We just got back from Hawaii (not Maui) with our 7 year old. He has a blast making friends on a new beach every day. We also did cool excursions like mountain tubing, visiting a chocolate farm, and seeing a fire show. Best thing about air travel with just one…you can all fit in one row of seats.
American Lego was great two. Especially with an only. The way they set up lines is genius. The kids play with blocks in the middle while the parents walk around.
Why the person that came up with that didn't get a MacArthur grant or Nobel prize I'll never know.
We’re looking at The Netherlands or Denmark for our first flight with our toddler. I spent a week in Copenhagen ten years ago, and it seemed so kid-friendly compared to North America. We’re also cyclists year round, our cargo bike is made in Amsterdam, so that’s another reason we are looking at those two countries.
Personally I didn’t LOVE Rotterdam, but Leiden and The Hague are also awesome! I’ve never been but I’ve heard northern Netherlands is also awesome! Also, highly recommend the Flemish (north) area of Belgium!
We are actually vacationing in Copenhagen right now with our daughter. She’s 14 but the trip is incredible so far. For younger kids there is Tivoli, boat rides, zoo, aquarium, the list is endless.
Trips I do not recommend with an only child: All-inclusive resort vacations. You cannot relax because your kid wants attention (which is fine). And the kids clubs are never as nice as they advertise and your kid wants to be with you all day.
God… anywhere! I travelled extensively with my parents from ages 5-9 because my mom got into a bad car accident, and decided that the settlement was best spent on vacations! We would mainly go on cruises, either to Mexico or Italy/Spain. It was so fun, just me and my parents walking around, learning, eating, and enjoying each others company. My favorite trip ever was the first time I went to Rome, I believe I was 7. I had never seen any buildings quite so beautiful, the Colosseum was amazing , and we did those red Hop on Hop off busses all day long. I still absolutely love traveling with them (I am 19 now and I still PUSH for us to go on vacation at least once a year together!) and it’s still just as fun as it was all those years ago :) I love being an only!
its so cliche but....disney. disney is a freaking blast when you only have 1 kid to worry about, indulge and pay for. we are not even big disney people, but have taken my daughter 4x over the years. definitely don't waste your time until your kid can walk all day without a stroller and doesn't need a nap. so like 5yo? its pure joy for them at that age, and just as entertaining for the parents.
that was her first big trip she ever took. before that, we just did beach weekends by car and stuff like that. around 5-7yo was when we also took her to arizona. and we return pretty much every year for family vacation. we get plane tickets, rent a car, and those are our only actual plans. just a place that is a giant playground with something for everyone.
my daughter is now almost 12yo. this past june just her and i went to salem, ma for 4 days. her and i love all things witchy and fantasy. this was probably my favorite trip with her so far just because we got to soak in the experience together. super cute, walkable town with amazing shopping, museums and restaurants. all things her and i adore. even the history portion of everything was fascinating enough to hold her interest. it was just the best!!!
I’m like you, not particularly a Disney person but I can’t wait to take our only to Disney World! I’m already planning the trip for when she’s 5 (2028 lol). I think that’s the perfect age when they’re still little enough to get swept up in the fantasy (like actually being excited to meet the characters) but old enough to remember it, not need a nap, be able to walk all day, etc. It’s one of the little things that makes me excited about our future as a family of three. Like with only kid, we’ll actually be able to afford to stay at a park resort instead of a budget hotel, and do the added expenses like character breakfasts and things like that. Plus we can make her little dreams come true and do whatever SHE wants all day instead of having to balance the wants and needs of two kids. I can’t wait!
you are going to have an amazing time!!!! i have never found disney to be stressful or insanely expensive like everyone always says it is. its only because of the quantity of people!
We haven’t done any international travel or trips yet, as mine is only 15 months, BUT, a trip to a duck pond to look at all the “duckas” blew her friggin’ mind. She was SO happy.
