How to Take a Vacation While Leaving the Kids at Home

When you first started thinking about becoming a mom, you probably imagined many different scenarios: your child’s first day of school, holidays with your kids, the family vacation. With this in mind, it can seem unthinkable to imagine taking a vacation without your kids, but there are actually some good reasons to do so. Below are a few things to consider.

Feeling Guilty

It’s natural to feel guilty about leaving your kids for a few days but taking a vacation on your own or with your partner can be good for you, your relationship, and your children. Just because you’re a parent doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve opportunities for self-care and to enjoy some adult time on your own. One of the best tips for stress-free travel is to prepare as much as possible in terms of doing what you need to do to ensure that you are emotionally ready to leave your kids behind.

A vacation with your partner that leaves the kids behind can give you the opportunity to strengthen your relationship. It also helps children begin to see their parents as people with their own interests. Children may become more independent, but they may also have the opportunity to bond more with family or friends that they stay with while you are away.

Making a Budget

Just as you would for a family vacation, you should make a budget so that you know what kind of a trip you can afford to take and what you can spend. If you are short on funds consider a personal loan, which may offer a lower interest rate than your credit card. If money is still tight, figure out what you really want to focus on during your trip. Maybe you’re happy skimping on accommodations as long as you can have a couple of fancy meals.

Communicate

Be explicit with your kids before you go about where you’re going, how long you’ll be away, and how you will communicate in that time. Let them know who will be taking care of them and reassure them that various arrangements are made, such as telling them who will pick them up at school. Make sure the caregiver is someone they are comfortable with. You may want to make an arrangement to call your kids every night before they go to bed, particularly if they are young, but don’t be afraid as well to set boundaries with them and with their temporary caregivers. If you want a break from incessant texts, you can ask for that.

Plan Activities

Maybe your plans don’t go any further than lying on a beach for the week, but if you’d like to do a little more, be sure to take advantage of the fact that you don’t have to plan kid friendly activities. This could mean doing more physical things, such as hiking on New Zealand Trails or windsurfing, or maybe you want to stay out late dancing or listening to live music. It could mean doing things that would be boring for children, such as visiting a modern art museum. Do some research ahead of time so that you know what’s out there, and if you and your partner want to do some things separately, that could enhance your vacation as well, giving you more to talk about when you meet back up again.