Where to go on holidays for 5 weeks in May 2019?

Ljj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 13:01

i am stuck here with ideas on where to go with my wife and 2 children (10 months and 2 years ) I have travelled overseas a lot and done south east asia, USA, europe and africa but just dont know where to go!

Any ideas?

A few things i am stuck with is the 2 young children it is more difficult to travel so size of accommodation is an issue in the more expensive places like USA and europe.

weather is a concern in asia being very hot and europe not hot enough!

Things to do with the kids and moving around too much.

Cost - dont want to spend an absolute fortune so cut out europe and USA and south america cause flights are expensive!

any ideas?

Travel

Comments

  • boomramada on 26/11/2018 - 13:02

    You asked your wife yet?

    • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 13:04

      of course! these are our concerns!

      • boomramada on 26/11/2018 - 13:06

        So where she want to visit ? and where you want to visit?
        Edit: So you don't want to go visit US or Europe? Just because flights are too expensive?
        So you planning to back pack for 5 weeks with your family or something?

        • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 13:12

          thats the issue, we just dont know cause each place has its ups and downs!
          India - going to be too hot and food maybe an issue with the kids
          china - beijing and shanghai pollution is an issue and difficult getting around as very little english
          philipines done it too many times
          thailand done it too many times
          bali done it too many times
          vietnam done it too many times
          cambodia done
          laos done

          was thinking sri lanka but moving around seems to take long time in cars between places

          • boomramada on 26/11/2018 - 13:17

            @jj brisbane: Winner is Sri Lanka, moving around wouldn't be a problem, since you got 5 weeks :)
            Personally I wouldn't spend more than two week in one country. Maybe Maldives + Sri Lanka + (Singapore|HK)

          • Seedy seed on 26/11/2018 - 15:16
            -5

            @jj brisbane: If you go to india cost is a non issie, just sell a kid to a local family to marry their son. Easy

          • Cluster on 27/11/2018 - 18:22
            +1

            @jj brisbane: English in large Chinese cities isn't too much of a problem. Most larger shops now have an English speaker on staff, and almost all hotels will have one too.

            India is problematic for small children. You'll honestly have problems finding a toilet at many places. I'm not being mean, it's just an observation. When I visited in 2010 public toilets were practically non existent. Only reliable places were large shopping malls and hotels. I didn't have any problems with the food, but I imagine very young children could be far more susceptible.

            I managed perfectly well in Seoul last month without a scrap of the local language.

            Japan is great, but as others have said the cheap hotel rooms tend to be very small.

          • TurkishDelight on 28/11/2018 - 11:30

            @jj brisbane: There won't be any issues with food in India. This is the best time to visit north east India. You have plenty of time so you can travel a lot/almost all must go places.

        • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 13:15

          us and europe for flight times plus we did them last year, all the major hubs we have been too so just trying to avoid too many flights.

  • ixious on 26/11/2018 - 13:19
    +1

    Myanmar
    Indonesia
    Malaysia

  • lbsyc on 26/11/2018 - 13:20
    +1

    Japan? very kid friendly country, and can be done quite cheap.

    • boomramada on 26/11/2018 - 13:22
      +1

      for 5 weeks, Japan can be expensive.

      • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 14:12

        thats what i was thinking

    • altomic on 26/11/2018 - 13:22

      This. Plus Airbnb.

    • crashloaded on 26/11/2018 - 13:24
      +1

      I agree, Japan, flight's aren't too exy and you can do it cheaply if you try hard enough.

      Otherwise i would go to Europe, a lot of people think you can't do Europe cheaply but it can be done easily.

      • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 14:16

        might look into japan further but hotel sizes are usually small so airbnb maybe and option. I really love europe but it is expensive and i already did uk, italy, greece and france last year (greece is amazing!)

  • websterp on 26/11/2018 - 13:26
    +1

    Sri Lanka seems to be the place to be these days.

    • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 14:15

      yeah on my shortlist to do maybe 2 or 3 weeks there and 2 weeks malaysia (food is awesome and thats what we really enjoy)

  • Cheapo Moose on 26/11/2018 - 13:45
    +5

    What about seeing more of Australia?

