We Go With Kids!

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  • India With Kids

    India With Kids

    India is an amazing country for kids to experience.  Our trip to Bangalore and Kerala in March 2016 was our children’s first taste of South Asia and really opened their eyes to the beautiful country their dad called home when he was a child.  In India, they saw two extremes – the luxurious lifestyles of a portion of the population and the challenges of a developing country.  Our most memorable experiences of the trip included countless amazing meals, fabulous shopping, unparalleled street chaos (vehicles, people and stray animals sharing the road) and some luxurious relaxation in Kerala.

    Planning

    My husband and I had previously traveled together to India over the Christmas holidays in 2006.  Our trip included stops in Goa, Mangalore, Bangalore and Bombay, but we knew that we wanted to limit our internal travel on our first trip with kids.  We chose to spend the majority of our time in Bangalore visiting my husband’s family and make only one side-trip to Kerala during our 16 days there.

    We traveled when our youngest was a full-fledged toddler of 20 months but could still qualify as a lap-child, which is how she would travel even if we bought her a seat.  Because we were staying mostly with family, our trip planning for the Bangalore portion required only booking flights.  With the long journey to get to India, we decided to extend our sons’ spring break by a week to minimize school absences.  About five months before our trip, we booked flights from Cleveland to Bangalore on Qatar Airways with stopovers in Boston and Doha.

    Many Indian travel companies require payment in local currency or a physical credit card and therefore cannot make advance bookings from the US.  Mark’s uncle was able to help us book our Kerala trip locally through Atlas Hoppers, but we understand that Atlas Hoppers can accept bookings from outside of India.  Nancy also has friends who have highly recommend Tours By Locals to arrange guides.

    Prior to our departure, we secured e-visas.   We traveled on 60-day e-tourist visas but had to apply during a specific window and complete final processing at the Bangalore Airport upon arrival.  It was a bit of an added hassle to our middle of the night arrival, but far less expensive than the one-year visa.  This option made sense for us because we did not expect a return trip in the near future.

    We also made got the necessary vaccines, which include typhoid and Hepatitis A.  Because there was minimal malaria risk in Bangalore and Kerala during the time of our trip, we did not have to take precautionary malaria medicine.  This was a huge relief because all anti-malaria medication have pretty scary side effects.  We carried bug sprays and wipes because the selection and availability of both are limited in India but were glad not to need them.

    Packing

    Because there was no fee for checked baggage, and I was not completely sure what items might be easy to find in India, I packed substantially more than usual.  However, next time we go to India, I’ll bring far less knowing that we are certain to purchase clothes and likely even shoes after we arrive.  Also, it’s important to check the expected temperature, as some seasons can be very hot in India.  It was unseasonably warm during our stay, so the skinny jeans I packed were really of no use.  I recommend packing light-weight clothes.  As always, I traveled with some children’s ibuprofen and adult pain and cold medication even though we knew that medicine was readily available in pharmacies at a fraction of their US cost (e.g. a bottle of children’s ibuprofen cost about $.30). Diapers are probably available, but I would recommend bringing them as well.

    Getting There

    I was worried about how the kids would survive the 30-hour trip from Cleveland to Bangalore.  Before our departure, we learned that the Boston-Doha route we booked was starting service on the day before our departure and featured the United States’ second Airbus 350.  As soon as I stepped on board, I knew that the Airbus 350 was a special aircraft.  It was absolutely beautiful with décor and lighting that reminded me of a night club.  The in-seat entertainment was unparalleled.  All the Academy Award nominated films that I had not had a chance to watch were available even before their DVD releases.  The electronic components were cleverly stored under the floor so that valuable under seat leg room was not sacrificed in the process.  Also, the plane was mostly empty, so my husband and each of my boys took a row of three seats for themselves to sleep, and my daughter and I shared another row.  This allowed us the luxury to get semi-decent sleep for about seven hours of the 12-hour flight.  The Airbus 350 is the way to travel – especially on a long flight when traveling in coach with a toddler virtually connected to you.  When we stepped off, we were sad that we would not be traveling home on this exact plane.

    Airbus 350

    Qatar Airlines ran promotional videos about Doha on all flights and offers complimentary city tours.  Doha definitely looked like a city we would like to visit one day, and we definitely hope to return to Qatar with kids.  However, our itinerary did not permit us to leave the airport.  My oldest son did play a little violin in the airport during our layover for the novelty of playing violin in Qatar.

    Transportation

    India is definitely a challenging travel destination logistically – with or without kids.  If you are traveling to India without local family, you need to make sure to hire a recommended driver and guide for every day that you are there.  This may seem like an extravagance, but it is relatively inexpensive (we paid a driver with a car about $20 for eight hours).  While we often traveled by uber and even auto with no issues, my husband was very familiar with the city, and his uncle always took the precaution of watching our driver’s route from pickup to drop off.

    Traffic is pretty chaotic in Indian cities and watching the other travelers on the road is truly an experience.  The vehicles, people, animals and signs you see and non-stop honking you hear are all so different from anything you see in the West.  Cows were a common fixture along the side of the road, and we once even saw an elephant.  It’s a good thing that it was so interesting to watch because even traveling a few miles can take quite a long time in crowded cities.  Also, car seats are virtually unheard of, and cars are not equipped with self-retracting belts or any kind of LATCH/Isofix system to make them really usable.  Luckily, cars, motorcycles, autos and bikes travel at low speeds. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

     

    Common street scene

     

    It’s not everyday you see an elephant walking on the side of the road

    Accommodation

    We were fortunate that we were able to mostly stay with family.  If you are not visiting family or friends, it is advisable to book higher-end or recommended hotels, and 4.5-5 star hotels are generally available for $100-$150/night.  We thoroughly enjoyed staying at Taj hotels during our trip to Kerala and had a wonderful buffet lunch at the stunning Leela Palace.

