Where I would go if I didn't have young kids

[StevePER]

Last night I was thinking about our next holiday and how tricky it is with young kids. I now have a total of 15.5 weeks leave available including annual leave, as well as a reasonably healthy frequent flyer balance. If I didn't have young kids I would go to some of these places:

• Cook Islands, we had a great time in Tahiti and Bora Bora in 2007 so I would like to try somewhere similar but different (and only 35k points in business)
• Bhutan, it was on my list before Fifa's trip report, and now it's firmly entrenched on the list
• Iceland, amazing landscapes
• Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, looks incredible (and probably Chiang Mai on the same trip, seems convenient)
• Cocos Islands, for the isolation and because the flights are so expensive it would be a good way to use points. Still considering this with kids but I should probably talk myself out of it.
• Maldives - similar to Cook Islands but different again.

And that's just a start.

Maybe we will go to Darwin instead.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Middle East for me especially Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.

 

[The Rok]

Egypt is beautiful. So much to see and do. But very dangerous. Still enjoyed it. The British Museum in Cairo is just amazing

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Middle East for me especially Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.

How young is young?

I back-packed with my wife and 3 daughters then aged 5, 8 and 11 through Egypt, Jordan, and Israel for 7.5 weeks +2.5 weeks island hopping in Southern Thailand the Xmas after 9/11 and had a grand time.

Was one of our best family holidays ever, and was a great family boding experience.


Personally I never let having kids stop me from travelling. But yes it altered how we travelled.

With a 2 year visited the west coast of the USA. Hired an RV..and off we went...

With infants travelled to Bali, Fiji twice (is just about the perfect place with area young-uns as is disease free, and the locals are amazing with kids), NZ , Singapore and Thailand.


My youngest is now 14....but they have since racked up several more trips to Thailand...(live-aboard snorkelling trips in the Ko Similans is a grand way to spend Xmas, Vietnam, Enland, France, The Netherlands and Italy.

Domestically...bareboating trips were a favourite wit sailing trips to The Whitsundays many times (heaven on a stick), The Coorrong, Gippsland Lakes and Tasmania....

One thing which did go by the wayside post-kids though were the long 4WD trips to places like the Simpson Desert.

However we still did some and my youngest daughter summited Ayers Rock when she was a 4 year old. Took us 4 hours to get up...but she got there.

 

[cove]

We travelled with a nanny and then later we left the kids home with a nanny. So many choices!

 

[Adelaide]

Antartica, Iceland and Eastern Europe

Ice, mnore Ice and Castles

 

[casanovawa]

Taking my 6 y/o to Bali in March, but over the last few days I have thought about maybe taking him to the US to see his Aunty (and maybe Orlando for a few fun parks) or maybe to Africa to see some elephants and giraffes up close... Be great to come backa nd tell his class mates about, but just don't know whether to wait a few more years till the memories will stick with him better and keep it close and easy for now?

In Europe during summers when I've been travelling there you see quite a few parents with infants being carried on their backs looking through museums etc or riding on the back of bicycles... I guess if you want to see the sites you find ways...

 

[russ]

Cook Islands...Bhutan... Iceland... Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Cocos Islands, Maldives...

I think you are asking yourself the wrong question.

Rather than asking "where would I go without kids," I think you should be asking yourself "how can I take my kids to these places?"

If you think hard about the second question, I think you will surprise yourself.

 

[medhead]

Moscow, Nepal, Tibet, and/or silk route

 

[medhead]

I think you are asking yourself the wrong question.

Rather than asking "where would I go without kids," I think you should be asking yourself "how can I take my kids to these places?"

If you think hard about the second question, I think you will surprise yourself.

Maybe, but the places I want to go my kids are likely to be kidnapped and sold into slavery. Blonde hair, blue eyes, girls - anyone?

 

[Adelaide]

Rather than asking "where would I go without kids," I think you should be asking yourself "how can I take my kids to these places?"

Great question. I like it. Children soak up so much information quickly and the more positive exposure they get to other cultures, the more interesting they become as they grow up. Safety will always be an issue of course but if we have the opportunity to take them safely overseas and into other cultures, then the question of 'How to do it' is the perfect question.

I'd take them to Antrartica, Iceland and Eastern Europe but perhaps when they are older.
Young children, I'd probably take them to resort holidays rather than treking round Europe. Then I could take them out on short day trips, keep them interested but have a nice base to bring them back to for naps.