    I reckon wait until the kids are older before travelling overseas so they can appreciate it a little more.

    No point burning thousands on airfares and enduring the nightmare of long flights with young kids.

    They're both under 3, so they're not going to care if they're in Disneyworld or Dreamworld.

    They won't remember it anyway.

    If they were a little bit older I'd recommend a cruise. Free kids club gives Mum & Dad a well earned break.

    • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 14:13

      we have done a lot of australia already this year, i looked into cruises but best if the kids are both over 2 or 3 for kids club.

  • Pecan on 26/11/2018 - 13:45

    Road trip around Australia?

    • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 14:13

      we have done a lot of australia already this year, i looked into cruises but best if the kids are both over 2 or 3 for kids club.

  • SuperC on 26/11/2018 - 14:01

    Fiji is great in the resorts, can hire a nanny service for the kids, only 4 hours or so from Australia. May is supposed to be the best time to go weather wise.

    • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 14:14

      thanks but already done it so many times, food is ordinary as well imo

  • Godric on 26/11/2018 - 14:16

    Japan

    • kenchan12311997 on 28/11/2018 - 14:09

      Yes, Japan, there are existed various options of touring, and price is realy not high, only expensive in Tokyo & the similar international grade cities, the domesitic cities, such as Ofuro, hor spring inn, airbnb old house, camping in the rural area and public mega park, and self-rent-car where the gasoline price is not high as compare in Asia, those are all for a family not an individual. there is easy to use up 1 month holiday in Japan. Especially the south side of Jpan below Furukawa, there are many beautiful beaches where mot exist in most of the Asian countries, which are similar as middle America.

  • SupeNintendoChalmers on 26/11/2018 - 14:41

    Laos- cheap, fantastic history and culture without the sleaze and bustle of Thailand or Vietnam.

  • pantsparty on 26/11/2018 - 14:41

    I vote a few weeks in Japan and if you want another two weeks, goto Hong Kong or Singapore before/after Japan.

  • Ryanek on 26/11/2018 - 15:01

    If you flight into Manila you can base your trips from there since flights to a lot of SE Asian countries are fairly cheap.
    You could go to Hong Kong Disneyland, Lego Land Malaysia then finish it off with relaxing time at Palawan island resorts.

    Alternatively, hire a camper and travel across New Zealand.

    • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 15:07

      thanks, used to work in manila and travelled around the whole country so not really interested in going back now. Camper is going to be a nightmare with 2 young children!

  • [Deactivated] on 26/11/2018 - 15:14
    +8

    Wow , if only my parents had the same problem as yours when I was a kid.

    I use to get excited just going 2 hours away to the beach for a few days .

    I guess different Generation different times, money is no longer a issue.

    • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 15:41
      +1

      i think you will find that flights are so much cheaper nowadays compared to our parents generation, i remember them paying for a return flight from brisbane to melbourne around 30 years ago for $350, compare that to current prices after inflation! I have travelled most of the world in the last 15 years and dont think i can find a place more expensive then australia, there are alot of countries comparable but not many more expensive.

    • Gumster on 28/11/2018 - 10:44

      I would agree, but with the rise in Internet travel agents and marketing its a lot more common to go overseas than to explore Australia.
      I remember family holidays as a kid involved piling into the car and driving for a day or 2 as Petrol was cheap and Flights were expensive. The exact opposite is now true.

  • altomic on 26/11/2018 - 15:16
    +1

    May only has 4 weeks and 3 days so it's impossible to take 5 weeks holiday in May.

    • jj brisbane on 26/11/2018 - 15:42

      thanks for doing the math, trip will start in may and end in june.

  • CitizenBane on 26/11/2018 - 16:10

    Hong Kong might be alright, Virgin launched their service to HK recently, so QF and CX has been flogging off cheap fares recently, if you look at all three airlines you should be able to get cheap fares. MTR is pretty easy to navigate and get around plus most areas have english signs, kids will probably enjoy Disneyland/Ocean Park and you can head off to Macau if your so inclined.

    Although May is the start of summer, so it'll be hot and very humid. Accommodation could get expensive as well.