    Leela Palace in Bangalore

    Shopping

    Shopping in India is pretty amazing.  Most items are a fraction of the cost that you would find them in the US.  On our first trip to India before kids, we bought so much that we had to purchase a suitcase to bring all the items back with us.  We purchased several bedspreads, a rug, two side tables (which came apart and fit in our luggage), a carved lamp, prescription glasses, some handicrafts and jewelry.  While I was there, I felt like I was buying too much jewelry.  But, I found that in the nine years between our visits that I rarely found pieces as interesting, unique and affordable in the US.  So, on our trip last year, I made sure to not limit myself and found several new pieces, which are now in heavy rotation.

    Not only are prices substantially lower in India, but service is amazing.  When we looked at jewelry in a store and returned a few days later, the salesman (or less commonly, the saleswoman) would pull out whatever pieces I expressed any interest in and place them on display as I reached the counter.  In home goods stores, someone would pull out every bedspread or rug that we looked at twice.

    So many options!
    Bedspread displayed for us

    Language Barrier

    Many people think that communication would be an issue in India.  However, Hindi and English are co-official languages.  There are 22 major languages spoken in India, and many Indians speak their local language at home, but Hindi and English are unifying languages.  In our experience, anyone in a service industry role spoke English.  The only times we needed to communicate with a non-English speaker occurred when we were riding in an auto.  My husband’s broken Hindi was all we needed to get to our desired destination.  The prevalence of English surprises many Americans but is an obvious result in a country that was largely a British colony for over 300 years.

    Kid Caution

    Many people asked if it was safe for our kids to travel to India and had specific concerns about healthcare, safe food and water.  If you do have a medical issue when traveling in India, first-rate healthcare is widely available and affordable.  The day we arrived, our son spiked a fever, which soared to 104 degrees the next day.  We were able to take him to an ER on a Sunday and have him examined by a pediatric doctor.  The doctor prescribed medicine and rest and prepared a folder filled with all the details of the examination and recommendations.  We were definitely satisfied by his care and shocked that the hospital fee was a mere $8 and prescribed medicines cost about $1 total at the pharmacy.  After this experience, it doesn’t surprise us that people travel to India from all over the world for medical procedures, including $1,800 heart surgery with outcomes among the world’s best.

    The tap water is absolutely not safe to drink, even when brushing your teeth.  Outside of our relatives’ homes where the water was specially filtered, we only drank sealed beverages.  While this seems odd at first, it is such a common request that servers typically bring sealed beverages to your table so that you are certain that no tampering could have occurred.  There is also a risk that raw fruit and vegetables may have been washed in tap water that can cause illness.  Luckily, the country’s specialties are all cooked food like curries, naan, dosas, biryani and samosas, and cooked vegetables are especially tasty.  We ate our way through India at well-known and higher end restaurants and had no food or water issues at all.

    Because my son contracted a bacterial infection from swallowing pool water in Mexico as a toddler, we were particularly careful with our daughter.  She only used one pool in Kerala, and I held her above the water the entire time she was in the pool.  We were also extra careful when bathing her.

    Because of risks related to food and vaccinations, India is not a recommended travel destination for young babies or women who are pregnant, nursing or planning to become pregnant.

    India with Kids?

    Our vacation in India was definitely more complicated than any of our other trips as a family, but I’ve never seen our boys have so many “aha moments.” Nothing quite compares to the moments they spent playing soccer with local boys in their dad’s school yard, dipping their toes into the Arabian Sea, relaxing on a houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala, learning to swim in their great aunt and uncle’s pool, riding in an auto, watching us negotiate with salespeople, operating a Chinese fishing net, attending Mass in a church that gave “standing room only” a new meaning and eating the most delicious meals of their life.  If you are aware of the risks and plan accordingly, India is an amazing family travel destination, and one you will definitely never forget.

    Check out Bangalore Highlights and Kerala Highlights.

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  • Best Family Resorts on Riviera Maya

    Best Family Resorts on Riviera Maya

    Riviera Maya was such a perfect family vacation spot during my maternity leave that we did it twice.  For both trips, we chose an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico with our kids (aged from two months to six) because we thought it would be the most laid-back and relaxed trip we could take with an infant.  All-inclusive hotels are not prevalent in the US, but they are common throughout Mexico and in several Caribbean islands.  Both trips definitely were low key and different from our normal vacations filled with exploring new cities and sites, but we did get to plenty of time at the beach and pool.  There were also some cultural opportunities with traditional food, speaking our limited Spanish with the staff and attending market nights and cultural events.  We enjoyed our stay at two of the best family resorts on Riviera Maya.

    We traveled during peak hurricane season in August and October, so the resorts were not crowded.  We spent most of our days between the pool or beach and had plentiful food options at convenient restaurants and evening entertainment.  Because of the all-inclusive nature, we did not have to guestimate how much food, drinks and entertainment for the trip might cost.  We just added a few hundred dollars for tips, souvenirs and special activities and had a relatively certain total cost of the trip at the time of booking.

