Avoid Hotels When Traveling with Kids

Traveling with small children, especially ones that cry at night or still nap can be tricky. One of the longest nights of my life was spent in a hotel room with my kids. The baby cried, like she always did, but I couldn't "let" her cry, she was disturbing everyone else. The air conditioning was loud and the air was bone dry. Not to mention that fact that my two year old went to sleep at 8, so what did the rest of us do while she was sleeping? My husband took my 5 year old to the lobby to read and I sat and watched TV, very softly.

I avoid hotels like the plague when vacationing with kids. They just don't make good sense. Instead I plan in advance and do a little research to find a great condo or rental home in the area. One great site that I'd recommend for your research is VRBO.com, Vacation Rental By Owner. More on that later.There are huge advantages to renting a condo or a home

More space for toys, sleeping and fun. While the little ones are napping, you or your older children can do "awake" things. I try to look for places with yards or condos with balconies or decks so you can still be outside while still being close by.

A kitchen with a fridge and a microwave. You can pack lunches for the day, have breakfast, and serve healthy snacks. My husband and I love feeding our kids an
early dinner of Mac n Cheese then heading out to a nice dinner where we eat and they get to color. We save a ton of money and time bringing or buying groceries. More time to vacation and less time sitting in restaurants (our kids least favorite place to be!)

Indoor amenities. Rental places usually have DVDs, VCRs, games, magazines, books, suggestions of things to do, a big coffee pot (my husband and I are addicts), beach towels and swim toys. We once stayed at a place with a pool table.

Outdoor amenities. Anything goes with this one, just search for what you want. Rentals can come with swimming pools, hot tubs, playground equipment, snorkel gear, private decks, and private beaches. Last summer we stayed at a cabin in the Smokey Mountains that was on a river. The owner's s provided fishing tackle. It had a private deck on the water with a fire pit. The secluded private hot tub was a big hit.