But, if like me, you’re a location independent professional, you won’t be working for a big mothership who’ll take care of all the hard work. You’ll need to know how to do it all yourself.

Here are four things you’ll need to consider if you’re contemplating working and living abroad.

Visas

What visa will you need? Many location independent folk simply work on a tourist visa, spending the maximum amount of time possible in a country as a tourist and making border runs to renew visas when necessary. For countries in South East Asia this is an easy option but if you want to live abroad in Europe, America or Australasia things start to get infinitely complicated. Nomadic Matt has a great post about how to legally stay in Europe for more than 90 days.

Insurance and Healthcare

If you’re a digital nomad, living abroad, hopping from country to country on various tourist visas you’ll need to have travel insurance to cover you for travel, accidents and any injuries sustained while abroad. If you’re an expat working legally in a foreign country you’ll have different requirements for health insurance. Some countries, like the UK and France, will have national schemes that you’ll be eligible for depending on your visa. Other countries will require you to have some form of health insurance or expat insurance in order to obtain a working visa. Do your homework and don’t ever travel abroad without some form of global health insurance. If independent working is the main motive then specific health insurance for individuals (http://www.aetnainternational.com/ai/sea/en/individuals is tailored to Asia-bound nomads).

Work

If you’re working online in some capacity you can probably get away with using a tourist visa (although not 100% ideal, it’s what most of us do.) If you’re not already set up as a digital nomad but want to live and work abroad there are a few jobs that foreigners are best suited for. Depending on your skill set you could teach English as a foreign language (most popular in Asia – see here), work as a dive instructor, work in a hostel, work in a ski resort or work as a nanny. These formal jobs will require an appropriate working visa. If you’re under 30, look into working holiday visa programs.

Tax

If you are working abroad legally, you’ll need to pay tax. This can be a complicated enough event in itself. Most countries will require you to register for an IRD/IRS number in order to pay tax. If you’re only working part of the year, look into your entitlement for tax refunds once you’ve finished your employment. You will have been taxed based on the assumption that you’re working for a full tax year so if you haven’t it’s likely that you’ll receive a tax refund of some sort. If you’re working as a digital nomad, you’ll still be paying tax in your home country. Make sure that, by staying in another country for any length of time, you’re not required to pay tax there too. For example, New Zealanders and Australians can work in each others countries without a visa but, as a Kiwi living in Oz, you are required to pay tax if you’re in the country more than six months.

The post Four Things to Consider When Contemplating Living Abroad appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.

1. Avoid public holidays. As you can imagine, Las Vegas get busy at holiday weekends. Room rates skyrocket as visitor numbers surge. Steer clear of any large conference weekends too as hotels will be packed and you’ll struggle to get a good rate on even the crustiest room.

2. Book flights early. The sooner you book your flights for Vegas the better. Airlines like Southwest have cheap flights to Vegas from all over the country. You can get to Las Vegas from Los Angeles for as little as $36 if you’re willing to fly on Spirit (but beware of their baggage charges.)

3. Stay midweek. Sunday to Thursday are the cheapest days for hotel rooms. Rates increase drastically over the weekend with most hotels tripling their prices for Friday and Saturday nights.

4. Stay Downtown. If you’re really squeezing pennies, consider staying in Downtown Las Vegas instead of directly on The Strip. Everything’s cheaper Downtown and the atmosphere along Fremont Street is still buzzing. The Golden Nugget (4 stars) is one of the nicest hotels in the Downtown Vegas and rooms start at only $55 a night. You can get a room at the Fitzgerald’s (2.5 stars) for as little as $27 a night.

5. Know how to gamble before you go. Learn the rules for casino games before your trip. Blackjack is a good game to start with as the rules are relatively simple. Read through the rules of Blackjack and then practice playing online at Ladbrokes.com. You’ll enjoy the gaming much more if you know what you’re doing before you start… and you won’t waste as much money. Start at the cheaper casinos like Circus Circus as they have tables with lower limits. Set yourself a spending limit and don’t be tempted to gamble with more than you’re prepared to lose. It’s a good idea to take some cash out and leave your credit card in your room to avoid temptation.

