Round the World

Practicalities Types of Holiday Round the World Reader Reports 

Six Weeks Round the World

"We took a six-week trip stopping off in Hong Kong, Australia (Sydney) New Zealand including the south island, Fiji and Mexico with Jack 3 1/2 and Oliver 16 months.

We decided we weren't going to chance anything and booked everything before we left so that we weren't arriving somewhere late after a delay with nowhere to stay. It really paid off.

As luggage we took two bags with wheels. We went through them all in Selfridges and went for Samsonites which had a frame and handle to pull them along. This meant one person could in theory pull both together. We also got two leather rucksacks which looked quite decent and doubled up as a changing bag.

We decided to take a buggy and friends who decided not to do so for their just walking child found it was a real nightmare having the child in the backpack all the time. In addition, with a buggy you can have the older child riding on the "footplate" at the front as well.

We also took a backpack for places like New Zealand. That we felt was the minimum you could get away with over six weeks and a variety of temperatures and terrains.

We also took reins to strap Oliver (the younger boy) into chairs and our clip-on seat as we didn't know whether places would have a high chair or not.

For the children we tried to take practical clothes like track suit bottoms because they are the most sensible things for children on planes, are warm, and don't require ironing. We took two pairs of trousers per child, two shirts, two sweatshirts, two pairs of shorts, four teeshirts and decided they were going to wear layers.

We did have to buy some jumpers in New Zealand (it was June so just getting cold). We also took two-piece waterproof kagool and trousers. (Children's Warehouse tel: 0181 752 1166 offers a lightweight though not thunderstorm proof version). With the layers that covered us for all eventualities.

We took trainers and canvas shoes as probably the most practical footwear.

We decided we were going to pay for laundry whenever we were in a hotel. We also tried to pick places like apartments with laundry facilities (we packed Travel Wash).

For medical things we took bog standard medical kit including mosquito repellent. We had a Boots own brand spray which was great but the lotion was not so good. If you were hot it really burned on the skin. We took a little mini Dettox.

In Mexico we bought Amoxycilin, a generic antibiotic and if you can buy it in powder form you can mix it with water. I wish we had had something like that when Oliver got an infection. Also usefully available outside the UK is an antibiotic cream as opposed to just an antiseptic one.

We took the Your Child's Health Abroad book which was very good. That was our bit of reassurance, though I still had to ring home for a few things - Oliver developed ringworm!

You also need a really good sun hat and suncream.

Toys we took a lot of, and a lot of books. I am not sure how many we really need to have taken though there were definitely books worth taking. However Jack (the older boy) was going through the phase of wanting the same book night after night.

We got given tons of stuff on planes and you could have improvised a lot. Water bottles with those sliding tops provide endless entertainment. However the digger trucks and fire engine were popular on the beach.

The other option is to buy and chuck things along the way to make them treats. The same with books. However, if there is a comfort toy or item it is worth taking, particularly to help with sleeping.

To combat trouble in flight we tried Jack with Phenargan before we left (Oliver was too young). They say some children go completely hyper. With Jack it didn't work at all but he was fantastic and just went to sleep anyway.

We also took Marmite, lots of little sweets, and snacks for long journeys.

In general it is easier to err on the side of caution because, unless you are travelling very remotely, you can buy pretty much everything.

In terms of the destinations, Hong Kong was pretty easy, with good hotel deals on suites. In Sydney and Auckland we had Quay West apartments which were brilliant, two-bedroomed, with washing facilities and a kitchen.

In New Zealand we got a company called Southern Crossings, Suite C, 177 Parnell Road, private Bag 93236, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand tel: 00 64 93 09 5912, to organise our stay with mix of farm stays, motels, hotels and, where we could, hotel apartments.
Booking through one operator just made everything much easier and meant there were things like cars waiting for us rather than having to go and collect them.

In Fiji we struck lucky on a tiny island called Matangi Island (expensive) that had a babysitter included. It is worth reading through all the handbooks to find what you are looking for but All-Ways Pacific Travel (01494) 875 757 are probably the best in the UK for organising those sort of places.

In Mexico we did the Copper Canyon train trip. That was the only bit of real hard travelling. We booked it through Journey Latin America tel: 0181 747 8315. It was scenically brilliant and, though a long journey, the children coped well. The November before tourists were fatally injured on the line but luckily we only learnt about that afterwards."

Caroline Lane
Highgate, London

Asian Stopover

We recently visited new Zealand to visit my husband's family. We travelled business class with our 3-year-old (a veteran flyer) and stayed at the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur. I could not believe how difficult it was to get a hotel room with an adjoining bedroom for our daughter. According to our agent the hotel said they could only guarantee 'same floor' - hardly practical.

On arrival in KL we found our room did have one adjoining so asked that on our return stopover we be allocated that room too. What actually happened was that we were given a suite on the sixth floor - two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen. It was truly beautiful and although expensive (for KL) at £200 per night - worth every penny.

Sue Woollett
Nottingham

Australasia via Singapore

The transit hotel in Singapore was great, even for just two hours, being somewhere to have a shower and put cabin gear down before going for a run. There is also a pool and nursery available. It is booked through the airline and I would recommend it even if overnighting in Singapore as it is cheaper and takes far less time than transferring into town. (Travel agents probably wouldn't recommend it though as there is no commission in it for them.)

Vivienne Ivory
Maida Vale