(This blog outlines our travel experience & references many products we bought, used, and recommend for your own trip. This entire trip was bought and paid for on our dime, as well as the products mentioned. You can find those products highlighted here (Canadian link) (American link), and I may earn a small commission if you choose to shop from my link – this is the sole way I monetize my content and keep my blog alive).
As a family, our number one leisure priority is traveling (and our budgeting reflects this). The world is our oyster, and we want to see as much of it as we can. Unlike many folks who yearn for a child-free vacation (rightfully so, parenting is hard work!), we love bringing our kids with us and experiencing the world through their eyes. We’ve traveled a few times a year since they were babies!
In early/mid-2024, we began planning out vacation options for 2025. We settled on San Diego. While Disneyland is *not* our jam (too crowded, too expensive, too many lines, etc), we still saw so much value in what San Diego could offer. We booked a gorgeous air bnb with a pool and a hot tub in Escondido, booked our rental car, set up direct flights from Calgary to San Diego, bought tickets for Legoland and the San Diego Zoo, and planned a whole day in La Jolla.
Then…November 2024 took place. Yes, we’re Canadian. However, when your country’s largest ally and closest geographic connection elects Mango Mussolini, you begin to have reservations about spending money in that country on leisure. You have major reservations about supporting tourism there, about keeping your children safe there.
So – we canceled it all. Everything. We canceled our flights (refunded to flight credit to be used within one calendar year), canceled the air bnb (full refund), and we forfeited our tickets to Legoland and San Diego Zoo (about $1,000 USD for the four of us). Air travel is a privilege, canceling our plans based on our personal beliefs is a privilege, and being able to forfeit the cost of experiences we had prepaid for is a privilege – I will be the first to admit that. For us, it was necessary.
With only 3-4 months until our intended vacation time frame (decided a year prior based on work schedules), I began to look overseas. We’ve loved our beach vacations to Mexico, Hawaii, Cuba, St. Lucia, Jamaica (read more about how we beach vacation with kids here) but were looking for something different. Our daughters are 10 & 8, and we’ve finally left the stroller/car seat/nap era in our rearview mirror – we’re ready to explore. Continue reading “Traveling With Kids to The Netherlands”
