ChicagoDallasGirl

Hey, y'all! It has been a while since I've posted. We now have a soon-to-be 2-year-old and a 7-month-old. Super blessings. I'm trying to come up with a couple options for our 10th wedding anniversary in Jan 14. We'd have 7 days without the kids and maybe a few more (10-12) with the kids. Can't figure out if we should take the kids or not. If not, we have to either fly family here or take our sons to Chicago to stay with my mom/grandma. We love the idea of traveling with them and exposing them to diff cultures, but at this point it seems a bit too early and might prove to be more work for us.

So, all that said, I'm contemplating one of the following:

1) London (with or without)
2) London paired with another city(w/o kids)
3) Caribbean (with kids)

hetismij2

January? Caribbean, with or without kids.

ChicagoDallasGirl

That's what I was thinking. We've been in babyland since 2010, a relaxing island vacay would be nice, especially if we go sans the little ones.

Christina

Aside from the work, do you want to leave you baby for that long? He isn't very old, so I would think you might want to have the baby even if it is more work, which it obviously will be.

However, no way in the world would I try to make some super anniversary trip by going to London in January.

I'd choose Caribbean, I think you can get good rates in January because the high rates of the holidays are over but spring high rates haven't started yet.

hetismij2

If you can leave the kids I think you should. It will do you both good, and give the grandparent(s) a chance to get to know their grandchildren. The youngest will be 15 months or so by then, and will manage just fine for a week without you.

ChicagoDallasGirl

Christina, I'd love to have the kids with us, but I'm ok having them with their Nana and Great-Grandma. We travel up quarterly for one to two weeks and they love being with their family, especially my toddler. Like hetismij2 said, our youngest will be much older. That said, as I'm typing this I'm thinking it'd be best to have family come here. That way the boys are at home in a much more familiar environment. That might be more comforting for us all. London is somewhere we've wanted to go for a while now, preferably dueing Wimbledon, but that hasnt worked out thus far. So it may not seem super but it's on our short list. Still, as you suggested, a warm beach escape sounds really good in the midst of winter. We've done a couple island anniversary trips but it's been a few years.

Finecheapboxofwine

At their age, I would definitely opt to leave the kids at home if you have the choice and reliable sitter as in Grandma. Take advantage of your time alone!

BKP

We've traveled with our son since he was an infant. It is a lot more work but a completely different experience. It's much slower paced, more local interactions, more cafes and parks and less fancy restaurants and museums.

Given that you've been to the islands a few times, I'd suggest London, without kids. The days will be short and it will probably drizzle on you a few times but you can stay out late and eat in the nicer restaurants, see shows, visit the museums, sleep in (you can do that in the Caribbean too of course), take a day trip to Cambridge or Bath . . . All of those things can happen with children in tow but are easier without them!

From my own experience, flying across the ocean without my son was much more difficult than flying across the country. We flew to Vegas when my son was about a year and I thought, worse case scenario I could drive (or walk) back to him. But when he was two we went to London without him. Knowing that an ocean separated us was much more stressful. My dr. prescribed xanax for the flights and the nights away and it really helped. Just something to think about!

surfmom

Going to throw out something in-between.

Take the kids to g'ma/g'pa's house. Spend a few days with them... also gets the kids comfortable rather than just dumping them. Leave - but maybe not for the full 7 days.

Why not the full 7 days? That is a long time to be gone from little ones. I think you need the break and the Caribbean sounds heavenly. However, I remember canceling a vacation when one of mine was that age because he was having major stranger (ie. not mom) anxiety. It wasn't worth it for me to be stressed and I wouldn't have enjoyed myself. So, take a break... but maybe not a full week.

I think it is great to expose them to different cultures, but at their age, the only thing they will be exposed to is a change in routine, food, and sleeping habits. Save that for a few years. (and this is from someone who travels with kids a lot)

ChicagoDallasGirl

finecheapboxofwine - My husband agrees with you!

BKP - We've had some lovely vacations in cold climates. The way you put it makes London seem ideal. Thanks for the tips on dealing with any separation anxiety.

surfmom - I began reading your London/Paris TR and noted you have three kids that are close in age. Your advice is greatly appreciated, especially considering you know very well this season of life. In the end, I think it'd be best if we have my mom and grandma come down. The boys surely would deal better if they're home with a fairly similar schedule...