Lots of families planning stops in New Zealand on their family gap year at the moment - well here’s a stunning hidden gem destination you shouldn’t miss! 💦
🌿Beautiful Wairēinga/Bridal Veil Falls is located just outside of Raglan in the North Island, and it’s a perfect way to experience NZ’s beautiful bush - with the added bonus of a waterfall
🌿It’s a short 10 minute walk from the carpark to the top of the falls, then another 10 minutes down reasonably steep stairs to reach the base of the 55m high waterfall (but worth it even though you have to walk back up!)
🌿You can’t swim here, but it’s only 15 minutes away from the super cute town of Raglan with good swimming for kids in the estuary or one of NZ’s best surf beaches around the corner. There’s lots of places to grab a drink or an ice-cream & check out the guy selling giant popcorn, it’s delicious 🍿😋
🌿Save this post for your New Zealand adventures!
THE MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES WE’VE TRAVELLED IN
Sometimes you’ve just got to take the plunge and visit (albeit briefly) destinations that are going to be hard on your wallet 🤑 Here’s a few of them, along with tips about how to make it cheaper!
TOKYO 🇯🇵
Such a fun city, but wowsers you can burn through the yen if you’re not careful. We found 7-Eleven stores were our best friend! They are full of good priced food 🍣 and healthy snacks 🍎 perfect for keeping hungry kids on the go 😋
NEW YORK 🇺🇸
Amazing, but ouchy on your wallet. Our top tips for the Big Apple include jumping on the Staten Island ferry ⛴️for FREE to see the Statue of Liberty 🗽from the water - instead of paying US$285 for our family of four to visit on a tour. We also visited over a weekend and booked a hotel in the financial district 🏦 downtown by Wall Street - it was half the price of during the week when business was open & way cheaper than other options
NEW ZEALAND 🇳🇿
Kinda ironic because we live here 🤣 but ouch this is an expensive place to visit. Accommodation can be really pricey, attractions expensive and don’t get us started on the cost of fuel and food 😩 Travelling by campervan and staying in freedom camping spots 🏕️or Department of Conservation campgrounds can make your money go further, but here’s another tip -
Auckland to Christchurch ⬇️ in a camper is what most people do, however there can be some real bargains on relocations of campers going from Christchurch to Auckland. You can save hundreds of dollars and still see the same things 👀 if you just drive in the reverse direction ⬆️ to most people!
LONDON 🇬🇧
Our top tip for London (and the whole UK) is to check out the Premier Inn chain for accommodation. They’re nothing fancy but perfectly clean, family-friendly and there’s over 800 of them across the UK. They regularly have sales, so if you book in advance you can bag yourself a good deal! 💷
Have you g
In these expensive times 🤑 it can be pretty tempting to look at family travel destinations where your buck goes a bit further.
In our travels to over 45 countries with our kids, here’s some of the places we’ve found to be the most budget-friendly:
🇻🇳VIETNAM: One of our favourite destinations, Vietnam can be super-friendly on the wallet. Food is absolutely delicious and cheap, especially if you eat street food (don’t be scared, just look for places that are super busy and full of locals!) The accommodation is generally well-priced and good quality, and it’s cheap to get around using trains, taxis, inter-city flights and even cycles!
🇧🇬BULGARIA: We were pleasantly surprised at how far our money went in Bulgaria. We stayed at really nice AirBnBs, ate delicious food and saw the sights on around $70USD per day for the four of us. Look for the free walking tours (small tips encouraged!) in all of the major Bulgarian cities, they’re very well done and our kids found them super engaging
🇹🇷TURKEY: It’s no secret we’re Turkiye lovers from way back and we easily lived on around $65USD per day for the month we stayed there. Again the food is cheap and reasonable, especially if you shop at the incredible fresh produce markets and eat a lot of doner kebab, mezze and at local restaurants rather than tourist traps. Istanbul is a little more expensive but once you get a bit more off-the-beaten-track and park yourself beside the ocean it’s super cost-effective
🇬🇹GUATEMALA: If you’re looking for culture, adventure, jungle, lakes, volcanic hikes and surprisingly good food, you can’t go wrong with Guatemala. Accommodation is reasonably priced for what you get and getting around is cost-effective if you use shared shuttle buses. There are a lot of ‘free’ activities - just walking around the pretty cobblestone streets of Antigua and hanging out in nature are fabulous experiences.
