We found ourselves living above the Dubai cloud line this week. The city is normally sunny and cloudless so photo opportunities such as this don’t come along every day. What a surreal view of Sheikh Zayed Road! Happy New Year 2013 to all!!

For more great photos from other travellers, check out Photo Friday at Deliciousbaby.com.

When I know that we will be spending long periods of time in a car while on holiday, my children are still at an age where a five point harness is preferable. However, there have been numerous times where I have needed a car seat for short rides, such as travelling to the airport (especially if we are hiring at the other end), taxi rides around Dubai, short car trips when we are travelling abroad (such as our recent trips to Thailand and New York) and mini-bus rides (such as hotel transfers).  The BubbleBum has been an extremely useful product to have with us on these occasions, plus it’s easy to inflate and deflate, simple to thread the seat belt through and comfortable for my daughter to use.  Most importantly it keeps her safe whilst travelling by car. I did originally have my doubts about the safety of the seat mainly because the seat is small, but BubbleBum appear to be serious about safety and this is what they have to say about safety standards: “The BubbleBum has been approved under the United Nations ECE Regulation R44/04 for safety for both Groups 2 and 3. It is designed for use with a standard 3 point adult seat belt that has been approved to ECE Regulation 16”. 

Please click here for more information about the BubbleBum.

*Thank you to BubbleBum for providing me with a complimentary BubbleBum Booster seat for the purposes of this review. As always all opinions expressed are my own. 

Well it has certainly been a long hot summer. We’ve spent part of our summer in New York and Canada, and for the rest of the time we’ve been in Dubai where the daily temperatures have been soaring in the high 40s (104 – 118 F). I’ve had some time out from my blog in recent weeks, enjoying our family travel uninterrupted, as well as just spending quality time on a daily basis with the kids (mostly by the pool). Oh yes, I can also blame my kindle a little for my absence on the blog, in fact I can probably blame my kindle A LOT. I generally try to write at night once my toddlers have been tucked into bed, but rather than write I have been reading and I have devoured 16 books since the beginning of July. I’ve always been an enthusiastic reader, but in years gone by I haven’t had the opportunity to read as much as I’d like and I must say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed re-kindling (no pun intended) this passion.

I’ve always loved reading about other places and I got onto a bit of a Parisian theme in my literary journey, which has really sparked an interest in travelling to this city again. Some of the titles that I have thoroughly enjoyed include:

A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway
Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris – Graham Robb
The Secret Life of France – Lucy Wadham
Almost French – Sarah Turnbull
Lunch in Paris – Elizabeth Bard

Some other titles that aren’t necessarily travel narratives but have kept me captivated over the summer are:

Moth Smoke – Mohsin Hamid
The Lemon Tree – Sandy Tolan
Eating Animals – Jonathan Safran Foer
The Hunger Games Trilogy – Suzanne Collins

Anyway, I digress, this is not a book blog, well at least it never used to be. I think it’s time to give the Kindle a break and return to my blog feeling renewed and ready for the months ahead!

Quite often, when people visit my blog, they’re looking for tips on jet lag. In fact, this post is about jet lag and young kids and is one of the most frequently viewed posts on Baby Loves to Travel. We’ve done a couple of recent trips where the impact of jet lag on my toddlers has been unavoidable. We spent time in Thailand where we moved 3 hours forward and we’ve just arrived home from East Coast North America which is 8 hours behind. I still go by my rough rules on coping with jet lag: keep hydrated, get lots of sunlight, treat the day as normally as possible and anticipate upheaval but plan appropriately. To add colour to these tips though, I thought I would share some observations I’ve made about how jet lag effected our kids on our recent travels.

