Kia Ora Aotearoa...travelling solo with an 18 mth old hip...
Now, from time to time we mention New Zealand, and not surprisingly (well actually, a bit surprising considering NZ is such a beautiful country) there are many Kiwi’s living in Australia who fly back home to show off the ‘hips’ to the family. The wonderful Fay kindly volunteered to give us an insight into her travels back home, and how she managed travelling solo with 18 month old Ally. Here’s what she had to say;
So, tell us a bit about you and your family?
I am a 30 year-old married stay-at-home Mum of one Hip (Ally) who is 18 months-old. We also have a wonderful 3 year-old Great Dane Cross who makes up the forth member of our family. My husband and I are both Kiwis and came over to live in Australia 3 and a half years ago and love it.
And where have you been of late with your little ‘hips’?
We have just got back from a two week 'holiday' in NZ (Cambridge - North Island), just Hip and I went to visit both sides of the family.
How did you get there, and where did you stay?
We flew with Pacific Blue (Virgin) and they were FANTASTIC! They saw I was flying alone with a toddler, and went out of their way to help. We had a whole row to ourselves both ways and even had help to carry our luggage off the plane to the baggage claim and the lovely lady got me a trolley too :) The air hostesses were lovely and played with Ally and didn't mind a bit when she went down to the staff section and played with the food trolleys. Outstanding service!
We stayed at my in-laws house, and luckily my wonderful In-Laws have purchased all baby equipment needed so we don't have to carry any extra's with us on the flight, (their way of getting us to go back more often)
What are your main tips for travelling with kids?
Be prepared for the flight!! It was the second trip Ally and I had done alone (Poor hubby never gets a holiday) the first when she was 10 months-old, so I knew what to expect, except this time she was walking! I packed snacks (favourite non-messy kinds), water (ended up buying a bottle on the plane too as she drank alot!), mini magna-doodle for non-messy drawing, a new toy that I wrapped up in wrapping paper for an extra surprise, a couple of other favourite non-noisy toys that I had packed away a couple of weeks before the flight to make them new and exciting again, nappies, wipes, spare clothes, and a portable DVD player that was worth its weight in gold! If possible only take one bag on with you if you are traveling alone, the less to carry the better!!!
What would you not have left home without?
Ally's sleep cuddly :) perfect for sucking on to make her ears pop!
And finally, anything else you want to add?
On the way back after going through the customs a security guy asked me why I didn't have a stroller, I explained the baby gear stays in NZ so we don't have to carry it on the flight. He then informed me that the airport have ones you can borrow from check-in and leave at the gate just before boarding - so will be doing that next time!!!!
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hip tips and tricks with the little 'hips' to...Bali
Well, we all know that travelling is fun, and travelling with the 'hips' to somewhere really hip is even more fun, and yes, we also know that it really does require a lot of patience and a lot of planning. Well, Vanessa, a fellow mum of 2 hips and a fellow graduate of bizness babes (more on that to come another time), has just returned from a trip with the 'hips' to Bali, and has heaps of handy tips and tricks up her sleeves to share with us....
First of all, a bit about our reviewer...Vanessa Williams has just left the world of teaching to start a brand new venture. After becoming a mum, she decided there was more to life than teaching testing teenagers, and reality really kicked in when Vanessa and her family lost their home in the Kinglake fires - it was a time for new beginnings. Starting up her new business means more flexibility to spend time with her hubby and their two young boys, and to give back to the community that was so amazing to them in their time of need.. Vanessa has just started a fabulous business offering certified first aid courses taught by a qualified teacher. Her aim is to make the learning fun, memorable and accessible. For more information, you can contact her on vanessa@firstaid4all.com - I personally think this a fabulous service, and am therefore exceptionally happy to welcome her here. Please check out her review below...and before long, you'll find yourself, like me, start to plan for your next little hip travel adventure.
"How quickly we said yes to attend our cousins wedding in the gorgeous Bali. Sure we’ll go we said, no problems, how hard could it be taking a toddler and a baby on a 6-hour flight to a country where you can’t drink the water, the mosquitoes carry malaria and the dogs have rabies!? Little did we know! Lots would we find out!
