Where to go for a vacation? The big question…. – Part I

We all have our bucket list of places to visit, which just keeps on growing each time we see a travel documentary, a movie or read about a new place. On the other hand, most of us have also been blessed with some wonderful memories of vacations we’ve had with our loved ones and families and wish we could re-visit those places to relive the memories. Here comes the big question, should we go to the place we know we love and enjoy or start ticking off our bucket list?

Being a parent we are also faced with another big question whether it would be worth the money spent on a vacation aimed to please the kids or are they too young? Honestly, the parents can only answer this question, as they know their kids best. However, being a travel consultant I do give some pointers to my clients, which I would like to share with a series of blogs:

Places with theme parks like Hong Kong or Singapore:

We all want to take our little ones to meet Mickey, Minnie and all the wonderful Disney characters at some point or take them to an international zoo or safari park. However, what I realized with my daughter is that theme parks can be quite tiring; especially with Asian weather and for a kid less than 8 years you have to give more time if you want to see the entire park. Pick a season when the locals and neighboring countries’ schools do not have school holidays to avoid huge crowds at the park. If you can afford, buy the fast track pass to skip the huge queues. Figure out in advance the timings to meet the characters you think your kid would like to meet. Merchandise within the park are super expensive (of course they are originals, hence the price), so think twice before you take your kid into the shop. I always give a budget to my daughter and she picks whatever she wants with that money. Helps them learn the lesson of spending wisely and make their own choices. Don’t forget to enjoy the experience with your child rather than going berserk clicking pictures and shooting videos.

Most parks like Ocean Park & even the ones in Singapore like the zoo & bird park have special educational and interactive experiences that can be booked at a fee. If you think you have a Jr. Zookeeper in the making, ensure you book these encounters where the kid gets a chance to get within the enclosures and spend quality time with the rangers.

Because there are so many themed parks on offer, all geared towards kids edutainment, we tend to spend days visiting one park after the other. My daughter doesn’t enjoy many organised activities and with so many kids around her, she would actually just want to gather all of them and have her own party going… but most kids are rushing to the next ride and hence she has to make do with just making friends in the queues! I remember at a park in Bangkok she found a wall where kids could draw with coloured chalks on a wall and though we had a planned schedule to see one animal show after the other, my husband and I just sat there chatting & relaxing over a cup of coffee while our darling was happy colouring the wall! We did exchange a glance, which said did we spend so much to come all the way to Thailand to draw on walls, but when we saw her having fun and us time to just chill, we didn’t mind it at all.

Vacations are about having fun and relaxing too besides checking out the sights. Do take time to just roam around the streets, mingle with the locals and take some public transport rather than packaging your trip so much that you are just rushing all the time. You and your kids will get a better insight about the lifestyle and people of the country when you use public transport and eat at local joints.

Big cities like Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur & Singapore may end up giving you similar experiences unless you opt for non-touristy tours. Opt for walking tours rather than seat in coach city tours where you just whizz past places. Sample a bit of tradition by visiting religious places with a knowledgeable child friendly guide. Opt for a local activity like dim sum making class or a short Kung Fu or Tai Chi lesson with locals. Light an incense stick at a local monastery and make a wish on the wishing tree… Yes, I am still referring to Hong Kong & Singapore, the cities renowned for shopping and theme parks.

Feel free to writ to me at: info@soltrips.com