To travel around the world for 3 months with 2 pre-schoolers?

[Stuckonthebaby]

Various circumstances have come together to mean my husband have some time and money on our hands and basically we'd like to go travelling.

Our children would be just 2 and 3.5 at the time (would be early next year) and we're considering whether we do a round the world tour for 3 months; thinking Thailand, India, Singapore, Aus, NZ and the states (maybe not all).

Are we U to even consider this? Some people think we are. OK we know it won't be the backpacking tours of our twenties. We'd stay in hotels or hire camper vans, be limited in some of the things we can do, the kids won't remember it, we won't have many toys, etc etc, but we're up for an adventure.

So what do mumsnetters think? Would you do it and any advice on places to go avoid?

We did Vietnam and the Maldives. When we left ds1 was 19 months, ds2 12 weeks. We all had a great time. 6 weeks in total

Kids were easy for dh and I to pop in a sling and go off on day trips, visit stuff etc etc. We flew into Hanoi then spent 3 weeks travelling down vietnam to ho chi Ming .Then we flew To the Maldives and spent 3 more weeks there, 1 week on three different islands.

It was great. I had maternity leave so made sense to do then. Both kids easily portable. Both still breastfed if needed for eldest also.
We took everything for the x4 of us in x2 rucksacks as knew we needed to be suitcase free to travel Vietnam easily on trains/ buses/ boats/ remote areas, and on the boats in Maldives.
Really didn't need to take much. Basically just clothes and odd bits like electricals. We called each hotel and had nappies delivered to them. Took x2 slings. Co slept with both boys. Baby was too small to play really, and eldest played with local stuff on arrival ie cheap bucket and spade in beach, chickens and local kids in the countryside

They both love looking at photos now from trip and myself and dh have happy memories.

I'm pregnant with my first and this thread is giving me so much hope! I love travelling and was hoping I wouldn't have to limit myself to just the odd weekend in a b&b with our pfb!

Can I advise against Thailand? They've just had a military coup, suspended the constitution and detained all the politicians. I'd wait and see how all of that pans out. There's probably still a lot of places you could go without seeing any unrest but I personally wouldn't chance it for a while.

I was just going to say the same about Thailand. DP goes there frequently for work but has suspended all trips in recent months as it is too unsettled. I don't know what the tourist areas are like, they may be better than the cities but get advice before going.

Sounds great but if possible I would wait till the kids were a bit older so they could experience it fully. If not go for it, and have a great time.

Hi there, we have travelled a lot with our kids....I think if I were you I'd drop India and go for all the other countries. Having "done" all of them with small children I think in Oz and NZ def go for a camper van and you will just find your way. At that age its really all about beaches and parks and the odd dinosaur which Qld has in abundance.
Don't worry about their ages ....osmosis is a wonderful thing and you'll be amazed what becomes part of their psyche.
Fabulous opportunity for you to have unhurried, special time as a family.

To your opening post OP......

Go! Go! go! go!

YABU

Take me instead

Sounds grand. Although having traveled with my two DC - 8 months and 2.8 - one bit of advice I do have is don't move too often. We have a 4 night rule now, as in we try to stay in a place 4 nights minimum before moving on. I find that the first night somewhere new is always hard, so it becomes easier to stay fewer places. Plus, putting the portacot up and down all the time is a massive pain.

We learnt this the hard way after a trip where we moved on every 3rd day or so with an 18 month old, and it wasn't half as much fun as it could have been as he was so unsettled.

It wouldn't be my cup of tea.

We're planning our travelling trip next year, when the dc will be 7 and 5. We're withdrawing them from school (homeschooling) and will be away for around 6 months, travelling Europe.

I wouldn't do it with toddlers though. We were thinking about going two years ago but with hindsight i'm so glad we didn't.

I agree with the suggestion to drop India. Do it when kids are older. Everyone I know has got sick in India. It can be much worse with toddlers.

OP , have you and your DH travelled much yourselves? I don't mean just a few weeks in a holiday resort, have you done any independent travelling outside Europe /North America ?

Definitely, definitely not unreasonable! Sounds bloody awesome!!

I've just flown from Oz to the UK with a couple of stop overs with a six month old which was hard work but a lot of fun. Preschoolers would be harder but even more fun.

I imagine you'd have to stay on the beaten track a bit more, and have a bit more of a main stream trip but it'd be great none the less.

Flights are long and tedious but small people fit in seats and sleep better. Everywhere is kid friendly. Everywhere you mentioned is mainstream, have grocery stores with familiar products etc.

Go, have great time, write a blog with lots of pics so we can follow the adventure!

Lucky devils!!!!

Thanks all for the great advice - I am impressed how many people have travelled with kids, it gives me hope!!

I think I'll definitely take on board thoughts about the less developed places. Ultimately we'll also have to take a pushchair and car seats (as we'll hire cars when not in a van) so that may rule out some forms of travel (trains etc) for te sheer hassle factor.

Will definitely start a blog when it's booked!!