Volcano Erupting at The Mirage, Las Vegas

6. Take advantage of freebies. Many of the best attractions in Las Vegas are completely free of charge. The volcano at The Mirage, the fountains at the Bellagio, the pirate show at Treasure Island and the circus performances at the Midway in Circus Circus are all free. Check out my list of the top ten free things to do in Las Vegas for more ideas.

7. Book your show tickets at the last minute. Unless you have your heart set on seeing a specific performance, don’t book your shows in advance. Use the last minute ticket booths, TKTS, instead. They’ll have tickets for many of the popular shows at 50% off. There are TKTS booths all along The Strip including at Circus Circus and Fashion Show Mall.

Petit Dessert at Wicked Spoon Buffet, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas

8. Get a 24-hour buffet pass. For $50 you can purchase a buffet pass that will allow you access to seven hotel buffets for a 24 hour period. If you plan it right, you can have a late dinner on night one followed by breakfast, lunch and an early dinner on day two. That’s just $12.50 a meal… all you can eat, baby!

9. Ride the Deuce. Unless it’s really sweltering outside, skip the taxis and ride the Deuce – the double decker bus that runs up and down the length of The Strip. You can get tickets for two hours ($6), 24 hours ($8) or three days ($20).

10. Avoid the malls and casino shops. Las Vegas is a great place for discount shopping. Don’t pay full price by shopping at the Miracle Mile, Forum Shops or Fashion Show Mall. Instead, hit up the Premium Outlet malls in either North or South Las Vegas. You can get to both on the bus although getting back with all your shopping bags can get a little tricky if the bus is crowded. If you’ve got the time to paw through rack after rack of discounted gear, there are two “Ross Dress for Less” stores on The Strip – one near the Riviera and one near MGM.

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That was a year ago. 

Some of you may have wondered why we’ve been still for so long.

Isn’t this a travel blog? Should we be like, err, travelling?

Well, the truth of the matter is we’ve been somewhat stuck in New Zealand for the past ten months. Stuck isn’t a great feeling when you’re a traveller at heart. But needs must. We’ve spent the past year sorting out our finances, attempting to sell our house, getting rid of all our shit and gearing up to become permanent nomads.

We’ve been dreaming about a life of permanent, slow travel for some time now. It’s just taken us longer than we expected to get our ducks in a row. But now that’s done.

We’re almost set and ready to go. Just got to get through the last few sets of hurdles and within the next four weeks we’ll be winging our way to a new destination.

My hopes for our life as nomads going forward are something like this…

Learn to live with less stuff. For too long we’ve been rattling around a big house and driving a fancy car. We both know that deep down this isn’t what we want. Sure, we might take the occasional splurge and rent ourselves a fancy property for a few weeks, but in general we’re really looking forward to living on a smaller scale. From our experience as part-time nomads, we’ve really enjoyed living in a smaller space with fewer things. Stuff only gets in the way of life. Be gone stuff!

Simplifying and destressing our life. We’re both sick to death of feeling like we’re drowning in bills. Once you strip away all life’s “basics” like cars and houses you strip away all the stress of mortgage payments, insurance, household bills, car repairs. Can you imagine a life with virtually zero bills? Once we hit the road those stress activators will be a thing of the past.

Push ourselves outside our comfort zone. Both Lee and I know that we benefit from pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone. For him that means travelling to less developed countries. For me that means getting off my butt and trying new things, being brave and taking risks. I’m naturally quite the scaredy cat but always feel a lot braver when I’m travelling.

I’m really excited about what the next few months and years will bring. I can’t wait to get started and want to hit the road hard. Lee keeps reminding me that this is our lifestyle now and we need to resist the temptation to try to do everything in the first year. If I had my way we’d be through another ten countries by the end of the year but slow travel is the name of the game. Even though I’m busting out of my skin with excitement we’re going to take it one country at a time and not plan too far ahead.

Where are we going first? Stay tuned to find out….

Are you a long-term traveller or nomad? Do you have any advice for the newly nomadic? I’d love to hear it.

The post The Birth of a Nomad appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.

A little slice of paradise called Bali.

Why is Bali so popular?

