I spent four years backpacking around the globe and I must
have had blinders on because I truly don't recall seeing
many, if any, travellers with kids...not in any of the
hostels, backpackers, campgrounds, etc. Granted, most of
my time was in out of the way places in Third World
countries, but still, should've seen some kids. At any
rate, I'm now a single parent of a 2-1/2 year old and would
love to do some travelling with him. Can you other
travellers suggest interesting places where parents/kids
tend to congregate (please, not the Disneyland crowd
though). I'm most interested in hiking, beaches and
natural beauty (e.g. waterfalls, mountains, oceans, etc).
Also, would be interested to know if anyone is aware of a
site where single parent travellers might hook up to plan
some tandem travelling together (with their wee ones, of
course). Thanks.
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hi.
i'm in the same boat. i'm a single mom with a 10 month-old
daughter and another on the way. in nov. i'll have 2 babies
17 months apart. of course i'm planning on staying put for a
while, but by the end of 2000, i want to be on the road. if
you're planning on being in thailand then, we could meet up
there! (i'm *hoping* to get a job teaching ESL in thailand,
preferably chiang mai.)
i do remember seeing kids during my travels. i saw a couple
with a little girl, about 3 or 4 years old, in Singapore.
they were definitely travellers as opposed to tourists, and
they all looked like they'd been on the road for a long
time (kinda tired...). i remember thinking it was cool that
they were travelling low-budget with a kid, but i also
remember thinking the little girl looked rather bored. she
was staying in this flophouse with her parents and all these
other adults. no kids to play with. that's part of the
reason why i want to have more than one kid - so they can
entertain one another while i'm endeavouring to entertain
myself... i also remember seeing a few families (in all
cases, mom and dad and kids) trekking in nepal. the kids in
those cases were pre-teen and teen. but i have read about
trekking with small kids. you could hire a porter to carry
your kid in a basket on his back, or use one of those baby
backpack things. i haven't really thought it through myself,
whether i would be comfortable with that re: safety, but
it's an idea.) i also saw some kids of leftover hippie-types
in india.
i second your request for a network of single parent
travellers. i'd love to know of such a resource too.
sorry i didn't answer any of your questions. i'm excited to
see there are others out there "like me" who don't want to
stop travelling just because we've got kids.
here's hoping we get some answers from someone who's been
there, done that...
To both above posts, I ageree that it would be really nice
to have a network of travelers with kids. I have actually
been trying to strt just such a site on my webpsite (URL
www.geocities.com?TheTropics/Lagoon/3220/) My site is about
a 5 week trip (budget style) with my 9 & 11 year old sons
around N.india and Nepal. I don't know how much help this
will be to those of you with younger kids but, Nepal was
great, we went white water rafting and did a short trek,
the kids had a riot. India was hard, but the kids sure made
alot of friends, and we all had a great time! maybe if we
all keep posting, I van form that network on my site for
us. just need some more interested people. Take alook at
the site, and let me know if you'd like to help out on a
kids travel forum...let's see what we can do!
Sharon in Canada
We have backpacked a lot with our 4 kids , now aged 9,7,7, and 4. Its been fantastic. We also have not come across many others with large amounts of kids( obvious factor being the cost.).We have been thru Turkey for 6 weeks with 1 pack ( easy in the summer if you follow the coast.Italy, France and Switzerland.Sri lanka was easy , although food preparation time is slow and thats a hassle with small "want it now " kids. Best places for us have been Asia . Vietnam , Laos , Cambodia , Thailand , Malaysia.So cheap and kids are very welcome. You can get great cheap accomodation , although we've seen parents really trying to skimp and staying in real dives. Its no pleasure for anyone .
As we tell our kids "you can have 1 week in Club Med or 4-6 weeks backpacking " , we havent had to get the glossy brochures yet!
