Just interested - where have you been longhaul with your kids?

[harrisey]

We love travelling as a family, adn I wondered where people have taken their children on holiday long haul.

We've done Canada (West Coast and Vancouver Island), and backpacking in Guatemala and Honduras. Would love to take them to India (dh has been before), S America and SE Asia, though we will probably wait until they are older. We're going travelling round Morocco next Easter. At the moment they are 6.5, 4.5 and 2.5 .

Any recommendations?

Please someone tell me that long haul adventures with children are a nightmare (jetlag/medication/mosquitos/heat/health-risks/unfamiliar food/dehli belly etc)...and that they are just as happy poking abount in a rock pool in dorset in a kagool and wellies!!!...otherwise I will explode with envy

knackered - they are just as happy doing little things. We took ds to Malaysia to see my dh's family and he enjoyed it, but the happiest I think I've ever seen him was when we put up a paddling pool for the first time. Also I believed it when people told me that small children don't get jetlag (ds was 18m when we went to KL), but it's not true, ds stuck firmly to UK time for days. It was extra annoying because dh and I don't suffer from jetlag, so we adjusted to local time almost immediately but kept being woken up by ds.

Thanks suzywong - i oviously had a senior moment last night.

We go to Pembrokeshire every year and everyone loves it. Kids and water - they love it!

We stopped in Thailand for a week on the way back from Australia and it was magic. DS was 6 mths and Thailand is one of the most child friendly places that I've ever been to. Right from the moment that we landed (opened a customs desk for us) the Thai people made it easy for us.

vitomum - it was amazing with kids. All the Mayan women who would only stop to sell you something sat adn chatted for ages about children, their life, what they were doing -- it was brilliant (I've been twice without kids but with kids it was SO much more real!)
We are hoping to go back and work out there for a few years (dh is a GP so in demand), and have been invited by a projest in Chichicastenango to work with them. With the kids we went to Antigua, Chichi, Pana and Zacapa (where I have friends) as welll as Copan in Honduras. We did chicken buses, markets, swimming in lake Atitlan, hanging out in the parque in ANtigua - it was brilliant and the kids loved it. DD1 (who was 5 when we went) says it is the best holiday she has ever had. The other 2 were 3 and 18 months.
Nice to know I am not the only nutter to take their kids to the developign world. My parentds think I am totally irresponsible but we couldnt not do it - its so good for them!

This thread has just reminded me - a Hmong lady knew that I was pregnant before I did (Hill tribe, Northern Vietnam).
DD could have been called Ho Chi Minh.

So the only long haul place DD has been to is as an embryo - Vietnam.

Go back to bed woman it's very early

Dawn chorus - and a wet bed (not mine I hasten to add)

Harrisey, do a search on mine and Nappybaglady's names. She had done a round the world with a 21 month old and a four year old and we are currently doing a round the world trip with a 21 month old and five year old.

DS1 - South Africa x 5 (assorted ages from four months to five years), India (3years old), USA West Coast at the age of 2. Never a hassle, sometimes the plane was a bit crap, but I wasn't too bothered.

DS1 and DS2 - UK from SA, USA from UK and shortly to fly from USA to Fiji, then Australia to China and then Thailand to the UK.

My kids have stunned me with their ability to adapt. We have just finished a 28 day road trip from New York to LA - 5700 incredible miles and the kids were fab.

It's a myth that all long-haul holidays are a nightmare. Sure there are crappy hard bits but the fabulous moments outweight these by a 1000 times.

have you updated your blog?
Hang on off to look.

Went to Zimbabwe last summer when kids were just 4 and 6. Overnight flight on way there was better than day flight on way back, as they were awake the whole way back!

Hi have just come back from 10 weeks long haul travel with a 4 month old and 2years 8month old. Went from London - Thailand (Phuket) - Singapore - Australia (Melbourne) - NZ (Christchurch) - Australia (Brisbane) - NZ (Auckland) - US (San Fransisco) - London. Was meant to go SFO to LAX then LHR but I had emergent appendectomy in SFO so flown directly home by insurance company - thankfully we had insurnance. All in all had a great time and happy to share tips and experience. Let me know if you have any questions.

took dd1 to LHR to Brisbane with vrey brief stopover in Singapore and rtn

when she was almost 2 - flew to Aus again with a 5 day stopover in Singapore.

Let's see now ... Kenya, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Antigua, Barbados, USA three times (New York, Boston, Florida, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Diego), Dubai (twice)plus the usual Med resorts (Turkey, Egypt, Algarve, Greece, Spain etc) and Europe ... nowhere really exotic, off the beaten track or without a hairdryer yet though

Singapore with ds aged 2.3 and dd aged 6 months. Am doing it again next year when ds will be 3.3, dd, 19 months and ~3 who will be 10 - 12 weeks old..............

My dad lives there, otherwise I'd never dream of it!! I have so much admiration for all these globe trotters with small children.

Are you all mad?

I think worst age is between 12 and 30 months.
After that they get a bit more sensible.

Canada with dd1 who was 4

and Florida with dd1 aged 8 and dd2 aged 16 months

The most fun we have had with our kids was in the off the beaten track places in Guatemala and Hinduras where you couldn't use a hairdryer if you tried (would fuse the whole place etc .....). Or it was too warm to worry about drying your hair.
Its amazing how easy it is with young children to do that kind of thing - I was still bf dd2 (who was 18 months then) when we were there which fitted right in with the local culture anyway, and having children made us part of things - having been there 7 years ago with no kids, it was amazing how people talked to you because you were carrying a child on your back (got several goes of Guatemalan baby slings in exchange for a go of my bushbaby backpack!!!)

Travelled to Barcelona and South Africa - and dd is now only 1 - about to go to Philly, NY and Boston.

Pre baby I did go to Bali and there was a family - with really little baby and a 3 yr old and they said they had been the previous year and it was fab.

Asia hotels tend to be fab value, high quality and food is cheap.

I would prob go to Turkey as well

Hi all,
I'm brand new at this and am hoping you can give me some advice!
I want to take my family away for Christmas (5 month old and 5 year old). Was originally thinking about Florida but have had to pull the purse strings a bit tighter, so...
I'm looking for a really good hotel with lots for my oldest to do, a nice dose of winter sun, a bit of culture so my brain doesn't freeze over the 2 weeks and, of course, a beach!
Has anyone stayed anywhere they'd really recommend? I'm totally open to options - although not Africa as we did the Gambia last year...
THanks in advance!

Ohh you have got me excited now. We are off roughing it in a hostel in Egypt with 2 adults and 5 kids aged from 3-8 in 4 weeks :-) Can't wait.....

Went to Luxor a few months back with the kids and they loved it. Have managed to pick up really cheap flights so cairo.

Hoping to go backpacking in thailand with the children in the summer hols for 4-6weeks nxt year.

Glad Im not the only one who takes my children all over.

Jen

indian ocean/carribean/south east asia.

BTW i was born in morocco, you want info tips, let me know.