Part of the reason Bali is so popular, particularly with holidaying Aussies, is it’s proximity to Australia. You can find a range of cheap flights to Bali from all the major centres in Australia. From Perth, you can be in Denpasar in under four hours or under 6 hours 30 from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Bali has some wonderful beaches. Surfing is king here and there are many great reef breaks that provide optimum surfing conditions. It’s position in the tropics means that the weather is good in Bali almost year round – it’s particularly good for escaping the Southern Hemisphere Winter. While more expensive than the rest of Indonesia, Bali is still cheap by Western standards. You can stay in a great guesthouse with a pool for $30 a night in Ubud.

Bali makes for a great short getaway but is also an excellent for longer stays. There are many digital nomads that set up temporary homes and work spaces in Bali, particularly in Ubud. It’s cheaper than living in the West and life can be a lot more pleasant on a daily basis. Fellow family bloggers A King’s Life are currently living and working in Bali.

What makes Bali special?

Indonesia is a vast and diverse island nation and Bali is but one of it’s 17, 000 islands. While the main island of Java is predominately Muslim, the Balinese are mostly Hindu. The Hindu belief system is interwoven with the culture of Bali making it some what unique.

A great deal of emphasis is placed about making the little parts of life beautiful. You’ll see hotel staff dilligently working away at stuffing any cracks in walls or sidewalks with flowers. Little woven baskets containing offerings of incense, petals or a few grains of rice will make their way to your doorstep each day. You’ll see them scattered literally everywhere across the island.

After beauty, physical health and spiritual wellbeing run a close second. Centres like Ubud have thriving holistic practices, yoga studios and artists retreats. If you need some time to work on yourself, get centred or get healthy, Bali is a great place to come.

Is Bali good for families?

Families love Bali because the Balinese love children. It’s a very child-friendly and child-focused place. Your little princes and princesses will be treated like royalty by any hotel and restaurant staff you encounter. This really takes the pressure off as a travelling parent. Renting a villa is a great idea if you’ve got a little bit of time. Villas come with an arsenal of staff that will clean, take care of the garden and make your stay comfortable. Make it a real holiday by hiring a personal chef. Nannies and babysitters are also easy to find.

Because Bali is such a popular destination for families there are services that rent out anything you need for your baby during your holiday. Bali Baby Hire has strollers, cribs, playpens and much more. Travel light and rent all the equipment you need for your baby or toddler during your stay. If you’re renting a villa there is even a company that will come over and put up a temporary pool fence for you to keep your little ones safe.

Have you been to Bali? Is it on your travel wishlist? 

The post A Little Slice of Paradise Called Bali appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.

If you’ve missed any of these travel tips over the last few weeks, I’ve combined them all to share in one easy place… right here in this post! So read on, fellow travellers, and let me help you make the most of your travels with my 40 best travel tips.

Wherever you go, for the love of god, eat the street food!

General Travel Tips

1. Want to meet up with fellow travellers on the road? Do a #hashtag search on Twitter and see who’s in your current destination.

2. Get a Skype number. Technophobic family and friends who don’t use Skype online can use to get in touch with you simply by calling a local number. You can pick up the call on a computer, tablet or mobile phone.

3. Commit your family’s passport numbers (and expiry dates) to memory. It makes filling out immigration arrival cards so much easier. No more fossicking through cabin bags right before the flight lands!

4. Fresh air and sunshine are the best cures for jet lag… not sleep! Avoid the temptation to nap after a long flight. Find a park, take a walk and try your best to stick to local time.

5. Street food is a delicious little window into a culture so don’t be scared to try it. Look for busy vendors with a high turnover so food isn’t sitting around. Choose stalls doing a single dish, generally they make one thing REALLY well. Observe how clean bowls/utensils are and where they are washed. Look at how clean the vendor her/himself is – clean fingers, clothes etc are a good sign of general hygiene.

6. Don’t listen to people who tell you not to go somewhere or not to do something. Sometimes personal perspective and expectations can play a big part in why people don’t like a certain city, country or activity. Collect information from other sources but decide for yourself.

Thousands of Burmese Kyats – Spending these feels like spending monopoly money

Money Saving Travel Tips

7. Sundays are usually the cheapest nights to stay in hotels. Weekenders usually check out on a Sunday morning and business travellers don’t check in until Monday. Staying a Sunday night can dramatically change the cost of a hotel booking.

