GTKY Upcoming Vacation(s)

LJMoon6

It's freezing cold here today so of course I'm daydreaming of our upcoming vacation. 

Does anyone have any upcoming vacations planned? If not, what's something you hope to do once the pandemic is over?
Also, does anyone have a dream vacation they're waiting for the right time, money, …etc, to book?

moreamoozzarella

Our big vacation this year was going to be July 12th.... in the middle of nowhere... camping. So I'm thinking we'll have to skip it.
I did book a few nights at a water park a couple hours away, and I think we'll do a cute baby moon in May. Not sure where yet.

jellie603

I guess it's not 'upcoming' but our whole family is taking our 3rd trip to Disney World in spring-ish of 2023. Our oldest will be 6 which will be fun.

Other than that, I'm kind of hoping we make it to Brewfest this year... if not, next year for sure!

LJMoon6

This fall we decided to book a family vacation to Florida for February. This was before omicron hit. Now, of course I’m a little nervous. But I think it will still be ok. The first half of the trip we will stay near Cape Canaveral. I’m so freaking excited to see the Kennedy Space Center. I’ve never been and I’m a big science/space nerd. I also can’t wait for my son to see some big rocket ships. He’s obsessed. The second half of the trip we will stay at a resort with some other families from my previous BMB. I think there’s maybe 8 families total going. I’m so excited to see everyone.

The next trip we want to take in a year or 2 (depends on covid) is back to Europe. MH really wants to go to Norway and Sweden. He got obsessed with a Vikings tv show and now really wants to visit. I’m fine with any excuse to go to Europe lol!

A dream vacation I have is to go to Peru and hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.  I don’t know why but it’s on my bucket list! I haven’t done it yet because of zika and wanting to have babies. But as soon as we’re done having kids I’m booking it!

sunshineandlemons

We’ve toyed with the idea of going to Disney World. We did that with my oldest when I was pregnant with our second as our last family trip as a family of three (plus, she was free to get in at the time). I also have family in FL that I’d love to visit with while we are there.

Otherwise, we have a camper so we will probably do some weekend trips here and there. While my work trip in June will have really long days, just a break from momming will be nice. 

tuxielove93

We're planning a mini trip to our Great Wolf Lodge in February. Other than food being half the damned budget, I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's the best way for me to actually enjoy a vacation with two toddlers while being pregnant. 

LJMoon6

@moreamoozzarella Omg, this reminded me of my mom asking us if we wanted to go camping with them in the middle of July…. I’m not looking to have a baby in the middle of the woods. Thank you. Hope you’re able to do a babymoon in May though. What kind of vacation are you looking for?

@jellie603 When is Brewfest? And where? I need more information lol.

@sunshineandlemons This will be our first summer without our camper. We went camping every other weekend for the past 3 years. This year is going to be weird. But having a baby in the middle of summer only solidifies that we made the right decision in selling it. We would have only been able to camp in June. A mommy break sounds so nice though!

@tuxielove93 We’ve been thinking about going to the Great Wolf Lodge near us some time this winter/spring too. I love water parks! It sounds like so much fun!

jellie603

@LJMoon6 it is in Burlington VT! It is always the 3rd weekend in July and it is amazing. We've been going for 7 years, I even went when I was pregnant with my first haha. There is also one in Killington VT in March. They are both outside though so one is in the extreme heat and one is in the snow haha. 

tuxielove93

@LJMoon6 I have heard nothing but great things about Great Wolf. Idk where yours is, but we went to ours for my birthday this year and it is a really nice resort. And VERY kid centric. They really do a lot to make it special for them but so that the adults can enjoy it too. I imagine they try to keep that going at all of them, but I wouldn't know because I haven't been to another one. 

runnergirl2018

Our honeymoon in 2018 sucked so hubby was starting to plan a secret Europe trip….then baby came at the end of that year. Then the stupid pandemic.  So after it’s over or managed bettter and everyone can be vaccinated, that would be nice.
I’d also LOVE to have a little weekend away with hubby in the spring before baby if we can get family to take our toddler for a few days. I don’t really care where, but I’m not flying anywhere so it would have to be within driving distance from Chicago

lilirunning34

We are supposed to leave for Italy end of January so next week! BUT my daughter and I got COVID last week and there’s a chance I might still test positive even though it’ll be past the 10 day mark. I never got a PCR test i just did at home ones. If that happens we will go to Hawaii instead. Looking back i should have just gotten a PCR so i could prove it was past the 10 days, but it’s too late now. This will be our first trip without any kids so first solo trip in over 7 years! 

lilirunning34

for family trips we are going skiing in March in Colorado and perhaps the beach in early June (not sure where yet), but that’ll depend on how much is leftover in our vacation fund. 

bolson16

I live in FL now but have spent plenty winters in the northeast so I know how painfully cold it is for several of you so I’m sending warmth and sunshine ☀️ 

