I thought traveling with toddlers was impossible. Now we live in Spain for 2 months at a time - and it's cheaper than Disney.

"My wife and I wanted to connect with our Spanish heritage, so we started planning extended stays. Now we spend two-month-long stays in Spain with our two toddlers, who love traveling. Surprisingly, traveling to Europe for two months is cheaper for us than a trip to Disney."

"In 2018, my wife (who is Cuban with Spanish ancestry) and I took a road trip through snow-capped Spanish mountains, meeting new family members that I never knew existed. When we met these relatives, we all grew close. My wife and I then wanted to reconnect with our Spanish heritage in a whole new way. We decided that the best way to do so would be to travel to Spain for long stretches, with our toddlers."

"When my daughter was 2 years old, she had a 45-minute meltdown at the Miami International Airport. While we were resolving a ticketing issue for our baby boy, our daughter was throwing a loud tantrum. We endured many side-eyes from soon-to-be passengers (one of them snapped at us), and eventually, an airline employee frantically asked us to make it stop. I thought we would never travel again, but the idea of an extended trip kept lingering in our minds. On shorter trips, we pushed through and learned tricks that made travel easier, like using inflatable beds that rest on plane seats, small trinkets to play with, and plenty of snacks. With time, we knew we had a shot."

My wife and I reconnected with Spanish roots by taking extended stays in Spain with our two toddlers. A 2018 road trip through snow-capped mountains revealed previously unknown relatives and strengthened family bonds. Initial doubts followed a 45-minute airport meltdown, but repeated short trips taught practical travel strategies like inflatable seat beds, small toys, and snacks. Freelancing income and careful budgeting made two-month stints affordable. For three years the family has undertaken these two-month European stays, discovering that extended travel can be less expensive than a comparable weeklong family trip to Disney. The children enjoy traveling and the family deepens cultural ties.

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