Overseas Holidays

- where have you gone on holiday? Aussie
- how long did you go for? we got for anytime between 2 and 3 weeks
- how much did it cost? Not that much it was $1200 for the flights last time I went, stayed at mum and dads so only had to pay for stuff we needed.
- what kinda activities did you do and how much did they cost? We went down to dreamworld and Andrew and Josh loved it. Went to Aus Zoo and that was good too for the boys. Did most of the sunshine coast attractions.
- how many kiddies did all your costs include? 2

I have travelled a lot with my three kids but not from nz so cost wise I can't really help. I suggest self-catering or a hotel with a microwave and a fridge. Most countries don't require car seats for buses or taxis. If you are concerned about no carseat then hire a car and book a seat or take yours. Be prepared to clean it first if you hire though as car seat hireage is one of the most disgusting things I have ever done. We don't let our kids eat in the car so hiring a seat with ice-cream residue and biscuit chewed up gunk is just disgusting. All right if its your own kids mess but not a strangers. And in fairness we go for budget car rentals however it doesn't cost much to be clean.

I must say I am a bit of a fan on cruises for familys. P and O have 10 day cruises for about $1000 per person (not sure kids prices) but it covers all your accommodation, food and travel. If you add this all up you can easily spend more than that with hotels, planes and dinner and lunch. The best thing is the kids club so mum and dad get a holiday too. 9am - 10pm there is a kids club. You don't need to have them in all that time but dropping them several times a day whilst at sea is a nice chance to have a drink and get some sun without being harrassed every few seconds. With the day stops at port then you can do family outings etc.

The one thing I have learnt since having kids is that a vacation is not a vacation for mum. My DH (bless him) thinks that since he has stopped work it is a vacation however he just doesn't get the extra work that I have to do organising a family out of routine. After 7-10 days I am gagging to get home and relax and just chill out with the washing machine. lol. I love vacations as the memories are great and seeing DH unstressed and enjoying his family is really nice. Just a lot of extra work. Hence the kids club option which gives me a few hours to myself.

ETA sorry didn't really answer any of your questions but figured it may help in your decision on where to go and what to do.

Edited by kiwi2

- where have you gone on holiday?
Fiji and Gold Coast

- how long did you go for?
7 days @ the Gold Coast
7 Days both times to Fiji

- how much did it cost?
GC - it was only the four of us and it was around $6k that included everything (including passes, transfers etc)
1st time to Fiji, I actually have no idea because it was our "familymoon after we were married and we had a gift registry. (there was the 4 of us)
2nd time to Fiji it was $8k (again included everything and there was 5 of us)

- what kinda activities did you do and how much did they cost?
GC - we went to all of the theme parks, plus Carrumbin Sanctuary (which I didn't' like). Also did the norm like go to the markets at Surfers Paradise, ate out a few times and also got groceries as our apt had kitchen facilities. Not sure how much the passes cost because it was included in the whole price???

- how many kiddies did all your costs include?
GC - #1 was 10 and #2 was 3
Fiji - #1 was 7 and #2 was nearly 2
Fiji - #1 was 13, #2 was 6 and #3 was 15mths.

I have to say with the Gold Coast, #2 was at an awesome age, she was Miss No Fear Nelly and went on the majority of the rides with us (aside from the scary ones). So that made it more enjoyable in my eyes, because no one missed out. We also hired a stroller at Dreamworld for her to lax out in.. which was the best idea because it was so hot the day we were there, there was no way on earth she was going to walk the whole way. Even now at 7, she still talks about it.

Fiji - well you are there for a holiday, so there are no theme parks, just the beach, bars, restaurants and the kids clubs, the beautiful people, the great babysitters, and the very average food. We did lots of kayaking, lots of snorkeling and swimming.

At that time of the year have you considered doing a drive down south? It will be hot in the islands & Australia.

We went down as family of three & the most expensive part for us was petrol & the ferry.

We are going to the Gold coast & think with spending money it'll be around 4k. We don't have to pay accommodation though.

We went to Fiji last year (Plantation Island)
we went for 7 nights
It cost us $3107.00 for the entire package (included 3x meals daily... so all we needed to buy was alcohol and juice if the kids wanted it)

We did kayaking, a boat trip, snorkelling, relaxing..swimming.. sunbathing...   the great thing was the babysitters.. so we could have family time, as well as time together! The kids club was also free so DD was entertained for most of the day with really neat activities.
The water sports are free, so there was no extra cost.

This was for 2 children, two adults (one child under two)