Which Country Suitable For Young Children?
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Totally agree that Taiwan is cheap, near and good. :rahrah:
After gathering the feedback from this forum, I finally booked a family trip to Taiwan. I calculated it's really much cheaper DIY from AIR tickets booking (SQ at $900, no promo ticket due to school holidays.), 5 nights accommodation at W Hotel at special deal of $380 per night, 2 nights stay at Flying Cow at $300 per night and 1 night stay at Wonstar. From the name, it really makes me \"won\"der how many \"star\" is this hotel but is the only 1 at Wu Fen Pu and super cheap, only $160 for a room with 2 queen beds. From the web, it looks alright. Praying hard it's a decent one.
On average, including 2 way transfer from Airport - Hotel - Airport and also Hotel- Flying Cow - Hotel, it's less than $1750 per pax for a 1 week trip. It's really value for $$. Moreover, the flight is only 4.5 hr so should be quite alright for young kids. Looking forward to this trip. 
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We went on a 13 nights Mediterranean cruise when DD was 3. Had to fly to Barcelona to catch the cruise. No problem for DD who sleepy soundly on the flight. Cruise took us to Egypt, Greece, Italy etc. I arranged private tours at each port. Spent a few days in Barcelona itself too. It was a breeze. So really it depends on the child. I am lucky that DD is a gd traveller. Never cried on the flights and always could sleep so never had to walk around the cabins. So really, it depends on the child. Only parents will know if their own kids can take the long flights. If not confident, start with a nearby place.
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When we only had DS, we brought him to many different countries, partly due to DH’s work at that time. We’ve been to Japan, London, Brisbane , HK , taiwan , Korea and Malaysia since he was 6 months old. Entertainment on the plane is essential, for the long London flight, I brought toys and books wrapped up and gave him 1 every hour that he was awake. The unwrapping of the presents was great fun for him (18 month old) even though the toy itself was something very small (cheap).
Many parents worry about food when travelling overseas as many kids are used to eating porridge . I have friends who bring rice cooker overseas . We were not that particular about food heh so my DS was eating table food by 1 year old.
I find that a packed itinerary is very stressful with a toddler or preschooler. So our days were often relaxed, taking into account naps and time to eat . -
Dnls_mum:
We went on a 13 nights Mediterranean cruise when DD was 3. Had to fly to Barcelona to catch the cruise. No problem for DD who sleepy soundly on the flight. Cruise took us to Egypt, Greece, Italy etc. I arranged private tours at each port. Spent a few days in Barcelona itself too. It was a breeze. So really it depends on the child. I am lucky that DD is a gd traveller. Never cried on the flights and always could sleep so never had to walk around the cabins. So really, it depends on the child. Only parents will know if their own kids can take the long flights. If not confident, start with a nearby place.
how much did u spend? -
kylene:
When we only had DS, we brought him to many different countries, partly due to DH's work at that time. We've been to Japan, London, Brisbane , HK , taiwan , Korea and Malaysia since he was 6 months old. Entertainment on the plane is essential, for the long London flight, I brought toys and books wrapped up and gave him 1 every hour that he was awake. The unwrapping of the presents was great fun for him (18 month old) even though the toy itself was something very small (cheap).
My daughter started travelling at 6months also (2.5 years now). Due to my work, the family had to travel at least once a month.
Things to keep small children entertained are essential on a long flight and that include their favourite toys, story books, drawing sets, etc. In addition, parents should make a phone to the airline's reservation department after booking the air tickets to request for a bassinet seat (not applicable to most LCCs though) if the child is an infant (i.e. under 2 years of age). There are limited bassinet seats available on an aircraft and they are usually available on a first-come-first-serve basis (and please don't assume that it will be assigned to the child automatically). A bassinet can provide a brief reprieve for the parents on a long flight as it provides a resting place for the child. In addition, being at the bulkhead row, the bassinet seats usually offer extra legroom (and space) over the conventional rows.
While online with reservation department, do request for a kids meal also - either an infant meal or a kids meal (not applicable for LCCs though). Kids meal are usually specially designed for children and may include special packaging to keep the children happy and entertained. Furthermore, kids meal is prepared with the children in mind and would be more acceptable to their tastebuds (not all the time though). -
We just found a good website called suitcasesandstrollers.com and it gave us some good ideas. There is a story called Singapore Beaches about places you can drive to outside SG and we found it useful to book a trip to Rawa and Bintan
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vinegar:
Sorry, did not see your question earlier. To give you some background:Dnls_mum:
We went on a 13 nights Mediterranean cruise when DD was 3. Had to fly to Barcelona to catch the cruise. No problem for DD who sleepy soundly on the flight. Cruise took us to Egypt, Greece, Italy etc. I arranged private tours at each port. Spent a few days in Barcelona itself too. It was a breeze. So really it depends on the child. I am lucky that DD is a gd traveller. Never cried on the flights and always could sleep so never had to walk around the cabins. So really, it depends on the child. Only parents will know if their own kids can take the long flights. If not confident, start with a nearby place.
how much did u spend?
There was 7 of us so we took 2 cabins. My parents and 2 older boys in one and DH and I with our girl. We booked early and managed to get inside cabins which were cheaper. Great for afternoon naps for our girl since there is no window, so no daylight :evil: The beauty of royal Caribbean is that whichever room, inside or outside, you get same service and food :boogie:
Cruise fare was about $13k including gratuity. It was a real bargain as I booked it 9 mths in advance at the height of the Financial Crisis/recession when everyone thought the whole world was sinking into a deep recession.
I planned my own private tours so that it is easier with DD. More flexible and cheaper than if we were to book with the cruise line. We spent a total of $6k on shore excursions. So total about $19k excluding airfare. We redeemed our air tickets. If I had booked the shore excursions from the cruise line, it would have cost us a lot more. I saved more than $1k on the 2 days Cairo tour alone. The money saved on the shore excursions were used to buy photos on the ship and extras like bingo, drinks etc etc. :imcool: -
Gold coast
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New Zealand
Kids got to see many animals(cow, goat,sheep), also it is very relaxing.
The only drawback is the long traveling time from one point to the other. -
Cruise is not a country but I think it is perfect for kids.
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