Taking kids to spain...daft questions!

[Lefty]

We are looking to take our first foreign holiday with the kids (aged 5 and 2).

We'd actually been looking at centreparcs but I'm loathe to spend 2 grand on a holiday in Cumbria when we go somewhere warm.


We live in NE Scotland and really want to fly direct from Aberdeen which limits us to Malaga, Majorca, Ibiza or the canaries. Worried that the Canaries might be too warm for the kids so thinking about Malaga or Majorca.

Questions:

1. Are we daft for even contemplating it?
2. Having never been abroad with kids before, how "easy" is it? Is it possible to get taxis with car seats etc?
3. Are all package holidays st? Any companies better than others?
4. Rather than a thomson/thomas crook etc package, would we maybe be better booking flights and a villa separately?

[ChrisBMW]

My son was 3 when we took him on his first holiday abroad and I can't remember it being too bad, it was around the middle of June and pretty warm but I have also been on flights when other people have had young kids with them and it has been a nightmare.

How are your kids on a long car trip? my experience is if they are a handfull in this situation then you can expect double this on a plane for 3-4 hours.

[chopper602]

Take your car seats with you - they'll get checked in with your luggage.

Took my son on his first flight when he was about 4 (to USA) and he was fine, but then we did take him camping in Belgium at 10 months. They're both well travelled now.

[Lefty]

Thanks chaps.

Longest car trip the kids have ever been on is about 4 hours, they were OK.

Driving to cumbria centreparcs would be at least 6 hours so i figure that a flight of around 3 hours would be OK.

Good idea for taking the kids car seats - the boy could get away with just a booster seat but the little one would still need a proper seat.

[aizvara]

Only have the one child and he's 16 months, but going abroad with kids needn't be that hard. We've been to Sweden twice in his life, most recently for Christmas and New Year. I was carted around the world aged 7 months - 3 years, too, and it didn't do me any harm.

Biggest problem with younger children might be the air pressure changes; ours got really painful ears coming in to land and he didn't understand what was happening. Keeping them entertained or asleep can be an issue, but its only a couple of hours. As others have said; bring the car seats or arrange to hire a car with them included.

[LuS1fer]

I have similar aged kids and they have been on numerous occasions - Mallorca, Spain and Lanzarote last year.

Tip for the aircraft is a bag of lollies as the sucking helps the ear-popping. They soon get used to it.

When you go is key. Any winter months and make it the Canaries (though you cans till get unlucky especially with Tenerife due to the mountains). Anything from May to September then I unhesitatingly recommend Mallorca. It is fantastic.
We always book the flight through the airline and then book a villa from www.ownersdirect.co.uk (or similar) along with a hire car for exploring the island. We always stay in Cala d'Or/ Cala Egos as there are about 7 beaches round there and it is very picturesque round and about but have visited all round the island. The train from Palma to Soller is well worth a trip into Palma and Valdemossa is worth a day trip too.

One useful addition to our last trip was a Trunkie backpack which converts into a booster seat for our 5 year old. In general, the car seats provided by car hire companies are pretty dire but they do the job and the last one I hired in Alicante was actually very good quality for the first time.

Palma airport can be hectic and it's huge but I would still recommend Mallorca over Malaga as it has way better beaches. Cala d'Or and Cala Egos also offer low price kid's meals in the local restaurants and they have the coin-operated go-karts and a land train.

We've been all over Spain and the Canaries and the only destination I don't have to ask my wife about is Mallorca.

All I can say about Center Parcs is that it's sh*t.

[FUBAR]

Ive yet to find a taxi (be it airport or locally) with child seats in it. I normally hire a car when abroad and take our own seats. If your accommodation is further than 30 minutes from the airport you may find there is only £40 or £50 difference between hire charge and the price of a taxi to/from your hotel/villa. And then you have the use of a car for a week for £40

[Bill]

Another +1 for the trunkie booster/backpack. Orjust spend a fiver on one in Halfords and ditch it at the airport on the way home...

Going abroad with kids is pretty easy, particularly Spain where the locals bend over backwards to help.

[NDA]

Make sure there's air conditioning at night if you can!

My kids are older now, but were about the age of yours when we used to away. Continental types love kids, so no issues there, but high heat at night is a major problem for them sleeping. Which can lead to a cycle of tired and grumpy kids.

As above, take booster seats with you. Taxis won't have them. Hire cars do though (by arrangement).

[Puggit]

Lefty said:

Worried that the Canaries might be too warm for the kids so thinking about Malaga or Majorca.

I would have thought the Med could get much hotter than the Canaries - Ocean islands don't tend to heat up as much...

[ScoobieWRX]

Whether you go to South Spain, the Canaries or Balearics....

For guaranteed sun and not too hot for the kids go either April/May/very early june or Back end September/October/November.

Avoid June/July/August/most of September, specially if you go to the SW of Spain (Seville/Jerez/Cadiz/Conil/Canas De Meca/Tarifa). This area isn't called the oven for nothing!!

[Davel]

We took twins of about 2 and a 4 year old to Spain a while ago.

Take your car seats or find a car hire firm that can provide them there.

Allow for flight delays, so put spare nappies etc in your hand baggage as it can happen that you're stuck in the departure lounge and your bags are waiting to go on the plane.

Or you get to Spain and your luggage doesn't for a few days.

Apart from that - no problems.

[Hugo a Gogo]

they sell nappies in spain though, funnily enough, so you don't need to take a week's supply (if your 2 yr old is even in nappies)

[LuS1fer]

The thing is that everything in Spain is expensive so a plastic pot of instant coffee, some packets of noodles etc are always worth filling the nooks up with.

[CraigVmax]

leave a bit longer for everything.

check in online.
Get inflatable booster seats.
Take an ipad or portable dvd player for the flight
as has been said, lollies or something to drink when plane is taking off and landing

forget routine for that week, enjoy yourself and let the kids fit in a bit

[Davel]

Hugo a Gogo said:

they sell nappies in spain though, funnily enough, so you don't need to take a week's supply (if your 2 yr old is even in nappies)

Not when the airport shop is closed though, as it was when we were delayed there.

[Hugo a Gogo]

Davel said:

Hugo a Gogo said:

they sell nappies in spain though, funnily enough, so you don't need to take a week's supply (if your 2 yr old is even in nappies)

Not when the airport shop is closed though, as it was when we were delayed there.

i was replying to this though

Davel said:

Or you get to Spain and your luggage doesn't for a few days.

[LuS1fer]

Over the past 10 years with 2-3 holidays a year, I don't think I've ever had more than one delay (bar the US and a short 2 hour delay in the canaries I think - and my luggage has never gone astray.

[Davel]

Sorry about the nappy bit - missed the point.

We went to Cyprus a few of years ago and all the baggage went a stray for 5 days- for the entire party of 7.

All due to a power failure at Manchester Airport.

[LuS1fer]

Have seen news about an airline called VUELING who now offer flights to Spain at cheap rates.