8. When taking a road trip, try booking your rental car from an overseas website. Booking from within the US can work out more than twice as expensive as booking from outside the US. Check the .co.uk, the .com.au and the .co.nz versions of car rental sites. Doing this saved us $800 on a recent trip.

9. Spending a foreign currency can feel a bit like spending Monopoly money so tracking your daily expenses is a good idea. I use a pen and a little notebook but there are also apps like Trail Wallet.

10. When buying hotel deals through sites like Groupon, always check what additional charges get tacked on. Resort fees and parking can make these seemingly cheap stays more expensive than they appear.

Travel Planning Tips

11. If you want to know what a destination is like in a certain season, do an advanced search on Flickr for photos taken in that month. See comments for an example.

12. If you’re planning a trip to a country you’ve never been to before and you want to map out a sample route, take a look at the tour itineraries on sites like Intrepid Travel and G Adventures. I find they do a good job of hitting the highlights plus one or two more interesting places. Figure on independent trips taking about a third longer than an organised tour.

13. Use social media for personal recommendations. Poll your friends via Facebook or Twitter for the best restaurants in town, the cheapest hotel or the most interesting things to do. If you only have a friend or two in your destination city, ask them to post it on your behalf. First-hand knowledge is the best!

14. Find out when school holidays are in a country before planning your visit. Flights at the beginning and end of school holidays are way more expensive, accommodation is more heavily booked and attractions more crowded.

15. Planning your summer holiday? Think about going somewhere where summer is the off-season. Ski resorts like Whistler in BC and Vail in Colorado have a tonne of summer time activities for outdoorsy people – mountain biking, hiking, swimming. These winter resort towns are well set-up for visitors and there are plenty of vacation homes to use.

16. Consider travel by rail. By the time you schlep out to the airport, wait to check in, go through security etc a flight can actually end up taking longer than a train ride. Especially true in Europe.

Tips for Booking Flights

17. Want to know which airlines fly a specific route? Search “flights City A to City B” into Google and the first entry will give the detailed flight schedule between the two cities including the flight times, duration of the flight, the airline and what day of the week the flights run. Searching within a booking engine like Kayak or Skyscanner won’t necessarily show up every airline that flies each route.

18. Conventional RTW tickets (on an airline alliance) might seem like a good idea in theory but in reality it’s almost always cheaper to build your own custom RTW tickets with one way flights. Doing it yourself gives your greater flexibility, freedom to change your travel plans as you go and the ability to see the exact destination you want or try something out of the box.

19. Need some travel inspiration? Use the Everywhere search function on Skyscanner.com. From your home airport (or wherever) you can search for the cheapest flights to any country or city. Great if you’re not sure where you want to go, you just know you want travel.

20. Low cost (budget) airlines don’t always show up on flight booking websites. Luckily, Wikipedia has a list of low cost airlines broken down by continent then country. Make sure you check it for the countries you’re visiting before booking flights.

21. When booking budget airline flights with infants, check if the cost of booking them as an adult with a seat is cheaper than booking them as lap infants. This has been the case with sale fares on Air Asia.

22. Want to know what budget airlines fly long haul routes? Check out this great map for ideas. (Click on the green lines to see the airline flying that route.)

23. Before you select your seat on a flight, look up the aircraft seating chart on Seatguru.com. Seatguru will show you the best and worst seats on the plane plus tell you the pitch of the seats and whether there are powerpoints, personal TV screens at that seat. For families, they also show whether bassinets for infants and babychanging facilities are available.

24. Set up a fare alert for any flights you plan on taking. You can set up fare alerts on sites like Kayak and Expedia and they’ll send you an email when the fare you’re after drops below a certain dollar value.

Travel Tips for the Airport

25. Don’t change money at Travelex booths in airports before your trip. It may be tempting to change money before you depart but the exchange rates and fees aren’t good. Wait until you arrive at your destination and use an ATM or change a small amount of money at the airport and the rest at a bank in the city.