As Ive said before on this list the most important factor is having the top of the scale travel insurance that covers all emergency scenarios
Bria -- You asked about specific destinations. I just
returned from Sedona, Arizona (U.S.) with my 3-year old. He
loved leading our hikes up and around the gorgeous red
rocks. Words cannot describe the natural beauty there. He
also enjoyed dinner at the Red Planet diner (alien theme top
to bottom) and there were lots of kids there. We stayed at
the Sky Ranch Lodge for $75/night - it's near the airport so
that made him happy. Saw kids there too. Alternatively,
there's good camping in Oak Creek Canyon with nearby splash
pools and slippery rocks like a natural amusement park for
kids. This time I was only there for the weekend but it
seemed there were plenty of kid-oriented activities at local
festivals, etc. May/June is their peak season. Really
amazing place if you haven't been, and one I'll return to
with my favorite hiker.
Hope you enjoy it if you go.
-Barbara
Hikings..waterfalls? Hmmm.... sounds like a job for the
ElephantMan @ BanditLeader! If you get to my website.. you
will see kids playing with my elephants!!!! And jungle
trekking, too! Check it out, please!
ElephantMan...What is the complete address for your
website? Sounds interesting. Please let me know...thanks.
Sharon
I'm always keen to hear how others have got on with kids in
India. Unfortunately my machine says it can't find your web
page. Culd you resend the address
Sorry folks, I seem to be a little off in my keyboarding!
here's the URL again, without the mistakes I hope !
Cheers
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Lagoon/3220/
I am relieved to find a site about travelling with children.
My husband and I are both in our late thirties, have an 8
year old daughter and are leaving in Sept99 for a RTW trip.
We plan to travel for a year to year an a half, home-school,
and visit mostly third world countries, but also make it to
Australia and Europe. We will be doing the 'hostel thang'
on a tight budget, and want to find safe places and maybe
hook up with other parents, single and coupled. There are so
many questions I have, as we prepare; happy to have found a
place to create dialogue.:)
Peace,
Ariste
Duncan, Molly (17 months in Nov./99) and I are going on a one-year RTW trip in November. We're excited, nervous and endlessly planning at this stage (well, Dunc and I are anyway). We decided to pass India by this trip, but will be going to Thailand, Singapore, Australia, NZ, US (briefly) and Canada. We'd really like to hear anyone's ideas or recommendations about accommodation anywhere along the way. Also, the bulk of our year will be spent in NZ and Canada - does anyone know of a good vehicle sales place in NZ that offers buy-backs after 4-5 months? We're certainly not going mega budget but we don't want to skimp too much due to Molly. P.S. to Sharon in Canada - going to try out your website real soon. Looking forward to hearing everything and anything from you out there. Thanks!
Duncan, Molly (17 months in Nov./99) and I are going on a one-year RTW trip in November. We're excited, nervous and endlessly planning at this stage (well, Dunc and I are anyway). We decided to pass India by this trip, but will be going to Thailand, Singapore, Australia, NZ, US (briefly) and Canada. We'd really like to hear anyone's ideas or recommendations about accommodation anywhere along the way. Also, the bulk of our year will be spent in NZ and Canada - does anyone know of a good vehicle sales place in NZ that offers buy-backs after 4-5 months? We're certainly not going mega budget but we don't want to skimp too much due to Molly. P.S. to Sharon in Canada - going to try out your website real soon. Looking forward to hearing everything and anything from you out there. Thanks!
Duncan, Molly (17 months in Nov./99) and I are going on a one-year RTW trip in November. We're excited, nervous and endlessly planning at this stage (well, Dunc and I are anyway). We decided to pass India by this trip, but will be going to Thailand, Singapore, Australia, NZ, US (briefly) and Canada. We'd really like to hear anyone's ideas or recommendations about accommodation anywhere along the way. Also, the bulk of our year will be spent in NZ and Canada - does anyone know of a good vehicle sales place in NZ that offers buy-backs after 4-5 months? We're certainly not going mega budget but we don't want to skimp too much due to Molly. P.S. to Sharon in Canada - going to try out your website real soon. Looking forward to hearing everything and anything from you out there. Thanks!
