Mary Ann: My Family Trip advisor

Heres a few things I learnt about travel round the world with children. Firstly, they are all different! Its fascinating seeing them outside their comfort zone. Sometimes a bit scary but all worth it.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles:
Individual TVS for longhaul flights are not on all planes! Dont worry about what they are watching they wont remember what they saw apparently its all a blur! Child meals are a good idea. Lufthanza was terrible service, meals, staff. Air New Zealand was fabulous. Ezyjet was great. When you are driving on the right side of the road a u-turn means to go left!

Best accomodation
We loved Rhodes Hotel in London and Absolute Paris in central paris. Both great locations great price and very friendly backpacker type accommodation for a family. Both had really good free breakfasts and the place in paris gave us extra food to take with us for the day (Im sure this was due to the kids attempting french!) If you are in Holland for some time with a car a Bungalow park is a great idea cheap spacious and self contained. Our place in Hong Kong was terrible so wont recommend that. We found it a good balance to get time with other families and also on your own.
Food
Food was so much cheaper than NZ every place we went! Always have marmite and honey with you. A bit of bread and youve got a meal. The problems start when you drink the water!

How to not lose the children
In busy cities we put details of where we were staying inside their shoe so they could get it out to show someone if needed. This was because I never got around to getting an alternative but I think a wristband would be a good idea.

How to keep your cool in a crisis
Its definitely one of the best things about travelling with a family- you learn how to work together in a crisis and there is no one else to turn to and no way to walk off in a huff. Strategically placed humour helps!
Best activities
Visiting other children. Riding the tubes in Hongkong, london, Paris and watching the kids become pros! Morrocan Markets, snakes, monkeys. It was stressfull but kids will never forget. Belly Dancing with a Morrocan family. Chasing squirrels in Hyde Park London. Camera Obscura in Edinburgh
YMCA camp activites in Rocky Mountain national Park (gave us a needed break.) California Screaming, Space Mountain and Disneyland Shows ZOOS ZOOS ZOOS - they never lost interest.
Practising different languages on locals!

Finally, It was totally worth the expense and energy on so many levels we will never be the same again- in a good way! Whens the next trip?....

Disneyland and Out

Our last few days were spent at Disneyland and California Adventure. We stayed in a lovely hotel just down the road where we convened at the swimming pool each afternoon having spent the morning queuing and riding. Then after early dinners (great burgers and pizza and refillable drinks - much to MaryAnn's horror) it was back to Disneyland for eveings of further excitement. Here are some pics of our favourite Disney experiencs.

Disneyland Entrance

Sacha and Rapunzel meet - Tangled

Our hotel - The Howard Johnson

California Screamin' - a serious rollercoaster!

Spinningin the Mad Hatters Tea Party cups

California Adventure

Solly and his new mate

6th Birthday - our gorgeous pink princess

And now we are home -  our two month journey is up! It has been an amazing adventure filled with all of the kinds of things that we had hoped - new cultures, foods, languages, cool people, bonding and challenging family times. Thanks t all of you who travelled with us (either in person or via this blog).

Here's to seeing some of you at our place sometime soon (there's a few photos to check out!)

Karel: Jelly Bean Breath

On our last evening with the Sawyers we embarked on a Jelly Bean tasting with hilarious results. With two flavours per colour it was russian roulette as to whether you ended up with Licorice or Skunk, Honey or Rotten Egg, Chocolate Mudcake or Dog Food, Lemon-Lime or Barf... etc. Thanks Michael and Robbie for being such good sports!!

MaryAnn: Pure Bliss

At Water World I did do some of the rides - this ride was called 'Pure Bliss' - sunblock use advised (water wings unnecessary!)

Thank you Jim and Linda, Michael and Robbie for a dream holiday complete with full catering, fantastic accommodation, human GPS, superior entertainment for children, and fantastic friendship. Hope you are recovering form the van Helden onslaught, snuggled up in your Morrocan bed-spread.

Sacha: My Birthday

Even though it wasn't my actual birthday I had a cake in Denver. My real birthday is going to be in Disneyland. We also had massive strawberries for breakfast the next day.

When we were in Water World I went down the fastest slide before the man said go. It was a bit scary.

Sol: Water Everywhere

This is me and Arlo at Water World. It was awesome. I went on heaps of fast rides.

At the people we stayed with they have two dogs. This is me with Andy. We also played crazy soccer with Michael and Robbie. If we did a cool move we had to pull our shorts up really high.

 

Arlo: football & water world

I'm just going to put some images then write some thing about them. We went to Denver Zoo and met some bears.

New Zealand played Mexico in Denver and we were there to see it. The All Whites  got smashed but it was a cool experience.

We went to water World, the largest water park in the States. I did every hard core ride including the Death Drop - sore bum!

Karel: Even in Denver Football is King

Last night we all went out to support the All Whites as they took on Mexico in a friendly at Invesco Field Denver (home to Denver's professional football (ie. Gridiron) team). It was a raucous cultural experience as the handful of Kiwis were drowned out by 45,000 yahooing Mexican supporters.

Earlier in the day we made a trip to Denver's world famous Zoo which was excellent - highlights being the Gorillas, Grizzlies and the Polar Bears.


Loving hanging with the Sawyers and great to share in Michael's 17th Birthday - mexican buffet followed by the best chocolate cake ever.



Sacha: Polar Bears

Today we went to Denver Zoo. We saw Polar Bears and they went under the water because people threw fish to them.

Also I went to the snow and it was very cold and my fingers freezed up - lucky I had Michael looking after me. Me and Mum made a bow and arrow when we were up in the Rocky Mountains. But, I feel sad because I lost it.

At our house they have two dogs - a small one called Freya and a big one called Andy.

Sol: Basketball and Dinosaurs

I am in Denver at Robbie and Michael's house. They have a hoop and I have been playing lots of basketball. I can shoot from a long way out and can sometimes do a lay-up.

Yesterday we went to the Science Museum and they had a cool Pirates exhibition and I saw an IMAX movie about baby OrangUtans and Elephants in 3D - it was awesome (that's me with my IMAX goggles on). Also there were massive dinosaur skeletons.