4 Ways to Have Alone Time When Traveling with Kids

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While my husband and I make sure to go on at least one trip a year without the kids there are times we travel with the kids that we would love to have some time without them. This is true for single parents traveling with kids as well, us adults want to have some adult fun on our trips too. This could be having a meal alone, a night out on the town, or doing an activity that they are too young for. These are some ways you can have alone time even when traveling with your kids.

Travel with other Couples/Friends with Kids

We originally planned our trip to Cuba with two other couples, one which also has a daughter. In our four-night visit this would allow us a few options for alone time. One night we could go out while the other couples watched the girls and then we would switch and return the favor.Traveling with other couples would also allow for the girls to have a night out while the guys watched the kids and then again for the guys to have a night out while the ladies watched the kids. The best part is your kids are probably familiar with each other and you can trust your friends to watch your kids, which will ease your mind.

Travel with Family

Traveling with family, can also allow you or you and your significant other to have a night off. While some people love to travel with their family I know there are a lot of people that don’t. Traveling with family doesn’t mean you have to spend the whole time or anytime at all with your family. An example of this was when we recently visited Amsterdam at the same times as my parents.

Although we traveled on the same flight we didn’t stay at the same place or do the same things. The only time we actually saw each other was the night we dropped the kids off with them to have a date night visiting the Red Light District. Luckily for us my parents love to travel and you’d be surprised how many times my mom finds out about a flight deal before I do. It may be hard to coordinate schedules but if possible you can enjoy a day or night with your spouse and your family will enjoy the alone time with your kids!

Stay at a Hotel with a Kids Club or Cruise

Many family friendly hotels have kids clubs where your kids can participate in activities with staff throughout the day. This will give you time to do an excursion that they aren’t old enough for. Most also have the option for after hours babysitting for an additional fee so you can have dinner or a date night alone.

If you’re going on a cruise, nearly every cruise line which targets families such as Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean will have a youth program during the day which is free of charge. Most will also have paid by the hour babysitting from 10PM-2AM.

While you won’t have a personal recommendation for a staff member at a hotel or on a cruise line these companies do extensive background checks on their staff. The hotel/cruise lines reputation is on the line so hopefully you can really trust their staff.

Hire a Babysitter on Vacation

The last option would be to hire a babysitter. I personally have never done this because I don’t feel comfortable leaving them with someone I’m not familiar with at their current age. However, I know many people use services such as www.care.com to find a sitter abroad. Other options would be to ask for recommendations from others who have traveled to that destination and used a baby sister. Join Facebook Groups like The Traveling Child where parents talk travel with their kids and you can ask each other for recommendations.

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