    Great view for a family photo

    Booking a Trip to Riviera Maya With Kids

    Both vacations to Riviera Maya were Apple Vacations trips.  We had taken a trip to Punta Cana through Apple once before we had kids, and it was very relaxing.  Apple is a major package travel operator offering flight and hotel packages that also include airport transportation.  Apple rates hotels based on an apple system with the highest rating designated as six golden apples.  We have always chosen an all-inclusive beach-front hotel in the six golden apple category and read hotel reviews on Trip Advisor before making our selection.

    Online resources make it easier than ever to create your own vacation package by booking your own flights, hotels and transfers in Mexico.  However, we found the Apple package cost was lower than what we could book separately.  We also booked both trips through Doylestown Travel, a travel agency with very helpful and knowledgeable agents and offers a best price guarantee for Apple Vacations and any other vacation they book.

    I can never get tired of this view

    Accommodations in Riviera Maya With Kids

    We two Now Resorts in Riviera Maya stayed at the Now Jade in 2010 and the Now Sapphire in 2014.  Both were amazing properties located about 20-30 minutes from the airport in Puerto Morelos.

    Now Jade With Kids

    Upon check-in at the Now Jade, we were informed that we had been upgraded to an ocean-front suite in the preferred club for the entire week.  This was a great way to start off the week.  The centrally located ocean-front suite was beautiful and had a stunning view.   With the jacuzzi tub located on the patio and basically unusable for our infant and toddler, we figured out quickly that to shower with our four-month-old. 

    View from the patio of our ocean-front, preferred club room
    Our bedroom

    The preferred club was a perk that we had not even considered booking due to the substantially higher per person cost, but we thoroughly enjoyed the ocean front suite and the quiet, air-conditioned club lounge with specialty snacks and a full bar.  At the time, the daily cost for WiFi was rather exorbitant, and it was great to have occasional use of the free computers to check email.  We also had access to the adults’ only preferred club pool, but my husband and I could use it only one at a time while the other stayed with the boys.  The few times we tried this were brief visits during the kids’ afternoon naps and wished a little that we could spend more time there.

    Now Jade’s facilities were contemporary and clean.  We made nightly dinner reservations and tried out all of the restaurants, except for the one that was designated as adults only.  Our toddler particularly enjoyed Hibachi (and, he still does).

    We spent most of our days lounging at the pool or the beach.  Our son particularly enjoyed the shallow toddler pool, which was conveniently situated right next to the resort’s main pool.  We actually chose Now Jade over Now Sapphire because the only toddler pool at Now Sapphire was located within the Kids’ Club area.  Because our kids were too young for the Kids’ Club, we wanted a resort with a usable toddler pool and became friends with a family from England who also spent their days lounging next to the toddler pool.

    This is the life

    Other than yoga by the pool, which my toddler and I both enjoyed, we did not really participate in any of the activities during the day.  However, we often watched the evening entertainment, which included acrobats and dancers in an indoor, air-conditioned theater.

    Now Sapphire With Kids

    When we decided to make a return maternity leave trip to Riviera Maya four years later shortly after our daughter was born, we decided to stay at Now Jade’s sister property, Now Sapphire.  We loved our time at the Now Jade and definitely wanted to stay at a resort of the same standard but also wanted to try something slightly different.  Because our boys were now four and six, they could enjoy the main pool with floaties.  So, it was no issue that Now Sapphire’s only toddler pool was located inside the Kids’ Club.

    We again booked through Doylestown Travel and inquired about extending our stay to 10 nights rather than the standard seven-night vacation.  Because the flights are a substantial portion of the vacation cost, we discovered that adding an additional three nights only cost an extra $400 (total, not per person!).  Because we really enjoyed the preferred club status at Now Jade, we decided to upgrade from a regular junior suite to a preferred club tropical junior suite.  The cost of the upgrade without the ocean view was not substantial, and we decided that we really wanted the perks more than a room with a view.  The upgrade turned out to be better than expected when we learned only preferred club guests could reserve the poolside cabanas and also received free WiFi throughout the resort.

    Reserving pool cabanas was one of the highlights of our trip.  Especially with an infant, it was so wonderful to essentially spend much of the day relaxing on a large shaded bed at the side of the pool.  As preferred club guests during low season, we were able to reserve a pool cabana every other day of our stay.  We spent cabana days mostly by the pool.  Because our daughter could nap in the cabana, going in for an afternoon nap was not necessary.  So, between breakfast and dinner, we just ventured out for lunch.

    Cabana paradise

    Now Sapphire found creative ways to deliver guests an afternoon snack, like fruit skewers on a kayak.

    The preferred club lounge was a nice, air-conditioned and quiet place to go before or after dinner.  It was set up like a large living room with couches and several chess sets, which were a particular hit with our oldest.  While our preferred club guest room was a “tropical” view rather than “ocean-front”, it was clean and nice, and honestly, we really spent very little time in it during daylight hours.

    Our boys were old enough to spend time at the Kids’ Club, but they only had a few brief stays at their own request.  It was a great place to play video games on a rainy afternoon, and my oldest joined the group for beach soccer another morning.  The kids in the club always seemed well-supervised and happy, but we really wanted to spend as much time with them as possible during our trip.

    The nighttime entertainment was also particularly memorable.  We stopped in at the air-conditioned theater most nights after dinner and usually ended up staying longer than we planned.  Our favorite was the fire show on the beach, but the acrobats, musicians and magicians were also fun for all ages.

    We had a few unusual challenges with our middle child falling sick with a mild flu just after we arrived, but 24-hour room service was certainly useful there.  We thoroughly enjoyed the Now Sapphire.  I would go back in a heartbeat if my husband, but my husband prefers more doing and seeing vacations.

