… Hell. This trip has been so hard on us, as we knew it would be. Traveling for 7-8 nights, in three different hotels, is hard enough. But add in two young kids and it takes everything in you just to survive.
I checked out my sister’s cabins today. They each have two separate bedrooms, two separate bathrooms, and a living room. We have… One room and one bathroom half the size of their small bathrooms. I’m not complaining because, “it’s not fair.” I’m complaining because we have no space to even walk, and we have the two youngest kids and one who requires a nap. We’ve had no place to escape to, and that is HARD. The kids get riled up and my dad has literally told us, “to wind them down,” or, “take them somewhere else.” But where am I supposed to do that when I don’t even have a room to go to to calm them down? There is literally no place to even stand since the kids air mats are on the floor, between the foot of our bed and then up against the fireplace (truly). If we go to our room, we all have to sit on the bed together. Ummm…. not relaxing or helpful.
There have been issues with my parents and we both say this will not happen again. We are DONE with the family trips. We can’t take it. That all is for another post, but I have to say that it feels good knowing that we both agree that this in not happening again. My dad has said we won’t do this for a few years. In my head, I think, “I’m done doing this forever, asswipe.”
The kids are asleep and I took a quick picture because they looked cute. I’m trying to capture the good moments. This is one of them.
All the Sun For You 
August 14, 2015 at 1:41 am
OMG I feel you 1000%. We drive home tomorrow and I can’t wait, even though we have a 9 hour drive between us and our house. I want to sleep in my own bed (more importantly with my kids in THEIR own beds) like nothing I’ve wanted in a loooong time.
Good luck tomorrow. I hope you make it home safely.
August 14, 2015 at 6:59 am
That sounds rough! I hope you are feeling a lot better now! I always find it quite stressful staying at someone else’s house. The kiddos look super cute though! 😊
August 14, 2015 at 9:39 am
We’ve traveled with both our families before, and we are done with that. Heck, we wont even go to my in-laws without a rental car anymore because they hold us hostage and don’t let us leave their house because “the car isn’t working” or “we forgot to renew the insurance” (this is bullshit, there cares are a few years old and just fine).
As for traveling together, every time, out of all the kids we are the ones who end up in the room with a twin bed, or no bathroom or whatever. And we have no escape so it drives us mad. Yet, it’s hard to complain when someone else is paying for the trip.
But, last time we rented our own car so we could get away but it still didn’t work. So, we’ve decided the only way we will ever travel with either family again is with our own separate hotel room (no shared condo’s or houses) and we book everything ourselves so that we can choose the room we get. And honestly, I still doubt we’d do it. A free trip to a beautiful location isn’t fun if you are on edge the entire time.
I hope you can relax when you get home!
August 26, 2015 at 3:19 pm
Thank you for this! You are 100% correct – a free trip to a beautiful location isn’t fun if you’re on edge the entire time. Exactly. My parents don’t understand this at all. It’s infuriating. It’s like they think that since it’s free for us (and it’s not, we paid for gas on the way home, a hotel room on the way home, vet stays, etc.) that we should just enjoy it – period. Well, it does not work that way. We will be like you always – getting the smallest space because we have the fewest kids. I don’t share space well, so a condo will NEVER happen with my parents, thank GOD. They know that I won’t stay under the same roof as them, but we’re thinking we’re done with it all. But it’s hard because we don’t want to take it away from the kids. It’s so tricky.
August 14, 2015 at 10:02 am
Ugh, traveling and sleeping/living in one room is…well, its hell. We do NOT stay in hotels anymore without a suite so that we can relax while the kids nap/sleep, or there is somewhere for one kid to play while the other sleeps. Yes, its more expensive so we don’t travel much! Try to find 1-2 good moments/day and keep focusing on those, that’s the only way I make it through time with extended family (even if we’re not all in one room, its so annoying—like above—we get “held hostage” due to no car or get roped into activities that are just not fun for the kids and then they act up, and then its OUR fault. whew. I have feeling about family trips! Good luck!
August 26, 2015 at 3:14 pm
Oh my, you NAILED IT with this comment. It’s always our fault when the kids don’t want to do the things that only adults like doing. UGH. Hell is right… I’m relieved to be home.
August 14, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Ugh. I’m so sorry. Family trips are hell. We only ever travel with minimum two rooms since having R and even then it sucks. I’m done for a while too. Home will feel so good!
And the pic is very cute :).
August 26, 2015 at 3:13 pm
HA! Family trips are hell. YES THEY ARE! We are sooooooo happy to be home!
August 14, 2015 at 11:57 pm
Why do you get the 1 bedroom hotel room. Are there old 2 2 bedrooms in the whole resort and your sisters got them. That makes no sense to me. We have 3 kids 7,5 and 2 and we do not stay anywhere without 2 bedrooms now!
August 26, 2015 at 3:12 pm
My dad said that he got us the biggest room that sleeps 2… um…. we have 4. I think there was a limitation on space, but there were many cabins unoccupied with more rooms, so I think my dad just was thinking, “they have the fewest kids, the need the least space.” And by the least space, he was thinking NO SPACE. It was ridiculous.
August 17, 2015 at 6:56 am
If you all had a chance to plan one of these family trips, what would you suggest be different (aside from children get their own room)?
August 26, 2015 at 3:11 pm
I would suggest age-appropriate dinners. That was the biggest issue we had – my parents expected our kids to sit through 1.5-2 hour dinners every night, and they just can’t (and I don’t WANT to, so I understand their angst). I would say that when you’re planning a family trip for lots of kids, that you need to focus on what the KIDS will want to do and not necessarily the adults.
August 17, 2015 at 7:32 am
That sounds rough! I kept seeing pictures on FB and thinking “are they still out of town???” That is a long time to be away, especially with extended family. I hope you all got a good night’s rest in your own beds and can get back to your normal routine.
August 26, 2015 at 3:09 pm
We were back to our normal routine within 24 hours. It was GREAT! So glad to be home!