Jff: Have You Gone on a Trip with Kids Alone

Do you have a friend you could team up with? My mom and aunt used to take all us kids on road trips or camping. Great memories!

Yes - because I was a single parent - no other way to do them back then as most relatives still worked!

We did fan fair in TN for 3 years in mid-90s - have done a Disney trip - did a trip to AZ to hike part of the Grand Canyon (drove up from Phx) - did a trip up to Cedar Point and other sites there - did a 2-wk driving trip thru the midwest planning the stop to visit son in the army at that time (really need to go back and redo the last part of that trip - drove straight home from Amarillo due to time constraints and had ick weather the whole way)

Would not mind doing more trips - just can't afford it right now raising the grandchild! Tho my mom helped get her plane ticket when we went to SD to visit son about 3 years ago!

I drove 14 hours to Florida with just my son and I, we stayed for a week. It was a BLAST!! Seriously, I don't think you'd need to be afraid of Charleston!!! I would not go to Jamaica with my son alone, as it's essentially a third world country. (Due to classicism and the like.) I would not feel comfortable internationally alone. Here, in the states...where I know how the police force works, hospital system, court system, travel system, highway system, etc...I'm all for it!

I go on trips alone with my kids all the time, but always within a three or four hour drive from home. Sometimes we stay in a hotel, sometimes camping. Usually just two to four nights. I have roadside assistance in case of car trouble. My husband only gets two weeks off in the summer, so the boys and I are on our own for the other six weeks and we love to travel and camp.

I have flown from DC to Las Vegas...and Los Angeles...

Now granted, I drove to my parents house or my sister's house...and then traveled around in my parents motor home! :)

I've gone to Atlanta with just the boys...

You can do it! Don't be scared!! Be prepared!! Have an emergency contact list in your wallet. Make sure your cell phone has "ICE" contacts (in case of emergency). Keep your family informed on your location, hotel, etc.

You can do it!!! Have fun!!!

Charleston shouldn't scare you. I understand about Jamaica.

I've done a lot of stuff with my kids alone - I've had to. But I know how hard it is to corral kids and get through the day - sometimes I was just exhausted!

I took my kids to Disney without my husband. When I got to the airport, the big bus took us directly to our hotel. We had a fridge and a short walk away, a place to wash our clothes. We rode the little buses to the different parks. It was so easy. My kids did a well with this. The only trouble we had was when they started bickering with each other. I nipped that in the bud immediately - I made them sit down on a bench - on either side of me, and we just SAT without talking. I told them that we would NOT get up until they said they were done arguing with each other. It took all of twice, and that was that.

The boys have told me since that this was their best Disney vacation. (Apologies to my husband.) We've had vacations there with extended family members, and I swear, I'd never do THAT again...

Please try this. Disney is kid-centered and they DO make it easy on you. I didn't even rent a car and that was SO nice! You get a park-hopper, take them to the water park, the animals, etc. They'll be so tired at the end of the day that they'll just drop into bed.

You can do this!!
Dawn

Never took an island vacation without the husband, I would feel guilty leaving him at work while we did something so decadent!
But yes, I have traveled a lot with my kids, without my husband, including trips to LA and New York. I have flown, rented cars, stayed in hotels, driven several hours, the whole deal.
Maybe it would freak me out if I had never traveled on my own before marriage, but I did, and as a mom I am pretty much in charge of the kids all the time anyway so it's not really a stretch, you know? If I have an opportunity to take a fun trip with one (or more) of my children I go for it. It's a major perk of being a SAHM!

yeah, i took my boys to vegas for my grandma's surprise 80th birthday. they were 5 and 1.
the flight was nightmarish. i should have planned better, but it was also back in the awful days when smoking was allowed on planes, and we were stuck behind an ogre smoking the most disgusting, stinky, appalling stogey i've ever smelled, with no escape possible. i'm still a little surprised that i didn't throttle him with my diaper bag strap.
other than that it was fun. a lot of work without my husband to help out, but the boys had a blast and so did i. 8 year olds? that would be a piece of cake. i'd absolutely go the tropics and love every second!
khairete
S.