We did it too, 13months, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Borneo (Malaysian side), Hong Kong and home again. The children were 3 & almost 6 when we left the UK.
Dd1 missed year 1 of school, but we homeschooled her and she slotted straight back into year 2 half a term into the year.
Top tips;
Go slow, I'd reduce the itinary a bit.
Campervan in NZ is the way to go, beware of sandflies.
Malaysia - apartment rentals are cheap and good - we stayed in Penang for 6wks and had a 3bed apartment for £14/night.
Thailand - military coup aside, we found it very touristy & the locals were out for your money all the time!
Bali - get over to the East coast for a slice of paradise.
Australia - cost of living crazy expensive, but great country with massive diversity, in fact if you can afford it 3m in Oz would be great.
Food - dd2 spent a lot of time in Asia living on rice, roti pancakes,, eggs, melon, chicken satay and bananas. She's fine.
As for the memories - we read to our babies, not so they learn to read or remember stories but so they're enriched.
They might not be able to give a blow by blow account of the trip in detailed chronological order, but they know the world is big & different.
They know their sister is the best friend they're ever going to have and they've got a really a strong bond.
They know some creatures are dangerous, they know the jungles noisy.
They learnt the value of learning to say "hello, goodbye, please & thank-you" in the language of the places we visited.
They went to school in Penang for a few weeks, so they remember that!
They learnt about different religions and respecting that (which admittedly they can do here), but things like spending time with Indonesians during Ramadam and spending Hari Raya in Indonesia, seeing their friends in their best clothes, all happy & excited.
The eldest could already swim, but the youngest learnt to swim and they both learnt to snorkel.
That's a snapshot really, it was the best thing we've ever done.

Adjust your expectations massively and you will have a great time. Research kid friendly stuff eg trampolines/playgrounds and expect to spend quite a lot of time with the children just playing in some dust somewhere. Go to absorb the culture not to "see the sights" and you will have a blast!

Also take reins and expect to carry your 3 year old a lot more than you do at home. I buggered my shoulder lumping my leaden 3 yo DS2 round Marrakech.

We did this when dc were 5 years old and 18 months old . We travelled around Europe for 3 months staying mostly in self catering accommodation.

There were pros and cons. Yes we got to see some wonderful sights and new cultures. The dc's hardly remember any of it (especially the 18mo) as they were so young.

At the end of the day you still have to feed them, change nappies, get their naps in etc, so I did not find it very relaxing for myself!!!

On the plus side you will spend a lot of time together as a family so it will be a 'bonding' experience. This was especially true for dh who otherwise spends most of the week working and hardly sees dcs apart from weekends.

You have to really work together as a couple/family to make it work. Getting lost in a foreign country with young dc who are tired or hungry is no fun! And trying to repack the car every few days/weeks is challenging too...!

Overall we saw some amazing places but I think I would prefer to do it as adults, without kids, I like more relaxed and indulgent travel

I just got back form three weeks in China and I wish I had taken DD. So child friendly and she would have been quite the superstar since even I was getting my picture taken every day but locals!

I would probably miss India and Thailand...

Good luck.

Get good medical and travel insurance then you're set!
Thailand, India, Singapore, Aus, NZ and the states

I would suggest, something like, you fly U.K to U.S, then U.S to Hawaii, then Hawaii to S.Korea (stop-over), Korea to Singapore, Singapore to Australia, Australia to NZ, NZ back to Singapore (stop-over), then Singapore to India and finished with India to U.K.

You would have all circumnavigated the Earth!

I wouldn't step out of the house without good medical and travel insurance though!

Happy holidays :)

Meh to whether the kids remember or not, it will still shape them. Although my only thing about older DC is you don't need the faff with nappies...

Yeah, Thailand seems a bit more serious than initially thought- apparently the curfew is being enforced in tourist areas as well. It may well have all blown over by the end of the year though (hope so cos that's where we're going for Christmas, although tbh a 10pm curfew isn't going to impact me much). I wouldn't bother with Singapore unless it's a stop over - don't go out of your way to go there. It's a very pleasant place (I'm a complete Singophile) but there's nothing there that's nowhere else. The most amazing thing about Singapore is the fact it even exists, but that's not something you appreciate any more by seeing it and would probably pass over the head of a toddler. I think India would actually be okay, but the issue is that unless you have cash for internal flights, you can spend a lot of time on buses and trains, and whilst that's ok when it's just you (appreciate the scenery), 8 hrs on a bus with a toddler is not my idea of fun. Aus and NZ seem a much better plan due to camper van option. I also think the US is massively underrated- spectacular and varied scenery - but unless you stick to the southern states it might not be ideal given your timing.

One thing that you might want to consider that hasn't really been covered above is can you envisage spending 3 months straight in the 24/7 company of your family? This would actually drive me round the bend (there's a reason I'm not a SAHM) but it depends what you're used to and what you like.

Yes meh if you can afford to do it again.

If it's the only time you'll ever be doing it speaking as a mother of older kids desperate to travel and see the world I was just pointing out that it might be more prudent to do when they're older and will forever benefit educationally from the experiences and memories.

Op asked for thoughts,I gave mine.

The other thing is, kids get fussier abut food as they get older. Plus they need more of it. When my kids were 3 and 1 they would eat pretty much anything off my plate. Now they are more restricting and less willing to try new stuff.

It's usually cheaper with younger ones also. Ie ours were both under 2 so only had to pay x2 adult tickets on each flight as children could sit on our laps. Plus we only had to have one hotel room. Some added extra bed for 18 month old, but most the time we all slept in main bed together. New places can be unsettling so I think keeping them close at night helped as they didn't have to sleep alone

If we did same trip at 9 and 10 years we would need extra tickets on all flights, plus only able to stay in hotels with interconnecting rooms etc all costing more

Our 6 week trip would probably be double the cost. We stayed in 5 star hotels and flew first class for ease and for enjoyment. Having babies asleep on laps on plane is far easier in larger spaces, and everything avaliable at the higher end hotels meant we could travel light as knew we could get there if needed. To accomadate higher costs of rooms and flights of older children we would have had to fly economy and stay in 3/4 star accomadation. Making it more difficult for us ( feeding 12 week old on plane would have been harder, not having 12 hr laundry service would have been harder, etc)

Go for it, really wish we had done something like this when our dd's were younger. Once they start school (especially secondary school) it's really difficult to take them out without impacting their education.