Where to go on baby's first vacation (besides Disney)
 

My son is 2 months old and I want to take our first family vacation later this year. I've considered over Christmas which would make him just over a year, but we could also go in the late spring, when he'd be about 6 months.

DH is extremely reluctant to take him anywhere because of the hassle of traveling with all his gear, what if he screams on the plane, would we have any fun having to worry about a baby while sighsteeing, etc. etc. I really have to do some convincing that a vacation is possible that doesn't involve a theme park or the Jersey Shore. Before baby, we typically vacationed in Europe or in Asia.

We aren't beach people or cruisers, so Caribbean/Mexico/all inclusive resorts don't appeal to us. We both enjoy history, museums, parks, shopping, trying new restaurants (although with baby, that obviously hasn't happened much lately). Our favorite city is London and I would like to go back, but since we were just there I'd rather try somewhere new.

I'm open to going anywhere as long as the flight is around 7 hours or less - we live in Philadelphia. Anything longer might be pushing it with such a young child and ideally, we'd get him to sleep on an overnight flight (which I'm sure wont happen, but I can dream).

Any ideas? TIA.

You'll find quite a few people who have traveled with babies on the Europe board who will have lots of advice to share. You could also consider a road trip (try the US board), or perhaps Canada - I love Montreal and Vancouver.

If your child can tolerate the trip, don't worry about others. Though I didn't start my kids on "stressful-long-walk" trips till they were toddlers, they've been travelling since they were 6 months old. I've been on a demanding hikes (12 miles in Jordan valley's steaming hot canyons in mid-July no less) with a most pleasant Norwegian couple who were carrying their 1 year old girl on back-sack throughout the hike. Apart from the "special aromas" and the occasional cry for attention, most people will appreciate and assist parent(s) with children.

This summer, I'm planning to take Ahmad (14) & Omar (11) to Montenegro by train (check out its destination review on this site), ideally after 2 day stay in Istanbul or Vienna (enough for a day tour and a quick museum hop in either of the two extraordinary cities).

Recommendations... Hmmm, you can join us in Montenegro in June, or, for something with a "different than European" flavor :

Istanbul-Turkey is my favorite city worldwide, anytime anywhere, reasonably modern and tons of cultural and culinary experiences to offer, tag it with a trip to Marmaris (opposite to the Island of Rhodes - Greece) and your vacation is complete.

Both Tokyo & Kyoto - Japan are unique for exactly the opposite reasons, the first for its dizzying high-tech fast pace (the only place on earth I felt I needed to read instructions n how to use the toilet!!) and the second for the relaxing slow pace of temples & shrines... a perfect "wind-down" after Tokyo.

My country, Jordan is unique in its own right, but beware of the heat in the summer and be ready to waaaaaaaalk if you want to enjoy it since the cities have little to offer and all the most pleasant attractions involve walking, particularly Petra (2000 year old city carved into the mountain rock... as seen in Indiana Jones' Last Crusade), the fantastic desert canyons and oasis of the Jordan valley (won't find them on traveladvisor, but easy to organize) and of course the Dead Sea (lowest point on earth, 415 m. below sea level, where you can float while sipping your cocktails).

Hope this helps.

When our daughter was 4 months old we took her to the Blue Mountains - a 2 hrs drive from our city, Sydney. We had a holiday house and just relaxed - visited local shops and cafes, did not attempt any bush walks. It was winter and quite cold, and it was cozy staying in and listening to music. That was about as much excitement as we wanted. I also would have contemplated a beach house, although not at that time of year for us. I didn't want any more than a 2 hr drive at that time, and we since found out on visiting family who live further away that anything more than 2 hrs in the car was wrong for our kid when she was young (constant screaming). Your experience may be different, so it would be good for you to trial some local trips to see what sort of a traveller your child is.

