Our Round the World Tickets are booked - GULP, advice pleaaaase :-)

[dejags]

After what seems like a hundred itinerary shuffles it's finally booked

We are officially taking our two small children on a 40000 mile odyssey around the world. So if any of you have any brilliant travel tips for the following destinations I would love to hear them.

8th May - 15th June USA by Campervan
16th June - 29th June - a couple of weeks on the beach in Fiji
29th June - July 25th - a month in NZ, we hope to ski
July 25th - Aug 25th - a month in Australia
Aug 25th - Sep 25th - a month in China
Sep 25th - ?? South East Asia, for two or three months.

We are excited and terrified. Nappybaglady if you are around I would love to email you and get your perspective as your kids were the same age as mine.

Advice welcome

Thanks Vornsta. Just off to check the website for kidspace.

Vornsta - Kidspace looks phenomenal, a definite for a our LA itinerary.

Thanks!

Calling any Aussie mums...

anybody heard of \link{http://www.retrorentals.com.au/melb5.html\retro rentals in melbourne}?

This place is not only fairly cheap - AU$120 per night but it is self catering. Is it good value for money?

When you arrive in LA you are legally not allowed to drive an RV until the next day. Make sure you get a really detailed roadmap. We stayed in an airport hotel and then picked up our monster! We drove straight out to Palm Springs for 2 nights and then on to Vegas. We stayed at Circus Circus which is a giant carpark. Then onto Yosemite which was lovely, check out richard.ware.blogspot.com for some piccys. Then over to the coast, crap weather going down route 1 which is apparently usual at that time of year! We stopped at monteray and went whale watching which was fantastic. We saw a blue whale, lots of dolphins, well worth it. The site at Malibu was pricey $70 a night but fab views. In LA we stayed at the KOA site in Laverne. This is a lovely town with white picket fences and nice restaurants. I couldnt face the theme parks or LA but both in good reach of the site. Try and get a KOA card for discounts. They also take bookings which you really will need. Plan where you want to go and you wont be searching around after a days driving and crabby kids. Let me know if you want any specifics.

Thanks Nicki

We are flying into NYC - we'll be spending 5 days there before leaving from New Jersey in the van.

We will go from New Jersey to Washington DC and then to Memphis, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite, San Francisco and to LA. We'll probably not stay in the van once we arrive in LA - campgrounds are too expensive. I have booked us into the Anaheim Travel Lodge for five days @ $65/day. I know for at least two of those days we won't need a car because we'll be doing Disneyland.

We get KOA membership as part of our booking so that's all sorted. We plan on staying in Circus Circus to see Vegas - could we get away with just one night?

How long did it take you to drive from Las Vegas to Yosemite? What is there (if anything) to see on route?

Sorry for all the questions?

Circus circus was quite run down I had heard

do some research imho

Thanks RTKM - I can't find any other RV parks in Vegas. For the cost of this park I think we might take a break from the Van for the one or two nights we are in Vegas and stay in an hotel.

Circus Circus is $50 per night for the park alone.

oke doke

sorry piccys are at richardware.blogspot.com and it was pomona not laverne! weird! The drive from Vegas was long as we went thru Death Valley, we stopped at a small town in the middle as the kids were going nuts. Circus Circus, well what can I say, there is a pool, it takes about 30mins to walk from the RV park to the front of the hotel. We stayed for 5 nites. I would pay for a premium site, extra $3 per nite but nicer location not on the edges which didnt feel to secure to me. One nite in Vegas I guess it depends what you want to do. It is a commercialized ott place which would be great fun with no kids. You should definitely go up the tower at dusk for some great views. We paid about $35 a night in August. Good luck.............

Lovely pics Nicki. What size was your RV - looks very much like the one we have hired (30ft). Did you enjoy the RV or did you find that you got on top of one another?

I am in two minds about Las Vegas - I really just want to see it to say I have been. The Circus Circus RV park website looks like a giant car park, not much fun at all. What did you get up to for five days?

We went with DS1 to that waterpark in LA in 2003 - he had an absolute ball! We definitely intend on going back.

It was 30ft and huge. We didnt get on top of each other but cooking was a struggle sometimes. I guess it was 5 nights, so 1 day getting there, one day recovering. A couple of days wandering, one day going to the Grand Canyon. The RV park was fine but like you say a big car park, but an experience. We hung out a lot in the pool and then wandered up the strip. I would do it, embrace it and leave!! Do your kids have gameboys? my only concern now would be that the boys only had lapbelts. Having the loo in the RV was a godsend as my kids go a lot, also pulling over and whipping up lunch in the middle of nowhere was great. There is a national park pass which you should get which will save you a fortune on entrance fees as you are doing such a big trip.

For places in Australia try www.nrma.com.au this is a motoring body and they give ratings to places and usually have very reasonable prices for places to stay. In Sydney I would stay in the outer suburbs as this will be much cheaper than the inner city and you can travel into the city very easily by train. The Darling Harbour area is a must to see in Sydney (this is where the major aquarium is) I would also suggest the beach areas like Manly and Cronulla if you want to go further up the coast from Sydney Palm Beach is also really nice. If you are going to Gold Coast in Qld all the theme parks are a must for kids Dreamworld, Movie world, Wet'n'Wild and Seaworld these all have websites.

I have done it!!!!!!

I resigned half an hour ago.

This is real, as of the 26th April, I will be unemployed.

YIPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

thanks for the advice Kerry

\link{http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org\deffo go here when you are in LAS VEGAS}

RED ROCK CANYON

There is a nature trail, and a wildlife trail for children, DS loved it there

We went on the trail and he was in and out of the car looking at the plants etc.

It is only a very very short drive out of the city -- about 15 mins drive

DEFFO BRILL

congratulations on your resignation!!
there's no turning back now.............
you lucky devil

Wahey on resigning - bet it felt great eh? Have been keeping an eye on the thread but still waiting to give birth before looking at all the US caravanette tips...
Very excited for you!!!

Where are you going in SE Asia? We are hoping to spend 3wks in Borneo on our way back from NZ next year. I have always wanted to go to Vietnam and Cambodia but this will be in a few years time! FYI 1st 2wks in July are school holidays in NZ

If you need anything specific with regards to Sydney let me know my address is set as okay to contact I will do what I can...

Nicki, we are flying into Bangkok - will fly directly from there to Penang Island and we'll spend 2 weeks in Malaysia (Cameron Highlands, Langkawi, Pulau Perhentian, KL). We fly from KL to Siem Reap for Angkor Wat in Cambodia and then we'll fly from SR back to Bangkok to spend our final week in Thailand.

5 weeks 3 days to go!!!!!

I've been to the Cameron Highlands and Langkawi (not with kids) Cambodia sounds fab, how old are your children?

They'll be five and two.

We can only go to Angkor Wat and then straight out of Cambodia because of the risk of Malaria. It's a shame but the kids' health is our priority. Our five year old can take Malaria tablets but I don't like the side effects that they have on me, so I'd prefer him not to take them. The two year old cannot take them at all.

Any specific tips for the Cameron Highlands and Langkawi?

We just chilled out in Langkawi, I seem to remember it was a duty free island then and the booze was cheap!! Cameron highlands, we visited from KL and did a trek, gorgeous and great fun. We both loved Malaysia, try and get into a night market for some food. The satays were lovely. You will stick out but we were always made very welcome and with the kids there they will be great ice breakers.

you are evil, mentioning the night markets in Malaysia - I'm drooling all over the keyboard. some of the best food I've ever tasted, ridiculously cheap and the choice is amazing.... I can still smell it!
, , and again!