My Mother, Brother, Wife and I have made a tradition of yearly (winter) beach vacation. Past 3 years have been Playa Del Carmen, Costa Rica, and Belize - loved them all for different reasons.

My wife and I will be bringing our 16 month old son this year so are struggling to find a happy meduim between kid (and mom) friendly and semi-exotic beach vacation.

My brother and mom are suggesting Hawaii, we think the 7-8 hour flight could be a nightmare, 3-4 hours more reasonable

I am pretty laid back about everything, maybe too laid back and my mom and brother are too - my wifes main concerns are:
• Reasonable Length of Flight (for toddler)
• Medical resources available (just in case)
• Beach vacation (warm weather)

Any advice? We will be departing from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

You'll be a lot happier with the food and flight times in Florida. A sick child who is pre-verbal is so difficult to deal with outside of the country. Ever try to buy a safe OTC remedy for a sick toddler in a language you don't fully comprehend?

Sorry that this trip will not be exotic at all, but it will be fairly relaxing. After much travel when my three kids were little, I realized that the best vacation is the one without any major upsets. When your child is five or so, you'll be more than ready to hit the road again, and so will he.

In February we took our 3 year old to Hawaii. However, we live in Oregon, so the flights were a total of 5 1/2 hours, with one hour being from Portland, OR to San Fran then directly to Kona. The longer flight was about 4 1/2 hours. My daughter did really great. She ate breakfast, watched some tv, then took a two hour nap. Return flight was in the later afternoon and she did almost as well. I brought new books and grandma brought a new toy. So it may be possible, just depends on your child's habits. She loved the beach and playing in the water. Where will you be flying from? You might want to consider breaking the flights into two sections if you're coming from the midwest or somewhere east.

I would probably opt for the Carribbean based on your fears. I wouldn't let the flight times scare me but you have to do what is comfortable for you. Particularly if the child has not flown before (?). Puerto Rico is fairly close & should fit the bill..The rain forest is great & there are a variety of beach choices. Rincon is my personal favorite.

Hi pixelsherpa!
I am an early childhood teacher (and a Mom) living in Minnesota; also fly out of MSP. I really recommend "Family Fun" magazine as a good resource for vacationing with kids of all ages. I beleve they have a good website as well. Take heart; he will be out-adventuring you before you know it. My daughter is a sophomore in college and is planning her 3rd trip abroad. (I'm paying her tuition and staying home...ha) Bring a few familiar things from home and some familiar foods. Fly during nap time or at night. Adjust your expectations. You will make wonderful memories. Seeing the ocean through your child's eyes is like seeing it for the first time again. Good luck! HAve fun!

I was also thinking maybe St Barts, St Johns or somewhere like that - need to reassure my wife on the medical info

thanks to all so far, good comments. My son is at a stage where he cant sit stil lvery long and will be walking by then.

We went to Hawaii with a toddler and grandparents and had a great time. Don't be deterred by the flight time (we flew nonstop- 9 hours one way and broke up the trip into 4 and 5 hour segments on the way back). With 4 adults and 1 toddler, he'll have plenty of people to play with him during the flight. Buy him his own seat and bring his carseat. He will likely fall asleep eventually on the plane. Bring lots of snacks and new, cheap little toys (like matchbox cars).

Hawaii is in the USA and healthcare is available there just like on the mainland. In fact, our hotel gave us the name of a great doctor when our child ended up with an ear infection in Hawaii. We have also had to obtain medicine in a foreign country where we didn't speak the language, but we did just fine.

As for the warm weather, assumingyour chld takes a midday nap like most toddlers, he'll be out of the sun and heat at the highest intensity. We also toured te island mid-day so that our toddler only hit the beach and pool in the morning and late afternoon.

My child doesn't remember this trip but my husband, my parents, and I have memories that will last us a lifetime, and my child loves to hear about and look at the pictures from the trip to Hawaii that he can't remember.

thanks for all of your feedback. we have decided on Hawaii with a night flight (avail only on return flight) from Minneapolis

on the flight there, we will have a connection in Denver to meet up with my mom and brother before proceeding to Maui. We may even get to Denver the night before to lessen single day flight time.

My daughter was a great flyer until she could walk. When my daughter was 18mo, she did not like the flight from Florida to Conn. She got antsy and wanted out of her car seat to walk around. I would suggest seats in the back of the plane, a portable DVD player and perhaps that layover to let her burn some energy.

Also, before your trip, you may want to ask your pediatrician about some Bonine or Dramamine for her. Just in case she gets motion sickness. They have childrens formula and all the pharmacies I went to had to order it, which doesn't help when you are on vacation.

I don't know what kind of accommodations you are looking into but I highly recommend a condo. A full kitchen will free up a lot of your time so you don't have to go out for every single meal.

However, if money isn't an issue, there isn't a thing in the world wrong with room service every day and burgers by the pool

Have you considered the US Virgin Islands? St. Thomas is very, very crowded with all the cruise traffic so perhaps St. Johns or St. Croix. Another suggestion is to rent a condo down in the FL Keys.

Just wanted to thank you all for the replies. We ended up having a wonderful trip to Hawaii. 4 Days on Kauai, and 4 on Maui. Or 'very spirited' son did superbly on all flights despite our worries.

Glad all went well, you'll need to tell us about the trip when you have the time.

Good to hear that your trip to Hawaii was a success. A suggestion for another time is Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. My family has been many times (husband and three kids now 13, 11, and 6)and we all love it. We stay at a place called Guavaberry Spring Vacation homes. Like you and your wife, we had traveled to more off-beat places before kids. After kids we were more concerned about medical attention, safety etc. We are now thinking about our upcoming April vacation and are considering either Belize or Costa Rica. Any thoughts or tips. How are they different?

Both Belize and Costa Rica were great trips. I personally preferred Costa Rica - a little more rich in culture, history, and scenery. Obviously great coffee, Rainforest, highly recommend the relatively short trip to the ruins of Tikal (Gutemalan Jungle), Volcanos and waterfalls, exotic butterflies, endless species of flowers and animal life. Amazing experience.

I have been to Belize twice, before having my daughter and have been to Virgin Gorda since having her. Virgin Gorda was wonderful for her for all the reasons I am sure you are already aware of.

Belize is fantastic. I have stayed out on the Cayes and interior in the Mountain Pine Ridge Area. There is lots of culture, scenery, and beauty in Belize. I would not hesitate to take her there. There are lots of trips that your family can do and the kids would have a ball doing. Belize is a wonderful country and since it is an English speaking country you do not run into the issues with language.