underpants11

Hi - we have 3 pre-schoolers and 5 weeks to burn in Jan/Feb next year. I'm interested in people's feedback on things we should consider. We don't particularly want to travel much; I've got a vision of a bungalow near a beach somewhere not too built-up but with enough to occupy the kids, maybe a zoo, markets, playgrounds etc and maybe the option of a few day trips to places of interest.
Another item of note - we have one child with a nut/egg allergy. We have a budget of around $75 USD per night.
Is this realistic and does anyone have any experiences they can share?
Thanks in advance

orgy7

Are you planning too spend all the 5 weeks in asia.?


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I'm in the camp that one should start taking your kids on big trips when thery are about 8 years old and can remember and learn from what they experienced..

underpants11

Hi Orgy - that's what we are contemplating; shoudl we stay in one place or move around. I agree with your principle but this is a once in 5-year opportunity to take some time off and have all the costs covered. We are based in Melbourne and the other option we are considering is going to Western Australia and picking 3 or 4 places to spend the time (don't want to be driving too much).

orgy7

what do you want too get out of the trip.. young kids will make a game out of anything so don't overthink., except if you would like a hotel etc with child care facilaties.

NOTE. I have no children yet so take what I say with a greain of salt..

KimJapan

We've taken our almost 8 year old daughter on many trips...all of them long. Her first trip within Asia was to Thailand at age 3...and again at age 4 and age 5. Last Dec/Jan we went to Bali.

In Thailand, each trip we did 5 - 6 days in Bangkok with sightseeing/shopping/excursion in the morning, back at the pool in time for lunch and a relaxing afternoon swimming. That worked really well for us. Then, we went to Koh Samui for 10 or so days for beach and relaxing.

In Bali, she was 7, and we spend 10 days packed with activity and 7 days relaxing by the pool. She helped in planning the last trip, and is helping with the planning of the next trip.

When she was younger, i worried a lot more than I do now about food and travel illnesses. Now, we've got more experience and I worry far less than I did before. So far we've been pretty lucky...she's never been sick, but my husband and I have both been quite sick, luckily at different times.

What we have found is of the utmost importance for our trip success is that the place we are staying is kid friendly and has other families staying there at the same time. We tend to stay at smaller, not corporate chain places. I always correspond before booking, and specifically ask them about kids and if other families have booked for the same time as our stay and so on. Been very lucky so far in that every time we've met lovely families with similar aged kids that all got along...and the adults too. Basically, I pick places first on how they look and sound...then after I've narrowed it down to a few, I send of the e-mails and see which place has the best reply. System hasn't failed me yet.

Our daughter still remembers her first Thailand trip from when she was three. We can also see a huge difference in our daughter compared to her same age cousins...she's accustomed to hotels, nice restaurants and meeting new people so she has no trouble no matter where we take her. She can "wine and dine" in the best of establishments, as well as get really messy bbqing. She's comfortable in all sorts of situations her cousins are not. Biased, for sure, but I'd like to believe that all the travelling is good for her and she is learning something...I do believe that.

We met another family who had a daughter with a severe nut allergy. They carried and epi pen at all times just in case. Be sure to inform the staff, all of them, about the allergy, and be very careful with packaged foods.

In Thailand, we had a budget of $200.00. In Bali, our budget was $100.00. That includes room, food, activities for 3 people, but not airfare. We had no trouble staying within budget. If $75.00 is for room only, I'd say it's possible, but if it's for everything I'd maybe say to consider shortening the trip to up the per diem a bit.

underpants11

hey orgy - let me just climb up on the psychiatrist's couch... lol...

the main aim is to get some R&R but am certainly open to experiencing a new culture. was wondering about Vietnam or maybe stay more mainstream and go Thailand... as you say, not too concerned about the kids; certainly don't want a big-resort type feel although would be happy to be in a town that had that sort of thing available.

does that help?

btw - what happened to orgies 1 through 6?
cheers, U11.

underpants11

Thanks Kim - some good points there, especially about having other families around etc (although ours are close in age and play well together), and I like your selection process.
In terms of budget the $75 was for accommodation only but I'm hoping that a longer stay would get me a better rate in general.
Thanks, U11

BillT

I'm with orgy7- take the kids when they are older and can appreciate the different culture and foods. With kids that young- I'd take them to Disney World.

marmot

5 weeks! I'm very jealous.
I think you could do well in Bali for $75 per night, either at a resort or a villa. Food and transportation are very cheap.

The best beaches for little ones are Nusa Dua, Jimbaran or Sanur. The best deals would be in North Bali or East Bali. I personally like the Ubud area too. There would be many, many choices in your price range.

We made our first trip to Bali when my son was 3. He's now a college student and still loves Bali. Aside from the beach and pool related activities, he loved the dance and drama, the festivals, the puppets and masks, the markets, the temples, the volcanoes, the caves, the fish, the lizards and frogs and bugs. There is so much stimulus!

Balinese are very child-friendly and finding playmates and baby sitters is a breeze.