room because it was too dang hot out. It seemed like kind of a choppy day at first but it actually worked quite well. I've heard some people talk about taking a pack n play down to the beach and making sure it was in the shade and their baby would nap there but that would not have worked with my kid. Too much to look at! Too much sand to eat! Hey there's a bird!

Basically, pick a destination you want to spend time at but don't expect a structured schedule. A vacation that would have scheduled tours probably will just stress everyone out. A vacation where you can just wander around and take in the sights is probably better.

One nice thing that just happened to work out with the timing for us was that our vacation was just after kiddo turned a year old, so it was also a nice chance to reconnect as a family and celebrate that we had all survived the first year. I'm actually looking forward to doing it again this year.

Edit: I forgot to add we had a kitchen and a grocery store across the street. We had access to laundry with a machine that took quarters, we would have had to supply our own soap. We ended up not needing to use the laundry but it was nice to know it was available.

[PharmaStache]

Choose a place where you can rent a condo with a kitchen and laundry facilities.  Find a place where there are lots of child friendly things to do nearby, like a beach or pool and a playground.

Don't forget about those laundry facilities- they are the key to a happy vacation ;)

[MayDay]

It totally depends on the baby.

Some are terrible sleepers and will make your life miserable. Especially with a time change, holy hell.

Some need a rigid routine and cannot miss a nap.

Some travel fine.

I highly recommend not planning a trip until you know which kind of baby you got.

Your baby will not appreciate anything at that age except getting to crawl/walk around at will. They may hate carseats. They may hate strollers and being worn. Who knows.

[FLBiker]

For us, babywearing has been great.  DD is almost 2, and we still wear her sometimes.  And she absolutely loves the beach and the zoo.  Museums worked when she was really little, but I think at 1 she might have been bored.  Hiking is also really good.  That said, we were pretty tame in our vacations -- a few days at the beach an hour's drive away, short flights to family.

[KCM5]

My kid at that age didn't change time zones. So baby was up until 2 am every night. YMMV.

If you want to go to Europe I would recommend southern Europe. They love kids. I think having a kid has opened up our traveling a bit in that people always want to talk to the kid or about the kid.

This could just be my kid, but at 1 we could still visit museums and stuff. Just put her in a carrier and go. So if I were you I would plan on a normal vacation to Rome or another city with a lot of stuff to see walking/using public transit (car seats are kind of a pain to fly with and install in cars and such - just one more level of complication I don't like dealing with if I don't have to).

In northern Europe you could call a taxi that had a carseat. Southern Europe not so much. So there's that difference.

[Suze456]

I found holidays with babies who can't walk/crawl  so much easier than with a toddler who can walk/crawl. So would go sooner rather than later if possible, definitely under a year. Mine are live wires tho...a 4 hour flight is a challenge. We also pick places that at least have a separate bedroom so someone can sleep even when others are up

[Goldielocks]

My kids loved hikes (in the back carrier).  And the calgary zoo (older than age 2, or they don't notice anything).  Splash parks.

[Scotland2016]

We are planning a vacation to Iceland with our then one-year-old. My research tells me it's a good place to travel with little ones. It won't take too long to get there and it's supposedly a baby-friendly place.

[cats]

My only advice is to visit relatives or bring some who like to babysit with you on the trip. Help with child wrangling is, in my view, the best possible perk of a vacation if you have a very young child.

[TabbyCat]

We went camping several times with a 1yo, generally fussy, horrible sleeper and she LOVED it, best few nights of sleep we’ve gotten so far. Being on  a plane (different trip) was very hard for her at around 1yo though – she was so excited to explore, and absolutely furious when that was hindered. Would highly recommend an overnight flight. The rest of the trip was fine, but the plane was incredibly exhausting for all three of us.

I don’t think “vacation” is the right word for travel with a toddler. If you’re looking for family bonding time and adventure, and it sounds like you are, go for it. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun.

[Freedomin5]

Travelled to Hong Kong, Thailand, Toronto, Niagara Falls...all before DD hit two years old. Mind you, these destinations were spaced out over three separate trips.

I second the poster who touted baby-wearing - DD's baby carrier (or as my DH calls it, the "baby back knapsack") was a lifesaver and allowed us to basically take her anywhere.

At one, DD loved water, so she really enjoyed the pool at the hotel, and the beach. She also enjoyed the butterfly conservatory at Niagara Falls, and all the flowers.

Like many other posters, I would recommend renting somewhere that has laundry and kitchen facilities. That way, you don't have to pack as much clothing.

Honestly, at one years old, DD didn't much care about the sites. As long as she had her mummy, daddy, and security blanket, as well as a couple toys, or grass to look at, or leaves to pull off bushes, and as long as she was kept on her regular schedule, she was happy.

[VeggieTable]

We went to Bermuda when DS was 4 months, Paris at 6 months, and Ireland at 9 months. We also went to Vancouver when he was about 21 months. Of all those trips, Vancouver was the hardest because he had much more of an opinion about activities. All trips before age 1 were (relatively) easy because he was not yet mobile and only cared about eating, sleeping, and looking at people. All that to say, basically anywhere! We are not beach-goers either (not that we don't enjoy the beach, just not our first choice) and also prefer museums, etc. As long as you go into your vacation with the expectation of doing fewer activities than you normally would and knowing that you have to plan around naps (for your sake as much as baby's), you will be fine wherever you go.

I will say that trips and/or activities that involve nature have been the biggest success. DS (now 2.5 yrs) absolutely loves being outside and going on hikes - always has - so he is much happier if we're having a more active vacation. We've used various baby carriers for hiking and general walking around, but my favorite is the Kinderpack. If I ever have a second baby, I'll skip the Ergo and just use the KP.

[Helvegen]

When my daughter was 18ish months, we went on a trip around Lake Ontario. We stopped at one of the beaches. She fell and got wet sand on her hands. The worst part to her wasn't the fact that she had fallen, rather, she had gotten sand stuck to her hands. And she screamed and whined about it until we just gave up and left.

My daughter didn't really appreciate travel until she was 7 and we went to Iceland. That was the first time she actually asked to go back somewhere. And man, we went to Italy last spring when she was 10 and it was amazing how much she loved and appreciated the experience. She now is annoyed when we don't go enough places. She recently asked when our next big trip was and I said it was 9-10 days in Hawaii in November. She said well, that's great (this will be her first time and she is actually looking forward to it a lot), but in November, so why can't we go somewhere abroad for a month in the summer?