Monday 27 July 2015

Would you go on holiday without your children??

Something that seems to be becoming increasingly more common is for parents to go on holiday without their children. I'm not just talking about nights away in a hotel or even a city break but there seems to be a rise in people going abroad for weeks at a time.

I found an article that talked about some research that My voucher codes had conducted into this topic which drove me to think about the whole idea even more. You can read the article here, Travelling without Children article.

I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion and perhaps voicing mine will spark a debate but I would love to know your thoughts.

Before I had a child I was one of those people that would try and find a child free hotel so that I could relax around the pool undisturbed. However, once I started a family my views on holidays changed completely.

Having a baby or child on holiday is very different but I believe that's a good thing. We have children to love them, spend quality time with them, educate them, embrace their happiness and keep ourselves young at heart. So for these reasons I can't understand how parents can go away and leave young or even teenage children at home for a week or more. 

Every holiday we have taken with Eva has been wonderful. We took her on her first holiday to Turkey when she was 6 months old. We had been to that area many times before but having Eva there created lots of new opportunities and memories. This has been the case for every holiday we have been on as a family.



I can see the appeal of going away without your children. It would be lovely to spend some one on one time with your partner and be able to think and care for no one else but yourselves. Also every parent deserves a break sometime but I could never leave my young children for a week or more. I would be worried sick. Don't get me wrong,  when they are old enough to care for themselves (probably when they are in uni) I will definetley go away without them.

The most I have left Eva was for 3 nights which was a weekend away in Spain with the girls and I have to say that was long enough. I missed her terribly. I was comforted by the fact that I knew she was at home with her daddy and having quality time with him. I think this also makes a huge difference in a decision about going away without your children. I'm more relaxed about being away for the night knowing that the hubby is there to look after Eva.

The hubby and I have had nights away without Eva which I am completely comfortable with. I think we could manage 2 nights if we knew she was with immediate family but I think that would be our limit. I really couldn't entertain the idea of both of us being away having fun without her for longer than that. I would be racked with guilt and probably wouldn't enjoy myself through sadness of leaving her out and worrying that she was ok.
What are your thoughts on all of this? Have you been away without your children? How long for and how old were the children?
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13 comments

  1. Nice logical explanation. I think that it would be difficult to leave a child for more than a day or two because you would always be thinking of them

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  2. I wouldn't go away with Sam, I loved taking him on holiday and I think the answer is maybe taking some help with you ( ie- your own mother) to let you still have some relaxing time and time with your partner. I wouldn't consider going without children

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  3. I love a night or two away from the kids but thats it! Mine are 4 and 9 and I have never left them for more than 3 nights! Another tip is to have a kids club on holiday,a couple of hours to have a child free meal together is a blessing and everyone is happy then as we've all had time out.Dont really understand why people would want to go away for 2 weeks without their kids though!! I would really struggle for a week without them even though they are a pain sometimes haha

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  4. We've never been away from ours for more than a night and they're 7 and 6! We might be braver if we had better childcare but my parents are in their 70s and it would seem like such an imposition. In any case, it doesn't feel quite right being without them.

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  5. My kids are 19, and 12 year old twins. We've had family holidays abroad every year since they were born, but in the last years, we have also gone to Spain for 5 days with friends. They stay with my dad who they love and it doesn't bother them at all. We miss them obviously and I wouldn't leave them for longer than that, but it's worked fine and we still have our yearly family holiday together as well x

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  6. We love to travel but both my partner and I have made the decision to include our children in all our travels and I tend to get bad anxiety when I am separated from them for too long. We went to London once just for the night child free and I hated it from start to finish which of course is complete opposite to what I was like before having kids and travelling for 2yrs non stop without any worries but I love the way life is now

    Laura x

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  7. If I had kids i would always take them abroad. It seems a bit unfair leaving them out of a holiday x

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  8. I couldn't do longer than couple of nights no way! Would miss her way too much. I'm with you on this one. X

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  9. Oh no way! I couldn't leave my son! We have just booked our honeymoon as we made the decision to have him before we got married! It's only fair we take him. I wouldn't relax if we didn't take him! I would rather not go. X

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  10. We always said we'd go to Vegas for my husband's 30th...but when it came to it we had a 13 month old. Spontaneously one day in the run up, we booked it. Baby stayed with grandparents.Missed her so much but we Facetimed all the time and actually did manage to enjoy ourselves. I didn't think I could do it but once we took the plunge, it was nice to be a grown up again and actually have a bit of quality time. The journey home to her felt like it lasted forever though!

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  11. I am too much of an emotional mummy to go away without my children. The most I've been away is two nights in a row, I think twice, and they are now 5, 3, and 16 months. I worry too much! I think it's good to have time away as a couple, but for me that's a night or two at the most. That said, I have friends who are the exact opposite and go away for a week every year without their children and absolutely love it. I guess different things are right for different people. x

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  12. Before I had my Son I loved to travel- one year I went away every month because it's just in my nature to explore and fully immerse myself in different cultures. The kind of travelling I do however isn't always child friendly (but we still do go away as a family from time to time so it's not always just me off on my own), and I also feel as a person I need adequate space from my child for both of us. As his day in day out carer (usual as a Mum), I find I can often get stuck in a rut and the space gives me time to reflect and make sure I don't become non chalant with our time together. When I go away my Son stays with my parents (or my other half if he's not working- freelance), and he really enjoys the time with his grandparents, because we don't live to close to them. When I do go away I try to not be gone longer than 2 nights, but once a year I do like to go away for a bit longer with friends as a means to make sure I nurture those relationships I have outside of having a child. For me it's important, but would never do it if my son wasn't happy.

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  13. I don't have the heart to leave my daughter while we go on holiday. I'll miss her terribly besides she is a breeze to travel with as she has travelled with us far and wide. People sat you have to Prioritise marriage but I don't think you have to leave your children just to make yoir marriage work.

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