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Last month, my husband and I had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii by ourselves without our kids. We have only done that one time since we had kids, and that was 7 years ago. All of the stars aligned perfectly for this trip to happen for us, and I’m so glad we went.
When I wrote about plans for this trip on the blog earlier, I did get a few snarky comments from readers who disagree with excluding the kids from any trips. I understand that a kidless trip isn’t for everyone. However, this trip was such a special time for my husband and me, and I have no regrets.
Relaxing Flight
Our flights were almost 8 hours long each way. Usually on our family flights, my husband and I don’t sit next to each other. We each take a row with the kids to minimize squabbles among them. We have to deal with fixing devices and answering numerous questions.
But on this last trip, I hardly knew what to do with myself on those flights. Watch a movie? Don’t mind if I do! Our time was our own.
Adults-only Excursions
On one of our free days, my husband and I decided to book an excursion. It was an 8-hour activity that may have been too much for our kids. In fact, the minimum age per the tour company was 14. Two of my kids wouldn’t have been able to go on it. The excursion was amazing!
Connection and Conversation
Traveling with just my husband allowed us to reconnect and actually have uninterrupted conversations. We returned home from the trip feeing rejuvenated and relaxed.
Cost
It’s worth mentioning that leaving the kids behind for this particular trip saved us a ton of money. The hotel we stayed at with my husband’s company was very expensive. Getting another room for the kids would have cost us a fortune. Not to mention the cost of the restaurants were crazy high. I have a few bucket-list trips that I’m saving for just the two of us based on the cost (European river cruise is one of those things).
Overall Thoughts
Even though we loved this trip by ourselves, we won’t be traveling without the kids all the time. We don’t have easy childcare options right now. But if we did, I would consider doing a couples-only trip once a year.
This doesn’t meant we don’t love our kids or don’t love traveling with our kids. We have a few adventures planned with each kid one-on-one this fall. And, we have some grand adventures planned for the whole family next year as well.
However, I do think that one of the best things we can do for our kids is have a healthy marriage. Clearly, getting away by ourselves to recharge our batteries did us a world of good.
How often do you take adults-only getaways?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
What a great trip! We haven’t left our kids overnight yet but will for the first time next month to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Hopefully next year we can plan a long weekend away for just the two of us and then I would like to do a couples trip once a year too. I think it sounds fabulous. We have always traveled with our kids and will continue to do so but travel is definitely different with kids v without. I could totally relate to your description of flying with kids. That’s real life right there!
@Tammie I hope you have a great 10th anniversary trip!
These past 2 years, my husband and I went places on 2 nights weekend, leaving our oldest driving and watching the other two. Mainly because of the pandemic, but now we got into this nice arrangement and will keep doing it as long as we have companion pass. It is a huge different between the couple and family trip: food, activities, relaxation level, the luxury of winging our days, etc. We have not done a longer trip due to not having relatives to watch our kids, maybe in a couple years we can start.
@Agnes I’m glad you’re able to get some small getaways in by yourselves.
We have always taken one adults-only trip per year mixed in with our family vacations. Just as we eat out as a family and sometimes have date night. It works for us and feels like a good balance for everyone in our family.
@DL That sounds like a nice balance!
Saves money? The cost to pay for childcare 24 hours far outweighs what it costs to take them.
@Andrea Obviously, the assumption is that relatives will watch the kids for free. I know that’s true for my family, and probably 90% of other families in US. Sadly, this doesn’t apply to everyone, and in that case, going without the kids in order to save money won’t work. This wasn’t meant to upset anyone.
@Andrea I’ve looked into paid childcare for overnight trips and you’re right, it’s crazy expensive. That’s one of the reasons why I don’t take one of these trips every year. Fortunately, a family member and her friend stepped up to watch our kids for this trip. We paid for their hotel stay here the night before we left as well as all their food while here.