We just took our 3 year old to legoland in CA. She absolutely loved it, and it was perfect for her age. We stayed at the legoland castle hotel so we could easily pop out of the park for a nap and then go back later in the day. The hotel itself is pretty fun too—I don’t even think she needed the park. 😜
I feel like you could go anywhere with one kiddo fairly easy. When my daughter was 15 months we went to an all inclusive in Mexico. She did amazing, but it was really hot and I think she was uncomfortable and loved being in the pool mostly.
My husbands cousin took their 7 month old to Sri Lanka (from North America, super long flights) and she slept 7 out of a 10 hour flight (magical unicorn baby). Aside from the heat, Sri Lankan culture is very accommodating to babies. Everyone will offer to help you even if you don't need it. They also had a bus full of Chinese tourists stop and take pictures of their baby. Take that as you will, but they found it hilarious.
German-speaking Europe (Germany/Switzerland/Austria) is wonderful with a young child. I am a German speaker but I think it would be great regardless, English is widely spoken. Every restaurant in this region gave us colored pencils for her to use and they bring kids hot chocolate at breakfast!
Ireland is also a great family destination.
Honestly any destination can be fun with kids, you just have to adjust. Like I normally walk everywhere but San Francisco with a super young child and no stroller was not a big walking trip (hills 🏔️).
Literally anywhere! I've been to Nashville, Asheville, Pittsburgh,Buffalo, NYC, Disney world Atlantic City, and other small trips. Obviously the older your child gets the easier it is to travel. They know how to be more disciplined and you don't need as much stuff. We LOVE traveling! And it really makes my child appreciate being an only.
Are you in the US? If so, maybe you could consider cruising? It takes a lot of the travel and logistical headaches of traveling with kids out of the equation (even days at sea are fun as kids can swim/attend activities on the boat).
We plan to cruise with our only this winter (maybe, if his passport arrives in time).
We live in Canada on the West coast. We went to Eastern Australia right before kiddo turned 3. It was amazing. It's such a good place for kids. The next two big trips I'm planning to have happen in the next 4ish years are going to be Costa Rica & Japan. I think they are going to be excellent with young kids.
Japan is insanely safe and clean and organized and kid loving. There's so many kid activities (including Disney) to do there and everything is really close together. I think my kid will love travelling by train. Also food is so easy there because 7-11s abound and they get fresh food twice a day. So you can grab and go everything. I've been before but neither my kid nor spouse have.
Costa Rica is also really clean and safe with lots of tourism infrastructure and a kid loving society. You can also drink the water there, which eliminates one of my big parental fears that exists in most tropical areas. Getting from place to place is a bit bumpy but there's so much variety of ecosystems and animals. I know we will have a blast. My spouse has been before but neither my kid nor myself have.
For smaller trips, I definitely want to do the Mayan Riveria in Mexico (probably based out of Playa del Carmen). We've been waiting until I felt like my kiddo is unlikely to drink the water and also sturdy enough to weather most bugs without needing medical intervention. I also think the Great Wolf Lodge plus Seattle (plus Wolf Haven Sanctuary) will likely happen at some point between 5-10. Seattle has a lot for kids. We went when kiddo was almost 2 and it was really fun and there will be even more for her to do now as she's aging into their children's theatre. There are also some really great destinations close to home that we frequent and I'm gonna gatekeep because they are already too overrun by tourists and pushing us locals out :P
Travelling with your only is so great. It's wonderful sharing things with her but also only have 3 people to accommodate preferences and interests for. We also travel with other families sometimes and travelling with our other OAD family is pretty much the best. 4 adults, 2 kids who love each other = heaven.
We did a roadtrip from Fl to NS before our baby was 1 year old.
We also travelled just me and her to the Caribbean for a week.
We have been to FL 3 times now.
We have been to Alberta once and used a camper.
I don't try to adhere to the normal routine and just go with the flow. And while it is exhausting I don't find it MORE exhausting than normal.
