Travelling with three kids (6, 4 and 2 yo), what on earth are we thinking?! Too late to back out now.... ! Getting away was a bit of a logistical challenge, organising everything about being away for 9 months, while moving out of our rental and sorting everthing to keep in storage while we're away, saying goodbye to family and friends, and especially Tux (very thankful to Liza and Allen for taking care of her while we're away!), there hasn't really been a quiet moment lately!
But.. we've managed it, and we are now away on our family adventure. A train ride from Melbourne to Queanbeyan (for some time with family and friends), another train from Queanbeyan to Campbelltown (for a few days in the Southern Highlands), and yet another train from Campbelltown to Sydney, we certainly gave our packing a good trial run!
We flew out of Sydney so we could visit my family before we left, and decided on a late flight, hoping the girls would sleep on the plane. We arrived at the airport at about 7pm, everyone already tired but also super excited. A long wait at check-in meant we missed the Travel Refund Scheme (doh!), but made the flight without having too much time to wait. A lot of excitement about the personalised tv's and hand delivered juice, and then the girls were out like a light. Lila so tired she slept right through breakfast and didnt wake up until the we had to carry her off the plane! Best tip for anyone travelling with kids are these Relaxeazzz Travel Pillow/Eye Mask Sets... which I managed to pick up at our local newsagent before we left), they have been well used already and have made life much easier with the bright lights and daytime naps.
A few early morning hours to wait in Kuala Lumpar before the next flight to Langkawi at 9am was made managable thanks to a Starbucks which opened early. With the kids still in amazingly good spirits (they did enjoy playing on the flat airport escalators!), we finally boarded the plane to our final destination for the next 12 days.
Arriving in Langkawi tired and delirious, we then had to manage a lost suitcase (though thankfully only lost for a few hours, and Malaysia Airlines had it delivered directly to our room). A short ferry ride over to the Island we're staying at, the girls must have thought we were in the middle of nowhere! Cool face cloths and a sigh of relief on arrival, we can now relax and enjoy the warm, fresh air and get used to being away!