26. Did you know you can purchase passes to most business class lounges in airports? Just present your boarding pass and pay the fee, usually about $50, and you have access to food, drinks, wifi, TV, kids rooms… even showers and toiletries. If you’ve got a long layover or a late flight it can be worth the money.

27. Parents rooms in airports usually have a microwave for heating up bottles. Use it to your advantage on long layovers for heating food. Carry a few sachets of instant oatmeal for emergency airport meals. (You can borrow a paper cup from a cafe to make it.) Much better than Burger King at 5am!

Family Travel Tips

28. Snap a picture of your child on your phone/camera before a busy day out e.g. at a theme park. If they get lost you have a picture in the exact outfit they were wearing and can describe it accurately to people/security/police.

29. Instead of buying new toys, books or games to occupy your kids on the plane, hide a few favourite ones a week or two before the flight. They’ll be pleased to see them, you know they’ll enjoy them and you get to save a little money.

30. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want! If you’re travelling with small kids and need a little extra room on the plane to spread out, ask at check-in if the flight is full and ask the check-in agent to keep a few extra seats free around you. As soon as you board the plane, tell the flight attendants the same thing and they’ll do their best to help you out. They actually do want your kids to be comfortable and happy on the plane.

31. Choose a middle or window seat for your child when on a plane. In the event of severe turbulence, falling cabin baggage could seriously injure your child if they’re seated in an aisle seat.

BYO Lifejacket – Taxi Boat Between the Perhentian Islands

Travel Health & Safety Tips

32. Put a baby picture in your wallet… even if you don’t have a baby! Lost/stolen wallets with baby pictures in them are much more likely to be returned to their owners than those without.

33. Always keep a few hundred dollars of emergency stashed in your luggage. We hide ours in the lining of our suitcase but a baby bag or dirty laundry bag also works.

34. Keep a card with your ICE (in case of emergency) contact’s details in your wallet at all times. If you get into an accident it’s important that authorities can contact someone at home.

35. Safety regulations in developing countries are not the same as they are at home so research/buy before you leave home any safety items to bring abroad… especially if you’re travelling with kids. You may not be able to buy or rent what you need once you’re there – car seats, child sized helmets or life jackets. For example, we knew we’d be taking a lot of small boat rides in Thailand and Malaysia so bought a toddler-sized life jacket along for Reuben. They weren’t available for rent or purchase any of the places we went but we were very glad we brought our own.

36. If you come down with a case of “Delhi Belly” on the road, don’t back yourself up with Imodium unless you absolutely have to. If you’ve got a 6 hour bus ride ahead of you go for the Imodium – otherwise, as unpleasant as diarrhea may be, it’s best to let the bugs out of your system.

Pack Like a Pro – Roll your clothes and use packing cells

Packing Tips

37. Rolling, instead of folding, your clothes makes them easier to pack. It saves space and the clothes crease less.

38. Packing cells or cubes are your best friend. It’s a lot easier to find items in your bag when everything isn’t jumbled together. If you’re travelling solo, use them to separate underwear and outerwear. If you’re travelling as a couple or family, each person gets their own space. Use another small one to bundle up all your electronics.

39. Tip your vitamins into small Ziploc bags. They’ll pack flat and no risk of smashing the glass bottle.

40. When packing, don’t throw things in for “just in case” situations. An extra jacket, umbrella or spare pair of flip flops will take up valuable space and can be easily purchased on the road. Having a jacket from Melbourne, an umbrella from London or a pair of flip flops from Thailand make for great souvenirs.

Want more travel tips? I will continue to share a “Daily Travel Tip” over on my Facebook page every day of the week. Click here to become a fan of my Facebook page to receive them every day.

The post 40 Tips to Help You Travel Smarter, Cheaper, Safer, Lighter and, errr… Awesomer! appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.

Are budget airlines really cheaper than the full-service alternative?

Let’s investigate.

I’ve chosen five key routes from around the globe in order to compare the cost of using a budget airline with using a traditional, full service airline. All fares will be calculated for flights on the same date (Tuesday 1 October 2013) for a passenger with one bag (weighing 20kgs) who wants to select a normal economy seat (not one with extra legroom) and pay by credit card. If flights depart or arrive at alternate airports, I’ll add the cost of public transport into the equation.