So in preparation, which is half the fun isn’t it, I researched everything. Found a villa that had more than one room, so the kids could nap during the day and we didn’t have to tip toe around the place. I also found one that was owned by an Australian couple, which was handy for communication and transferring money, very reassuring. For about $250US I found a villa, casa dorena that had a pool, three air conditioned rooms, car service, and was a little bit out from the main touristy areas.
Anyway back to the research. I found a great website where you could hire almost anything baby wise, bali baby and it would be delivered to your accommodations door. Very handy! We had also heard there were supermarkets that stocked necessities for babies like Huggies, S26 and Heinz. The prices were if anything more expensive than Australia and the choices very limited. Bubs ate 2 varieties of jar food the whole week! Being on formula I took enough pre-mixed cartons for the plane and our own bottles from home. I bought S26 in Bali and took Milton tablets with me to sterilise the bottles. Bottle water was drunk by all and used in bubs’ formula mix. None of us got Bali belly, which was great. We were warned though to watch what we ate and what we drank, especially things with ice in it.
We decided to splurge and stayed at the Hilton the night before our flight so that the boys could get a normal nights sleep and all we had to do was wander over the bridge and check in then sit down for coffee and breakfast. It was one of the best decisions we made, no 4am start due to how far we were from the airport. I will warn you though the Hilton is pricey and really not worth the money except for the location. Things like half bottles of apple juice in the fridge and backs missing to the remote. The little things that make a big impact!
We ended up taking a stroller, which we could take right up to the boarding gate (you can do this with normal prams too) and a sling. The stroller ended up being used by Mr Toddler if he was too tired and as a highchair for bubs at the villa. The sling was an absolute godsend as bubs ended up with a cold and became very clingy and had trouble sleeping in the humidity. The sling saved my arms and sanity. It could be squashed into the backpack when not in use.
The villa in Bali had its own pool, which was awesome so the boys could go naked and not worry about offending anyone. In Bali most villas come with staff that cook, clean and drive you places (for a fee). This can be hard to get used to but such a luxury too. Ayu would come in the morning and cook us breakfast, banana pancakes and scrambled eggs with freshly brewed coffee and squeezed juice. She would rush through preparations and then take bubs out of my arms so I could sit and eat and relax! Wow, was I in heaven. The transport and driving in Bali is an interesting experience too. I would describe it as organized chaos. Sooo much traffic, motorbikes and cars, all weaving in and out of each other and constantly beeping. The surprising thing was that we didn’t see any accidents or anyone get mad at each other. There is no child seats or restraints. Mr Toddler was strapped in a normal seat belt, he was very proud of himself although couldn’t really see much out the window. Bubs sat on my lap either attached to me with the sling or my seatbelt. A little hairy at times let me tell you.
Other little bits of advice I would give are take a first aid kit (www.firstaid4all.com.au will have them for sale very soon, stay tuned!) with sunscreen for babies and children, baby panadol, charcoal tablets for Bali belly, and to deal with the mosquitoes natural wipes with no deet for the kids, adult mosquito spray and vitamin B1 tablets. Also dare I say it but a portable DVD player was great. You know how before you have children you have these great ideals about parenthood and what you will and won’t do. Well I was determined to not have one of those DVD players that I would take everywhere for my kid. Why couldn’t my children just play eye spy like I did when I was a child! Well I weakened didn’t I! Dare I say it but it was worth its weight in gold. We would only pull it out when we had exhausted all other avenues, like books, drawings, Thomas trains etc. Mr Toddler was in heaven and I must say it is a great bargaining tool too.
Anyway we loved the experience of travelling to Bali. The people were absolutely gorgeous and loved babies! They have this theory that babies are sacred creatures between worlds and are not allowed to touch the ground. Therefore bubs had so much attention that he was in his own little heaven. I must say it was hard work travelling with young children and we craved a stiff drink on many occasion. I loved having family there to help at times too. Overall we are so glad we went and have such amazing memories as a family".