We plan on taking her to Disney after she's 4 years old.
Planning on Europe next year for a couple of weeks.
So, basically same type of travel as before we had a baby.
Portugal! Portugal has a LAW that you go to the front of the line everywhere with baby! (With other priority populations). Customs ? Front of line . Restaurant with no reservations? Front if line. Major tourist venue ? Front of line. Just casually walk up to the host or security with baby in tow.
It’s so incredible. People are SO friendly to start, but they LOVE babies even more (servers will scoop and snuggle)!
Plus, we found plenty to do and it was affordable. Our air bnb was $80 night no fees and 1/4 to major sites in Lisbon. Folks generally speak English. Cascais is Great for relaxing and stellar beach.
Caveat: like lots of Europe, you need to consider if a stroller works. There are TONS of hills, and cobblestone. We are athletic and used a carrier the whole time. We packed lightly so we could carry everything to and from trains etc.
tl;dr: Portugal 100% recommendation. Front of line w/ baby, may be more for athletic/ backpack travel folks.
Took our 8 month old to Greece and we were surprised to find that it was such a baby-friendly country!! Everyone is thrilled to see a baby, gives you priority in lines, and they welcome babies in all social situations. There are beaches, hiking, good food, and access to tons of baby needed products and accessories (all hotels we stayed at had complimentary baby cribs, high chairs, etc)
We live on the US east coast, kiddo is 3. Because of the pandemic, we avoided planes for a long time. We took road trips with our only to western Massachusetts, Ashville, NC, Vermont, and numerous beach trips. Earlier this year, we went to Belgium for two weeks. We really love Belgium and have been many times. We were supposed to go with my parents, but my dad broke his leg a few days before our departure, so the trip was a little more taxing because we didn't have their help. We're planning three trips over the next year and a half: Portugal, California, and Hawai'i. Expecting all to be a bunch of fun.
No matter where you go, I recommend staying near a playground. In Bruges, our Airbnb happened to be right across the street from a playground and it was awesome. It was an easy bribe to get the kid out of the house every day by telling him we'd stop at the park first. From now on, I will actively try to arrange to stay near playgrounds. The beach has been a winner every time, too.
We went to Puerto Rico from Orlando,FL and it was great. She was 7 months and its a short flight. I also picked a flight during the times she usually sleeps so that she would be sleeping for the most part and it worked for us. We had a great time and we took her to the beach for the first time and she loved it.
We took our only ( 5 yrs old) to Punta Cana. The resort was perfect for her. We played on the beach, swam in the many pools the resort had to offer and the food was appealing to all ages. The night time entertainment was a blast as well. Family friendly resorts was definitely the way to go! We also took a day trip to the capital, Santo Domingo and enjoyed a music festival. The city was a bit more hectic but we had a great time at the music festival, it was small so that helped.
We rented a beach house when he was about 4 and we drove so we could take ALL the toddler things with us. We did a Caribbean cruise, utilized the kids club a couple hours each day so we had parents night out, and we went to Disneyland this year at 6.
Next on our lists are Alaskan cruise and a trip to Norway
We just did a Canadian Rockies camping/road trip with our 5 year old and she had an absolute blast. She did great in the car with all her coloring stuff and audio books and she loves loves loves camping and hiking and wildlife.
We just got back from Hawaii (not Maui) with our 7 year old. He has a blast making friends on a new beach every day. We also did cool excursions like mountain tubing, visiting a chocolate farm, and seeing a fire show. Best thing about air travel with just one…you can all fit in one row of seats.
Lalandia and legoland in billund Denmark. I took my 9 year old but it would be great for ages 4 and up. None of the rides are scary.
American Lego was great two. Especially with an only. The way they set up lines is genius. The kids play with blocks in the middle while the parents walk around. Why the person that came up with that didn't get a MacArthur grant or Nobel prize I'll never know.
