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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Is there anywhere you WOULDN'T go on vacation?
Reading the DisneyWorld post below got me thinking. Is there anyplace where you wouldn't vacation, even though it might be a popular place to visit for a lot of others?
Mine is (obviously) DisneyWorld/Land. No desire. I'd rather vacation where we can explore different cultures and countries. And I don't mean by going through the "It's A Small World" ride. 
Maybe my kids will change my mind someday by BEGGING, but I sure hope the yearly vacations to other places gives them a different perspective.
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Re: Is there anywhere you WOULDN'T go on vacation?
I'd like to visit disney, especially for the kids.....but i wouldn't count it as my "end-all, be-all". Besides, when the kids are on the younger side, they won't appreciate culture/different countries as much as Minney/Mickey, so why not indulge them and take it easy on yourself? When i go to different countries, I like to immerse myself in the differnet cultures, and it would be tiring to try to make it accessible/interesting for very young travellers.
I too, prefer visiting different countries, cultures. One thing I HATE and could never consider really doing is vacas like Punta Cana where they just stay on resort land because "it's not safe to go anywhere on your own"...and all people do is sit on the beach, drink and eat. WTF. My FIL swears by this vaca once a year, saying it's all inclusive, and how awesome it is...I'd be so bored. I'm also not a fan of cruise ships, as most of them are the destination...and if they're not, then you only get a day or so in a particular location...not enough for me.
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I have never been and don't feel deprived in the least. In fact, even as a kid I wasn't terribly interested in going. I did have a fantastic time when my parents took me to Paris at 6. I remember learning all about the different culture and foods, going to museums, etc.
I want them to enjoy life and experience many things and maybe if they beg I'll consider it. It certainly isn't that I feel you can't do both Europe and Disney over the years. DH has been twice, at 5 and 16, and doesn't have any particular desire to take the kids there. He enjoyed it, but has enjoyed other things more and doesn't really see the hype.
We definitely plan to take them to Washington DC (I love DC!), Boston, Europe and hopefully South America at some point. If we fit Disney in and have the money great, but it's just not a priority to us.
I think my kids will be ok. "The best time of their life" will probably have a different meaning to them.
Not offended at all
Not anti Disney, just not interested myself. I haven't been to S. America either, which is part of why I want to take my kids!
this! i totally forgot about cruises and all-inclusives. i wouldn't do either of those, i never really got the appeal of them.
I felt that way about all inclusives until about a year ago! Six months into 2 under 2 a swim up bar suddenly became very appealing lol! I'm still not interested in a cruise because the thought of being that far out to sea makes me nervous.
While you may think that staying on the resort is "boring" (and before I was a mom and not responsible for another human life I would have agreed with you) , my father just returned from Punta Cana where 2 Canadians were killed (stabbed to death) in a marketplace RIGHT OUTSIDE the walls of the resort. Of course when asked- the resort had not heard of such news.
So I think I will stay in the resort area where there is better patrol and protection while I am with a child than venture out on my own and end up dead.
(I did not mean to sound so grim, this is just the reality now- poor Carribean countries have so much kidnapping and crime occuring and all of it gets covered up because it's bad for tourism)
Right now anywhere that is over a 5 hour flight is out of the question. We just got back from Whistler and the flights were a nightmare. Maybe as she gets older it will be better.
I've never been to Disney either, and it's not somewhere I ever see myself going. It's kind of a joke that our parents were "mean" because we never got to go, but in reality I don't care at all. After going to an all inclusive once a few years ago, I have no desire to return. I also don't think I'd ever do a Caribbean cruise, I'd much rather just stay in one place.
I just took a family trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and while parts of the country are unstable, it is kind of ridiculous to say that the entire country is unsafe - that is like saying you can't visit Chicago because of gang violence in Dallas. We stayed in a house and never once felt even mildly uncomfortable or unsafe. Of course you need to be careful anywhere, but there are many parts of the country that are just fine to visit.
No to political unrest or any potential for dangerous situations like that. I also have no desire to go to really far out rural places like northern Canada or Siberia
. (fwiw to the pp who mentioned columbia, it's actually much safer these days).