    Packing for a Trip to Riviera Maya With Kids

    Packing for our Riviera Maya vacations was complicated by the fact that you cannot pick up forgotten items at Target or Boots.  The resort store does carry a number of the essentials, but your options are both limited and extremely expensive.  And, you cannot guarantee that what you need will be available. One resort store carried diapers only in size three and no swimming diapers.  If you’ve ever had a baby, you know that “close enough” doesn’t really work with diaper sizing, and a baby needs a swimming diaper to go into the pool.  These are not items for forget at home.

    We met a guy on his honeymoon who forgot flip flops and a suit and spent about $75 purchasing the only suitable options at the resort.  It’s definitely important to bring at least two complete swim outfits (suits/shirt/cover-up) per person because you will be wearing those most of the time.  Also, it is important to bring with you goggles, floaties (arm bands and rings), snorkels, fins, beach balls, sand toys and children’s ibuprofen when traveling with kids.

    During our first trip, I had two boys in diapers and had to keep track of how many diapers each went through on a daily basis in advance to guestimate what we would need.  We did have some regular diapers, swimming diapers and wipes left at the end of the week, but not too many, which I counted as a win.  I had underestimated the amount of sunscreen we would need, and we would have had to buy one of the $25 bottles in the resort store if we had stayed one more day.  I made sure to bring significantly more sunscreen than I thought we would need the next time.

    Neither resort we stayed at had washer or drier available for guests.  The resort offered dry cleaning service on a per piece basis only.  We did bring some liquid detergent to do hand washing of suits and essentials, but we generally packed more clothes than we typically do on vacation, particularly for our infants.  Because we were in suits most of the day and only changed for dinner, we were also able to wear clothes more than one time without an issue.

    The US dollar is the typical currency at Mexican resorts.  Everyone tips in dollars, and purchases like excursions and souvenirs are all quoted in dollars.  ATM machines not only charge a fee but also convert your withdrawal from US dollars to Mexican pesos and then back to US dollars.  We learned this the hard way.  It is definitely helpful to bring with you more cash than you expect to need.  If you can’t bring a stack of dollar bills for tipping, bartenders are very willing to help you get change.

    Items that are not needed include towels, snacks (except for the plane ride there) and toys/books from home.

    Excursions from Riviera Maya With Kids

    Apple Vacations offers a number of daily excursions from Riviera Maya hotels with transportation included.  Trips include a Chichen Itza tour, swimming with dolphins, ziplining and visits to Tulum and Playa del Carmen.  In 2010, we did an afternoon shopping trip to Playa del Carmen but chose to stay on the resort when we returned with three kids in 2014.  However, my husband hired a guide with a boat to take him and our six-year-old son snorkeling after he spent many days practicing in the resort pool, and that experience was the highlight of my son’s trip.  He came back with a love of ocean life and chose a hand painted ocean scene as his souvenir to bring home.

    Watching an artist create ocean scenes at market night

    Tips in Riviera Maya

    While all tips are “included” in your all-inclusive stay, tipping servers, bartenders, housekeepers and concierges is relatively common and definitely appreciated.  The service staff work hard and clearly rely on tips in addition to their salaries.  The common 15-20% gratuity is not required, and people who do not tip do not get bad service.  However, people who tip receive extra special attention.  For example, we regularly tipped about $3-$5 daily during our buffet lunch, and after the first day, servers would call to us to sit in the best table in their section as soon as we walked through the door and make sure we all had what we needed.

    Riviera Maya – Kid Caution

    The main safety concerns in Mexico are sunburn and unsafe food or water.  Because both of our infants were exclusively nursed at the time of our trips, there was no concerns about unsafe food or water or safely cleaning bottles.  Note that an infant must be at least six months old to get a Hepatitis A vaccination, and there is definitely added risk to taking a child who is not exclusively nursed and has not received that immunization.

    At Now Sapphire, there was clearly high attention paid to dietary restrictions.  Our daughter had a milk protein allergy that developed after we booked the trip.  She could be affected by any dairy that I consumed, and I was concerned about unknowingly eating food cooked with butter.  However, the servers were amazing at informing me which dishes were prepared with butter and also finding the resort’s stashes of Kirkland soy milk so that I could get some calcium during my stay.  Due to their diligence, I did not mistakenly consume any dairy during the entire trip.  I came home feeling confident that it wasn’t so challenging eating out with dietary restrictions – until a few weeks later when a restaurant near our home clearly made an error when preparing my dish.

    We specifically chose resorts where there were no reports of food or water problems and took extra precautions avoiding any raw or cut fruit and vegetables that may have been washed in tap water.  Despite all our carefulness, our oldest child contracted a bacteria infection from ingesting pool water in 2010.  We did not realize until his diagnosis just how dangerous pool water could be.  Because toddlers and young children regularly swallow pool water, we decided after that trip that we would not return to Mexico until after the toddler years.  We had no issues with bacteria infections on our return trip, and our infant daughter did not even dip her toes into the pool or the Caribbean.

    Now Jade pool

    The resorts offered plenty of shade options near the beach.  For our infants, the canopies from both the stroller and infant seat and sun hats provided extra sun protection. But, our favorite days were the cabana days when we had built in shade and open air. Because we traveled with infants under six months old, we used California Baby sunscreen, a non-chemical sunscreen.

    Is Riviera Maya Kid Friendly?

