When Kevin and I told friends what we had planned for our next family vacation, we got more than a couple of raised eyebrows and even heard a few cries of “you’re crazy!”. Most of the people we know have plans to spend a week or two out West or maybe down South. But we decided to spend a month with our three-year-old son, Rowan, exploring two developing countries – the Philippines and Borneo – and bookending the trip with urban visits to Hong Kong and Perth.
We know Rowan will love the access to nature and wildlife that these destinations promise as much as we will. But being so far away from home… for a month… with a toddler? Are we getting in over our heads? It was the influence of technology that won us over.
We plan to use technology throughout our trip to make the ten flights, two boat trips and eight hotel stays as stress free as possible. We’ll be using an iPad, iPhone, travel apps, Skype account, and two digital cameras (one just for kids) to help give us the right combination of adventure and leisure, fun and peace-of-mind that we’re after.
Here are some of the places we’re visiting and that I’ll be writing about: Hong Kong (including Disneyland), the Philippines (the islands of Cebu and Bohol), Malaysian Borneo (highlighting Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary and Selingan Island’s sea turtle conservation park), and Perth, Australia (including Caversham Wildlife Park). I’ll post some photos as well, and write about how much the mobile technology helps. So far, it’s pretty handy, especially when you’re up against a jet lagged toddler at 3 am in a Hong Kong hotel room…
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