I also have been to an AI once and it was not our thing (mostly b/c I really like to dine out & AIs typically have crappy or mediocre food). I have never had a desire for a cruise until now- I do think that hte Disney cruise or one of those other family friendly cruises might be really fun for kids of a certain age one day.
As for Disney...I've never really understood ppl who totally love it but they prob dont understand me either
. I plan to take my kids when they're old enough to really get into it and also to be able to ride/experience most of the stuff but not so old that it loses the magic. I'll prob go back again when they're older to do some of the things that older kids can enjoy. So I'm thinking sometime around age 5/6 for magic kingdom. I get why ppl don't really get into it but I am excited to take ours one day- I remember at age 5 being SO excited to meet mickey &the other characters, I even drew Mickey a picture to give to him when I met him, and I wasn't some sort of Disney crazed kid or anything (and this was WAY pre-princesses, etc)
Totally agree. We leave for Mexico next weekend. It's not like we are going on vacation to Juarez.
We went to Disney World once -- we were ages, 9, 7, 3, &1; I was 7 -- and it was a lot of fun but I didn't really fall in love. Then when I was 24, my mom took the whole family (no grandkids in the picture yet so all adults) back to Disney World and it was the BEST VACATION OF MY LIFE. My sister does Disney vacation planning so she got us a great hotel, figured out the meal plan and got the reservations 6 months ahead of time so we could eat at the amazing restaurants and not just at the hot dog stand (did you know that when you plan it right with the meal plan, you can get the 5 star meals for the same as the 1-2 star??). THAT is how to do Disney! We had days at the parks, awesome meals all the time, a beautiful suite, amazing pools and "beaches" to lay out on.
I will definitely take my kids because... it's Disney. There is truly a magic about Disney that cannot be described, just experienced.
I went EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR. to disney land, and honestly I can not waaait for DS to be big enough to truly enjoy it, probably around 3-4 years old we'll start taking him yearly.
DH and I have no desire to ever take DS outside of the country, outside of MAYBE Canada.
We have passes to disneyland and live 15 mintues from there. Z actually likes it and we let him have fun. We go on days that are not crowded and we only go for a few hours. This way he doesn't get over stimulated or tired.
I also love cruises. Our last one was 7 days and 6 different islands including a 4 days stay in Puerto Rico before boarding the boat. It was amazing waking up to explore a new island everyday. I have put barbados on our "to go back to" list.
Mexico is also beatiful and not every place is bad. Like ppl said stay out of the hot spots and you are good. Most of the tourist areas are extremely safe as they count on the revenue.
As for where I wouldn't go - only places we are not wanted. Every where else is fair game and I hope we can give our children that oppurtunity every year to take them to experience something new. From Disneyworld to Europe.
There are plenty of places "more magical than Disney." It just depends on what you've taught your kids to consider magical. Personally, I think hiking to tropical waterfalls, snorkeling in a coral reef, driving along the top of the Andes and wandering through Marrakech's Jemaa el Fna Plaza at night are pretty amazing, and I hope that I can raise my kids to appreciate them, too.
To answer OP's question, I'd never go to Vegas, Atlantic City, AI resorts, go on a "guided tour" or take a cruise (unless it were on a private yacht to a secluded island). I totally prefer immersion experiences, and I'm not afraid of a little third-worldly unrest. Sure, I'll be more careful when traveling with young children than when I was single, but I'm not going to completely deprive them of the experiences in the name of safety and comfort.
ETA: Sorry, I quoted the wrong post. Meant to respond to the earlier "Disney magic" comment.
I was like this until I had to vacation with 3 young children. Now an AI sounds great. I am tired of feeding and taking care of everybody. I want to have a worry free, stress free vacation. A week of no cooking, cleaning, and a warm beach sounds heavenly. When my kids are older or if I travel without them I can go back to immersing myself culturally.
This is what I was thinking. I wouldn't want to take my child or my family to these places until they were better places.
