Mallory is 21 months. I weaned Eleanor at 22 months so I think we are getting to end stages of nursing.
I've recently dropped our morning nursing session leaving us at two (nap time and bedtime) and although she wakes up and asks/whines for milk every morning I can usually distract her. I do however miss the morning session because it allowed me to lay back in bed for a little bit.
I have mixed feelings. On one hand it is the one thing that ONLY I can do for her. One the other hand I have been constantly pregnant or nursing or both since January of 2013. Since I got pregnant with Eleanor I have not had a single day where I have just been able to take a medicine without thinking if it's safe or just not have to worry about how what I do to my body is going to effect my girls.
I am planning a girls weekend right before Mallory turns 2 so I want to be done nursing/pumping then. It was annoying having to deal with that and transporting milk through security and pumping in a dirty airport bathroom when I did it last year.
Generally though, while sometimes annoying having to plan around nursing I love it. I love knowing that I'm giving my daughter nutritional benefits (while not her main source anymore it still has benefits) & a sense of stability and routine.
I love the way she snuggles into me when I nurse her, and her eyes get having and she drifts off to sleep. Often I wish that I hadn't set the nursing to sleeping precedent but those are some of my favorite moments.
I think there is nothing wrong with full term nursing but I know that nursing Mallory as long as I have isn't the norm. I also know there is nothing wrong with people who choose not to nurse or not as long. So I've never felt people question my choice to nurse as long as I did, and even if they did it's still my decision so no pressure.
You seem to have more reasons to keep going than to quit. Keep it going until she wants to quit then! When you are on your trip you can just dump what you pump then you have nothing to transport. I've done that since my child reached one year. No reason to transport milk when your kid actually only wants it from the tap. My son was over 3 when he quit on his own and I'm hoping my daughter goes just as long (she is 26 months now).
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