  • Hoju on 27/11/2018 - 08:33
    +1

    I know you said no USA because of flight $ but Hawaii is really cheap that time of year on jetstar, probably cheaper than all the local SE Asian destinations

    Not as cheap once you get there but we've gone almost annually for the last 9 years pretty much as our kids have grown and never stopped loving it

  • BigBirdy on 27/11/2018 - 10:16

    Personally, with kids that age, I’d pick somewhere ‘easy’ … where you can comfortably hire and drive a car (eg Australia or NZ), or where transport requirement is minimal (resort based holiday, eg Fiji, Phuket, etc). I love travelling in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, etc, but not with little kids needing nappies, strollers, baby food, etc

  • afah0447 on 27/11/2018 - 13:41

    Go to Athens with Scoot Airlines. Fares are cheap and the price level over there is isn't as bad as Western Europe.

    • jj brisbane on 28/11/2018 - 09:08

      thanks i was just there last year

  • crozza on 27/11/2018 - 19:11
    +4

    hi JJ,
    you have been [almost] everywhere and done [almost] everything. And you are young [assuming] with two babies. Well done.
    I suggest you stay home, walk around your neighbourhood, soak it all in. You maybe missed this with all the travelling you have done?
    This will reduce your costs enormously.

    • boostpak on 28/11/2018 - 09:10

      walk around the neighbourhood? that sounds like living life to its fullest!!! He's been on trips maybe 2-4 weeks at a time, say 2-3 times a year. that leaves almost 85% of time in his home neighbourhood. I'm not sure that equates to missing it. but OKAY

    • jj brisbane on 28/11/2018 - 09:11

      thanks Crozza, i walk my local area with my dogs everyday. i am lucky with flexible work arrangements that i can work from anywhere so most of the travelling we have done i usually get up early and work for a few hours before everyone else gets up and then work late at night. With 2 young children i think once they start heading to school travelling is going to be very limited so getting as much in now.

  • aussieaubs on 28/11/2018 - 09:53
    +1

    Russia ?? or Norway or Switzerland

  • Fier2 on 28/11/2018 - 10:56

    New zealand is beautifull and perfect for families with kids. Personnally with my kids under 3, we took our holidays last year in australia : 4 days in tasmania, 10 in melbourne, 9 days in gold coast and 4 on magnetic island. My partner and kids love it and we were really relax on the while trip and had a lot of fun. My 3 years old love thailand and china but anywhere is fun anyway. Good luck

  • Cletus vandamme on 28/11/2018 - 11:05

    Japan stay at Airbnb's instead of hotels. Plenty of history, sight seeing transportation is simple and safe. and it's also very safe.

  • Roman Sandstorm on 28/11/2018 - 11:58

    Kids are too young for the travel to mean anything to them. Plus, the extra burdens they impose on your holiday greatly compromise the experience.

    Solution: Ditch the ankle biters. And have a fun, stress-free holiday in any of a zillion places. I'm sure both you and your wife would appreciate the break after two years of your efforts to further populate the planet.

    Oh, I don't mean literally ditch your kids. Duh. But utilise family, or a professional childminding facility.

  • lakes_8 on 28/11/2018 - 12:59

    stay at home

  • olivecheese on 29/11/2018 - 12:45
    +1

    Another vote for Japan, instead of AirBnB's look for actual small B&B's - they may come across as hostels but you can get "Family Rooms" and the service at these far outweighs the often dated decor - you'll get taken out for dinner with the host - day trips organised - meet locals etc. Train travel in Japan is really cushy too, so nice for kids I'd think.

    Japan's budget airline Peach does really cheap flights to and from South Korea, where airbnbs are much more reasonable. If I was you I'd do 2 weeks South Korea and then 3 weeks Japan - I found Korea to be a lot less clean and safe and friendly than Japan (people spitting on streets and a bit more pushy in crowds etc) which is why I'd say do SK first.

    Weather wise it's one of the best times to be there.. There are some great Japan/Korea cruises, maybe those have baby sitting?

    You can definitely do Japan cheaply, if you decide to go to Japan definitely start that thread.. I have a lot of suggestions having lived there for a year and travelled there for 5 holidays since.

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