I kind of agree with the disney thing. I do want to take my kid(s) someday. I just don't want that to be the main place for my child to visit. We are going to San Diego this year so we can visit the Zoo and Sea World.
*edit post* (It posted before I even wrote everything)
Double post
This is the kind of thing I want to do with my child. I never got to travel like this as a child and always wanted to. I think children would get more out of there summers getting to do fun things like this. I do plan on doing the disney thing but not often.
This post cracks me up. What makes people sad for our children is kind of ridiculous. The other day it was "I feel sorry for your baby because you don't celebrate Valentine's day with them". Today it's "it's so sad that you won't take your child to Disney". Um. Ok. I don't think the OP meant it in that tone, that's just what the discussion evolved into. Not every family values the same things and that's ok. Not going to Disney is not going to scar a child for life.
FWIW, we will likely take DS to Disney someday. Even without children we'd probably travel there eventually. But, we like amusement parks
We aren't cruise people, but other than that anything is really fair game. My sister is in a job where she moves all over the world, so a lot of our travels will be to visit her. I'm going to go visit her in Mexico in May. DH and DS are staying behind. I'm just not comfortable with risking having DS there with the current climate. Safety is always a consideration, as are finances.
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I am shaking my head at this post a bit too. I never went to Disney as a kid. I did go when I was 24 with my boyfriend and it was a blast, but I never felt left out not seeing it as a child.
Instead, my parents saved and saved and took us to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji when I was 10. We spent two months there between the three countries and I can tell you it was a hell of a lot more magical than one week in disneyland ever could be.
And no.... we didn't have a lot of money growing up. That was the only big trip we ever went on, the rest were spent camping near home with friends, etc.
I also don't understand the "not wanting to take my kid out of the country" thing. Some of the best experiences I've ever had have been travelling abroad. Not wanting your kid to leave the US, is sheltering them from seeing and learning about other cultures.
Unless it's unsafe, I have no where that would be off limits to take my family to.
Wow, that is completely nuts...not surprising that the resorts aren't being honest about crime rate, tho. In my post, I wasn't necessarily advocating leaving the resort...I just meant I would hate not being able to wander at will, and would prefer a vaca where i could do so. (which btw, people from Punta Cana go to the market places all the time.)
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i went to disney as a kid and i was not impressed. never asked to go again.
it was crowded, the lines were long...big fat meh. i much preferred beach vacations and as an older child, i much preferred 6-flags.
not saying i wont take my kids to disney, i just dont think its this spectacular magical kingdom, either. i dont pity people who have never been there.
I totally would love to do this with our LOs! Please share some of the places you've been...
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I don't think there is anywhere I wouldn't go really. Except those that aren't safe.
I'd like to take DD to Disney but it's not a huge must do. I traveled a lot as a child & am greatful for it. Not overseas but throughout the US & Canada. I went to Ireland when I was 25. Had a blast.
I hope the kids that get to travel to other countries enjoy it. Some might not. Don't forget to do what your kids would enjoy. If they really want Disney don't deny them because it's not "your" thing. That would be sad. I'm all for exposing my kids to other cultures. I think it's vital in the world we live in today. I also think that kids need to be kids more than ever. They grow up way to fast today.
We spent almost every summer in our camper on road trips to the National Parks or on adventures my parents planned. My favorites were a trip through Montana and Wyoming to Yellowstone. On that trip we also visited some deep caverns in Montana that we got to explore, which was amazing to see as a child. My other favorite trip was when my parents took us out to Eastern Washington and we followed the Columbia River through Washington and Oregon for 10 days and followed the Oregon Trail. We stopped at some amazing interpretive centers and landmarks and ended up at Fort Klapsop on the mouth of the Columbia and then went down the Oregon Coast. I think I learned more about the history of our region on that trip than I ever did in school and it stuck with me to this day. My parents were great about helping us learn the history about a place before visiting and telling us stories about all the exciting things that happened there. To this day before I go anywhere I read a book about the entire history of the place because it just makes everything so much more real. Really it's just about getting out and seeing the things that make the world so amazing, and through a child's eyes they are even better!