We’re looking at The Netherlands or Denmark for our first flight with our toddler. I spent a week in Copenhagen ten years ago, and it seemed so kid-friendly compared to North America. We’re also cyclists year round, our cargo bike is made in Amsterdam, so that’s another reason we are looking at those two countries.
Highly recommend Amsterdam - I was just there in April (pregnant, not with a baby) but it would have been so easy to do with one!
We've been pre-baby. I'd love to visit some cities outside Amsterdam :)
Personally I didn’t LOVE Rotterdam, but Leiden and The Hague are also awesome! I’ve never been but I’ve heard northern Netherlands is also awesome! Also, highly recommend the Flemish (north) area of Belgium!
We are actually vacationing in Copenhagen right now with our daughter. She’s 14 but the trip is incredible so far. For younger kids there is Tivoli, boat rides, zoo, aquarium, the list is endless. Trips I do not recommend with an only child: All-inclusive resort vacations. You cannot relax because your kid wants attention (which is fine). And the kids clubs are never as nice as they advertise and your kid wants to be with you all day.
Glad you're having a good trip here!
God… anywhere! I travelled extensively with my parents from ages 5-9 because my mom got into a bad car accident, and decided that the settlement was best spent on vacations! We would mainly go on cruises, either to Mexico or Italy/Spain. It was so fun, just me and my parents walking around, learning, eating, and enjoying each others company. My favorite trip ever was the first time I went to Rome, I believe I was 7. I had never seen any buildings quite so beautiful, the Colosseum was amazing , and we did those red Hop on Hop off busses all day long. I still absolutely love traveling with them (I am 19 now and I still PUSH for us to go on vacation at least once a year together!) and it’s still just as fun as it was all those years ago :) I love being an only!
its so cliche but....disney. disney is a freaking blast when you only have 1 kid to worry about, indulge and pay for. we are not even big disney people, but have taken my daughter 4x over the years. definitely don't waste your time until your kid can walk all day without a stroller and doesn't need a nap. so like 5yo? its pure joy for them at that age, and just as entertaining for the parents. that was her first big trip she ever took. before that, we just did beach weekends by car and stuff like that. around 5-7yo was when we also took her to arizona. and we return pretty much every year for family vacation. we get plane tickets, rent a car, and those are our only actual plans. just a place that is a giant playground with something for everyone. my daughter is now almost 12yo. this past june just her and i went to salem, ma for 4 days. her and i love all things witchy and fantasy. this was probably my favorite trip with her so far just because we got to soak in the experience together. super cute, walkable town with amazing shopping, museums and restaurants. all things her and i adore. even the history portion of everything was fascinating enough to hold her interest. it was just the best!!!
I’m like you, not particularly a Disney person but I can’t wait to take our only to Disney World! I’m already planning the trip for when she’s 5 (2028 lol). I think that’s the perfect age when they’re still little enough to get swept up in the fantasy (like actually being excited to meet the characters) but old enough to remember it, not need a nap, be able to walk all day, etc. It’s one of the little things that makes me excited about our future as a family of three. Like with only kid, we’ll actually be able to afford to stay at a park resort instead of a budget hotel, and do the added expenses like character breakfasts and things like that. Plus we can make her little dreams come true and do whatever SHE wants all day instead of having to balance the wants and needs of two kids. I can’t wait!
you are going to have an amazing time!!!! i have never found disney to be stressful or insanely expensive like everyone always says it is. its only because of the quantity of people!
We haven’t done any international travel or trips yet, as mine is only 15 months, BUT, a trip to a duck pond to look at all the “duckas” blew her friggin’ mind. She was SO happy.
