Holidays With & Without Children: Spot The Difference
Holidays in the sun were always something we looked forward to. Lazy mornings, occasionally launching ourselves out of bed with minutes to spare for breakfast, then sipping cocktails by the pool, inhaling copious amounts of buffet food and wine, perhaps a bit of dancing, and the occasional cultural day trip thrown in for good measure.
With a toddler, we definitely still look forward to our holidays, but we really need to seek out the bargains, cheap weeks and free child places these days, so extensive web browsing at places such as Holiday Gems is a must!
With our little ond there’s also the abject terror of how much he might kick off on the flight there and back, the constant fear of losing him in the blink of an eye, the worry that he won’t sleep / eat whilst he’s there and the high potential of him falling unintentionally into a body of water.
So how do pre and post toddler holidays compare?
Flights
Before: Relaxing with a couple of drinks and a few magazines and an in flight movie.
After: Stressing whilst encouraging Joshua to sleep or watch Netflix. Failing.
Accommodation
Before: Luxury Double room. Swim up bar. 24hr all inclusive with spa and a club. A good range of speciality restaurants.
After: Whatever is left in our price range that has a separate room for Joshua to sleep in. ‘Fun pool’. Kids Club.
Activities
Before: Cocktails and snacks by the pool or on the beach. Lots of day trips or strolls into town. Read a book or two whilst listening to music.
After: Fun Pool. Swings. Fun pool.
Day Trips
Before: We tried to go on at least 3 trips during a 14 day holiday to break things up and see the sights. After all, what’s the point visiting a new country if you’re not going to explore it?! Coach trips here we come…
After: We now try to leave the resort at least once during our 7 day holidays. However, this might just be to the shop across the road to buy crisps and coke before returning to the ‘fun pool’. Coach trips with a toddler can do one…
Nightlife
Before: Sunset terraces with cocktails drank through long bendy straws. Dancing. 2am finishes.
After: Takeaway cocktails in plastic cups in bed watching the one English speaking TV channel whilst Joshua sleeps in the room next door. 8pm finishes.
Food
Before: Multiple helpings at the all inclusive buffet accompanied by a few glasses of wine. Lasting about 2 hours.
After: Shovelling down whatever is easiest to reach whilst trying to stop Joshua running off. Running after Joshua the second he finishes his last mouthful. Lasting about 15 minutes.
In all seriousness though holidays with Joshua are awesome. They’re just a bit, um, different. You can even read about our last one here!
Roll on June for our next one…
This was a collaborative post.