Where it all started….
With my new resolution to live life to the fullest, see the world and have no regrets, we headed to kid friendly Fiji. This would be a trial run for the big European trip in a few months’ time. Not only my first real trip overseas but a first for my kids as well.
There had been a cyclone that had swept through the region only a week or so prior to our visit. In fact, we were worried that it would cause our trip to be canceled. But as luck would have it, the resort was back up and running by the time we arrived, with only a few trees and other debris floating out on the horizon as evidence of the recent destruction. Important to note that cyclone season in the Pacific region is typically between November and April, just something to be aware of as it may impact your trip.
In 2010 a friend and I took the kids to the Shangri La resort in Fiji. Traveling with young kids alone can be challenging, I was especially aware of this, being my first overseas travel experience with my kids. I am very blessed to be surrounded by amazing friends and family. My friend Alex, who was my wing woman on this trip, is a gem. I hope she reads this, and I hope she knows how much I have appreciated her friendship and support over the years.
Activities
The big resorts are wonderful if you have kids. The staff are amazing with child-minding, and they usually have kids club, with activities during the day and in the evening, leaving you with a bit of ‘me time’. There are areas, certain pools and bar areas etc. that are child free zones, so you can escape the little ones if you wish.
We ventured out for a day trip out to Robinson Crusoe Island. This included some crab racing, a traditional Lovo feast where the meal is prepared in a barbeque pit in the ground and watched some locals scurry up palm trees to get fresh coconuts for us to try. It is a very back-to-basics island, nothing 5-star, but it was fun, and the kids enjoyed it.
We tried our hand at paragliding and fishing, and generally just relaxed. The paragliding was another first for me. I was a little freaked out especially when I could see the crew below were more interested in chatting up my friend, than actually watching was happening up in the sky above their heads! All’s well that ends well and I made it safely back into the boat.
The resort also hosted a traditional Hangi, with various traditional dances on display as well as traditional foods on offer.
The best part of the trip for me was having that ‘me time’. As a single parent with young children, you very rarely get any of that. The trip to Fiji gave me the confidence I would need for the upcoming big trip to Europe with the kids.
One thing I did learn on this trip is that both my kids HATE flushing the toilet in the plane…. they actually refused to do it! So, as annoying as it was on the short flight to Fiji, it was so much more than that, on the flight to Ireland where we started our European adventure. Do you know how many times I had to get up to flush the toilet?? Sleep was never going to happen for me on that flight!
