Becoming a parent should not mean the end of romance! Traveling with your partner provides an opportunity to escape the stresses of everyday life and reconnect with each other. If you can't find a sitter, or you simply don't want to leave the kids at home, follow these nine tips to make room for romance on family vacation.
1. Spring for a suite or connecting rooms.
Nothing zaps romance faster than lack of sleep. On a romantic family vacation with young kids, then a room with a separate door is a must. What adult wants to turn in for the night pre-sunset?
A hotel suite also allows for privacy after bedtime. Make sure you know what you’re getting when you book the room, though, because sometimes a “suite” is simply a larger room with a sitting area.
Before you go, be sure to check out these travel sleep tips for families from a child sleep expert.
2. Book a room with a balcony or patio.
A balcony at your hotel or on a cruise ship can make a great retreat for couple time. Enjoy conversation and a relaxing glass of wine together after you've tucked the kids into bed. All the better if that outdoor space comes with a hot tub! If traveling with a baby or young child who still naps during the day, this extra space enables parents to enjoy the outdoors while little kids doze, too.
3. Choose accommodations that offer a kids club.
Enjoy a little romance on a family vacation while the young are busy at kids' camp and older kids make friends at teen clubs. Many family-friendly resorts offer group babysitting with crafts, games, scavenger hunts, and local activities like hula dancing in Hawaii.
Examples of hotels with kids clubs include Beaches Resorts (23 months through teenagers), Club Med (4 months to 17 years), Four Seasons (5 years+ at most locations), Hyatt Regency (age 3 or 5 to 12), and Disney's Aulani Resort (ages 3 to 12).
4. Cruise into romance.
Family-friendly cruises offer fun activities for all ages and provide group childcare to allow for quality time with your partner. Some of the best cruise lines for children are Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line. Read our tips for cruising with kids to learn more.
For privacy after the kiddos go to bed, it’s best to book connecting cabins or a suite, if you can afford it. Alternatively, Disney Cruise Line offers a handy “privacy curtain” between the grown-up bed and the children’s sleeping area.
Discover romantic things to do on a Royal Caribbean Cruise and activities for couples on Princess Cruises.
5. Invite extended family along.
Vacations provide a perfect opportunity for your children to bond with grandparents and other family members. All the better if grandma and grandpa are willing to watch the kids so you can duck out for a night or two on the town! Just be sure to discuss babysitting arrangements before you leave home to make sure everyone is on the same page.
6. Travel with friends.
Co-vacations with friends work best with other parents who also have children around the same age as your offspring. The kids will enjoy playing together, allowing for adult conversation during your trip. Plus, couples can take turns babysitting so each pair can steal away for a couple of hours alone.
7. Hire an in-room babysitter.
Using a local babysitter allows parents to indulge in a date night with a romantic dinner while traveling. Care.com is the world's largest online family care platform, offering babysitting services in 20+ countries. Sign up with Care.com today and receive 20% off a premium membership!
Alternatively, most resorts will provide a list of recommended sitters or childcare agencies. Prepare before leaving home by checking references in advance. If you plan more than one outing without your kids, book the same sitter for multiple visits during your vacation. This will likely make the experience less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone.
8. Bring along a trusted nanny or babysitter.
If you do not mind sharing your vacation with your regular sitter, then bringing her along will provide the most flexibility for enjoying adult-only activities during your family vacation. The babysitter often sleeps in a connecting room with the children.
Full-time childcare providers are typically paid their usual weekly rate plus any meals or entrance fees while traveling with families. You may be able to convince a part-time childcare provider to tag along to a fun destination in trade for room and board if you provide her with alone time during the trip.
9. Make “we” time a priority.
Even if a suite or babysitter is not in your budget, do make room for romantic moments during your travels. Clink glasses with your partner during a toast at a nice dinner. Hold hands with your honey as you stroll along the beach. Snuggle with your spouse after the kids are asleep, too.
Vacations are a time for relaxation and reconnection. Parents definitely deserve a bit of romance on family vacation!
Learn more family vacation ideas!