    Both Riviera Maya family resorts that we stayed at were extremely kid friendly.  While there are some safety concerns with infants and toddlers, this was probably the easiest to take with young kids.  I’m not sure vacationing with kids can ever be completely relaxing, but both trips were glorious, nonetheless.

    Note:  These trips were taken in 2010 and 2014, and safety of travel in Mexico has changed since those trips.  Please check all travel advisories before booking a trip to Mexico with kids.

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  • Japan Part II: Packing and Getting to Japan with Kids (via Munich / Seoul)

    Japan Part II: Packing and Getting to Japan with Kids (via Munich / Seoul)

    Packing:

    After 4 years of cross country flights during college and 5 years of long distance relationship traveling, my husband and I long ago stopped checking luggage when traveling. For our trip to Japan, we meticulously calculated what we would need for two adults and one not-quite five year old and ended up with this:

    18,000 miles, 11 days, 2 adults, 1 child, 0 checked bags. Pack light or stay home.

    In addition to those three items of luggage, my husband and my son each had a personal item, a backpack. The grey bag pictured in front was my personal item for the flights and we also had a separate camera bag, which we carried along with us.

    Although I was initially skeptical about not checking luggage when traveling with children, I have not only come around to it, but have concluded that it is the only way to travel when possible. Not only do you save yourself the extra hassle of juggling small, fussy children and the baggage claim wait time, but you also free up as much hand real estate as possible. When you only have two adults traveling, extra hands are key! When my oldest was a toddler, we frequently traveled only with enough diapers and wipes to get us to our destination and then purchased all disposable items and supplies on the other end. We co-slept and, when traveling for more than a few days, favored renting vacation homes through airbnb/homeaway/vrbo so that we would have easy access to laundry. But, I digress.

    When planning our trip to Japan, we took into consideration the weather and the most versatile clothing we could pack. Luckily, since it was Spring, we knew that light layers and one medium weight coat/rain jacket would be sufficient. We also knew that good walking shoes were a definite must. For clothing, we each packed 3-4 outfits/changes of clothes and planned to do laundry as we traveled. We are both fans of what we affectionately call “high tech underwear” – a combination of polyester/nylon/spandex that is lightweight, packs small, and most importantly, dries quickly so clothing can be washed and dried by ourselves in the hotel.  Examples include Rei Co-op Boxer Briefs and ExOfficio Women Briefs. To do our laundry in the hotel, we bring along single packs of Woolite detergent and we also travel with a travel clothesline so we can hang dry clothing in the hotel shower.  We also each own actual clothing in a similar quick dry material and typically bring one “dressier” outfit for fine dining.  If you know me, you also know that I do not travel anywhere without a pair of flip flops, so those are also always tucked into our luggage somewhere.

    With our clothes and personal items tucked into our luggage, our walking shoes on our feet, and our lightweight jackets on our backs, we set off for the first leg of our flight to Munich.

    Munich & Seoul:

    We called a taxi for our flight to Munich out of Dulles airport. Although a car seat is not legally required in for-hire car rides in Virginia, this was the first time I ever had my son ride in a taxi without a car seat since we would not be using one during our time in Japan. To make myself feel slightly better about the situation, my husband and I rode with my son in between us in the backseat and we made sure to buckle him up securely. Luckily, we arrived at the airport without incident and, having already checked in online and with no bags to check, made our way to the Lufthansa business class lounge, where we filled up with snacks and champagne (for the adults) before boarding the first leg of our flight to Munich. This was my son’s first time flying business class, but being only four, he did not seem to notice that this was a much different “staging” area that any of our previous flights. He did enjoy the free wifi and abundant snackage, however.

    a thumbs up for mom from the business class Lufthansa lounge at Dulles Airport

    Our flight to Munich was uneventful and upon clearing customs, we found our rental car company booth. Unlike in many airports in the US where you have to board a shuttle to get to your rental car lot, we were able to just walk across a courtyard from the main terminal to the rental car terminal, where we located Avis and checked out our car – a lovely Audi, equipped with our pre-reserved booster seat. As I waited with my son, however, we spotted numerous cigarette vending machines sprinkled throughout the airport – a quick and easy reminder that we weren’t in Kansas anymore!

    the cigarette vending machines were a major source of conversation
    all strapped in and ready to go!

     

    From the airport, we quickly checked into our hotel, before heading to downtown Munich to explore. We found a convenient parking spot at a parking garage in the Munich City Center and then just wandered around for a few hours, taking in the sights, before stopping for a light snack at the Augistiner Beer Hall of – you guessed it, sausage and beer.

    my son was completely non-plussed about being in a foreign country. he loves adventures and is always game for them and was just glad to be along for the ride

    After our snack, we continued walking and overall, it was a nice, enjoyable way to kill a few hours and stretch our legs after a long flight. We came across a number of relatively deserted courtyards where my son could run around and, although there were tons of tourists and others walking around, at no time did I worry about losing my son in the crowd. The service at the Augistiner was perfectly fine, the weather was lovely, and we decided to head back to the hotel just as it was getting dark. On the way back, we decided to take the Autobahn and loved that the speed limit adjusted down as the weather started sprinkling and then went back up when the showers stopped.

    Once back at the hotel, we decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, which offered up traditional German fare that was incredibly satisfying, as was the continental breakfast at the hotel the next morning, which we filled up on before heading to the airport for the next leg of our trip to Seoul. Overall, we enjoyed our time in Munich. It was a great spot to stretch our legs and break up the long trip to Japan. It is a great place to travel with children – clean, generally English speaking, easy to get around. Although the streets were crowded, using a stroller to maneuver around would not be a problem. If we had more time in Munich (and if my son was older), I would have liked to have visited Dachau, which is only 45 minutes or so from Munich. Given our short 24 hour layover and the fact that my son was not quite 5 at the time, we decided to save the visit for a future trip.