• We find flying eastward is easier than flying westward i.e. going forward in time is easier than back in time. When we went to Thailand we flew eastward and moved 3 hours forward and in the first few days it was quite handy as we could keep the kids up later and they were in high spirits. They were also happy to sleep in until 10am – that doesn’t happen every day! And they quickly adjusted to the new timezone without a hiccup. My friend from Australia, who was holidaying with us, had the reverse experience, they flew westward and moved 3 hours backward in time and by 4pm her baby and toddler had had enough of the day, but they were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by 4am. It was definitely interesting trying to co-ordinate 2 sets of kids who had 6 hours difference between them. 
• Lots of sunlight definitely helps my kids adapt to a new time zone. On our recent trip to NY, we spent our first day outdoors in and around Central Park, so lots of lovely sunlight from 8am until 5pm. Although our kids did have a mini meltdown toward the end of the afternoon (well who can blame them, it was past midnight in the UAE), spending the day as normally as possible and outdoors did set us up well for getting over the jet lag quickly.
• Generally we seem to cope better with jet lag on arrival than we do on return. I think it’s because when we arrive at a destination we’re excited to be there and want to hit the ground running so we tend to put more effort into adapting ourselves and helping the kids adapt. Not so when we return home. Rule of thumb, 3 – 4 days on arrival at destination, 7+ days on our return home.
• My 3 year old (who no longer has day naps) seems to take a shorter timeframe to recover from jet lag, more so than my 17 month old who is still having 2 naps during the day. The 3 year old certainly feels it in the first few days, but by day 4 she is generally back to sleeping through the night and her internal clock has adjusted. Master F on the other hand seems to cope quite well during the days. At least, I don’t notice the effects of jet lag on him as he likes his day naps and these coincide with his night nap in the other time zone. However, when the moon rises so does he and you realise that things are amiss. It took him some time to adjust on our recent return from North America – well beyond the ‘one hour for everyday’ rule.
• No matter what strategies we use to try and overcome jet lag, our kids will always wake up in the middle of the night for the first couple of nights, especially when we’ve moved 5+ hours. There could also be numerous additional factors at play such as a new environment. I think we’ve just come to accept that this is part and parcel of travel and embracing it is easier than fighting it.  So getting up at 3am for a snack (because back home it’s actually lunch time) and a bit of play for an hour is perfectly ok for us, so long as it doesn’t continue for more than a week…

Discover some handy road travel tip in this guest post supported by Carhiremarket.com

Travelling by car with young children can actually be easier than flying as you can take so much more with you and those small people seem to always need so much ‘stuff’.

Living in a city, you can rely on public transport at home but for holidays you can arrange cheap car hire and plan a trip where the journey is the holiday – not just the destination. But as the car is not your own you have to consider ways to entertain the family while not risking problems with the in-car mess when returning the vehicle.

Road Trip Essentials
However, it probably is a good idea to keep the interior organised and there are a few bits and bobs to help you that you can keep within easy reach. Empty plastic bags (without holes) for clearing daily rubbish can also double up as a travel sick bag, if needed. They are also great for muddy shoes as you don’t want to get mud up the back of the seats from happy, kicking children. You’ll also need a pack of baby wipes for keeping on top of sticky fingers along the way and a kitchen roll (paper napkins) is helpful too for mopping up any spills.

Coolbox
While you’ll want some drinks and snacks inside the car, consider having a coolbox in the back too so you can have cold drinks and refrigerated items to enjoy at rest stops. For ice packs, freeze bottle of water before your trip and you can, obviously, drink them when defrosted so no space is wasted. You can also refreeze them if you stay somewhere with a freezer.

Stop Regularly
Take a break at least every two hours and make sure everyone gets out of the car to stretch their legs, go to the toilet, etc. If you can, plan mealtimes out of the car and enjoy a picnic. And pack some bubbles in the lunch bag to play with away from the car park and roads.

Basic First Aid Kit
Children get more cuts and bumps than grownups so you need to be prepared to deal with them as they happen. Some antiseptic wipes would be good for cleaning as you don’t have running water and soap with you when out and about, plus plasters/Band-Aids in various sizes to deal with most small injuries. Don’t forget some children’s liquid paracetamol which is often available in single use sachets (easier than bottles when not at home) and some headache tablets for you as that journey can be seem longer than it really is some days.

Music
Be realistic and have music you appreciate too. Film soundtracks can be good for all, and consider including upbeat and quiet time music in your mix. Sure, no-one says Coldplay is children’s music but that doesn’t mean your kids won’t enjoy it. Audiobooks are great too and can offer some peace while your little one listens and relaxes.

Toys
Yes there are many travel toys out there but young children don’t need games that play a tune or noisy sound when they press a button as these could well be an annoyance after a long day. Keep things simple such as a metal tray with magnets to move around. Kids love gifts so wrap up the magnets for them to unwrap at regular intervals: after each break, start of the day, etc. Bring their favourite cuddly toy too but be careful not to leave it at any of your stops.

Sally Jones is a freelance writer and mother of two pre-school children who enjoys taking her children with her to explore the world.