At 16 months, we took our daughter to Germany. We had an apartment again (which I swear by with kids), and as we had work commitments, stayed put during the week and took off on weekends (again, no further than 2hr drives in a circumference around the city we were staying in, Bremen). If you have enough distractors with you (new, small toys, books and 'amusements'), the air trip we found was OK (again, our kid, our experience, but not everyone is lucky like that). Since then we have regularly done a few long-haul flights (Germany again and also the US) with our daughter and the key is preparation.

Pick a base so there is no packing and unpacking (your husband is right, there's a lot of stuff that goes with a 6 mo. old), and just do small excursions. I think you will be fine.

Lavandula

Oh, I just might add - if you end up flying anywhere, ask to reserve a bassinet at the bulkhead of the plane, so baby can get some shut-eye. I was a bit obsessive about trying to maintain her routine and allowing scheduled sleeps to happen, and it was a good thing. We also had a stopover in Singapore when we first went to Germany, and kept the hotel room until late so our daughter could have a bath and change into a tracksuit (kinda like pyjamas) for the night flight. When we got her ready for sleep we put her into her sleeping bag (at that time part of her routine), so everything would be similar to normal.

Lavandula

Thanks for the advice! Lots to think about. We're visiting family in the Midwest (about an hour flight) for a few days in the spring so that will be a test run of sorts at least for flying and bringing all his stuff on a plane. I like the idea of renting a villa or apartment and having a 'homebase' rather than being in a hotel, although we tend to rent apartments when we go to Europe anyway.

Would love to go to Japan, but not sure that flight - 15 hours! - would be too enjoyable with baby. Prob will save that for a trip with the husband alone.

The bulkhead bassinet is a good tip - I totally forgot about that. When I flew from Heathrow to India, there were so many babies on the flight they were lined up in a row in the little bassinets, it was kind of funny.

Disney land..try it.

I think that the homebase approach with day trips is a great idea. Less structure seems better with small children so that you can adjust to their needs more easily. So if you wanted to go to London, go for it - just rent an apartment and stay a week - if you have longer, maybe do a trip with 2 homebases - a city location and a countryside location. Basically whatever you want to do, but keep it lowkey.

If you fly, I would pick someplace where you can get a direct flight - less hassling with the stuff for the baby. So London would be a good choice. Also, choose the stuff you take for the baby wisely. You might not need as much stuff as you think. And you can gate-check stuff like strollers and car seats. The trial run to visit family is good - you can test the process and see how it goes. Then make adjustments before taking a longer trip.

Having taken plane trips with my son at both the 6-month and 1-year marks, I far preferred 6 months. Reason being, he couldn't stand or walk yet and thus wasn't squirming to get down and move around. There's no question that traveling with a baby involves a load of gear and can be a pain, but savvy travelers on family forums will have tips to pare it down to the absolute essentials and minimize the hassle as much as possible.

Both of those trips were to visit family and my husband couldn't join us, so I was traveling solo with him. I was sort of terrified the first time, but it wasn't awful. I found that people in the airport were so, so nice about offering to help at those times when I needed three hands (like security).

As for destination ideas, I'd choose somewhere that's more about relaxing than major sightseeing and activity. It would make me crazy to be in an exciting city and have to spend lots of downtime in the hotel or apartment because my child was cranky, needed a nap, etc. Maybe somewhere in the Caribbean that you could reach with a direct flight (believe me, if you can avoid connecting, do). Or, depending on how late in the spring you're considering, what about Prince Edward Island/Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia?

Oops, I just reread your post and saw that you aren't beach people - never mind the Caribbean suggestion! :)

Kinda funny. Reading your post I would of swore that I wrote it when my son was a few months. I miss Munich..ohh.. I gotta tell you, if the babys not having fun, you aren't having fun. You are going to have to deiviate from what you want for a little. I am right there with you though. We did York Beach Maine..tons of history, nice pub here and there(one built in 1674, Portland is great(great kid and grown up shops) with a great kids museum. Sorry to burst your bubble...just how it is.