❓Where have been the most budget/cost-effective pla
BUT CENTRAL AMERICA IS SO DANGEROUS! 😱
We got a few raised eyebrows 🤨 when people found out we were visiting Central America last year. “Is it safe?!” was a question we got asked more than once.
Well - yes there are parts of Central America that are unsafe for sure. But we did our research 🧐 about where and where not to go, and we had an amazing adventure. Here’s some of the things we factored in along the way:
✅ Do your research: There’s a big fallacy out there that Mexico is “unsafe”. Well Mexico 🇲🇽 is a massive country and yes there are parts of it that are definitely no-go zones ⛔️ But there’s also huge swathes that are very safe, with welcoming friendly people 👋 and incredible experiences.
We thoroughly research our destinations - check out our government’s ‘SafeTravel’ warnings, make sure we’re covered by travel insurance ✅ where we’re going, take part in online forums from people who live there and have recently visited and follow people on social media who are on the ground and seeing it 👀 for themselves.
✅ Use common sense: Yes you need to be vigilant in Central America, but as you do in many major cities around the world! We were careful with our belongings, don’t wear flashy jewellery 💍 or flaunt big cameras 📸only take cash 💰we need for the day and one credit card, be careful with our passports, use judgement calls when walking around at night.
Ironically we felt safer sometimes walking after dark in Mexico 🇲🇽 Guatemala 🇬🇹 and Belize 🇧🇿than we do at home in here 🇳🇿 New Zealand!
✅Listen to locals: Whenever we were unsure, we would ask our hotel reception or host if it was safe to walk 🥾somewhere or venture out on public transport 🚌 They gave us honest answers because of course they have a vested interest in keeping their guests safe! Don’t be afraid to quiz the locals❓on what to do in a situation if you have any doubt.
Have you been to Central Am
Ahhh beautiful Belize 🏝️
Caye Caulker is a small island just off the shore from mainland Belize in the Carribean and probably the most chilled place we’ve ever been. Every day when Mike went for a run 🏃♂️the locals would yell “slow down mon, why you in a big hurry?”
The time passed pretty slowly while we spent long lazy days swimming 🏊♀️ eating at beachside BBQs 🦐watching incredible sunsets 🌅 and spending a lot of time barefoot 👣
The one day we did venture out was on a day trip to the edge of Belize’s barrier reef, the second largest in the world. We saw the most incredible coral 🪸hundreds of fish 🐠 manta rays and turtles 🐢
The highlight though was swimming with sharks 🦈 in Shark Ray Alley. You literally get your gear on 🤿 then jump into the water surrounded by at least 30 nurse sharks. It really is a leap of faith, especially when the guide tells you “you’ll be fine just take care not to land on top of one” 🤪
Jack has loved sharks ever since he was a toddler, so it was an absolute bucketlist tick ✅ for him and a lifelong memory he’ll never forget.
Would you jump in and swim with sharks? 🦈 Even if they’re the non-human-eating type?!
3 WEEKS IN CENTRAL AMERICA ITINERARY 🇲🇽🇬🇹🇧🇿
Here’s how we managed to visit three countries in Central America in 3 weeks last year and had the adventure of a lifetime!
This 3 week itinerary is a mix of beaches 🏝️culture, amazing food 🌮 stunning architecture 🛕erupting volcanoes 🌋and learning about the ancient Mayans - perfect for a family trip with tweens and teens
1️⃣Fly to Hualtuco in Oaxaca state in Mexico and taxi to the beautiful little seaside village of San Agustinillo. Spend 4 days chilling, eating ceviche and tlayudas (Mexican style pizzas from Oaxaca state)
2️⃣Fly or take the bus if you’re on a budget like us (beware it’s VERY windy!) to Oaxaca city. Spend 5 nights soaking up the culture in this UNESCO world heritage city. Be sure to eat your way through the city markets, visit the historic site of Monte Alban and join the party in the Zocolo every evening!
