Cancun Vacation

Ross Party of 3 in Cancun!

We just returned from our first international vacation as a family of three! Ady has been on an airplane multiple times in her first 18 months of life, including to Hawaii last fall, but leaving the country was a big deal! Thankfully everything went smoothly with the passports and documentation, immigration forms, and travel schedule. We were blessed by on-time departures on both days of travel, and we had an extra seat for our squirmy toddler on three out of four of the flights, which was a huge sanity-saver for all involved!

Our resort, the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, was PERFECTION! Our friends found out about this location a few months ago, and when they invited us to join them, we only had to think about it for about two seconds before deciding that we couldn't miss out. All-inclusive was definitely the way to go when traveling with families. There were fun things for everyone to do, lots of food options, and the family-friendly pools were PARADISE. We had an ocean front room with stunning views over the Caribbean, and the location of the resort offered beaches on both the east and north sides of the coast. We had gorgeous weather every day. Even the gym was set up to enjoy picturesque views of the dolphin pool and beach from the treadmill (making Half Marathon training on vacation so much more enjoyable).

Ady had so much fun playing with her new friends, digging in the sand, and splashing in the pool! She was such a good sport with a new routine and going out to eat multiple times a day, and she tried lots of new, fresh foods! It was so comforting to be at a family-friendly resort because my experience wasn't tarnished by guilt over a squirming toddler or noisy kids in the pool. (It can be so embarrassing and frustrating to walk into a clearly adult-oriented restaurant or very quiet room with a toddler and instantly know that we're making enemies, but that wasn't the case at all at this resort.) There were lots of other little ones around, and everyone was very neighborly and welcoming.

As a parent, I embrace traveling with kids, exposing them to new experiences, giving them opportunities to observe other people and hear different languages, and incorporating them into things we already love to do. Besides needing to vigilantly attend to the kids in the water and leave dinner early a few times (ameliorated by a glass of Shiraz "to go"), I don't feel that I "missed out" on anything by bringing kids on the trip. Going to bed early after a long day in the sun was much-appreciated, and Ady constantly makes us laugh with her new skills and mannerisms.

Here was our general routine:
7:00 Gym
8:00 Iced coffee for mom, banana bread for dad, pigeon-watching for Ady
9:00 Breakfast buffet, featuring the most extensive spread I've ever seen!
10:00 Aqua Fit workout class in the pool (on the day I skipped the gym)
10:45 Swim time for the kiddos, sunbathing and Pina Coladas for parents
12:30 Ceviche, shrimp tacos and caipirinhas for lunch
1:30-4:00 Naps, relax, read books, take a break from the sun
4:00-5:30 Beach time on the north beach
6:30 Dinner out (we tried a new place each night, and Asian fusion was my fav!)
8:30 Bedtime for the kids, beers for dads

Here are a few of my tips for traveling to Mexico with a toddler:

1. Have all the documents organized and allow extra time: This is obvious, but very true. You don't want to be scrambling for papers when you're trying to juggle a diaper bag and a mini gymnast, so have passports, IDs, birth certificate and travel itinerary easily accessible. On our return trip, we spent over 30 minutes at the ticket counter while the agent figured out documentation, luggage checking, and seating assignments for our family, but fortunately we were over two hours early and had plenty of time. Also, the process is smooth when both parents are present to authorize travel out of the country, but make sure to have all the forms signed if this is not the case.

2. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen: Use a high SPF and reapply frequently. A sunburned toddler would be a major buzzkill. We also kept her in a sunhat and sunglasses most of the time and had one long-sleeved swimsuit for the afternoons.

3. Pack light: I've said this before, but babies and toddlers don't need a lot of toys on vacation. Watching pigeons and pulling Kleenex out of the box is way more fun than blocks. I was glad that I picked up some $3 sand toys from Target (they were a hit!), but plastic cups and spoons would have sufficed.

4. Order all the food: One of the benefits of an all-inclusive experience is being able to try everything. Not sure if the kid will eat shrimp tacos? Then order the mac and cheese as backup. And maybe some corndogs too. We also tried all of the fruits from the breakfast buffet. Ady devoured the mango and wasn't so sure about the lychee, but I think it's important to allow kids to sample everything and expand their palates.

5. Take naps: This is just good advice for everyone, right?

6. But be flexible: On our first full day in Cancun, Ady just completely resisted her nap (even after rubbing her eyes and staring off in space for the prior three hours). Instead of letting it consume our whole afternoon, we gave up and went out for tacos instead. She still had some quiet rest time out of the sun, and she was perfectly fine until bedtime.

7. Learn from other travelers: One of the joys of traveling internationally is meeting people from lots of other countries. I became very aware of who the Americans were at the restaurants with our rambunctious kids, loud laughs, and plates stacked with carbs, but it really puts things in perspective to see how kids from other countries behave. Europeans have their shit together and I think we can learn a lot from other cultures about the pace of life, being present, and enjoying each other's company.

8. Take some "Me" time: Being a mom is tough. Being on "kid duty" 24/7 is overwhelming, but sometimes I feel guilty or selfish within 5 minutes of handing her off to Dad. I had to just let those feelings go, allow Jaycob to take over for a while, and take a few minutes for myself. I'm the kind of person who really values some alone time on vacation. I took time to work out every day and also spent 30 minutes reading my book in the sun one afternoon while Ady slept, which was exactly what I needed. If we had stayed another day or two, I was also considering a spa treatment.

I actually returned home from vacation feeling RELAXED, which never happens for me! I was able to get in my training runs and take a few naps in the afternoons. I can't wait to go back to this resort again someday!