HOT TIP By AMY VEIT, House of Travel Whangarei
“In a new place, I always use Google maps offline by searching the area I need when I have data, and then typing “ok maps” into the search bar. Google will then give you the option to click ‘download’. Do that and you have a map for your new destination whenever you need it, regardless of whether you have WiFi.”
CHEAT SHEET / TRAVELS WITH KIDS
Family adventures at any age. Your kids probably like to play Marco Polo. Now they can become him.
TRAVELLERS
FIND ME AN EASY BEACH BREAK.
A flawless family holiday. 1 | Flights. Ask us which airlines offer the best boredom-busting kids’ packs and how to request bassinet space.
E A S Y I S L A N D S | Samoa
YO U N G
family
ages 0-5 years
2 | In-flight necessities. Take toys, crayons and rubbish bags. Lollies for take-off and landing will equalise ears.
3 | Kids’ clubs. Many resorts have complimentary kids’ clubs. Check what they offer and what activities cost extra.
4 | Avoid tiredness. Plan a
BUDDING
travellers ages 6-10 years
morning of sightseeing and an afternoon of relaxing. Resorts with pools and child-friendly fun are ideal.
5 | Invite another family. Consider a villa with friends and kids a similar age to your own, but double check they all get along!
6 | Set holiday goals. Set each
WE’RE UP FOR AN ADVENTURE.
DOORSTEP CRUISING
P H U K E T W I L D L I F E | Thailand
Parents rejoice, choose an NZ coastal cruise and you eliminate international airports. Depart from Auckland, unpack once and enjoy ease, convenience, and best of all, dedicated kids’ clubs.
At Phuket Butterfly Garden and Insect World, an outdoor tropical garden allows the butterflies to fly freely, while children learn how caterpillars transform into butterflies.
H A W A I ‘ I S N O R K E L L I N G | USA
GREAT BARRIER SLEEPING
W E L S H D E S C E N T S | Wales
Accessible from Waikiki via round-trip shuttles, O‘ahu’s Hanauma Bay is formed from an old volcanic crater. With calm, shallow water, it also boasts the highest fish population on the island.
Sleep under the stars in the Great Barrier Reef. Spend two days and one night on a floating pontoon, enjoying all the fun of the reef, before sleeping in a swag (no-frills tents for one) under a night’s sky.
Llechwedd Slate Caverns details the history of slate quarrying, with guests descending over 150m into the deep hollows of a disused grotto. Also home to mountain biking, zip lining and underground trampolines.
CROATIA SAILING
SAVE THE ORANGUTANS
Unwind with the tots in tow. Samoa’s just a four-hour flight from Auckland and within five minutes of the airport, you can find yourself with toes in the sand at one of our favourite resorts.
New Zealand
GOLDEN SANDS
TRAVELS
with tweens ages 11-13 years
other’s for fun. Ideas include getting a PADI dive certificate, or starting a holiday blog.
SOMETHING EDUCATIONAL, PLEASE.
| Vietnam
Hoi An’s riverside setting on lantern lit water is also beachy. Stay in a villa and divide your time between the sand, the pretty town centre and Central Market, which sells the best street food.
Australia
Croatia
Malaysia
Croatia’s Dalmatian coastline is pure blue water and golden shoreline. Charter a skippered boat and spend your days anchoring in quiet bays and exploring secluded beaches.
Visit the orangutans of Malaysia in their natural habitat. Some venues even offer feeding programmes, providing an additional opportunity to observe these amazing creatures.
T R O P I C A L W O W S | Vanuatu
U S R O A D I E S | USA
E C O G L A M P I N G | Cambodia
Vanuatu’s largest island, Espiritu Santo, is full of wow-spots: impossibly blue water at Nanda Blue Hole - big kids love the swing! And Champagne Beach, so called because it fizzes like Veuve at low tide.
Show us your adventurous spirit and we’ll show you the US highway. The home of iconic road trips, such as Las Vegas desert drives and one of our favourites, which covers Seattle to Los Angeles on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Cambodia’s first floating eco-lodge flanks unspoilt forest. Luxurious water-sitting tents feature WiFi, but you won’t need it. Not with so much wildlife, trekking, kayaking and swimming on the doorstep.
7 | Ready-made friends. To appease teenagers, try going to destinations with other guests their own age.
8 | The ‘kids decide’ day. Younger members get to decide what the family does for one day of the holiday.
1 2 I N S P I R E | H OUS E O F TRAV E L
YO U N G
adults
ages 14-17 years
THE B E ST H O LIDAYS ARE CREATED TOGETHER .
HOU S E O F T RAVEL |
I NS P I RE
13