At the start of the year one of my best friends from Australia sent me a text somewhat along the lines of “let’s meet somewhere tropical and let’s make it happen!” Considering that she’d just had her 2nd baby 2 months earlier, as well as having a 22 month old, and the fact that we live almost 12,000 km apart (Melbourne to Dubai), the likelihood of us actually organising this trip was slim.  But guess what?  We actually managed it!  We did a lot of umming and aahhing over plausible mid-point destinations and 4 months later we miraculously all found ourselves tucked away on Koh Samui – 4 adults, 2 x 2 year olds, a 14 month old and a 6 month old baby!  Quite the travelling party! We visited in April/May when the weather was hot (no hotter than Dubai though). Fortunately, we experienced very little rain and it was mostly clear skies.

Koh Samui, an island off the east coast of Thailand, has certainly undergone some drastic change since I last visited well over 10 years ago. It still has a great deal of natural beauty, but it is also increasingly built-up. I couldn’t get over the fact that Lamai Beach now has a HUGE Tesco (called Lotus)! One can pine for the way things used to be, but there are also some positives to tourism development – the local population has experienced greater prosperity, travelling to this destination with a baby or toddler is now much easier, there are fantastic accommodation options, decent medical facilities should you require them and a lot of modern conveniences at your fingertips.

Travel

My preference is to always take a direct flight, especially when we’re travelling a considerable distance.  It can be trying when we’re on a long flight with 2 small kids but at least it’s over and done with and there are no hassles of transfers and security checks.  Unfortunately for us there wasn’t a direct flight to Koh Samui from Dubai and we had the option of either transiting through Bangkok or Singapore. We opted for Singapore and decided to add a few days on at the end of our Koh Samui trip to visit the Lion City.  For me it’s always a tough call when flying: whether to either take the day flight or do a night flight. I normally do prefer day flights only because  I know that although the kids will be awake, they’re generally in a happy mood and well rested. You can’t bank on this same disposition on an overnight flight. However, we opted for an overnight flight to Thailand, leaving Dubai at 3am (yes, waking a 2 year old and 14 month old up at midnight is never fun) and arriving in Singapore at 8am (7 hour flight with a 2 hour time difference).We flew Emirates Airlines and they were fantastic – even giving us a spare seat in our row for our 14 month old (inward and outward bound), as they weren’t quite at capacity.  I must say I’ve only had good experiences to date with Emirates, they are one of the most family friendly airlines that I have travelled upon and as a result will continue to do so when possible, even though they are not always the cheaper option. (No this is not a sponsored post!)

After arriving in Singapore, we had an 8 hour wait before our 1.5 hour flight to Koh Samui.  I’ve learnt through experience that if we do have a considerable transit wait and we can afford it, a hotel room at the airport for a few hours is invaluable! At Changi International, we stayed at the Ambassador Hotel which has adequately sized rooms in a quiet corner of the airport. It is worth knowing that most air-side airport hotels will have a special day rate for passengers who are in transit which is much less than a full overnight rate.

Feeling refreshed from the brief catch-up nap at the airport hotel, we boarded our Bangkok Airways flight to our final destination. From door to door, it was a good 20 hour trip, but we arrived on Koh Samui fairly unscathed (other than our double buggy which was damaged on the Koh Samui leg of our trip). As my kids were 3 hours behind on time, they were in good  spirits for that time of night and even slept-in until 11 am the next day – jetlag can have its benefits especially when you’re flying eastward.

Accommodation

Accommodation on Koh Samui is extensive and mind boggling  There are lots of options to choose from ranging from the luxurious to back packer budget.  We  ended up choosing a resort with a serviced apartment. I have to admit a good sized apartment in a good hotel is becoming a preferred accommodation choice for us.  We get all the conveniences and services of a hotel, plus the small touches of home such as a kitchen and laundry, which are both invaluable when you have small kids.

We stayed at Shasa Resort and Residences and each family stayed in a 1 bedroom deluxe Seaview Suite with our apartments being side by side. The apartment was stylish with gorgeous sea views and at 120 m2 (about 1,300 ft2) it was S P A C I O U S – it more than adequately accommodated a family travelling with a baby and a toddler. Having a kitchen was very useful as it gave us the option to prepare meals and snacks for the kids as well.

The resort itself is lovely. We were located on a remote part of the island so we did spend a great deal of time at the resort (more so than what we normally do on our trips), so being comfortable and feeling like we were on holiday was a priority. If you are looking for a remote getaway on Koh Samui far from the hustle and bustle then this resort ticks all the boxes. It’s a relaxing and tranquil environment and very aesthetically pleasing – the views over the sea are stunning to wake up to. On top of that, the resort itself was family friendly (including 3 great swimming pools and a playroom stocked full of entertainment for young kids). The staff were always more than willing to help out and meet any requests that we made, including additional cot beds and high chairs. They were particularly good on a day that our Miss M was sick and they promptly organised a Doctor from the hospital to come and visit. They also left a little teddy bear with a get well card in our room which was a very thoughtful touch. Overall, I find Thai culture to be very welcoming to families and children.

