Travel tips from a Mom of five - survival advice for a family vacation

Make that checklist - prepare and enjoy time with your little ones

I recently had lunch with a friend who I last saw before our trip to Ireland. She wanted to know how it was. She really wanted to know how it was… not just the glorious green scenery and fabulous family time but the nitty gritty of how we managed to fly overseas and spend ten days in a hotel with five children, all aged six and under. And so I told her. It was HARD!

It was much harder and much more expensive than we anticipated. The logistics of navigating a city – not just Dublin, but any city – with two strollers and five jet-legged kids (not to mention two exhausted parents with short tempers!) was hard.

She asked me how Liam, our six-year old, held up while the other four were pushed in strollers. She assumed we had brought two double strollers with us which, if I had to do it all over again, I would. But, we didn’t. We had a double and a single stroller, which enabled our trio of two-year olds to ride like kings and left our four and six year old whining, moaning and groaning in our wake.

In sharing our adventures with my friend, I suddenly recalled a dark moment my mind must have blocked out: the image of our four year old melting into the worst sort of “MY LEGS WON’T GO, I’M TOO TIRED” tantrum as the doors of Dublin looked down on us and the rains of Ireland fell upon us.

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Over one million North American tourists visited Ireland this year

Guinness world leprechaun record is broken in Dublin

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We were at least a mile away from our hotel with no cab in sight and darkness moving in – in every sense of the word.

The solution required our typical all hands on deck approach - I pushed the double stroller, we put our overtired six year old in charge of the single stroller and my husband put our tired and tormented daughter on his shoulders as the rain poured down and the triplets cried “Rain on me! Wanna go home NOW!”

It was ugly. It was about as far from a Kodak moment as you could possibly get. That said, we did have plenty of true Kodak moments that I will forever cherish and I learned a few things for the next time... if there is a next time!

1. Rent an apartment:

Don’t stay in a hotel. Aside from the cramped quarters, the downside of the hotel was, well, breakfast, lunch and dinner – all of which had to be consumed in a restaurant or the hotel lobby. Neither is a great option with a jet-lagged clan of tots and, it gets very pricey very quickly.

While the upside of a hotel is someone who makes your bed in the morning, there’s another significant downside: no washer and no dryer. Let’s just say that with a trio of potty-training tots, one really needs to be able to do laundry! So, the next time, the Lyons Den will be staying in a short –term rental with kitchen and laundry included.

2. Kids under five needs strollers

Heck, kids over five might even need strollers if your sight-seeing plans are as aggressive as ours.

We literally covered miles each day. My legs were tired. In retrospect, it’s really no surprise that our four and six-year-old were exhausted and miserable… and really, when one thinks of a vacation, “exhausted and miserable” shouldn’t be the descriptors. Poor kids. Next time, strollers all around!


3. Don’t bite off more than you can chew

We tend to cram a lot in a day. Sometimes it’s a fact of life with five kids. Sometimes it’s just plain foolish.

We were looking at pictures from our trip the other night and as we reminisced about the National History Museum, double decker bus tour and Guinness factory, we realized we had done it ALL in ONE day!

Now that is just plain crazy with five small tots in tow! No wonder they were exhausted and miserable… not mention, wet – from both the rain and the potty-training setbacks! I think “less is more” will be my approach for our next family adventure, wherever that may be.

In the meantime, I'm working on an album with hundreds of smiling Kodak moments that will forever be a reminder of our trip... it may not have been a typical vacation but it was still a pretty stellar trip!

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READ MORE:
More stories on taking a vacation in Ireland


Over one million North American tourists visited Ireland this year


Guinness world leprechaun record is broken in Dublin

Sight-seeing in Ireland with five tiny tots

Atop Blarney Castle, about to kiss the Blarney Stone

As you may know, we recently spent ten glorious days in Ireland with our five relatively tiny tots... our oldest is six, our only little lady turned five while we were in Dublin and our triplets turned three the day after we got home... needless to say, the month of October has been a bit of a whirlwind and our adventures in Ireland were no exception.  

While Dublin was our home-base, we did rent a car and hit the road so we could take in some sights a bit further afield.  And boy, am I ever glad we did. 

