Ireland or Spain?

Josh, It would help to know when you're planning to take this trip? The weather in Southern Europe (Barcelona) will likely be better during the winter months.

We are hoping to go next Spring or Fall '12.

There was a recent thread on this board about when is the best time to travel overseas with children. The consensus was around age 5. Not saying not to do it, but if it was me I would want to take my infant for a "test drive" on an airplane for a weekend trip somewhere in the US. Some babies sleep like a rock through anything, others won't stop squirming and screaming. Also recommended is buying an extra seat on the plane so you can park the baby there and get some rest. Ireland and Spain are so different, without knowing what time of year you will be travelling (weather can sway a vote depending if it's going to be too hot or too cold for your trip) or what your interests are, too hard to say what might work better for you. If it's Ireland you go with, I will say the West Coast or up north in Donegal is more scenic if you like to be outdoors. In a week, you could split the trip up and stay in 2 places then day trip from there.

We are hoping to make the trip in Spring or Fall of next year. Believe me, we've thought of how difficult it would be to bring our daughter with us, but my wife is adamant about breastfeeding. Our anniversary is in the Spring, but we may go the following Fall so that we could possibly leave our girl with family and not have to worry about breastfeeding (she will be about 16 months by then). As for the trip itself, we love art, history, and architecture, but we also love the different CULTURES of Europe. We loved spending seven whole days in Paris, but is that too much for places such as Dublin or Barcelona? Again, if we had more time we would drive all over the place, but we're looking for a little more relaxed trip with the maximum amount of exposure, if that makes sense. Thank you again.

If you're going in the spring and you're traveling with a baby, I'd lean more towards Spain because the weather might be more comfortable for all of you as you're touring and traveling around. I went to Ireland in late May 2008 and early June 2011 and it was very cold and wet both times. Both Ireland and Spain have fascinating histories, good food, music, friendly people, and so on, but Spain's architecture is magnificent. Seven days in Dublin itself is too much, but you could do day trips from there. I didn't get the chance to go to Barcelona so I don't know if seven days is too much, but you could do a day trip here and there. Dublin is an interesting city, but it's not nearly as pretty as Barcelona based on what I've seen on tv.

Having a baby will make life much more difficult for you. I suggest you two have time alone if you have someone reliable to watch your daughter. I've not been to Barcelona but I have been to Dublin. You can really "see" Dublin in three full days. You could certainly see and do more to fill up a whole week. There are a number of day trips that are worthwhile. Various companies offer day trips to Newgrange/Knowth and areas north of Dublin. There are also trips to Glendalough and Powerscourt which are south of Dublin. You could also take a train to Galway and do an overnight stay on the Aran Islands. Various companies do tours out of Galway to sights in western Ireland. You could even rent a car and get to Doolin and many other sights. Seven days is no where near enough time to really enjoy touring Ireland.

Once your baby turns into a toddler, that may cement your decision. Babies are easy...they sleep, eat and you know what. Toddlers are beginning to test their boundaries and get into things, they need to be constantly entertained and don't have a whole lot of patience. I have a 17mo and I think I'd rather have multiple root canals than take him overseas. But, my wife would rather have multiple root canals than leave him for a week. So, you can pretty much tell that my European travels have been put on hiatus.

I've been to both a few times and I think you might get short changed staying a week in Dublin or Barcelona. If I had to stay a week in one place of the two it would be Barcelona. Ireland is best if you can move around. Maybe consider making base in Limerick or West Coast if you choose Ireland. If you bring the baby, why not consider some place where you can rent an apartment for a week and day trip? I saw a lot of young tourist families in Siena and Arles and they didn't look like they were turning on each other yet like the ones in Something-upon-Whatever UK do.

I took my one year old to Italy for two weeks in the heat of the summer (back in 1998). It was at the worst possible age, he turned 1 in Italy, as he was just learning to walk AND to eat table food. Yes, it was stressful having a baby along; but, if you adore and can't stand to part with your baby (as I felt), you can still have a wonderful time with your baby along. I have wonderful photo's of my one year old son on the Amalfi Coast. PS. we just revisited Italy (first time since 1998) and are now in England with our now 13 year old son and 9 year old daughter.

Lots of people travel with babies and do just fine. I left my son for a trip when he was 18 months old and although it was in the US, we cut our trip short because everytime I saw someone else with a baby I was sad. As for the breastfeeding issue, that would definitely cut it short, and since my daughter is starting a nonprofit organization to promote breastfeeding and bring awareness to parents about the tons of benefits I would think your wife may not be too happy to be forced to wean before she and baby are ready. Plus, you have the benefit of her being able to comfort the child most of the time without too much hassle. Just adjust your travel the same way you do when you are home and if you are not a type A traveler you should have a great time. If it were me, if I could go to Europe with my baby or stay home I would be packing. And now that I have grandkids I take them traveling with me all the time. You just have to be flexible.

I will admit to some bias, as I live in Spain, but considering your circumstances, I would vote for Spain. Main reasons - one - the Spanish adore children, young children and babies are out til late at night (they sleep in the afternoon and/or sleep in prams etc) and are made a great fuss of by all concerned and are welcome pretty much anywhere. The second reason would be weather - the Irish weather is famously unpredictable and can be very miserable whereas Spain will have better weather. Three - cost. Depending on where you are perhaps, Spain will be cheaper. I would also say yes to taking your baby - they are pretty portable and sounds like your wife will be happier which means you will be happier. And an apartment instead of a hotel.