Would you prefer to go on holidays with or without children?

My children are now grown up however when they were small I much preferred to go away without 3 children, which I did not think was a real holiday anyway as I found it stressful.

So definitely my answer would be NO - a holiday is to get away from normal surroundings for me so taking young children, would, for me, be a real hassle.

Now that they are older and have their own children, they want me to take them on a cruise which I am thinking about!!!

by Finy

Oh, you should go. You will have a ball!!! Love cruising.

How would it work if you have children!
To go on a holiday......without them?
I can't imagine parents not taking their children, or am I missing something.

I'm confused?

by jonaja

Home Alone!

I know?*#!? I'm still trying to work this out...lol

Maybe the children are in school camp or staying with relatives. My son was able to holiday with his Grandparents for two weeks each year. It was good for their relationship and he learnt stories about his father. I really appreciated the break.

Yes! I totally agree with that one, and that would be the only reason I feel I could do it.

My parents left my brother and I with a family friend to care for us for a week once while they went away to Thailand. It was a business trip for my Dad and it was possible for him to take Mum but not two young children. That was unusual for us though, an opportunity they would not normally have. Normally we took family holidays together. My point is that people can do it if they can afford to hire somebody to mind their children or have a close trusted friend or family member to do it. Then it just comes down to whether you want to. I don't think I'd want to go away without my kids, but if somehow an opportunity to go somewhere really amazing came up as a one off, maybe I would take it. I don't know.

I like the occasional even or day out without my kids so I can do grown up stuff that would bore them, but I prefer for our whole family to enjoy holidays together. That's what makes it special for me.

by Jennifer Muirhead

Evening, not even.

Well, when the children were little we had no choice but to take them with us. We chose destinations that were family friendly and we have great family memories of our holidays. Now they are all grown up, it is our time to spend together and rediscover each other. If they want to come, they can, but must pay their own way.

by Lluxi

We got someone to come and live in when we went on holidays

Lucky you. We had no one who could do that, and we couldn't afford a live in babysitter for weeks at a time

I would initially say yes but think after i would wish I had taken them along. I love having them around and I like making memories with them.

by dwatk

I have been wishing to go for a few trips without our daughter, to do things that she can't do and ones I'm raring to do. For e.g. tiger safari for which loud screaming kids aren't suitable. But otherwise I love taking her with us. I believe she will make memories of her own but I have selfish reasons of creating my own memories WITH her. I want to see her enjoy the sand & beach, I want to see her amazement on taking in the view from the top of a mountain. My husband and me are travel lovers and want our child to learn to love travelling. I'm waiting for the day she can accompany us everywhere. Or may be by that time, she will have her own friends/groups and probably wouldn't want to come with us oldies. Till then I want to enjoy her company.

by KanchanN

I would prefer to take children. I think its nice to get away for a weekend break without children but if going on a holiday for a week or 2 then I would definitely bring children.

by AJ

When my son was a child I planned holidays once a year for both of us. As a single mother I really appreciated the rest I could have when he went to his Grandparents for two weeks. It was bliss, even though I missed him.
He is an adult now and I my prefer holidays without any children.
I love children but when on holiday I want to relax and not have to worry about the safety of a child in my care, or the noise of other peoples children fighting or crying.

by annfi

totally agree there annfi! You put it well.

Thank you Finy.

We only had one so it was never an issue and I don't suppose we ever thought of going without her.

by Rice

I am in my 70 and in a few hours I am taking a 4 and 6 year old grandies camping for 3 days with my son. I think I am just as excited as they are.
Twice a year us, our 3 children and their families go on holidays in caravans. It is my highlight of the year. Have been overseas many times in beautiful resorts with my husband. Both kind of holidays, as differently as they are are wonderful. Jacqueline

by njsan

This is something I'd never thought about. Our children always went on holiday with us. They would hook up with other children they'd met before and we'd hardly see them. As we went out on daily trips to wherever we'd decided to go to, they had the option of going with us, taking a friend or staying back with their friends. Naturally all the parents got on well so we'd organise meals out or where we were staying and take turns watching the kids so the other parents could go out exploring on their own or with others knowing their kids would be looked after. One year as we were flying home after 3 months in Europe we had a stopover in Singapore. We were in a shopping complex when I heard a male voice talking to my girls. I spun around to find the father of a couple of girls they spent holidays with every year. The funny part was that my girls had just written to his girls and neither of us had any idea that we would both be overseas at the same time. Obviously this was years before email or social media.

by helga

I have the most glorious memories of holidays with my one child, a son! I never wanted to go away without him, as we always were such good friends as well as mother and son. Now that he is grown, I prefer a holiday to be without him, as he is far more adventurous and able-bodied than I am!! He went to Japan late last year to enjoy snow-boarding!! I could never enjoy such a thing, with the cold and my arthritic issues!!! When he was a kid, we would do all sorts of fun stuff which we BOTH could equally enjoy!! Qe also went to a resort once which had the best ever 'Kids Club' which he enjoyed so very much while the grown-ups could just have a jolly good break!!

by Jules

We, not Qe!!!!! The fingers are not behaving this morning!!!!

No. Had to have my child with me if on holiday, even a short or weekend break.

by fran.

We enjoyed taking the girls away, & showing them new places. The only Au holiday I can remember us having was when our eldest daughter was 2&1/2, & we took her to Young to visit my husbands auntie & uncle, calling into Batemans Bay & Eden on the way home. When your youngest was 3, we took her to visit my parents who were living in Paris at the time, & then we had 2 weeks in London on our way home. We took them to Plantation Island, Fiji. Then I took the eldest daughter to the UK to visit a friend for 3 weeks, in '88. A friend looked after the younger daughter as she had 2 daughters about the same age. (My husband was doing shift work back then, so he wasn't able to look after her. ) We took them both to the USA in '89, & to Harare in Zimbabwe, in the early '90's, to Fiji again for 1 for in b/i/l's wedding. To Hong Kong in '93, where we stayed with a friend of my husbands. In '95 I took them backpacking around Bali, with a friend & her teenage son for 3 weeks. So yes, we enjoyed having them with us on holidays! Now they are very much older & left home years ago, we're enjoying all of our cruising on our own!

by Miro