The Foreign Service Journal, April 2005

T hemost common questionwe’re asked when we tell people we’re going on vacation is whether our children are coming with us. Themost common reaction when we return is shock, with a touch of disbelief, that we did indeed travel as a family. Living in Manila as a Foreign Service family comes with its own chal- lenges, but people never questioned whether our kids would accompany us to post. Traveling for pleasure is anoth- er ballgame. It probably has something to do with the ages of our children. With a pair of sons ages 2 and 4 and a pair of daughters ages 6 and 8, I’mpret- ty sure if it was anyone else I would be cringing at the thought as well. But traveling as a family is what we do. Having been an overseas Army brat myself, I know firsthand the value of encountering various cultures from a young age. Why live this lifestyle and be halfway around the world from home, if not to expose our kids to every- thingwonderful and different about our planet? So we’ve taken them around the Philippine islands to Cebu, where we didn’t hit the usual beach resort. Instead, we saw Magellan’s Cross, planted by the explorer while attempt- ing to circumnavigate the globe and convert the locals he encountered. We explored the Lapu-Lapu Shrine, dedi- cated to the guy who killed Magellan right on those shores because (more or less) he wasn’t all that keen on being converted. We’ve flown to Hong Kong to see the famous bird and goldfish markets, and ascended Victoria Peak via a tram ride so steep the aisle has slanted steps. Most recently we spent three weeks in the South Pacific on our official R&R travel. My mother joined us for two weeks in New Zealand, with an addi- tional week of stops in Sydney and Singapore on the way home. Of course, we brought the kids. From Auckland to Wellington, we worked our way south in a campervan. We visited the usual museums and aquariums, and tossed in panning at a goldmine. We couldn’t pass up Zorbing, where our 8-year-old sloshed down a hill in a bouncy plastic bubble, and my husband and I did it together —a tandemspin cycle. As a family, we fed sheep at the Agrodome, poked our heads out of Hobbit holes (from the “Lord of the Rings” movies), and vis- ited aMaori village, completewith show and hangi, a traditional dinner. We fer- ried across Cook Strait and took the TranzCoastal rail to Christchurch, where we played in a hands-on science museumand sawkiwi birds. There was a day in Hanmer Springs to ride hors- es and soak in hot mineral springs. We moved on to Sydney to “Find Nemo” at the aquarium, andwere awed by Singapore’s Night Safari. We slept at holiday parks and hotels and ingest- ed everything from convenience store steak pies to swankymulticoursemeals with escargot. (The kids even liked it.) They went everywhere we went and did it all. As they reveled in the action, so did we. Traveling with the clan ismore than just doable, it’s fun. Here are four sug- gestions for a successful family adven- ture: • Find a destination that has plen- ty of cross-generational fun. We searched out activities that were not only new and interesting to adults but fascinating and fun for the kids. • Plan everything and leave noday unscheduled, but stay flexible. After we inhaled sulfur gas fromgeothermal mud pits we were supposed to head straight to the Rotorua Museum. Instead, we worked the rotten-egg smell out of our clothes with amad two-team race through a nearby 3-D maze we passed on the drive, and only touched on the museum. • Listen to your kids. Take their suggestions seriously if something catches their collective eye. They won’t recall the history museum, but I can guarantee they’ll remember that maze for a long time. And who won the race. • Leave time for play. While wait- ing for our dinner reservation at the revolvingOrbit restaurant inAuckland, we wandered to Albert Park to feed birds, climb trees and play freeze tag. On the road toWellington, we stopped at a family adventure park in Levin. For an hour we tore across the field on “fly- ing fox” zip lines, bounced on a tram- poline, crawled along obstacle courses and swung in circles until wewere dizzy. The kids didn’t want to leave, and nei- ther did we. Amazingly, we came home relaxed if not entirely rested. How could we topNewZealand? I think itmight be impossible, but we still squeezed in a week in Thailand, split between Bangkok andChiangMai, and beach resorts in Palawan and Bohol in the Philippines before departing post. Coming up is our home leave car trip around the eastern half of the U.S. this summer (before our new post in August: Togo, here we come!). And yes, we’re bringing the kids. ▫ Michele Hopper is an FSO spouse and moth- er of four. She spent eight years in Africa as an Army brat and is looking forward to head- ing back to West Africa to continue feeding her travel bug. She’s glad the kids are com- ing along. FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS ■ BY MICHELE HOPPER You Brought Them With You? APRIL 2005 • AFSA NEWS 9