3️⃣Fly to Guatemala city and head straight to the stunning town of Antigua for 5 nights. Wander through the cobblestone streets admiring the architecture, learn how to make chocolate, visit the museums for Mayan history and if you’re brave, climb Acetangoto 3,400m high to watch the active volcano Fuego erupt. You can do a cool trip to Pacaya national park and even make pizza 🍕over a live lava field! If volcanoes aren’t your thing, take a shuttle bus to Lake Aitlan to chill out for a few days
4️⃣Fly to Flores on the other side of Guatemala (or an overnight bus) and spend 2 nights to explore the ancient Mayan site of Tikal surrounded by lush jungle 🛕Take either a sunset or sunrise tour to see it at it’s best
5️⃣Jump on a bus and head over the border into beautiful Belize. Take a ferry from Belize City out to Caye Caulker 🏝️ situated in the Carribean. Spend the next 5 nights swimming, eating from beachside BBQs, and snorkelling on the outskirts of the second biggest barrier reef in the world - complete with sharks!
It’s fa
BALI’S BIGGEST POOL 🏊♀️🌴🍹
Lots of people planning Bali for 2024 ✅ so here’s our honest opinion on Bali’s biggest pool…
Last year we stopped for one night at the Hard Rock Hotel in Kuta, because we got a great deal, it’s close to the airport but also to check out what is the biggest onshore pool in Bali. So what’s it really like?
Pros:
✅ Being the biggest pool means there’s plenty of space for everyone! There’s different depths which suits everyone
✅ Our teen and tween really loved the waterslides and spent a heap of time on them
✅ The in-pool bar is pretty cool if you like having a drink with your swim
✅ It has a ‘sand island’ which is quite unique and means it’s like a beach within the pool, complete with volleyball net
Cons:
❌If you want to use one of the 22 beachside cabanas, you have to pay (the price includes food and drink depending on the package selected)
❌There aren’t a lot of sun loungers around for the number of people using the facilities - probably because they want to upsell you to a cabana!
❌We weren’t massive fans of the food at the Hard Rock Hotel - it was pretty average and expensive. So if you want some good local food or something better than an overpriced burger then you’ll need to leave the complex
Overall though it’s a pretty well maintained complex and a good option for families who want a big resort style pool and to be in the heart of Kuta (not our favourite part of Bali but it has its place!)
Have you got any questions about the Hard Rock Hotel in Bali? 😍
✨2023 RECAP✨
This was supposed to be our “comeback year” after 3 years of pandemic exile 🤣 We’ve been pretty quiet on the ‘gram this year & here’s why…
It started amazingly with a fantastic trip through Central America 🇲🇽🇬🇹🇧🇿& the US 🇺🇸 We arrived home refreshed & ready to hit the year with gusto…and 5 days later our world was turned upside down. Our city had a month of rain in one afternoon & our entire living area, kitchen & garage got flooded out - 6 weeks after completing renovations 😭
What followed was months of stripping & drying out a sodden mess, dealing with insurance & bureaucracy, working out repairs & future mitigation. We’re only getting close to starting repairs soon 👷♀️
Mid-year, a routine skin check found a weird looking mole & on biopsy turned out to be malignant melanoma skin cancer. I’m extremely lucky it was found early, but PSA - melanoma can occur ANYWHERE on the body, not just at sites of sun exposure - something I hadn’t realised before this 👩⚕️
We literally escaped ✈️🌴in August to Singapore 🇸🇬& Indonesia 🇮🇩 for a break from the chaos & it was so great to be back in Asia & away from drama for a bit!
On returning home I still didn’t feel right, but put it down to the stress & exhaustion 😩 of the year so far. However a few medical tests later confirmed I needed some major (unrelated) surgery, so I spent the week before Christmas in hospital 🤦♀️ I’m resting up but will be 4-6 weeks off work while I get my mojo back!!