    The flight from Munich to Seoul was approximately 11 hours but, being in business class, we enjoyed the comfort of having enough space to stretch out, recline to sleep, and, of course, the ice cream sundaes for dessert. My son was such a rockstar traveler by that age that I basically let him watch whatever age appropriate movie he wanted to watch and took a nap myself – dozing in and out of consciousness throughout the duration of the flight.

    After deplaning in Seoul, we had a 3.5 hour layover to stretch our legs. Happily, we found an indoor play gym, which we took advantage of. I wish more airports had this type of space for families traveling with young children! I don’t believe I have ever seen a play structure in an airport, except for the Birmingham Airport, of all places. Hopefully, as airports continue to expand and modernize, play structures or kid zones will become a standard offering, along with breastfeeding rooms and family restrooms.

    Prior to having children, I always picked flights with the shortest layovers possible, in an effort to minimize time lost in transit. Although debatable, I am now partial to longer layovers with small children – I once chose a four hour layover in Seattle over a 2 hour layover during a solo trip with my then-18 month old from DC to Alaska! I prefer the long layover because it gives us time to stretch our legs, eat, and in the case of my 18 month old in Seattle, to take a quick 90 minute nap in his stroller. Our 3.5 hour layover in Seoul was the perfect opportunity to stretch and grab a quick snack before boarding the last leg of our trip – a 2 hour flight to Osaka.

    Continue to Part II: The First 24 Hours in Japan

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  • Japan Part I: Why Japan? & the Logistics of Preparing for a Round-The-World With Kids!

    Japan Part I: Why Japan? & the Logistics of Preparing for a Round-The-World With Kids!

    Why Japan?

    In the fall of 2013, my husband and I decided to take our then four year old on a big trip before he started kindergarten in the fall of 2014. We decided on Japan as our destination based on 3 simple factors: we both love traveling to Asia (and our son had never been); we were planning on traveling in the spring of 2014, so it was possible we would be in Japan during prime cherry blossoms season; our miles and points made it possible to have an amazing vacation at very little expense to us.

    Preparing for a Round-The-World trip

    Flights

    Early on, my husband hatched the idea of taking a Round-The-World (R-T-W) trip. A R-T-W ticket allows travelers to travel around the world at a relatively low price. Airlines actually offer this product with set itineraries that you can customize based on your interests. My husband wanted to create our own RTW ticket, however, so he looked at a number of options based on available flights and our miles and priced out the following itinerary:

    Outgoing: Dulles –> Munich –> Seoul –> Osaka

    Returning: Tokyo –> Newark –> National Airport

    We were incredibly fortunate to have sufficient miles to travel in business class (360,000 total) and for only $242.10 out of pocket! Without miles, the airline tickets would have cost $19,299.60 in economy or $45,298.60 in business class.  In other words, there is no way we could have afforded this trip without some serious examining of the award structure and creative use of airline miles. Luckily, we are aggressive planners when it comes to maximizing our credit card miles and points balances, so we had sufficient Chase Ultimate Rewards points to transfer the necessary miles to our United account at a 1:1 ratio.

    The nature of our itinerary required us to book through the reservations hotline, because we wanted to fit in a 24-hour stop over in Munich and also wanted an open jaw (where we fly into one destination and return from another), flying into Osaka, but departing Japan via Tokyo. In 2016, United changed the rules regarding award flights and no longer allows stopovers in different award zones.  If we were booking our flight today, we would not be able to have an overnight in Europe, but presumably, would be able to schedule one in Seoul.

    Accommodations:

    Having secured our flights, we next had to decide how many days we wanted to spend in various locations. We knew that we had only one night in Munich, but there were approximately eight days we needed to divide up in Japan. We decided to spend one night in Osaka, which we read is more of a business district than a true tourist destination, two nights in Kyoto, and the balance of our nights in Tokyo.

    As a Starwood Preferred Guest gold member, I always check Starwood hotels first, as we earn extra points on our spend, which we use to offset the cost of future stays.  For our one night in Munich, I decided to book near the airport so that we would have plenty of time to have breakfast and then head over to the airport.  I called the main Starwood reservations hotline and was informed that for 8,500 Starpoints or 149.68 EURO ($175.44 USD), I could have a king bed, high floor room at the Sheraton Munich Airport.  Although the hotel no longer appears to be operating as a Sheraton, this review of the Sheraton Munich Hotel is an accurate and thorough description of the property at the time of our stay in March 2014.

    For our one night in Osaka, I called the Osaka Westin, where I booked a double room for 16,200 Yen.  Unfortunately, I  failed to specify (or they did not ask?) that there would be two adults staying in the room and when checking in, we were informed there would be a slight charge for the additional adult (no extra charge for the under-5 year old).  At that point, I was so tired from traveling and ready to drop my bags that I did not bother to investigate this charge any further and just paid the ~$30 USD so that we could complete the check in process and get settled into our room.

    From Osaka, we were planning on spending two nights in Kyoto, so I called the Westin Miyako Kyoto and was told that a standard room was 12,000 SPG points per night, but we could upgrade to a Japanese style room for an additional 4,000 SPG points per night. I happily booked the upgraded room at 16,000 SPG points per night – this option was not available via the spg.com website, so if the option you are interested in online is not there, definitely call.  As of the writing on this post, one night in a Japanese style room costs 22,572 Yen ($205.55 USD).