London to Berlin

Budget option:

Flying on Easyjet from London Luton to Berlin Schoenefeld - Total journey cost $109.70

(Fare $55.50, credit card charge $2, baggage $21.50, seat selection $4.70, train to Luton $22. train from Schoenefeld $4)

Full-service option:

Flying Lufthansa from London Heathrow to Berlin Tegel – Total journey cost $ 92.55

(Fare $75, no charge for baggage, credit card charge $6.85, no charge for seat selection, Tube to Heathrow $7.60, train from Tegel $3.10)

Bangkok to Singapore

Budget option:

Flying Jetstar from Bangkok Suavarnabhumi to Singapore Changi – Total journey cost $92.85

(Fare $69.25, baggage $14.25, seat selection $5.20 and credit card charge $4.15)

Full-service option:

Flying Malaysia Airline from Bangkok Suavarnabhumi to Singapore Changi via Kuala Lumpur - Total journey cost $198

(Fare $194.50, seat selection $3.50, no credit card charge, no charge for baggage)

The budget option is far superior when it comes to these short hops around South East Asia. Airlines like Jetstar Asia and Air Asia make travelling in the region really quick and affordable. The service on Air Asia is very pleasant and the flights are short enough that you don’t miss the meals and in-flight entertainment. You can by snack on board or pre-order hot meals (which aren’t bad) for a reasonable price.

New York to Chicago

Budget option:

Flying Spirit from La Guardia to O’Hare – Total journey cost $149

(Fare $74, baggage $30 for checked and $35 for cabin, seat selection $10, no credit card charge)

Full-service option:

Flying Delta from JFK to O’Hare - Total journey cost $132

(Fare $107, baggage $25, no seat selection offered at booking, no credit card charge)

The post Are Budget Airlines Really Cheaper? appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.

It’s the modas operandi for most young Kiwis – work your guts in London or Edinburgh and get in as much sightseeing on that side of the globe as you can during your working holiday visa.

I developed super travel ninja skills and squeezed as much enjoyment out of my 2.5 years living as I possibly could. Working out how to make the most of your annual leave is key to this. Even though I know longer have a desk job I thought I’d share with you how I went about maximizing travel while still working a full time job.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Annual Leave

Buy annual holiday cover. It’s infinitely cheaper than buying travel insurance for each and every trip you go on. If you’ve got annual cover, you don’t have to give your travel insurance a second thought. You can just pick up and go when a cheap fare arises.

Make a spreadsheet. If you know you’re only getting one year in Europe, make a list of the places you want to see and how long you’ll need in each of them. Calculate the amount of annual leave you’ll need to each trip and use every single day you’ll have.

Book ahead for any travel you plan to do at bank holiday weekends. Flights in and out of the UK will be pricey once everyone realises a holiday weekend is coming up. At the start of the year, go through an plan you travels for every bank holiday weekend and book flights while they’re still cheap.

Maximize bank holidays. Find out the dates of all the bank holidays and book your travel around them. If you’ve got a Monday off, take either the Friday before or the Tuesday after (or both) as annual leave. A four or five day weekend is a lot more relaxing than a three day weekend. The physical act of travel, going through airports, catching trains and buses, can be exhausting and time consuming and if you stick the the three day weekend you only get one day of non-travel.

Try and get a jump on the crowd – don’t wait until after work to depart the country, that’s when everyone is travelling. See if you can knock off at lunch time on the Friday without taking any leave days by working late a few nights before you go.

Easter is a real winner. You can take just four days off work but spend ten nights overseas. Leave London on the Thursday night, Friday and Monday are both holidays so you’ll only need to take Tuesday to Friday off work, and return on Sunday. Brilliant!

Don’t know where you want to go but know you want to get away? Use the Skycanner “Everywhere” search function to find out the cheapest flights out of London (or wherever) for the dates that you want to travel. When I was living in London, the cheapest flights always seemed to be to Italy… I ended up visiting four times in two years! I developed a serious gelato addiction in the process. If the flights were cheap, occasionally I’d get them for £25 return, going to Italy for the weekend to eat and drink was cheaper than going out with friends in London.