For a romantic destination that offers fun options for kids, too, consider booking a vacation in Monterey, California.
Another great vacation spot is the Big Easy. Take a look at these romantic things to do in New Orleans as well as these kid-friendly things to do in New Orleans.
If you can't get away, then consider planning a romantic staycation instead.
Take a look at the best family-friendly hotels with pools in the USA.
Keep these tips for romance on family vacation!
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How do you make room for romance on family vacation? Let us know in the comments below!
About Colleen Lanin, The Travel Mama
These are tips are SO underrated. We always try to find ways to keep the romance up when we’re travel, though it certainly takes effort. Love this.
It can be tough to do with kids, but it’s definitely do-able and so worth it!
Traveling with friends is the best way to get some me-time for sure. Even better, cousins who are old enough to babysit or grandparents who don’t mind staying in for dinner. Ha!
We’ve had some incredible trips with extended family — love those free babysitters! 🙂
I think Spring for a suite or connecting rooms is a good idea. You can check on them from time to time while having privacy too. That’s a great idea!
It is really hard to balance relationships and then kids on top of that. This is great advice.
Thanks! Glad you like my tips. The kids will only be around for 18 years but we need to keep the marriage alive beyond that (hopefully)!
those are great ideas. i love the adjoining room ideas. i will have to remember that.
These are amazing ideas! I so agree that we all need those romantic moments to reconnect with each other every once in a while! I have 2 little kids and we have no one to leave them with, so we always take them with us! I love the idea of a cruise and kids club! Thanks for the useful tips!
Romance needs to keep going in a relationship, just because you are now a parent doesn’t mean it ends. We brought my aunt along when my daughter was younger. She was so much help and at the same time had fun traveling wit us.
Great list! Cruising is such a great idea – private time for all.
I love cruising, especially for multi-gen vacations!
Nnniiiiccceeeee…..cruising into romance! Hearing that alone makes me wish I had somebody to call my love, you know! A cruise together would do us good.
i dont have kids yet, but will deff have to read this again with kiddos! great tips 🙂
Romance definitely doesn’t have to end once you become a parent! ❤️
Those are all great tips for having a romantic getaway when you have kids. I don’t have kids yet hopefully, someday, gotta find a girl and get married first. lol
These are great tips for a family trip with kids. It is always fun to travel with friends that have kids too so adults can have their own time while kids have fun with each other.
If you can’t leave them behind, it’s good you can still find ways to have a romantic getaway. Thanks for the tips.
It’s great to have family time, but it’s also great to have couple-time for sure!
I love these! We sometimes take our baby boy to a dinner date. We both dress up, we book a nice restaurant and we make sure to take some toys with us, so he can play at the restaurant and we get to talk to each other, just the two of us, when he focuses on the toys. It works great and I think it’s super romantic too.
So smart to take advantage of this phase when your baby is a mellow dining companion! Bon appetit!
Great tips! I love that you include options at different price points!
HI Colleen, this is a great list! My husband and I make it a point to take a trip by ourselves every now and then. I realize this is a luxury because both of our mothers live nearby. But you are so right, even if you take the kids, it can be as simple as holding hands. After 15 years of marriage, we only do that we are out by ourselves. Once we set up a photoshoot during one of our trips without the kids. We were instructed by the photographer to be romantic so we really were! I guess this could work even if it’s during a trip with the kids. You can do photos as a family and then have the kids step aside and do a couples shoot!
Definitely! We had photos taken during one family trip (in Portland, OR) and I loved having the whole family together and some individual/couple shots taken as a souvenir of our vacation. I really should plan to do a professional photo shoot during our travels once per year!
In Las Vegas, we used Grandma Dottie’s babysitters. Grandma Dottie sends over a “Grandma” to watch the kids for $10 per hour. Just about all her grandmas have been working for her for ten years.
(4 hr minimum)
So many times on family vacations we neglect to have a picture of Mom and Dad together. However, getting those snuggly pictures of the two of us brings back warm memories of our couplehood on our warm vacation.