by Loreena Walsh | Family Travel, Slider Features
Today is officially “put up the Christmas tree day”, one of the most exciting days of the year for the kiddies.
It’s been weighing on our minds this year about what to get the kids for Christmas. Seeing as we’ll be living in a caravan next year, there’s only a limited amount of “stuff” that can logically fit on our Christmas lists.
We think we have it all figured out though, and today, it was time for the kids to pull out the box of decorations and the tree, and get to work making the house Christmas-y!
It’s strange to think that next year we won’t have a house, or a tree this size, and it’s all a bit of unknown just where we’ll be next year for Christmas. It’s the kind of unknown that’s exciting, but also the kind of unknown that makes me stop and appreciate this special Christmas, this time together before we head off on our big adventure.
So to get you all in the Christmas spirit, here’s the unveiling of the tree 🙂
by Loreena Walsh | Thoughts & Ideas, Trip Planning
So this is it. Our first real step toward long term family travel.
Look closely and you’ll see it.
Doesn’t it look amazing? Ok, I’ll admit, it doesn’t look anything out of the norm does it?
There is our car, towing our boat, nothing unusual about that….. except…….
The boat contains parts of our life, tucked away under that cover.
The quad bike given to the kids by my brother. The outdoor chairs we bought about 4 house moves ago when the kids were so very much younger, that have welcomed guests during birthday parties, get togethers and many fun bbq’s.
The little glass top table and 2 accompanying chairs that Matt bought me to sit out on the verandah of the first house we lived in when we moved to Wauchope.
Matt’s swag I bought him when he was doing the rodeo circuit and needed somewhere quick and easy to stay.
A wiggles rug I found tucked away in the shed that’s decorated the boys room before the kids all outgrew the colorful foursome.
Other bits and pieces are in there too, off to live at my brother’s house. Our first full load of things being rehomed, and it’s all feeling just a bit (ok maybe a LOT) real right about now!
We don’t have an exact date we’ll be properly homeless, but the shop is on the market, and we’re starting to downsize and sort through everything.
I have a feeling, as with any other move, it will turn into a massive frenzy when the vital moments draw near, because as much as I feel organised, I know it will sneak up on me and I’ll realise we still have too much stuff that we’re supposed to have said goodbye to.
But regardless of what’s ahead of us, this is a defining moment in our journey to embark on family travel around Australia
by Loreena Walsh | Photography
It’s almost the weekend, and I thought, what better way to celebrate the approaching days of relaxation than by digging out a favourite photo of mine. Perhaps we’ll make it a regular occurance, I have thousands of photos that are currently homeless so I really need to share them more!
This is one of my FAVOURITE photos. It’s taken at Erskine Falls on the Great Ocean Road, during our Nat Geo family holiday.
QUESTION: What do you do with all your family holiday photos? Print them and put them in albums, leave them on the computer and never see them again (guilty here!) or turn them into photo books? Let us know in the comments below.
Whatever it is, don’t forget to take a look at them from time to time and relive the fun times and get inspired to plan new explorations!
by Loreena Walsh | Blogging, Thoughts & Ideas
Well, this is it!
As I write this, Matt’s driving and we’re on our way to the Problogger Training Event in Melbourne.
We have been so lucky to be chosen as major winners by Lenovo which means not only do we get to blog about the event using the amazing K1 Tablet, but we have also won the super exciting X1 Carbon laptop!
Lenovo as a company are all about being a Doer, and I like to think we are definitely doers! To tell you the truth I can’t wait to drag all our Lenovo gear (we already have 2 other Lenovo laptops too, so you could say we love and trust the brand so much already!) around Australia and test it out across this awesome rugged country!
But for now, we’re on our way, driving to Newcastle, flying down to Melbourne and leaving our 3 munchkins at home with their Poppy who is armed with enough DVD’s and snack food to keep them occupied for the next couple of days!
While it feels pretty hard to leave the kids behind because we generally travel everywhere with them, it’s VERY exciting to know we are about to meet some amazing like minded people and be able to repay Lenovo for their kindness by being official bloggers for the event too!
by Loreena Walsh | Family Travel
If you’re heading out on the road for your upcoming family holiday, then keeping the kids happy and occupied in the car is almost certainly going to be at the top of your list.
So, to make your life a little easier, I’ve taken a look around the amazingly inspirational website that is Pinterest, and found some really great tips, tricks and ideas for keeping your children occupied in the car.
A great idea for recycling old DVD cases!
Recycle old mint tins and re-use them as mini magnetic alphabet sets – You can buy printable magnetic sheets from places such as ebay or officeworks
Use a shoe storer as a simple seat organiser that can hold lots of goodies
Marshmallows and toothpicks, fun and yummy
Baking tray, printed activities and magnets, lots of fun!
Playdough in Balloons, fun without the mess in the car!
by Loreena Walsh | Family Travel
When you’re planning a family holiday it’s important things go smoothly. The great news is that with the ever growing range of technology available to holiday makers, that simply being armed with an app compatible smart phone means that planning, organisation and information are available on the run. Let’s take a look at a few apps you may not have heard of that will be useful when travelling.
Here’s some useful apps for Family Holidays!
1. EVERNOTE
If you haven’t heard of Evernote, then you’ll be glad that you have now! This amazing app is wonderful for organisation, and one thing you need when planning family holidays is organisation! Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders and all of these things can be organised into folders and synced across devices. It’s free for the basic app, or if you need more data allowance you can upgrade to premium.
2. ELDERS WEATHER
This is a super reliable weather app, that takes it’s data from the bureau of meteorology. It allows you to search via town name or postcode and gives you the next 7 days weather forecast including general forecast, expected temperature, rain possibility, wind speed and high/low temps. A great resource when you’re trying to plan a holiday around the weather. It’s Free.
3. WIKI CAMPS AUSTRALIA
$2.99 to buy, this app is full of user generated information on campsites right across Australia. We downloaded this when we were searching for a campsite and didn’t have a book with us to help, and we couldn’t find one using Google Maps either. Users add their own reviews and information on facilities, accessibility etc, so it’s really helpful in understanding what you’ll find before you get there. Definitely one for family’s who love camping in Australia!
4. TRIP ADVISOR
If you’re having a family holiday anywhere in Australia, it helps to know if the places you’re wanting to visit are worth the time or the money. Trip advisor has over 60,000 reviews of places to stay, eat and have fun so that you can make an informed decision about how and where you’ll be spending your holiday. It’s Free.
5: PHOTOSYNTH
Ever been frustrated by the limited view point of iphone photos? Well Photosynth removes that frustration by allowing you to take panoramic iphone photos. Definitely lots of fun and highly recommended! It allows you to save and share your creations and capture a real world panoramic view so you don’t forget a thing! It’s Free!
Do you have a favourite app you can recommend for travelling?
