1

Lucky you. 6 months of travel with your kids sounds so nice.

We have two boys (now age 8 and 12) and we have been backpacking with them since they were 2 years. Some of the highlights with the boys have been:

• the Phillipines. Natures paradise. We swam with whalesharks and turtles and the corals were beautiful. I will point out Cacnipa Island on the coast of Palawan, Donsol where we swam with the whalesharks and North Panda Island (on the coast of Mindoro). At North Panda the turtles came in every afternoon.
• Laos. A wonderful, wonderful country with friendly people. The villages in the mountains were beautiful, we went to an elephant camp outside Luang Prabang where we bathed and fed the elephants. What an experience. Also some very nice waterfalls- and pools to swim for the boys outside Luang Prabang.
• Indonesia. Sulawesi. Again natures paradise. Lots to do and see in the water. And a highlight for the boys was the river rafting down the volcano close to Manado.
• Vietnam. Our very first destination in Asia when the boys were 2 and 6. Very easy and friendly country.
• Cambodia. Uniq experience in Battambang riding the bamboo train - and of course the ruins of Angor Watt.

All that said - just being together and having 'all the time in the world' is the biggest experience of it all.

Our next adventure is India and Nepal next february. Can't wait:-).

Happy and safe travel.

Gitte

2

your profile does not say where you are from?

If you have already been to SE Asia then i suppose being familiar with the culture etc you would find it easier to get around and introduce the country to your children... from my own experiences in Cambodia/Vietnam, as friendly as they are to kids, and as much as they LOVE children, i can see some culture shock issues for my own children so I think personally I would choose to leave that part of the world until they were older.

Have you been to Australia? More expensive than Asia but also very easy to travel with children.

3

If it was me, I would go to Africa! Kenya is ok for a couple of days so I would fly into Nairobi, there is the Giraffe Centre and Elephant Orphanage near the city, both are lots of fun for kids! Then I would head to Tanzania to do a safari (Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater especially), walking safari at Arusha National Park is awesome. It is also worthwhile visiting some small NGO's, there are some amazing projects around the Arusha area. Then I would head to the coast for a stay on a beach with snorkelling off the coast (by dhow) in the clearest water I have ever seen. Then I would go to Zanzibar, the north of the island has the most beautiful beaches I have been to, and a bit of culture in Stone Town. All this sounds like it would be a quick trip, but time seems to slow down and everything takes longer than you expect. Tanzanian people love children, it is such a great place to visit. I'd also love to go to Malawi and Mozambique, but I can't offer any advice as I haven't been there yet.

Edited by: bec1

4

Philippines - possibilities are endless, its relatively inexpensive and you can get everything there from beaches, volcanos, rice terraces etc.. If one country is too restrictive then Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia all these places are fab for kids and safe.
Philippines - Cebu is historical nice beaches in Malpuscua (never can spell it) then ferry to Bohol is wonderful - Nice beaches on Panglao (also good for diving) Palimacan. Bohol there are chocolate hills for walking (a little no trekking) & Tasiers (little furry creatures) river trips etc. Can then ferry to Dumaguete for more nice beaches volcano etc and arrive back sometime in Cebu to fly north to Kalibo (Boracay) and then up towards Manila (something like this)
Malaysia - you can hop the East Coast Islands (not Nov-Dec) but in the North Perhentian, Redang, Tioman, Sibu, Rawa. Penang is fab as are Cameron Highlands and Taman Negara.
Laos - Luang Prabang then to Vang Vieng for lots of river activities
Thailand endless - once you decide I can help you more with specifics but now its too wide!!!!

Opps & Sri lanka, Great beaches, elephant orphanages, safaris, tea growing areas, lakes, caves, walking - also good spot!!

5

Even though you've been to SEA 'before kids', you'll probably find that it'll be a completely different experience with the kids in tow. At least that was our experience. This time around, with kids, we tended to seek out kid-friendly activities and attractions such as zoos and even amusement and water parks that we wouldn't have before. Also your interactions with the locals are different.

Among others, we spent 3 mo in South India , 1 mo in Vietnam , 1.5mo in Cambodia, 3 mo in Thailand and i'd highly recommend all of these in particular for families. You can do these on a pretty modest budget too. Our blog lists lots of info on where we went, kid-friendly things to do there, and how much we spent http://www.with2kidsintow.blogspot.com

feel free to email me directly for more info. good luck with your planning!