 

[russ]

Maybe, but the places I want to go my kids are likely to be kidnapped and sold into slavery. Blonde hair, blue eyes, girls - anyone?

I hate to tell you, but Moscow has plenty of them already.

Really, you should go for the subways stations alone!

 

[medhead]

I hate to tell you, but Moscow has plenty of them already.

What? My children kidnapped and sold into slavery?

Really, you should go for the subways stations alone!

One of the main reasons I want to go there.

 

[JohnK]

Too many to list but some at the top of the list would be

- Nepal
- Bhutan
- China
- Iceland
- Gibraltar (visited briefly in 1972 and want to return)
- Galapagos
- Greenland (not sure whether this would be possible)

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Last night I was thinking about our next holiday and how tricky it is with young kids. I now have a total of 15.5 weeks leave available including annual leave, as well as a reasonably healthy frequent flyer balance. If I didn't have young kids I would go to some of these places:

• Cook Islands, we had a great time in Tahiti and Bora Bora in 2007 so I would like to try somewhere similar but different (and only 35k points in business)
• Bhutan, it was on my list before Fifa's trip report, and now it's firmly entrenched on the list
• Iceland, amazing landscapes
• Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, looks incredible (and probably Chiang Mai on the same trip, seems convenient)
• Cocos Islands, for the isolation and because the flights are so expensive it would be a good way to use points. Still considering this with kids but I should probably talk myself out of it.
• Maldives - similar to Cook Islands but different again.

And that's just a start.

Maybe we will go to Darwin instead.

Darwin is great for adults and kids alike. I would definitely get a serviced apartment either in the CBD or close by eg Parap & definitely a car. Note that car rental companies only give you 100 free kms per day or 700 per week. It would be ideal in the dry season May to October as the weather is still warm but not too humid & it's good to have some time out when it's winter down south.

Just some of the activities you can do in an around DRW that would suit kids are:

• Crocosaurus Cove
• Wave Pool at the Waterfront Precinct
• Aqua Scene for the fish feeding
• Harbour Cruise from Cullen Bay
• NT Museum & Art Gallery
• Mindil Beach Sunset Markets
• Parap Village markets Saturday monrings (your + 1 might like some time out for a couple of hours if you mind the kids) as there are several art galleries in Parap & a couple of nice gift shops
• Stokes Hill for dinner down at the wharf - you take take your own food & just enjoy the ambience of watching the sunset

All of the above are within about 5 mins drive from the CBD so if the kids have a meltdown you don't have far to go to get home.

 

[codash1099]

The correct answer to the question posed by the OP, "Where I would go if I didn't have young kids" is:

"Any damn where you want to" :mrgreen:

 

[drron]

This is what I now want to experience.
Take a good look at the fellows shorts.
News - Incredible Gorilla Footage in Uganda

 

[amaroo]

Anywhere within the Artic Circle

 

[Chuq]

*Bump thread*

This a question I've been asking myself.

History: My wife and I (met 1998, married 2002) have travelled a lot domestically ourselves and as children, and have been overseas before we met, but never been on a big OS holiday together. For the first few years it was always "we can't afford it at the moment" Children born 2007, 2009, 2011. Now we really can't afford it!

Last year I was sponsored to go to an event in the USA. My wife let me go by myself (even more fantastic!) The problem is now I have the travel bug!

We are considering sending the kids to public high school (instead of private as we planned) and instead use the funds to travel as a family. Not just go on holidays, but build some amazing life experiences for the kids. My parents took me overseas for 8 weeks when I was 11 (and brothers were 8 & 9) and it is one of the strongest memories I have of my childhood. I would like to think that the educational experiences gained from travel would be a better use of the money than private school.

Obviously as the kids are young we would start small, Fiji/NZ etc. and progressively get more adventurous as they get older. Anyway, this thread has been good for ideas - any more?

 

[Warks]

We didn't do anything except Australian car holidays until the youngest was 8 but since then it's been open slather although we haven't gone anywhere too 'adventurous' yet. It's a good age to keep in mind if your kids are well-behaved - you can take them anywhere and not have to worry about a lot of the problems that come with small kids plus they will actually remember it. Taking a four year old to see the Great Wall of China will probably leave them with a memory of it as "I had an ice cream".