Be spontaneous. While you may have planned out a year’s worth of trips and accounted for all your annual leave, you can still take super short spontaneous trips on Saturdays and Sundays. Flights across to Ireland and Amsterdam are short and usually pretty cheap. Travelling by Eurostar to France or Belgium is quick and painless. And, of course, don’t forget to travel around the UK – day trips to Bath and Brighton via train or hire a car and explore the countryside.

The post How to Make the Most of Your Annual Leave appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.

Reuben & Friend at Franz Josef Glacier

Walks

Hiking, walking or “tramping” (as it’s known down under) doesn’t have to be a ten-hour uphill trek with you carrying everything but the kitchen sink on your back. There are plenty of short bush walks that even the youngest of children will be able to participate in. Tracks are well signposted with the expected duration of the walk in minutes and often difficulty of the walk. The walk to Franz Josef glacier, around Lake Matheson or around the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki are all perfectly walkable for children aged two and above. Smaller children can be carried in packs by parents. If in doubt, ask a local for advice before setting out and always carry a few supplies – water, snacks and suitable outdoor wear for your walk.

Maitai Bay campsite by Department of Conservation, on Flickr 

Camping

Camping is an ever popular family past-time amongst Kiwi families. A summer camping trip at a beach-front campground is a must. The Department of Conservation website has a complete list of campsites for family campers. If tents aren’t your thing, many campsites will have cabins available for rent. There are plenty of places to free camp in New Zealand if you’ve got your own campervan.

Cheeky Kea – The World’s Only Alpine Parrot, Arthur’s Pass

Animal Spotting

New Zealand has an abundance of wildlife a lot of which are native only to it’s islands. Flightless birds like the Kiwi and Weka, cheeky alpine parrot the Kea and the many penguins and seals that are spotted up and down the coastline. Kiwi can really only be observed in captivity as they are an endangered nocturnal species but pretty much everything else can be witnessed in the wild. If you’ve got the cash, whale watching and dolphin swimming are excellent.

Maitai Bay campsite by Department of Conservation, on Flickr

Beaches

Although the water is often too cold for all but the bravest swimmers, New Zealand’s beaches and coastline are a great place to play. Collect driftwood and build structures, spot the wildlife and play in the sand. If it’s swimming you’re after, the East Coast beaches in the North Island are the nicest options in the summer. Make sure you only swim at patrolled beaches between the flags as riptides are common. For a really special beach experience try out Hot Water beach in the Coromandel where you can dig your own hot water spring on the beach at high tide.

The post Exploring New Zealand’s Great Outdoors with Children appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.

Hilary, tell us about the competition.

This year, Tourism Australia’s offering six dream positions appropriately dubbed ‘The Best Jobs in the World’. The lucky winners will be given unique titles like Taste Master, where you sample food and wine up the coast, and Chief Funster, who’s responsible for reviewing concerts and festivals. What makes these positions even more appetizing is the $100,000 salary that goes along with the employment. It’s no surprise they had 600,000 applicants and 45,000 video submissions worldwide.

The last time they ran this contest was in 2009. Ben Southall of the U.K. was named Australia’s new “Island Caretaker”. I got so excited reading about how much Ben enjoyed his experience and couldn’t resist entering myself. So I applied for their Park Ranger position.

What made you enter?

I’m a travel blogger and live a nomadic lifestyle. I travel the world seeking new experiences and immersing myself in different cultures. I’m a professional adventurer and life enthusiast, and I’m always looking for once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. It couldn’t get more surreal than this competition, and when I heard what they were looking for, I knew it would be a good fit. I already love travel, surrounding myself with nature, and sharing my adventures through blogs, vlogs, and social media. I knew if I passed up the chance to enter I’d be kicking myself.

You can watch Hillary’s submission video here:

Why did you choose the Queensland Park Ranger position?

I’ve visited Queensland, albeit briefly, last year on my way to live with the Firewalker Tribe in Fiji. I fell in love with the beauty and laid back vibe of Cairns and met some amazing people in Brisbane. Queensland offers so many amazing opportunities from pristine beaches and miles of reef, to cool sand dunes and acres of rainforest. There are over 450 national parks in Queensland alone, over twice the number in The United States. To have the chance to explore all of Queensland’s natural wonders alongside experienced guides just seemed to good to be true. So I had to go for it.