So adios 2023 👋 very much glad to see the back of you!
It just goes to show from this fancy highlights reel 💅🏻that social media really is the “good bits” - you often don’t know what is going on behind the scenes.
Although it’s been bad for us, there are so many others right now truly suffering who don’t have our resources, privilege & access to healthcare. We’re pretty lucky for sure & it goes
Hiking Acatenango volcano in Guatemala to watch the nearby Fuego volcano erupting (back in January) was one of the most epic things we’ve ever done when travelling with our kids 🌋
We’re by no means mountaineers & I’m not gonna lie - it was TOUGH 🥵 It’s 3,500m high and a 7km ascent from the start of the trail - but the tricky bit is that you’re ascending 1.5km up in a day and the altitude is brutal. We were so proud of the kids and hopefully we haven’t ruined hiking for them for life!! 🥾🏕️
A few tips:
-We’ve been asked what the lower age limit for the hike is - the answer is there isn’t one, but in reality we wouldn’t recommend for under 10’s unless they’re highly experienced. Jack was 10 and he was amazing but it really challenged him at times
-Make sure you chat with a travel doctor before setting out to get specific advice about the altitude. We were recommended to take diamox (including the kids) as a preventative due to the rate of ascent & we thankfully didn’t have any symptoms. But a young guy in our group who was super fit got really sick (we gave him some of ours cos he had nothing) & needed oxygen so you just don’t know who it will effect
-It’s worth paying extra to go with a company who have experienced guides, decent gear and enough food. After all, you’re sleeping next to an active volcano at below freezing temps, it’s not worth skimping! We went with @wichoandcharlies and were very happy with our choice
Hit us up with any questions you have! 🌋🇬🇹🥾
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#travelwithkids #hikingwithkids #guatemalawithkids #familytravel #familygapyear #kidstraveltips #travelingfamilies #travellingfamilies #familytravel #familytravels
TOP TIPS FOR VISITING THE GILI ISLANDS
🌴 The only way to travel to the Gilis (unless you have a private helicopter) is by ferry which takes around 2.5 hours from the port near Sanur in Bali. You can also go from Lombok. Be sure to book your ferry in advance in high season, we couldn’t get onto our preferred boat back even when booking a few weeks back
🌴 Travel as early as possible on the morning ferries as it gets rough in the afternoon (see our stories for what I mean 🤢)
🌴 Go with a reputable firm - we saw a few dodgy looking boats! Bluewater Express or Gili Getaway are recommended companies
🌴Like most of Indonesia the islands are largely Muslim (unlike Bali), so you’ll hear the call to prayer at 5am & throughout the day through giant megaphone speakers attached to the mosque. You soon get used to it 😍
🌴 Be sure to walk or bike around the islands - Gili T the largest is only 7km round & a great way to see everything
🌴 There’s no cars on the islands so travel by foot, bike or horse & cart are the only options. Sadly some of the horses are not in great condition so we chose to walk 😢
🌴The east side of the Gili Trawanagan (the big island) is where the night market, lots of bars & restaurants are, and the west side is for surfing and sunsets 🌅
🌴Gili T is also known for its magic mushroom stalls - it’s all pretty harmless but you might have some questions if travelling with kids/tweens/teens 🤣
🌴 There are lots of options for diving & snorkeling trips - you can largely organise these once you arrive
🌴 Food prices vary across the islands - around US$ 1.50 for fresh juices & crepes, local warung rice and noodle dishes are $3, the best pizza we’ve eaten outside of Italy! $10, but you can also splurge on a high end beachfront meal if you wanted!
Have you got any questions about visiting the Gilis?
SAVE THIS POST FOR FUTURE TRIP INSPO 🌴
Gili Night Market is one of the best - and cheapest - places to eat on Gili T. The stalls set up around 6pm and you can buy your choice of delicious seafood, fish, vegetables and meat. You also get a delicious side helping of rice and salads. Just let them know what you want and it’s freshly cooked to order. Delicious!!
