Travel
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International Travel 101
in Travel
So DH and I are talking about going to England before the year ends. In December after the semester ends. DH only gets 10 days off a year and with the possibility of having another child in the year 2013 we would like to save those days for that. So we are thinking that we would need to take this trip this year if we're going to take it at all because after we have the second child it will be harder for us to travel. Typically when is the best time to do international travel? I am thinking that if we were to go in the summertime it would be more expensive. Also we are thinking of going to hawaii for a couple of days this summer so when we take the trip in december we would only be able to go for about a week. in the past I had always thought that if we did go on an international trip it would be for 2 weeks because there is so much we want to see. Do we wait until that time come (when the kids are older) or do what we can now? we would like to have a trip away before having another child. we are also wondering if we should wait and try to take a trip during a different season. For those that do have children travel as well, can you share what your experiences are like? Sorry for errors and lack of paragraphs, posting from phone.
Thanks!
Oh an we have never traveled out of the country, with exception of DH deploying. So this is new and we don't know the tricks of the trade 
Re: International Travel 101
I think going to England for a week is worth it if your time is limited, you just (obviously) won't be able to do as much. If it were me, I'd rather go now than wait until another time.
I've been to England in November. I actually did that particular trip when I lived in the states, and I did it over Thanksgiving weekend. I didn't have kids at the time, but it was only 3 or 4 nights. I had a great time. I spent the whole time in London and swore that I would make it a Thanksgiving tradition. Unfortunately, I haven't gone back for Thanksgiving. I was in Scotland this past December and it was cold, as to be expected.
Traveling with my son is not bad, actually. We take our days slow. I like to stay in centrally located hotels, so that we can get back to the hotel for naps if we want to. Of course, sometimes our siteseeing takes us a bit away from the hotel, but oh well. I always look to see what we can do that will have some interest to him. I like to get back to the hotel a lot earlier than I did pre-kids, but we also start our days earlier, too.
Traveling with a toddler is totally doable. We went to England for 2 weeks last year when DS was 22 months and he was a rock star. We'll probably go again next year when DS is 4 and New Baby is 1(We have family over there) and are hoping things go smoothly again.
It just takes more planning. Sometimes renting a car instead of taking a train, nicer hotels than I'd need with just DH and I, doing more research on places to see and eat.
Then there's packing strategically...
Where do you live in the US? Depending where you're located, you may have jet lag for either England or Hawaii.
If you had 7 days for England, counting 2 days as travel and full 5 days there, I still think that's a sufficient amount of time. We just got back and spent 5 nights in Reading, which is 30 minutes trainride west of London. We had 4 full days, spent 3 in London and one split among Oxford and Southampton. It would have been nice to have another day or two for Bath, Windsor or one more day in London. However, with the time we had, we saw a lot and didn't feel rushed at all. (although I did opt for no shopping in order to have time to see more sites)
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We go to England almost every year for Christmas (DH is from there) and it's a good time to go. IF you go far enough outside the 'holiday' window the tickets can be super cheap. The weather is going to be rainy and cold, but it's not a huge deal as long as you know that going into it. But attractions will be EMPTY which is nice with kids. We did Hampton Court this last trip for my DD's 5th birthday, I took her to the ice rink and through the castle and there were seriously about 5 people touring with us and that was it. We had the run of the place, the guides were so happy to see ANYONE that they chatted forever and showed us some areas that were closed off for renovations just because they were bored, the dressed up characters had a blast with my DD, etc. It was nice even if it was cold and rainy, kwim.