I feel compelled to add that the resort doesn’t have direct access to a sandy beach, it is a rocky beach, and it’s not user-friendly, either for adults or kids. However, you can make your way to a sandy beach that is a 5 – 10 minute walk around the corner.

 Quick Tips:

• Take mosquito repellent. We most definitely needed it during late April/ early May as the mosquitoes came out to play in the evenings.
• There is a large Lotus supermarket located in Lamai and Chaweng and is perfect for stocking up on all your baby or toddler needs.
• Hire a car if you want to see the island at your own pace. We hired a mini-van that could seat all 8 of us, and we did a number of little side trips.
• Car seats are not commonly used in Thailand.  Our resort had only one carseat available, but we had 4 children who required one.  In this instance we brought our own.
• A stroller is not needed on Koh Samui, mainly because the pavements and general environment are not suitable. The only place we could have used our stroller (had it not broken on the flight) is the resort.  A baby carrier is the easiest way to transport your baby if you plan on doing some sight-seeing.
• Thai food is very spicy, so you have to be careful with your food choices for the kids. I always think it’s best to taste test anything you offer.  I’m also cautious about food safety. My 2 year old kept hearing the phrase ‘is it too spicy’ being bandied around and even after we returned back home would occasionally eye her food suspiciously and ask ‘is it spicy’, despite having never experienced ‘true’ spice. 

There is a lot to see and do on Koh Samui with kids, so I’m going to cover these activities in a separate post.  I’m also keen to write about the experience of having 2 sets of kids experiencing jetlag differently. My kids were 3 hours ahead and my friends 3 hours behind, a total of 6 hours difference between them.  It actually effected our trip more than we thought it would.  Getting them on the same timeframe was an interesting exercise!

Dubai is a sunny place, in fact perhaps one of the sunniest places on the planet. On average rain falls here 5 days a year here (yes you read correctly!) and I remember Miss M recently shouting with excitement ‘Look mummy a cloud’ as a little fluffy cloud floated high in the sky. So needless to say whenever I’m outside with my kids in the stroller I always carry something to cover the pram to protect my kids from the sun. I mostly use oversized muslin cloths as a cover but recently SnoozeShade asked if I’d like to trial their SnoozeShade Plus.

SnoozeShade make a range of breathable blackout blinds and sleep aids and is designed by a British mum who was tired of hanging blankets over the pram to help her daughter nap on-the-go. I found lots of benefits to the SnoozeShade Plus:

• one-size-fits-all allows it to be used with all prams and strollers.
• easy to put on. Though I must admit I found it a lot more fiddly than throwing over a blanket.  However, once on it’s securely on and unlike a muslin blanket it’s not going to get kicked off and inevitably caught in the wheels of the stroller.
• offers the highest level of sun protection (UPF50+) so I know that my kids are protected from the sun.
• made from a breathable fabric.
• can be used as a black-out blind but with the option to open a panel so that my kids can see out while still being protected by the sun.  The black-out blind feature makes this product useful indoors as well to help aid sleep, such as when I’m shopping at the mall during nap time!
• packs down to next to nothing so very easy to travel with.

I have a special offer from SnoozeShade for my readers – 20% off the SnoozeShade range.  The discount code is BLTT20OFF (the code is caps sensitive) and it can be used at either the UK website  or USA website, please note the code gives free UK and US shipping where applicable but will not give free international shipping.  This offer is valid until 10 June 2013.

Thank you to Snoozeshade for providing me with a complimentary Snoozeshade  for the purposes of this review. As always all opinions expressed are my own. 

The unthinkable happened on our recent flight to Thailand – my double stroller was broken and in a state where it couldn’t be used! We delivered it safely to the gate for our flight but on arrival the chassis had been snapped.  Unfortunately it happened on the way to our destination so I was without a stroller for the entire trip. I never intended to use the stroller in Thailand as the environment isn’t really suited to it, but we desperately needed it once we hit Singapore. Managing a 1 year old and 2 year old and trying to see and do lots of things in Singapore without a stroller is next to impossible for us  - a BIG thank you to my friend Kathryn for loaning us two prams while we were in Singapore. You helped to make our trip 100% easier and more enjoyable!

So what can you do if your stroller or pram is broken on a flight? Well here is the process that we went through to try and get compensation for our broken stroller.

