Traveling when I was single was completely different once I got married.
Going on a vacation with the "guys" is a different experience than spending time with the wife.
When I was younger my friends and I decided to take a Vegas vacation.
It was the ultimate "guy" trip in the town labeled sin city.
We hit clubs and bars, we gambled, you name it, and we had a good time.
A few years later after I got married I went back to Vegas with my wife and experienced it in a completely different fashion.
We enjoyed going to shows, riding the gondola at the Venetian, taking the time to slow walk along the Vegas strip to enjoy the sites and the sounds.
I can say that both experiences were great.
Fast forward a couple more years and we now have a child.
I have already assured my wife that I am not taking my son to Vegas (anytime soon anyway).
If you are in the same situation as me, and find yourself with a young child but still long for that week get away, you can do what my wife and I currently do.
As great as some hotels are, they just are not that accommodating to families with infants or toddlers under two years of age.
If you are like us and your youngster still needs a crib, or needs to take those morning and afternoon naps, than I highly recommend renting a house for your next week long vacation.
We recently stayed in North Carolina's Outer banks.
It was a wonderful location and the people there were friendly.
What made it just as enjoyable was the fact that we were able to rent a good sized house, split it with family members, save some money and still have a great vacation.
The house gave us the ability to lug our crib there, his toys and other supplies that we would just not have had the room for at a hotel or Inn.
Along with that, the house also gives us the extra added convenience of a kitchen where we can prepare our meals at anytime (and as many of you parents know it is hard to dine out when you have a young one at home) at our convenience.
This particular house had a back deck, swimming pool, hot tub and game room.
So there were enough amenities to keep everybody happy and we did not have to be in a crowded room with everyone else from a hotel.
Since we have had our first child we have taken two vacations where we have rented a home.
The first was in Martha's Vineyard (another beautiful location that I highly recommend) and of course the Outer Banks.
Although the houses were completely different in price and what they offered, each gave us the convenience we needed since we had a small child with us.
There are a number of websites you can go to where you can look up vacation home rentals for your next trip.
I recommend that you price out at least five of them.
Make sure the house you end up renting has the amenities you are looking for and is in a location close enough to the attractions that you plan of visiting.
If the house has a pool, hot tub and all of those bells & whistles, yet is 45 minutes to an hour away from the amusement park you are going there to visit in the first place, it might make more sense to drop a couple of the amenities or pay a little more to save on gas and travel time.
Consider renting a house for your next vacation.
Even if you do not have small children, if you get enough people together to split the rent, it might just cost less than a nightly stay at the local hotel or inn.