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We did this before we had kids; those were the best vacations. South Africa, Iceland, New York and New Zealand. We booked a room for the first day or three (Aus
by radicalbyte 8y ago
We did this before we had kids; those were the best vacations. South Africa, Iceland, New York and New Zealand. We booked a room for the first day or three (Australia is a 24h flight, you wanna do that) and from there planned our vacation.
There is no way I'd do it again with the kids in tow. Sure, it goes well 95% of the time. That 5% time when you can't find anywhere to sleep except a trailer park from hell or a disgustingly dirty backpackers ran by drunk/high perverts is something I'd never risk with young kids.
One of our best vacations was one of the few package tours we did, this time to Egypt. It was via a company who do backpacker-style vacations. It was fantastic because our guide was excellent and we had contact with the locals. They used public transport wherever it was possible too, which although uncomfortable it felt better. We did a package in this case because it's also a country which simply isn't safe to be driving around in as westerners..
- eggy 8y agoI have already commented above about my experiences backpacking with children, however, I have never had the "drunk/high perverts" situation, since I was going to remote or less-traveled areas. Sure if you show up anywhere like Bali, Indonesia in the summer, you are going to be swimming in drunk Aussies doing the same as the American Spring Break crowds in Florida, however, try making it to villages where you can find a camp site, or lodging and perhaps help out the locals with a small donation of your knowledge, time (work) or money. I've fixed well pumps or small diesel engines on rice-farming tractors (the kind the guy surfs on a board behind to flatten the previous harvest's remains before sowing the next batch).