What fantastic things will the job involve if you get it?

The chosen Park Ranger will work alongside experienced guides to learn and share with the world all about Queensland. This would include exploring The Great Barrier Reef, learning from The Aboriginals, and witnessing incredible sights like whale migrations and turtle hatchings. Of course, the Ranger will be responsible for sharing all of their experiences online through video diaries, blog posts, and interviews.

What’s the next step in the interview process?

The top twenty-five candidates have until May 7th, 2013 to generate as much media buzz, publicity, and community support as possible. We’ve got to gain the backing of celebrities, media personalities, and high-profile people in relevant positions. Based off our performance, they will choose three finalists to fly out for an in-person interview.

How can we help you on your quest to become Tourism Australia’s Queensland Park Ranger?

I can use all the support and backing I can get!

• Please LIKE my Hilary for Ranger Facebook page. Feel free to leave me your thoughts on how you think I should prepare for the Park Ranger job or words of encouragement.
• Please FOLLOW @HilaryForRanger on Twitter and be sure to tweet you are on #TeamHilary for #bestjobs.
• I’ll be posting my progress in this challenge on my blog Nomad Grad. Please subscribe and comment on the posts.
• And lastly, please SHARE! This campaign will only be successful if we reach a wide audience. Any help and assistance you’re willing to give me is so greatly appreciated! Let’s go, #TeamHilary!

Best of luck Hilary! I’ll be supporting your campaign. Please jump on board, fellow Flashpackers, and let’s help Hilary nab the best job in the world!!!!

The post One Blogger’s Quest to Nab the Best Job in the World appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.

Visualize… sitting out in a picture perfect European square, people watching at the end of a long day’s sightseeing.

Imagine…. you and the person you love, perched on a patio, gazing across the ocean at the most orange sunset you’ve ever seen.

What’s the only thing that could make any of these scenarios better than they already are?

Drinks!

Whether it’s a classy cocktail, a cool beer or a simple glass of wine, there’s nothing better than a drink at the end of a long day on the road. When you’re travelling with kids, however, this is easier said than done. If you don’t have access to childcare on the road or feel comfortable leaving your children with a hotel babysitter, there’s no need to miss out.

Here are few tips that will allow you to have a drink or two while travelling:

Pick the right establishment. Hotel bars, club floor bars and beach bars are all quieter more relaxed options. A London pub at 5pm on a Friday… not so much. Sky bars, like Vertigo at the Banyan Tree Hotel in Bangkok, are a tourist attraction in themselves and welcome patrons with children…. though it’s always best to ring ahead and check the policy on bringing children along. The World’s best bars website can help you find the best bars in each city you plan to visit.

Know what’s appropriate. Use your best judgement to decide whether this situation is an appropriate one in which to place your kids.I shouldn’t need to spell this out but go-go bars, nightclubs and smokey pubs are not the kinds of establishments for a family visit.

Equally so, recognize when other people don’t want your children around. If they lose their shit you’re going to need to chop your drink and make for an exit.

Time it right. Pick a time where patronage is at it’s minimum. Fewer crowds means more space and fewer people for your darling kids to annoy.

Make sure your kids are in the right mood. Not too hot, hungry, tired or irritated. You’ll need them on their best behaviour so stack the odd in your favour. A sunset drink before dinner could be a winner especially if your little ones have just napped and snacked.

Come prepared. Bring an iPad, smart phone, colouring book and crayons… whatever you need to keep your child quiet, happy and entertained while you’re enjoying your drinks.

Know their limits. Don’t plan on lounging about for hours sipping cocktails and discussing world politics. Tailor your night out to your child’s attention span. If 45 minutes is all the good behaviour you can get out of them, then so be it.

Finally… pace yourself. Remember you’re a parent, in a foreign country and that you need to keep your wits about you. Stick to one or two drinks and always act responsibly.

Do you take your kids to bars when you travel? Feel free to share any further tips you might have.

Cover image: Cocktails by ambernambrose on Flickr

The post Can You Take Your Children to Bars When You Travel? appeared first on Family Travel Blog - Flashpacker Family™ Travel with Kids Around the World.