• We immediately notified the airport and airline when we discovered the break in the pram. We didn’t realise until we arrived at our resort that it had been broken as we’d placed the stroller (closed) on a trolley with all our luggage. A future tip, always open up or reassemble your pram at the baggage carousel and check it carefully as it is easier to demonstrate that the damage occurred during the flight.
• After speaking with our airline we then submitted an email to their claims department with all the details of the break including a photo and luggage ticket. We subsequently had to visit the airport to fill in a damage report and were then advised that the outcome would take a few weeks.
• A couple of weeks later the airline acknowledged our claim but wanted further information: they required a copy of the purchase receipt or certificate of purchase. We of course didn’t have the original receipt so had to visit the store we bought the stroller from to get a certificate of purchase which included information such as the brand/size/model/serial number, value of the stroller and date of purchase. Lucky for us the store was happy to help and supplied us with all the necessary information.
• We were fortunately reimbursed 80% of the cost of our stroller (the 20% deductable being on account of depreciation).

A couple of things to consider in the future if we’re travelling with our stroller and don’t want it damaged:

• Rent at the location we’re travelling to;
• Have a cheapie stroller dedicated for travel;
• When checking it at the gate ask the airline if there is room in the cabin for the stroller;
• Buy a padded bag to hold the stroller when travelling;
• Ask friends with kids at our destination if they have a spare stroller that we can borrow;
• Use alternatives, like a good sling; and
• Keep a receipt of any significant purchases handy!

For more great photos from other travellers, check out Photo Friday at Deliciousbaby.com and Friday Daydreamin’ at R We There Yet Mom.

Discover 5 fun activities for kids to do in Southern England in this post supported by Luxury Family Hotels.

Many first-time visitors to England start with London – it’s certainly handy for airports & has dozens of excellent attractions, free & otherwise – but once you’ve spent a couple of family holidays in the UK, you learn that London is just the tip of the iceberg.

Watch battling mediaeval knights, at Herstmonceaux Castle (East Sussex)

Every year, over the last weekend of August, knights, archers, jesters, minstrels, cannoneers, puppeteers, falconers and craftsfolk from across the land gather at Herstmonceaux for what, in our experience at least, is England’s most entertaining mediaeval reenactment event. Some reenactment displays are more for the benefit of the historians – and focus on accuracy rather than showmanship. Herstmonceaux is just lots of rowdy mediaeval fun, with jousting, living history displays, falconry, hog roasts, music, dancing and the all-important Kid’s Kingdom. And always say hello to Devilstick Pete, the red & yellow jester with his naughty ferret! 

Pony trek though the New Forest (Hampshire & Wiltshire)

Over 3,000 New Forest Ponies wander freely in the New Forest, a broad expanse of ancient forest once owned by William the Conqueror, and still a protected, beautiful wilderness. Whether you’re an absolute beginner or seasoned rider, pony treks are a lovely and unobtrusive way to explore the Forest, and can be arranged with a number of stables via the New Forest website.

Stay overnight in a helicopter (Blackberry Wood, East Sussex)

Blackberry Wood is a gorgeous little woodland campsite near Plumpton, with space for 30 or so tents – but also an old red London bus, a gypsy caravan, and now an ex-RAF helicopter, that have all been converted into accommodation! It’s pretty remote, without much else within walking distance, so perhaps not ideal for your whole stay – but it’s a lovely bit of countryside, and peaceful… unless you count the constant birdsong. Book early, though – it’s small, but renowned.

 Learn to sail a dinghy (Norfolk & Suffolk Broads, or anywhere along the south coast)

The Royal Yacht Association website is the best place to find accredited sailing schools. Most kids start off with small dinghies (and lifejackets, and very experienced instructors!) and there’s nothing quite like feeling the wind fill your sail as you steer your little boat round the shallow waters. Most coastal towns will offer lessons, but the inland Broads are one of the prettiest and calmest places to learn. 

Visit an inhabited castle, in Gloucestershire

12th century Berkeley is a real castle, built for defense, with more attractive (and less sturdy) bits added in later, less turbulent centuries. Many of the “castles” elsewhere in England are actually stately homes built to look – and impress – like castles. But Berkeley is the genuine article, & what’s more the latest Lord Berkeley still lives there, for some of the year at least. The castle has some gruesome stories to tell, including the notoriously nasty murder of King Edward II, and its walls still show cannonball damage from the English Civil War. But it’s actually very beautiful, with fascinating interiors full of treasures, including Elizabeth I’s bedspread, and a lovely tropical butterfly house.