So many times I have found myself with just one kid, or all of the kids and my husband had to stay home. As your family grows, it gets harder to find a time when everyone can travel. As my kids get older, they have so much school work that even being gone for a weekend is hard. Other times, my older kids may have a full weekend sports competition and I have to entertain and distract my youngest while my husband manages the older two. Family vacations with all five of us are great. However, there is something special about peeling off with just one.
Sometimes, when you travel with just one child, parenting becomes a little easier. With multiple kids, you are forever parenting on vacations. You are coordinating activities that are always a compromise. You are settling the common day to day squabbles that don't go away just because you are on vacation. One on one, things are easier. Yes, you still have to be the adult. However, you can spend time with your child without distraction. You can get to know and understand their interests in a way that you just can't when you are distracted by siblings.
Kids will have different interests. My oldest loves to cook and draw and paint. She enjoys quiet, thoughtful pursuits. My middle son is a foodie. He loves to try crazy foods and he loves to explore. My youngest loves theme parks and river rafting and other natural pursuits. Trips with all 3 kids require quite a bit of compromise. That is really good. But also, it is also fun to experience their interests with them.
Depending on age gaps, your kids may have vastly different schedules. When my youngest was a baby, my husband went on day and weekend trips with our older two. Now that our older kids are in high school, they just can't get away. And if they are going to take a weekend off, they probably don't want to go to Disneyland. It is great to enjoy the kiddie things with my youngest and use our whole family time for vacations that everyone will love.
Vacations with the entire family are special times. However, I suggest making some time and room in your budget for one on one trips. It allows you to spend some time to explore each child's interests. We spend so much time checking homework, driving from activity to activity, refereeing sibling squabbles. It is nice to step back and enjoy the little people you are raising, one at a time.