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<\/p>\nBeing a full-time working dad means I always look forward to spending time off with my wife and daughter. So I was thrilled to take our first big trip with our 2-year-old in tow. I was one part excited, one part terrified \u2013 but I can safely say that, since coming home, I can\u2019t wait for our next family holiday! Regardless of where you go, if you can carve out some travel time with your mini-yous, I couldn\u2019t recommend it more.<\/p>\n
Need more convincing? Let me share with you the 9 things I learned while holidaying with my 2-year-old (and why I\u2019d do it again in a heartbeat).<\/p>\n
Whether it was trying a shaved ice, seeing a real horse or visiting a new destination, seeing my daughter enjoy and engage with these new experiences helped remind me to appreciate life\u2019s little things.<\/p>\n
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I\u2019ve always thought that if you can\u2019t control something, don\u2019t stress too much about it. Travelling with kids is very much about understanding what you can and can\u2019t control. If your kid is losing it at a restaurant because she dropped a biscuit, give her two more. If she is still losing it, close your eyes and eat the biscuits yourself.<\/p>\n
I tend to underestimate just how quickly my daughter is growing up and, in some ways, how quickly she can adapt to situations. Many parents travelling with kids worry that the travel time can make things difficult. I found as long as we went out the day we arrived and then went to bed early, my daughter slept as easily as we did!<\/p>\n
I guess at the age of two, I can still trick my daughter into believing I\u2019m the coolest guy out there. She was super happy doing almost anything, as long as my wife or I were doing it with her. There will be a day when she won\u2019t want to hold my hand in public anymore, but for now we have matching baseball caps \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n
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While on holiday as a family, we did things like go to the Disney store and the zoo. Before we had kids, they probably wouldn\u2019t have been on our must-do list, but we\u2019re sure glad we did them! Seeing your kids get excited about things is entertainment in itself\u2026 and a great excuse to find your inner child too \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
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Sometimes when we go on holiday, we suffer from the guilt of staying in our hotel instead of exploring the secrets a new destination has waiting for us. But some days you can have a lot of fun just splashing around in the pool, watching movies in your room and matching your 2-year-old\u2019s nap routine. Holidaying with kids is a great excuse to kick back and relax.<\/p>\n
I know this might be controversial, but my wife and I brought our iPad with us whenever we went out. We imposed limits, of course, but we wanted to make sure that both of us felt like we were enjoying a holiday too. And sharing a meal together while your little one indulges in their favourite animated ice princess movie \u2013 well, it\u2019s enough for you to \u201clet it go\u201d every now and then \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
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Don\u2019t take this as a negative, it\u2019s just a reality check. Sure, getting there and back with any number of kids can be a nightmare (but maybe not with the right preparation<\/a>) and gone are the days of falling asleep by the pool with a cocktail in hand. But if you value the finite chances we have to connect and grow with our families, you\u2019ll see that holidays give us the one thing we can all enjoy while we\u2019re away together \u2013 time. No matter what you do or where you stay, you\u2019re spending dedicated time with your family, creating memories. And that, my friends, is pretty awesome.<\/p>\n Kids can be unpredictable when you\u2019re on holiday, so unless you have things booked in like a tour, try to keep your schedule flexible. It\u2019s not much fun dragging around a screaming child because they\u2019ve suddenly become sick! Also, if you usually have a super strict home routine with the kids (lucky you!), don\u2019t be afraid to loosen it up. After all, you\u2019re on holiday \ud83d\ude0e<\/p>\n9. Be flexible<\/h2>\n
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