In a couple months the family will be headed to Colorado for a summer vacation. It’s something that we’re all looking forward to, especially our three year old who is more than a fan of hotels. When we travel this summer our youngest will have just turned one, and our other two boys will be three and five. Traveling with kids is a challenge, probably at any age, but young kids are an extreme test of patience, planning and mental will power.

The nice part about our children getting older is the fact that they should actually remember going on vacation with us. A few years ago during the summer my wife and I traveled with then our five month old and two and half year old to Hawaii. They won’t remember that trip, outside of the photos we took.

Flying with kids is another aspect of travel that is a challenge. Kids, especially between the ages of one and two, do not want to sit still. Flying necessitates sitting still. A lot of travel brain storming when it comes to flying revolves around where to go that will not cause us to spend the majority of the day on a plane or in between airports. If enjoyment is a factor that is valued in vacationing, you do not want to set yourself up for failure by having a overly stress filled start.

Back to our Colorado vacation. There are many things to look forward to, yet one of the things I know I’m looking forward to is the actual journey to get there. First, the flight we will take is leaving in the afternoon. This is a rarity, since it seems as if most of our travel when flying starts at or before 6am. Secondly the flight to Denver will be slightly over two hours long. This is near the max travel time on a plane with our kids, before you hit a duration that can become bothersome for us and everyone else. Lastly, the time change is only one hour between where we live and Denver, so that is one less factor to cause chaos in the sleeping schedule.

We will be staying in a Residence Inn hotel by Marriott. This brand we’ve come to love because the rooms a relatively large, have a kitchen, and in the morning a full breakfast is setup out in the main lobby area. Feeding three young boys is a chore, especially in the morning and having it already there for the taking is golden. Plus, we don’t have to worry about cleaning the kitchen.

What we’ve also learned about travel is that having three super active kids necessitates having a certain degree of living space. Otherwise, things are crazy and, again, vacation is about enjoyment. This will be the first time we’ve booked a two room suite. The kids are going to act wild, but it is really nice for them to be in another room acting while, rather than always right in front of you. Space is always a premium, yet when you have three very active kids, it becomes all the more treasured.

So, there you have it. A very brief overview of our trip to come. Once it’s all said and done, I’m sure I’ll write a reflective recap of the times spent exploring rocky mountain high Colorado.