taking 2 little kids round the world - all advice welcome

[nappybaglady]

Dh and I are planning to buy round the world tickets this weekend for ourselves and 2 children - DD (4y) and DS (18 m). The vague plan is to go to New York to buy all the stuff we might need then Canada (Toronto and Calgary/Rockies) to visit friends/family. After that we'll probably head somewhere like San Fran or Yosemite before heading for Australia then NZ. Probably stop somewhere beachy/ Singapore on the way home. We're going May/June/July. Dh is on unpaid leave and I've resigned.

Yup, you're right, we must be asolutely mad. Clearly DD will remember some of it and enjoy it but who, in their right mind, chooses to go on a trip to the supermarket with their 18 month boy, let alone right around the world. However the deed is done. I've handed in my letter of resignation so now we just need to make it happen.

If anyone has any advice, particularly about mustsee/mustdo stuff for Australia (in June/July)or about travelling with little ones in general please let me know. I've started trawling through the travel bit of MN, not to mention lots of serious googling but any advice welcome

Thanks

eidsvold thanks for those old links- exactly the sort of stuff I was looking for. Starting to get more of a feel for distances and climate as Iread through it.

nasa - will try to CAT you. Haven't done it before so bear with me.

RTK - sorry I disappeared whne you were replying. Mum phoned. Trying to be extra nice to her at the moment because they're not v happy that we're being so irresponsible with our jobs AND taking their grandchildren away for 3 months.

my parents were the same with DS

But I think all the new experiences that he had and what he saw and told them about when we came home made them realise it was a good idea.

Have you got a TRI-BAND mobile?

If you are on vodaphone that is used quite alot abroad.

I was with O2 and it worked fine everywhere it just picked up the signal from wherever we were.

Texting to this country was cheap too and friends could text for same price [10p]

DS was texting his friends all the time

also get a hotmail account so you can email from anywhere

internet cafes

also mumsnet

DH is looking at getting one of those Blackberries so we can email without an internet cafe. And MN too

OOoooh that was my first smiley and it worked - goodness, aren't I getting all adventurous

don't bother with GPRS my mobile has it but didn't work hardly anywhere

just make sure it is TRI-BAND

Hope that you can picture me sat in Trailfinders on saturday morning with pages and pages of printout from this thread saying 'well RTK says I should fly with Star and eidsvold says go to Keppel Island'

Will tell DH about phones - his department. We've definitely got a triband but prob need to upgrade our tariff.

travel 2 and travel 4 are good brochers to look at for usa/canada and aus/nz

lol @ trailfinders

what is itenery so far?

you just need to tell them you are going abroad

02 did a thing for £2.50 per month gives you cheaper foreign calls back tom uk.

If your phone will accept it you could get sim cards and put them in wjhile in oz or nz or usa

Also in NZ you can get phone cards from tourist board with a free map ALL FREE

itinerary (sp???) is something like this....

New York in a hotel - 1 week

toronto - family - 1 week
(family don't know yet - must ring soon!!)

Canadian Rockies - friends - 2/3 weeks

somewhere else in States - 1/2 weeks - hotel/hostel/campervan

australia hotel/hostel/campervan - 3/4 weeks

NZ - friends 3/4 weeks

Bali/singapore - hotel - 1w

Home, find a job, settle down....

as you can see there are a few bits that need a bit more planning but hey, we've got until may to fill in the details.

Must find out about Yosemite - off to Lonely Planet for a while

Toronto CN tower, niagra falls,

Sydney don't bother with tour round city get RED and BLUE circular buses and you get on and off when you like aas many toimes as you like

Blue mountains / koala rescue zoo

Mel penquins/neighbours beaches sea will be cold

Cairns train ride though forest GBReef

Ayers rock walk around it, go for dawn and dusk to see colours change

Perth Rotnest Island to see Quockers {sp?}

New zealand hot water beach, lake te kepo, so many to mention

If you give me an idea of your family locations.

quokka

WOWEEEE what an amazing trip. Havent country hopped b4 but have travelled extensively round USA , Except yosemite !! so ask away . My favourite area beyond ANYWERE is Arizona , especially Sedona, Zion nat park and Monument Valley.

Good friends in Christchurch who have offered us a car and a hol home somewhere within driving distance. Know a few others in NZ whom i haven't yet informed of our immenent arrival

It must seem like we're really naive but I guess the really big decision was whetherto do this or not, rather than what to do.

I just want avagus idea about places so we can book some flights at the weekend. Then, once we've got dates and prices we can start fitting in accomodation and the rest.

Sooooooo excited

melsy, lol, had to get big world atlas to find where in US arizona is. Naive, me??

bless , think youll be seasoned traveller and geographical wizard after this !!!

saw a globe in WHSmith last week whilst buying yet another travel guide. DD said 'will we need one of these maps when we go on our big holiday?'

I think she's got the right idea

Haver a look at lodging in yosemite Amazing hotels there. I love the atmostphere in USA nat parks.

aww bless her , it will blow her away this trip , but will really be amazing for her life experience.

which reminds me - has anyone seen an inflatable globe - beach ball type thing in the shops recently. Seems like a good toy to take with us if i can find one

deffo antarctic Exhibition centre in CHC

I am biased though cos my birth dad was based in Antarctia 1967/68

so anyway allow 4 - 5 days for perth

2 - 3 days for ayers rock

2 - 3 days for alice springs including trip to aborigines

week for cairns

great barrier reef 5 -7 days

sydney 5-7 days

mel 4-5 days

HTH

just off top of my head

great yosemite site. Thanks

we have a wall chart map with our route marked on and we gave one to DS class so they could follow us around.