Our trip to Blarney Castle was like a walk through a fairy tale forest, complete with a Witches Stone and Wishing Steps that our little clan found far preferable to the treacherous hike up to kiss the  Blarney Stone itself... especially since they were all born with a natural gift of gab!

Another highlight was the Rock of Cashel, high atop a windswept mountain in Tipperary.  While it felt admittedly sacrilegious, the kids had a blast running among the Celtic crosses -- especially Cormac, who seemed pleased as punch to learn that the chapel was named after him...

One our most memorable days took us through the mountains of Wicklow, where after taking in the manicured gardens of Powerscourt, we were treated to the rugged wonder of Glendalough, a spectacular monastic sight and true natural wonder. As I reflect on our trip, I realize that we covered a lot of ground -- especially with five tots in tow!  It wasn't always easy but when I look back at the pictures, I can't help but notice something special, something markedly different from the many posed family photos I try to take at home... everyone is smiling.  Do you know how hard it is to take of picture of five kids?  To get them to all look at the camera at the same time, let alone with a smile on their faces?!  This is no easy task.  Yet when we were in Ireland, it was simple as can be. 

Thank you Ireland, for sharing your smiling faces with us and providing us with a lifetime of memories that will always bring a smile to our face.

Smiling in Kinsale

On vacation with five children - sight-seeing in Dublin

We've been back from Ireland for two weeks.  I'm still tired.  I don't know if jet lag gets harder to kick with age or if the whirlwind of returning to my demanding job and hectic routine have just worn me out.  I do know that when I look back at the pictures, all of the effort (and resulting exhaustion!) was totally worth it.  

As you may know, there was a lot of emotion tied up in our decision to take five relatively tiny tots to Ireland.  A big part of why we went was to honor the memory of my brother-in-law, Conor -- a fine fella who died far too soon and we miss more than words can say.  I'm not quite ready to articulate and share the emotional aftermath of our experiences but I can't resist sharing some of the highlights of our trip -- the great times we had and sights we saw that absolutely should not be missed.  The details for many of these family-friendly outings can be found right here on Irish Central but here are a few of our personal favorites:

Playground at St. Stephen's Green

In case you can't tell by the five smiling faces (which is a rarity to catch on film!), the amazing playground at St. Stephen's Green was a hit.  We visited on numerous occasions en route to or from our daily adventures.  I think this is a great tip for traveling with tots; if you can work a playground into your daily routine, you'll be guaranteed some smiles -- and, the added benefit of tuckering the little ones out!  Speaking of added benefits, another perk of this fantastic park in the center of Dublin is the opportunity to feed the ducks... and swans!  It's just beautiful and a crowd pleaser for all ages.


The National Museum of Ireland, also known as the "Dead Zoo" was another top destination.  The first floor is full of Ireland's four-footed and winged creatures of days past; they are beautifully stuffed and displayed with a few "hands on" opportunities for those who just can't resist.  The second floor has a whole host of animals arranged in evolutionary sequence for those who are bright enough to notice; I admit, I was not! It  includes life-size rhinos and giraffes which our kids observed with that wide-eyed wonder I absolutely adore and would bottle if I could.


While the "Dead Zoo" had our kids enthralled and is a great way to spend an hour or two on an overcast day, it naturally pales in comparison to the real deal.  The Dublin Zoo is one of the best zoos I've ever been to... and I've been to a LOT of zoos!  We spent Ciara's 5th birthday here, taking in the sights, sounds and yes, even the smells of Mother Nature's most amazing creatures.  We laughed at the monkeys, pretended to be penguins, roared at the lions and got much closer to the elephants than we did on our honeymoon adventure to   Kruger National Park -- we even got to see an elephant take a bath, which was a highlight not only of our trip to the zoo, but our entire ten days in Ireland.  If you've never seen an elephant submerge itself in a watering hole, kick up a leg and then shower himself with his mighty trunk, I'd highly recommend it.  I'd also recommend you do it with a trio of two year olds, who can't help but make comments like "where his towel, mama?" and "I think his mom's gonna get him some lotion and pajamas now."  


In the weeks to come, I'll share more of our adventures. For now, I'm just so glad for the time we had, the warm welcome we received and for the memories, which I know will last a lifetime.