We spent Nov / Dec living and working in Puerto Rico which was wonderful! We actually found out we were pregnant down there haha. I run wellness retreats and have one each December, this year we will bring our new little babe which I’m so excited for! Otherwise we have a California trip planned for February and then Colorado in April.  I’m not sure if we will go anywhere else before the babe arrives, but we will see. We’ve been trying to go to Africa the last 2 years but of course, COVID. We are excited to explore traveling as parents too!! 

rosegoldg

I'd love to go on holiday but we haven't booked anything bc we didn't want it to get cancelled, we're talking about going away for a weekend a few months before baby but we used to go to these woodland cabins but the main attraction would be the hot tub and that's vetoed hahaha

We got married in covid times and still have our honeymoon pot for an African safari or a Maldives/ Seychelles situation but with the baby now we're assuming it'll be a few years before we get to take it

Am hoping to go away for a week to Lanzarote (4 hour flight) after the babes here but that's still very up in the air! I've been told that travelling with a baby under one is easier than other stages but sure it's different for everyone

sjb2215

We are heading to New Orleans in Feb with 2 other couples (some best friends from high school), really hoping that still happens! Planning a spring break road trip to Gulf Shores with the boys, my parents and sister which will be a lot of work re:getting there but I'm sure my parents will help a ton and let me and DH get away for a bit too

caymanmel

We are going to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for a wedding in late March.   We've had this booked before knowing we were pregnant.   Kinda crazy going im sure to some people but im such a go with the flow type person.  Plus, my husband is from Dominican Republic and we had our first son born there.  So if anything were to happen I already know an ob/gyn I trust there and what hospital I prefer. 

gharmon412

Friends invited us to their family's place in Hilton Head in mid June well before I got pregnant... But we're booked in! We're flying from PA and staying a week. It's the week of my DH birthday but also the left week my Drs are OK with me traveling more than a couple hours away 😬 If anyone needs me I'll be the beached whale on Hilton Head 🤣🤣



@bolson16 we LOVE PR! Planning a trip there for next winter. I can't wait to take the girls there.

inthewoods23

@gharmon412 if it makes you feel any better I'm due the exact week we always have our vacation with DH's family. So that's totally up in the air if we're going to do be able to do it or not or if we can even reschedule it for another week (we rent a house on a lake). I'm hoping we'll try to move it into June or even August but I'm not too thrilled of the idea of having a newborn whom we're still trying to develop a routine for and be on vacation in a foreign to them location.

tuxielove93

@inthewoods23 I would pick traveling with a newborn over traveling at 8-9 months pregnant any day. Babies don’t really know where they are. They can only really see about 8-12 inches away from their face. Everything else is blurry. 

In other words, YOU are their whole world. They can only see as far as from the breast to your face. If you are there, nothing else much matters. 

I’m also only saying this because I’ve seen it go really badly…. Try not to get too hung up on the idea of a routine. Babies don’t read parenting books. There is no manual. In those first six months especially, they change constantly. How much and how often they eat, sleep, and want to play all changes by the day. They’re really just mini-humans. I don’t know an adult who eats the same amount at the same time every day, sleeps the same amount at the same time every day, or really does anything else to that specific of a schedule. Don’t expect a baby to either. I’ve watched my fair share of mamas lose their minds over routines. They are just a human and some days they are super tired and some days they aren’t very hungry and it’s all ok and normal. 

That’s not to say that any routine at all is a bad idea. Some semblance of a routine can be helpful for you and toddlers tend to love a more structured routine. But not newborns. Something like “after a nap we take a walk” or “when mama makes dinner baby gets tummy time” is about as much as you should realistically shoot for. Save your sanity and don't put too much pressure on yourself or your baby. 

fitmomto4

We are heading to San Diego in May and Florida in June! Both approved by OB thankfully!

inthewoods23

@tuxielove93 lol well as a FTM having no idea what I'll be getting myself into and based off of how my husband was as a newborn, I would MUCH rather vacation at 8-9 months pregnant than with a newborn. Vacations for me should actually be about relaxing and taking it easy and that's not going to happen if I'm trying to keep a tiny human live for the first time.

gharmon412

@inthewoods23 I would definitely postpone if you can- I would move mine if I could! @tuxielove93 is right. You'll think you have everything planned and figured out and BAM! baby just does what they want. Best thing your can do is at least mentally prepare for all the things you don't think will happen to you. Download a baby tracker app so you know exactly when you last did a feeding/sleeping/diaper change, find a local mom support group, and read the Wonder Weeks. Take what you need on vacation and when you forget something Target or Walmart is only a drive away (or Amazon delivery!)
Family vacationing with a newborn means you'll be surrounded by family members who can take the baby so you get some of that sleep you'll desperately need! They can't take your bloated body away so you can relax a little maybe even with some cocktails!😉 

inthewoods23

@gharmon412 ok you do you. My vacation is a yearly trip to a house on a lake in a rural part of the state. The name of the game is peace and quiet while boating on the lake and chilling in the house so no, I do not want to be there with a newborn.