Traveling with a child

PrisMiQue

PrisMiQue

New member
I’m getting ready to head out and hope to be able to travel more often from now on.
Being a new mother for almost two years now I haven’t don’t much traveling and prior to that I wasn’t able to leave my city, so now Im really wanting to explore, even if at times I can only go for a weekend.
Anyone travel with a kid before?
Tips, places to go, and any related advice is appreciated!
Thanks y’allView attachment 50494
 

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@ibuzzard train ( obvi not freight), car, airplane would be my only options really, I think. Buses too, innercity mostly.
I’m hoping to get advice on good city’s to visit or maybe someone’s found an epic park or cool spot that’s fam friendly.
Want to go somewhere new!
 
Rhubarb Dwyer said:
Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey is the sickest public playground I know. ...and i consider myself a connoisseur of such things.
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My best tip for making kids happy on a trip? Get a place to stay near a body of water of any kind, waters edge is best - lake, river, doesn’t matter.Then, watch like a hawk.

This , first for my kids, now for my grandkids - was the secret to stress free vacations, better even than expensive trips to any theme park like Disneyland, or really, any other thing we did. When they are old enough, they will take care of themselves, only coming around you when it’s time to eat again.

You cannot expect a child that young to sit still for hours on end, though you may luck out and get a good traveler. Just don’t expect it.
 
Lately my friends have been telling me horror stories about driving long distances with there kids (5 or under). They get bored, restless, and act crazy!!! Just sayin.. ( :
 
Brodiesel710 said:
Lately my friends have been telling me horror stories about driving long distances with there kids (5 or under). They get bored, restless, and act crazy!!! Just sayin.. ( :
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This x100. I'm super biased because I'm not the biggest fan of kids in general but putting other people through hour plus long bus rides with a screaming child (chances are yer kids gonna scream, that's what kids do) is a real drag. If it's at all a option try to get yer own vehicle, like @Brodiesel710 said kids get restless and not being in control of when/where you can stop is gonna be real draining on not only you, but yer kid is gonna be miserable and so are the other passengers who are near you.

Just about every parent who I've been around that travels with their kid does it in a van with their spouse and switches between driving while the other entertains the little fella.
 
SlankyLanky said:
This x100. I'm super biased because I'm not the biggest fan of kids in general but putting other people through hour plus long bus rides with a screaming child (chances are yer kids gonna scream, that's what kids do) is a real drag. If it's at all a option try to get yer own vehicle, like @Brodiesel710 said kids get restless and not being in control of when/where you can stop is gonna be real draining on not only you, but yer kid is gonna be miserable and so are the other passengers who are near you.

Just about every parent who I've been around that travels with their kid does it in a van with their spouse and switches between driving while the other entertains the little fella.
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What he said X10.

I used to self righteously look down my nose at parents who would use tv as a babysitter/pacifier. Then, we took the minivan from our home near the Bay Area, with our three kids, and aimed it south towards Disney Land in Anaheim

You know the drill, 5 1/2 hours to the Grapevine at the beginning of the greater LA Area - then, another 4 hours through some really bad traffic to go the rest of the way. By the time we were in Paso Robles, a little over 2 hours into our trip, the little shits were driving us up the wall. I cut over to I 5 from US101 on Hwy 46. And there, at a truck-stop in Lost Hills, I found our Salvation. Cost me, I think 79.00 on sale, a cheap TV/ VCR. I went in to buy snacks , after we forced the kids to at least TRY to use the restroom. I came out hauling what turned out to be a very good purchase. I guess I kicked my principles/ideals/beliefs to the curb, never regretting it for one moment. Those kids made almost no sound till we reached Orange County. I bought a small selection of crappy tapes in the impulse buy basket near the register.

Yes, get a mini van with an entertainment center in your future. Right now, that little one may be too young to be long mesmerized by something as simple as an electronic screen. That’ll change soon enough.
 
@ibuzzard he likes the beach! We’ll check out a lake sometime soon.
I agree about sitting for hours, we traveled from Illinois to Oklahoma, Texas then back to Cali by vehicle a year ago, (he was 9 months old). He did pretty good but now that he’s older I don’t think it’ll be the same story.
Stopping periodically is definitely going to be what’s best for sure.
 
@Brodiesel710 i can totally believe that! We flown in a plane half way across the USA with him at 9 months and it was hard because we couldn’t just stop and get off for a bit.
Fortunately we have our own vehicles and can stop when we need to.
Although it’s a lot different traveling with a kid, it brings a whole new outlook and I enjoy seeing him in awe of everything new to him!
 
@SlankyLanky totally get it! Stuck in a bus with crying/whining kids, especially not your own, is annoying af.
We do have our own vehicle so that won't
Be a problem :)
I actually enjoy having a kid! Traveling with him is exciting because it makes it not all about my experience but also about his and watching him discover new sites. He brings a joy no words can describe!
 
PrisMiQue said:
@Brodiesel710 i can totally believe that! We flown in a plane half way across the USA with him at 9 months and it was hard because we couldn’t just stop and get off for a bit.
Fortunately we have our own vehicles and can stop when we need to.
Although it’s a lot different traveling with a kid, it brings a whole new outlook and I enjoy seeing him in awe of everything new to him!
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At that age, stopping frequently, and finding out from local mothers with kids his age, which is the very best park with play equipment, would work. If you are near Santa Cruz, hit me up for some local info, I’m a grandpa that’s always toting my grandkids around. Also, stop in to our little hotdog cart/cafe, we’ll feed you guys on the house.
 
I don't have any advice to give but as someone who is the product of 'mobile parenting' I commend you for making the choice to travel. It's not easy, it won't be easy, but you're gonna raise a fantastic kid. My mother chose quality of life for my sister and I over stability. If once in a blue moon she got an alimony check, she spent it on plane tickets for the three of us. Looking back I cringe at how much hardship she had to go through, but while I was young it was all a blast. I much preferred the tents we slept in over the moldy-ass apartments we shacked up in. Hitchhiking was a part of life, something I thought all families did. Not until I was a teenager and became a materialist overnight did I have any sense of being deprived (of a home, possessions, things other kids had). Growing up with no sense of belonging other than to family really helped me get my values straight.
 
I've travelled with my kid since he was 3. We hitched rides from coast to coast. When he was 5 I bought a van and we lived/travelled in it for four years between school. I never had "other partner" or whatever bullshit the above commenters who never travelled with kids told ya. Don't listen to any bullshit is all I'm saying. Do what makes you happy and your kid will be tagging along happy also. Mine loved travelling, never been bored and has way more stories to tell about places he s been then any classmates he ever had. Summer festivals are great to take kids to, like rainbow gatheirngs have kid villages you should totally check some of them out. And being on the road with kid is not any harder then being anywhere else with a kid. It's just more fun.
 
@SlankyLanky wow dude, besides being reactionary agro mod you got anything else to say? I disliked your comment to op because it is discouraging and not helpful or nice in any way. (The friendliest mod my ass)
 
PrisMiQue said:
@SlankyLanky totally get it! Stuck in a bus with crying/whining kids, especially not your own, is annoying af.
We do have our own vehicle so that won't
Be a problem :)
I actually enjoy having a kid! Traveling with him is exciting because it makes it not all about my experience but also about his and watching him discover new sites. He brings a joy no words can describe!
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Ah right on that's what's up, I incorrectly assumed when you said by car that you meant hitching. If y'all have yer own vehicle then sounds like yer good to go! And that's dope dude I'm glad you are enjoying time with him that shits important.
 
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