I took my daughter at age 9 to Mexico to celebrate my 50th. No worries, no issues (and NO requirements for taking a child out of the country alone other than her having her passport). I think her dad had a few qualms, but we kept in touch with him and he and I had been to the same place previously, so it was all familiar.

This summer I'd like to do some exploring of our own and neighboring state with her, if my work load allows it. I don't have any concerns about driving, camping, or staying at hotels.

I took one of my kids and went to FL for a week. I did this last year. It was great ! Disney is a gd place to go in FL.
Personally, I got very, very, very sick in Mexico years and years ago...I could barely understand the doctor there. It was so scary ! So, I will not go south of FL ever again.
Sesame Place or Hershey Park in PA (Only a few hrs away ) are great places to go in the summer ! I have gone to both places and had a blast @ both !
Worrying more when you have kids is something I have "contracted."

I have gone on a trip with just kids, but never left the country. I would think an all inclusive resort that caters to families would be perfect for you and make you feel secure.

we are flying to AZ in a couple weeks. My husband can't take off work so it's just me, my 5 and 8 year old. We will be visiting my parents, so I guess we won't be alone, but it's my first time flying by myself with both kids.

I have but with another mom and her kid.
Not out of the country though...I understand your angst over that.

I do not enjoy trips with just me and the kids so I don't do them. I don't feel bad about it. What's the point of going if not everyone will enjoy the trip?

I have gone on trips with just my son but the big difference is that we stayed with someone we knew at our end destinations. So we were traveling alone and had some of our own free time/leeway in what we did, but were never truly on our own. I wouldn't hesitate to do that, though. It's just that we are lucky to have people that live in great cities with free rooms to share!

not overseas, but around the midwest where we live. :)

I am also blessed with my Mom who loves to travel, especially with the grandkids. We take trips together, & have a blast. But, most importantly, she also travels solo with them: they each get a trip for 13, 18, & 21.

My sis & I had to step in on the 13 Trip for the youngest grandkids. My Mom had just returned from a 3 week trip with my older son (they had toured the West...Grand Canyon, Vegas, Rockies, Tetons, Yellowstone, etc). She was exhausted & couldn't figure out why. Hmm, she came down with shingles on our trip! Good thing we went along!

I say "go for it"! Think of the memories. Make it a smaller/more local trip if you feel uneasy! My sis just returned from Mexico...& the legal requirements to take a child solo were insanely invasive. Something to think about!

I don't think your feelings are silly. The fact of the matter is, traveling with a man is more safe. I woman alone with children is much more appealing to someone wanting to cause harm (kidnapping...pick pocketed... robbed) - it's unfortunate, but true, especially in other countries.

I have never traveled alone with my kids, even in the US. I've always gone with my husband or my mom - but I've always had another adult available and willing to join me - it's always been an option. I like the idea of having another adult to lend a hand and help with the driving and keeping an eye on the kids. The logistics of traveling can be so distracting that you turn around and someone has wondered off. Although my kids are younger than yours - 4 and 7.

I will say that I drove a 9 hr home virtually alone, in the middle of the night with my daughter (my adult brother was sleeping and didn't offer to help at all) and I almost fell asleep. This was enough of a red flag to warn me that sometimes you need help when traveling - at least until the kids are more self sufficient and world-wise to understand the importance of taking precautions to keep themselves safe.

Yes, but with my parents or other family members. Three years ago my two boys and I went to Mexico with my parents, my grandma, family friends and my brother and SIL were there part of the time too. My husband had planned to join us, but a work conflict came up. This year my youngest son, my dad and I went back to Mexico just the three of us for four days as a special trip after my mom died. Do you have family or friends to join you in the future?

Yes,we do a trip every year. We did a Carribean cruise in 2009-no problems traveling out of the country. We also did a road trip by ourselves to Cedar point (an 8 hour drive) and then drove another 8 hours around Ohio. We are going to ca (Disney and Redondo beach) in about a week. We do travel together on occasion (Disney World, Iceland and Colorado) But basically we enjoy different styles of vacations.

Try a short trip and then increase it as your comfort level grows.