Skip to main content

5 Things I learnt travelling to Bali with kids

 Photo1

The wonderful staff at Hidden Garden Villas

 

I’m now into the full swing of being back home and Melbourne is putting on a show of its full force of the winter chill!

I wouldn’t call myself a seasoned traveller as having kids young buried that travel bug, but I have visited my favourite place to go to, Bali, now many times.

We usually travel just the two of us – beg the grandparents or my sister to watch the kids and get some r&r together, because, please, for the love of God you need it sometimes.

And in my head, this trip was all organised. I’d booked everything months in advance. I had saved and saved every week for this trip, the Virgo in me had it all worked out, what things to bring with us, what we were going to get up to and see – I was prepared!

I also anticipated daily massages, twice a day {its my thing}, like we always get when we go there. {I had 4 massages in total – 16 less then what I would have done kid free!} {they are between $4-$6 for an hours massage!}

I brought 2 books for me to read – Didn’t. Even. Open. A. Page.

Kids change that.

A 3 year old does.

So let me share with you some of my truths about travelling with kids:

 

Be prepared for the unexpected!

Arriving at Melbourne airport ready to depart to Bali and your 17-year-old stepdaughter arrives without her suitcase. Yes, your read it right, without her suitcase! Thank god she had her passport in her backpack!

 

A 3-year-old toddler is heavy.

Thank goodness a good friend of ours loaned us their ergo carrier. This was a godsend! In the heat of Bali with the change of routines, Jack would tire easier than back home and the Ergo just made it so easy and comfortably to carry him around- without breaking your back!

 

Expect to buy half a pharmacy

I brought with us the essentials; sunscreen, aloe vera gel, Panadol, charcoal tablets, hand sanitiser. That’s all I usually only bring when Steve and I come to Bali.

I didn’t anticipate; travellers diarrhoea – Ethan, throat infection – Jack and eye infection – Molly to happen. I ended up spending about $150 AUS on pharmacy and over the counter medication. Throw in a doctors visit for Jack, total spend for medical essentials was close to $300 AUS.

 

Quiet time is ….. what?

There is no quiet time when a 3 year old is with you. The change in climate, routine, foods and new surroundings, meeting new people can throw a little one. Afternoon naps didn’t happen, staying up past bedtime occurred more than once which equaled a clingy, attached toddler. The only alone time we got was when we went to bed and literally slept!

 

Wi-Fi is super important for pre teens and teens

Well that’s what I found with our older ones. And Wi-Fi is EVERYWHERE in Bali. Nearly every Warung, coffee shop even the spas have Wi-Fi that you can tap into. You should have seen though their faces of delight when the password was given to them for the Wi-Fi wherever they were. It was like Christmas!

This trip was not what I had expected it to be. Don’t get me wrong – it was totally AMAZING just different to the type of trips that we had done before.

Would I recommend travelling to Bali with children? ABSOLUTELY! Just be prepared with meds, carriers and Wi-Fi! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

20 meal ideas for those that hate cooking

 It's quite ironic that I decided a few weeks ago to ease myself into the fad of meal planning. I was so sick of thinking of ideas of meals of what to make and Steve was no help as when i asked him,"what you want for dinner?" his answer was always" whatever you want". Grrrrrrrrrrr - uncommitted. So one afternoon with a cup of some alcoholic description, i went into my think tank which is my brain, and wrote down my repertoire of meals that i know how to make.  Now this will look different for every household. After scribbling away for some minutes, I realised that i actually can make quite a variety of meals quite well, without poisoning the family.  Before #IsoLyf took over, I had been quite a fan of click and collect either from Woolies or Coles when we lived in Melbourne. For whatever reason I stopped doing it since our tree-change to the farm which was quite silly as we now lived out of the main hub of Sunraysia and click and collect would have definitel
Post a Comment
Read more

I had a hysterectomy at 37 years of age

 This coming Wednesday will mark four weeks since my hysterectomy. It has been a long journey coming – this hysterectomy and with all the ailments that I had experienced over the last 20 years, including low grade cervical cancer, I could not have been happier seeing my uterus ripped out and put in the bin. That said, I am grateful that these organs allowed me to birth my two sons. They are the joys and absolute headaches of my life. I would (like most mothers I am sure) take a bullet for them and they always know that sanctuary of any sort will always be home for them. But a hysterectomy at 37 you say? Yes, I do admit that Google will tell you that this surgery is quite early in my life, but after two decades of agony, constant pain, bloating to the size of looking like I am six months pregnant and the fact that I had finished have all the children that I desired, it really was a no brainer. We live in rural Victoria. Our main town, Mildura has a hospital, and I was aware that give
Post a Comment
Read more

Do not write blog post when you have had a couple of wines

 It's been a bad day.  Not a travesty, but a day of anxiety, overload of emotions, countless puffs from many a ciggies and all in all just a bleh.  Where the fuck has 2020 gone? How did we get from free world to lockdown and oppressions and wearing masks???? I  burnt my 2020 planner, close with my 2020 diary, because why the fuck, hey? Let's just write this year off as a mistake on a humanity scale and start fresh in 2021.  Funnily enough, I bought a $4 2021 diary. So there may be hope. My beloved is struggling. Which  means that I am struggling, Seeing him in pain, no sleep, swelling joint agony, depression and all the things that entail chronic illness. I'm at a loss as to how to help him, I just sit and be with him and tell him every day that i will be by his side till the rest of my days.  At least 2020 has shown us this: What actually is important in our life, What actually matters, like really really matters,  The latest model car or other new appliance upgra
Post a Comment
Read more