I just ran into a friend of mine who has a 2 and a 3 year old and she asked me where I most enjoyed going on vacation when my children were toddlers. I found toddlers to be the most challenging of all ages to travel with. But in the summer, the beach had no match when it came to vacationing with toddlers. We found a beach on a lake, river or ocean was the absolute best, and searched for the calmest beaches we could find. We booked our lodging as close as possible to the water. When it was expensive, we cut down on the number of days we spent on vacation, finding that it was better to have fewer days closer to the water than to have to schlep with all of our gear back and forth to get a lower price.

The kids were happy with a few sand toys — and they often were very simple, like yogurt containers, plastic spoons and little cars, small buckets and shovels. We always brought a beach umbrella and set up our headquarters right at the edge of the water. It was one of the most relaxing vacations we spent when the kids were these ages. My husband and i would take turns watching the kids — one of us would read or relax or sleep while the other kept an eye on the children. They usually amused themselves and each other without too much interaction from us. We always bought a few cheap shells and buried them in the sand to have treasure hunts while we were there, which was lots of fun.

In winter, we went to ski resorts that had children’s programs for toddlers. It gave us a break and the kids had a ball. As they got older they learned to ski and now we all ski/snowboard together.