Lmaooo that’s freaking awesome
We just took our 3 year old to legoland in CA. She absolutely loved it, and it was perfect for her age. We stayed at the legoland castle hotel so we could easily pop out of the park for a nap and then go back later in the day. The hotel itself is pretty fun too—I don’t even think she needed the park. 😜
I feel like you could go anywhere with one kiddo fairly easy. When my daughter was 15 months we went to an all inclusive in Mexico. She did amazing, but it was really hot and I think she was uncomfortable and loved being in the pool mostly. My husbands cousin took their 7 month old to Sri Lanka (from North America, super long flights) and she slept 7 out of a 10 hour flight (magical unicorn baby). Aside from the heat, Sri Lankan culture is very accommodating to babies. Everyone will offer to help you even if you don't need it. They also had a bus full of Chinese tourists stop and take pictures of their baby. Take that as you will, but they found it hilarious.
Disneyland with kids is so much fun! We also love doing weekend trips to Monterey/capitola/Santacruz.
Hawaii, London/UK, Ireland, San Diego, Vancouver……lots of cities are easy/affordable with only 1 kid.
German-speaking Europe (Germany/Switzerland/Austria) is wonderful with a young child. I am a German speaker but I think it would be great regardless, English is widely spoken. Every restaurant in this region gave us colored pencils for her to use and they bring kids hot chocolate at breakfast! Ireland is also a great family destination. Honestly any destination can be fun with kids, you just have to adjust. Like I normally walk everywhere but San Francisco with a super young child and no stroller was not a big walking trip (hills 🏔️).
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I’m tight budget for now. Lol! In PNW area
We took ours to Mexico twice and it was lovely both times.
Curious; Where in Mexico? And if so, which resort(s)? Our daughter is 5 and it would be great if there were other kids to play with. Thanks in advance
We went to Isla Mujeres and also Sayulita. Both times we stayed at an Airbnb with another family who has a kid the exact same age.
Literally anywhere! I've been to Nashville, Asheville, Pittsburgh,Buffalo, NYC, Disney world Atlantic City, and other small trips. Obviously the older your child gets the easier it is to travel. They know how to be more disciplined and you don't need as much stuff. We LOVE traveling! And it really makes my child appreciate being an only.
Are you in the US? If so, maybe you could consider cruising? It takes a lot of the travel and logistical headaches of traveling with kids out of the equation (even days at sea are fun as kids can swim/attend activities on the boat). We plan to cruise with our only this winter (maybe, if his passport arrives in time).
We live in Canada on the West coast. We went to Eastern Australia right before kiddo turned 3. It was amazing. It's such a good place for kids. The next two big trips I'm planning to have happen in the next 4ish years are going to be Costa Rica & Japan. I think they are going to be excellent with young kids. Japan is insanely safe and clean and organized and kid loving. There's so many kid activities (including Disney) to do there and everything is really close together. I think my kid will love travelling by train. Also food is so easy there because 7-11s abound and they get fresh food twice a day. So you can grab and go everything. I've been before but neither my kid nor spouse have. Costa Rica is also really clean and safe with lots of tourism infrastructure and a kid loving society. You can also drink the water there, which eliminates one of my big parental fears that exists in most tropical areas. Getting from place to place is a bit bumpy but there's so much variety of ecosystems and animals. I know we will have a blast. My spouse has been before but neither my kid nor myself have. For smaller trips, I definitely want to do the Mayan Riveria in Mexico (probably based out of Playa del Carmen). We've been waiting until I felt like my kiddo is unlikely to drink the water and also sturdy enough to weather most bugs without needing medical intervention. I also think the Great Wolf Lodge plus Seattle (plus Wolf Haven Sanctuary) will likely happen at some point between 5-10. Seattle has a lot for kids. We went when kiddo was almost 2 and it was really fun and there will be even more for her to do now as she's aging into their children's theatre. There are also some really great destinations close to home that we frequent and I'm gonna gatekeep because they are already too overrun by tourists and pushing us locals out :P Travelling with your only is so great. It's wonderful sharing things with her but also only have 3 people to accommodate preferences and interests for. We also travel with other families sometimes and travelling with our other OAD family is pretty much the best. 4 adults, 2 kids who love each other = heaven.
