Rodeo Drive, baby.

After spending the past 15 years travelling with our girls, we’ve noticed they often learn more from travel than they do at school (plus, we’ve learned a thing or two from travelling with them…!). Here are some fun things we have all learnt from travelling.

1. Talking to other kids in the hotel’s swimming pool has been great for our girls to make new friends and learn about other countries and cultures all on their own.
2. Make sure all the family’s electronic devices are fully charged before any flight. Plus, bring other non electronic things to do, as well.
3. You’ll feel much better if you can poo before going on a long plane trip.
4. Free welcome drinks in the hotel lobby are never as delicious as they seem.
5. Getting lost in big cities is the best way to discover the hidden gems.
6. No matter where you take your children overseas, it’s an eyeopener to how other people live and gives them a broader perspective on life.
7. Extra patience required… weirdly, kids generally take longer to do absolutely everything.
8. The swimming pool is king. It seems kids prefer to spend the afternoon in the pool than visiting another museum, temple complex or cultural centre.
9. If you can put a theme park in your itinerary, your children will be very appreciative!
10. Its OK to have some time apart on a family holiday. Wherever possible, split up and separate for a while. When you get back together you will each have different stories of your adventures to share.
11. Involve every family member in the planning of the day to day activities on your trip. The kids will get more out of it if they know and have a hand in what is going to happen.
12. Schedule in rest days.
13. Not every tropical fruit is tasty.
14. Buy souvenirs that whenever you look at them back at home they make you smile.
15. Be aware of panda-eye. (Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen)
16. Doing activities outside everyone’s comfort zone is a great way to experience a new country.
17. It’s fun to visit local supermarkets to see what the locals are buying and eating.
18. Mixing up the modes of transport is a great way to change things up a bit.
19. Having the kids be in charge of their own money (even if you carry it for them) – it gets them used to foreign currency and working out the price of things compared to home to see if it’s a good buy or not. Plus, you’d be surprised that the number of souvenirs that were absolutely die-if-I-don’t-have necessary, are really not that necessary when they need to pay for them out of their own money.
20. Ensure a careful balance of culture, fun activities and down time.
21. Pack earplugs to block out noisy fellow travellers. (… Sacha, this one’s for you…)
22. Don’t be afraid to splurge on those professionally taken photos on cruise ships or theme parks as they make fantastic souvenirs and the best memories.
23. Travel makes you think outside the square and become a good problem solver, and has definitely made our girls more independent.
24. There is no such thing as over researching or over planning a holiday – either with or without the kids.
25. Getting your kids tattooed gives them a souvenir for life. (… Just joking…)
26. The joy of discovering new music together.
27. Always pack a sweater (prepare for the unexpected).
28. Travelling helps you see the humorous side of life.

Us at the Osbourne Family lights, EPCOT, Disney World, Florida.