    Finally, I looked into options in Tokyo, where we would be spending four nights, but was unable to locate any options for more than single accommodations.  My husband ended up transferring Chase ultimate rewards points into his Hyatt account and booking us a suite at the Hyatt Regency in Tokyo to finish up our trip.

    Getting Around:

    We had every intention of relying on the amazing train and subway system in Japan to get around, and we had no plans for getting around in Munich, originally, other than taking a cab into the main shopping/dining area from our hotel. Just three days prior to departure, I started looking further into getting around in Munich and realized that it was ~61 USD each way to take a cab from the hotel to downtown area.  A quick peek at the Avis website later, I secured a car rental for $75 USD for the 24 hours we were planning on spending in Munich, plus an additional $11 for a booster seat for my son.  I was initially very concerned, reading the reviews online, that the car company would try to charge us for every dent or scratch, including prior existing ones. For protection, I booked the rental car on our Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which offers primary collision coverage and also took 1,001 photos of the car upon arrival. Luckily, the check out and check in process was seamless, and we had no problems (including the rental booster), so I was thrilled that we had the flexibility of having our own vehicle, while saving some money in the process.

    Language & Currency:

    I had never been to Munich before, but my husband reassured me we would not have any trouble communicating during our 24 hour layover. This proved correct – everyone from the rental car company, the hotel concierge, the restaurant host/esses ALL spoke English.

    We clearly failed to prepare for the language barrier in Japan, however, as we experienced numerous “Lost in Translation” moments during our time in Japan. We encountered extreme difficulty in getting around Japan – from our cab driver at the Osaka airport who did not understand what we meant by “Westin Hotel” to having to rely on kind strangers to help us purchase tickets at the rail – we definitely did not adequately prepare. I would not recommend traveling blind with children, like we did, as having a child with you when you have no idea what you’re doing or where you are going in a foreign country is troubling, to say the least. If you do not have friends/family to help you get around in Japan, I strongly encourage you to engage a local tour guide. Tours by Locals is highly recommended by friends who have used this in other parts of Asia, but I have no first-hand experience.

    Regarding currency, I never worry about obtaining local currency in advance of a foreign trip (although that may change after our Zimbabwe experience!) and had no problems getting cash out of the ATM at the airport or anywhere else around town. Our Chase Sapphire Preferred card also offers no foreign transaction fee, as does our Starwood Preferred Guest American Card.  I charge everything that I can on those cards when we travel, reserving my cash for only places where credit card is not accepted or cash just makes sense.

    Continue to Part II – Packing and Getting to Japan

  • Planning a Family Trip to Iceland

    Planning a Family Trip to Iceland

    Planning a trip to Iceland requires significant planning.  Some major considerations include timing, flights, accommodation, packing and cell service.

    Timing

    Major considerations when planning what time of year to visit Iceland are average temperature and daily sunlight.  We traveled in June with daytime temperatures typically in the 50s, and we had no concern about snow challenges.  During our visit, the sun set around midnight and rose around 3 am, and the sky was never darker than dusk.  Because it was never dark, there is no chance of seeing Northern Lights, which are only visible from September to mid-April (but dependent on weather conditions).

    View from our guesthouse in Höfn at midnight on the Summer Solstice

    Booking Flights to Iceland

    There are a number of carriers that offer flight deals to Reykjavik.  We flew on one of Wow air’s first direct flights out of Pittsburgh and had a great experience. Wow air and Icelandair also offer free layovers in Iceland to passengers traveling from North America to Europe through Reykjavik and recently announced direct flights to Reykjavik from Cleveland starting in May 2017.

    We did not pay extra for advance seat selection and then worried later that we might have made a mistake and wondered what might happen if we were all placed in middle seats in separate rows.  Luckily, we were able to use online check in as soon as it opened 24 hours before departure and secure five seats in the same row.  We did get a good laugh thinking about how other passengers might react if they found our toddler sitting in the middle seat of their row.

    Iceland Accommodations

    If you are traveling during the June-August high season, you need to book your accommodations very far in advance.  We started making arrangements five months before our trip, which was completely unheard of for us, but we found accommodation options – particularly around Vík and Höfn – extremely limited and had to spend two nights in rooms of guesthouses with shared kitchens/baths.  We spent the other eight nights in our own apartments.

    Traditional hotels are not so common in Iceland and often very expensive.   We actually did not stay in any hotels.  All accommodations we stayed in were extremely clean and included kitchens, something not commonly available in typical US hotels.  Due to the exorbitant cost of food, we regularly prepared our own meals.

    However, our accommodations did not usually include amenities common in US hotels like soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner or a hair dryer, and none had an iron.  I made sure when booking that we had access to a washing machine every few nights and would definitely recommend that. Also, there wasn’t a “front desk” at any of our accommodations.  It was necessary to make plans in advance to meet the host for the key.  Our key was once left in a lockbox outside of the apartment and another time under a flower pot.

    We were able to book Airbnb apartments in both Reykjavik and Akureyri but did not find availability in less populated areas of the country.  These were our first Airbnb experiences, and we enjoyed having our own apartments.  The kids particularly enjoyed bunk beds in our Akureyri accommodation and the large sectional in Reykjavik.

    Akureyri AirBNB
    Reykjavik AirBNB

    We booked accommodations in guesthouses and apartments for the rest of the trip through booking.com. Booking.com was especially helpful because you can search for accommodations suitable for two adults and three children, even though we took advantage of our daughter’s preference to co-sleep when all we could locate was accommodation for four. The amenity descriptions and reviews are very detailed, so you know exactly what to expect.