You are talking about traveling with really little people. I
always waited until they were old enough to enjoy it. My
parents took me to Mexico when I was 6. I am now 57 and
remember everything about it. I have traveled extensively
with my children and now grandchildren. Ecuador is great
for kids because they love their kids so and include yours.
I am glad to find this discussion because every where we go
we see lots of adults, groups of kids on tours but no
families.
we are a family with 3 kids aged 2,6 and 8. we are planning
to
travel and stay in india for 6 to 8 months from around
august 99 to may 00. we have quite a lot of experience in
travelling. last time (1994) we stayed in india for 3
months, 4 months in australia and 1 month in malaysia. the
indians loved our kids. but we also wondered where all the
families are, since we didn't meet many of them (some in
Australia, but usually well hidden in their super-caravans
not in a tent as we did). we would love to meet some
families on our next trip. whre will you be going? goa
(vagator, baga, somatheeram, ...), nilgiri, gokarna or
kerala (varkala, we've good indian friends there) for
winter? ladakh, kulu, gharwal, rishikesh, mussouri or nepal
for pre- and post-monsoon-time (aug-sept, mar-may)?
we also plan to travel on "high" budget (300-500 rp. for
lodging instead of 50-100 rp.) since saving money is a good
thing to do at home not in se-asia. e-mail me for
suggestions and questions and places to go.
I don't have kids yet but just got back from Nepal and saw
a few families there (backpacker types not tourists). Even
saw a couple families out trekking (to Annapurna basecamp).
One family had three kids - between the ages of say 6 - 12
yrs old. I did see a couple of younger kids as well on the
trails. Saw a few toddlers in Kathmandu, hanging out with
the parents. I think that most young kids would not really
remember the travelling experience, but as long as they are
entertained and travelling isn't too much of a strain on
the parents, then why not? I plan to return with my family
in 10-15 years to Nepal. It's cheap, easy, beautiful and
the Nepalis love choldren. I wouldn't do India though - too
much hassle and too unhygenic.
~
Another good place - Turkey. Saw a few families travelling
& backpacking around there and it seemed like great fun!
i'm thrilled to see other adventurers taking thier small
children with them. we are taking our 16 month-old to
costa rica next month. we plan on staying there for at
least a year. we have no jobs lined up or even a travel
itinerary. we have a small chunk of cash which we will
stretch to its limit and beyond. we are taking camping
gear and are considering buying a used vehicle when we get
there. our families think we are crazy. sometimes i
wonder myself. then i tap in to all of you other parents
out there seeking a little more than disneyland. i'm here
to cheer you on and to encourage those of you with a wilder
spark to remember: YES, YOU CAN!! all things are possible
for those who believe..........happy trails!
Hi i am a single mother of a 10 year old daughter. I have
never travelled but would love to start with my daughter.
Does anyone have any tips of how to start?
Hi i am a single mother of a 10 year old daughter. I have
never travelled but would love to start with my daughter.
Does anyone have any tips of how to start?
I am currently doing an essay at uni on the group single
working parents with pre school age children and how they
can or cannot enter the tourism process any replies would
be appreciated @ yuki@oz-japan.net. by the way Have kids
will travel by Anna Cidor Silver gum press,1995 or
Travelling with children to indonesia and S E asia by Tina
Pentes andAdrienne Truelove Hale and iremonger 8publishers
are highly recommended books.
I thought maybe someone might be interested in a kids
experience. Im not really that young anymore but was taken
to many places with my father, a single dad at ages 1-18.
we went to europe, the middle east, northern africa and the
south (zim/bots)and se asia. At the ages of 1-6 the easiest
places for both of us were asia and europe but in times that
i remember more myself i loved the middle east and africa
since they were so excitig for a child. I would also really
recommend taking daughters to the middle east as it is a
geat opp. for them to travel hassle free. have since gone
back to mid east myself and found the experience a little
overwhelming as a single girl, but the place is so fantastic
it would be a shame to miss. everywhere though, it was
easier for me to meet other kids outside the cities.