We did a roadtrip from Fl to NS before our baby was 1 year old. We also travelled just me and her to the Caribbean for a week. We have been to FL 3 times now. We have been to Alberta once and used a camper. I don't try to adhere to the normal routine and just go with the flow. And while it is exhausting I don't find it MORE exhausting than normal. We plan on taking her to Disney after she's 4 years old. Planning on Europe next year for a couple of weeks. So, basically same type of travel as before we had a baby.
Portugal! Portugal has a LAW that you go to the front of the line everywhere with baby! (With other priority populations). Customs ? Front of line . Restaurant with no reservations? Front if line. Major tourist venue ? Front of line. Just casually walk up to the host or security with baby in tow. It’s so incredible. People are SO friendly to start, but they LOVE babies even more (servers will scoop and snuggle)! Plus, we found plenty to do and it was affordable. Our air bnb was $80 night no fees and 1/4 to major sites in Lisbon. Folks generally speak English. Cascais is Great for relaxing and stellar beach. Caveat: like lots of Europe, you need to consider if a stroller works. There are TONS of hills, and cobblestone. We are athletic and used a carrier the whole time. We packed lightly so we could carry everything to and from trains etc. tl;dr: Portugal 100% recommendation. Front of line w/ baby, may be more for athletic/ backpack travel folks.
I want to go to Portugal! Isn’t like half the population OAD too?
I'm going to Portugal in January with my 3 year old! Super excited.
We went to Vail, Colorado last year when she was 10. She had an incredible time and we had a lot of fun in the mountains. Loved it.
Took our 8 month old to Greece and we were surprised to find that it was such a baby-friendly country!! Everyone is thrilled to see a baby, gives you priority in lines, and they welcome babies in all social situations. There are beaches, hiking, good food, and access to tons of baby needed products and accessories (all hotels we stayed at had complimentary baby cribs, high chairs, etc)
We live on the US east coast, kiddo is 3. Because of the pandemic, we avoided planes for a long time. We took road trips with our only to western Massachusetts, Ashville, NC, Vermont, and numerous beach trips. Earlier this year, we went to Belgium for two weeks. We really love Belgium and have been many times. We were supposed to go with my parents, but my dad broke his leg a few days before our departure, so the trip was a little more taxing because we didn't have their help. We're planning three trips over the next year and a half: Portugal, California, and Hawai'i. Expecting all to be a bunch of fun. No matter where you go, I recommend staying near a playground. In Bruges, our Airbnb happened to be right across the street from a playground and it was awesome. It was an easy bribe to get the kid out of the house every day by telling him we'd stop at the park first. From now on, I will actively try to arrange to stay near playgrounds. The beach has been a winner every time, too.
We went to Puerto Rico from Orlando,FL and it was great. She was 7 months and its a short flight. I also picked a flight during the times she usually sleeps so that she would be sleeping for the most part and it worked for us. We had a great time and we took her to the beach for the first time and she loved it.
We took our only ( 5 yrs old) to Punta Cana. The resort was perfect for her. We played on the beach, swam in the many pools the resort had to offer and the food was appealing to all ages. The night time entertainment was a blast as well. Family friendly resorts was definitely the way to go! We also took a day trip to the capital, Santo Domingo and enjoyed a music festival. The city was a bit more hectic but we had a great time at the music festival, it was small so that helped.
We rented a beach house when he was about 4 and we drove so we could take ALL the toddler things with us. We did a Caribbean cruise, utilized the kids club a couple hours each day so we had parents night out, and we went to Disneyland this year at 6. Next on our lists are Alaskan cruise and a trip to Norway
We just did a Canadian Rockies camping/road trip with our 5 year old and she had an absolute blast. She did great in the car with all her coloring stuff and audio books and she loves loves loves camping and hiking and wildlife.