    Iceland Car Rental

    Car rental is almost always the most affordable transportation option for families visiting Iceland, even if you are visiting only Reykjavik.  There are lots of day tour options from Reykjavik, but the cost of those tours would well exceed the cost of a daily car rental for a family, not to mention travel from the airport to city centre. If you are planning to travel the Ring Road with children and not taking an organized tour, car rental is essential.  Also, if you rent your own car, you have much more flexibility than you would on a tour, and that is key when traveling with kids.  Cars are driven on the right side of the road like in the US.  While the Ring Road is paved, not all roads in Iceland are paved or even well-maintained.  Rental companies permit only 4×4 vehicles to be driven on the F-roads, which are certain gravel roads that are not clearly marked.  So, rental of a 4×4 for a Ring Road trip is important.  Car rental companies include Northbound, Lagoon, Lotus, Go Car Rental, RAS, Thrifty and Geysir. We rented a Suburu Forrester from Geysir at the Keflavik Airport.  A shuttle took us from the airport to the Geysir office, which had a kids’ play area and a free coffee/hot chocolate machine.

    WOW air permits a free stroller or a car seat for each child under seven.  Because we were not bringing a stroller, we did bring a convertible car seat for our daughter. We knew there was a chance that our LATCH system convertible car seat might not work with ISOFIX, and most cars in Iceland do not have self-locking belts.  We brought installation instructions for the seat and safety clips but were pleased that the seat installed perfectly with ISOFIX.  For each of our boys, we brought an inflatable BubbleBum Travel Booster Seat. These fit into our suitcase easily but needed to be re-inflated frequently.

    Note that seat belts are required for all passengers at all times, and headlights should always be turned on while driving.  Also, the DUI limit is half of what it is in the US.  You must always be prepared for sheep, cows horses and reindeer straying into or crossing the road.  Drivers who injure animals may be liable for compensation.

    We had heard that rental companies in Iceland inspect their cars very carefully, and renters are cited for damage more often than in the US. Most rental car damage in Iceland occurs as a result of wind – usually car doors flying open with more force than expected and hitting something.  The car we rented had some exterior damage that was noted in our rental papers.  However, in the middle of the trip, we could not remember the exact extent of the damage and wondered if we would be cited.  Next time, we will definitely take pictures of the car before leaving the rental company parking lot.  Our Costco Visa that we used to book our rental car provided additional rental car insurance, but we were fortunate not to need it.

    Our rental Suburu Forrester

    Packing

    Packing for potentially very cold, wet and windy weather has challenges.  See our detailed Iceland packing post.  It is essential to bring layers and good rain gear.  The best packing advice I received was to bring rain pants.  None of us had ever owned rain pants, and I was a bit skeptical about whether or not they were really necessary when I purchased a pair for each of us.  I left the tags on to return if they ended up not being needed.  However, we discovered in the first few hours that they were definitely necessary and served as great protection from both the rain and the wind.

    On cold/wet days, we wore hats, gloves, base layers, shirts, fleeces, rain jacket and rain pants. Waterproof hiking boots are highly recommended, but we did not all have them and still managed fine.  We each brought a two pairs of sturdy shoes but found that we only needed one pair 90+% of the time. On warmer and sunnier days, a long-sleeved shirt and pants could sometimes be sufficient, but we generally needed to have a light jacket available.

    It is important to check airline size and weight baggage allowances. WOW air allows each passenger to carry a personal item (e.g. a small backpack) on board free of charge. However, regular sized carry-ons luggage and checked bags require additional fees, which often raise if you add after booking or check in.

    When we booked our flight, we added one checked suitcase for our whole family to share. I worried later that we would not have enough space for all of our coats, gear, pool towels and car seats, but because we chose the items we brought carefully for versatility and planned do to laundry every few days, it turned out to be sufficient.  We packed most of our clothes in our individual backpacks that we carried as our free personal items.  This method kept our clothes separate and organized.  We packed all the gear and large items in the suitcase, which almost exactly hit WOW air’s size and weight limits.  If I went back, I would definitely be even more efficient in terms of packing.  The most notable items that we did not need were flip-flops (it was too cold to wear them outside, and they were not permitted at pools), pool cover-up and extra outfits.

    I found that we definitely had more changes of clothes than we need.  We were wearing jackets in almost all of our pictures so you cannot even identify our shirts.  Our rain gear protected also protected our clothes, so they did not really get wet or dirty.  So, a variety was definitely not needed.

    When we wore our rain gear, the clothes underneath really did not get wet, even during the rain (except for the time my son fell into the ocean at Reynisfjara Beach). I found that we had more changes of clothes than necessary and did not really need flip flops and bathing suit covers, which we used only at the Blue Lagoon and not at any of the other pools.

    Iceland Cell Service

    We researched relatively inexpensive options to add voice/data in Iceland but ended up not using cell service during our trip. We were able to unplug during the day and use WiFi at our accommodation in the evenings.  While most guest house/AirBNB hosts assumed we would have phone service to call them when we arrived, we were able to arrange in advance to get WiFi passwords to contact our host on arrival if they were not already on site.

    In addition to usual preparation, there are unique logistical considerations after arriving in Iceland with kids, including driving concerns, the Icelandic language, food and shopping challenges and money exchange.  We enjoyed planning a family trip to Iceland.

    Continue to Part III – Logistics or check out our listing of all Iceland posts.