Lessons the second time around
I was not looking forward to our 14 day trip to Hong Kong. Last time we went, the kids threw up at the same time on the 16 hour plane ride, we had to try to squeeze in naps in the midst of noise, we didn't know where to eat that would be offer peanut free environments and we were not used to the constant crowds, noise and hectic schedule.
I love the fact that we get to see family and friends, but the tradeoff seemed so high.
Because of my lack of excitement and honestly, because of lack of time, I had, for the first time EVER, not planned ANYTHING prior to going. I didn't research anything and had absolutely no itinerary other than had scheduled a few gatherings with friends and family.
But to our surprised, we enjoyed Hong Kong very much this time! The kids were well behaved. They kept going even when they were tired. Only one threw up a little on the plane ride HOME. And most importantly, no one got sick.
Here are a few new tips:
1. PRAY. This might not be what you were expecting but I really believe God answered my prayers and the prayers of all the people whom I asked to pray for us.
2. Download Apps. Hong Kong has changed a lot since the last time we were there 5 and a half years ago. There is an App for everything now. Some recommendations before you even get there:
a) OpenSnap - this one gives you all the information about restaurants in Hong Kong. Useful.
b) MTR - MTR is the name of the train system. There is a MTR mobile app and a MTR Tourist app for you to use. You can plan your trips with the best routes and have an ETA. Do note that sometimes there is walking involved to go from station to station. The app only tells you the actual train ride time
c) HKeTransport - It gives you instructions on what transit to take
d) Google Maps
e) Discovery Hong Kong has a list of apps you can download for information
f) Currency Converter - download any good one you want - tons free online
g) Whatsapp - everyone in Hong Kong uses whatsapp. It's the best way to communicate with family and friends, if you have any, in the city
h) KMB and LW - these are the bus systems in town - gives you an idea of bus routes and even ETAs and all the stations it stops at.
I'm sure there will be new ones coming up but the tip here is simple: check the most useful apps the year you go and prepare!
3. Plan to adjust your daily schedule to one that starts closer to noon. Not much happens before 10 or 11 AM. Our own family time was always in the morning. Going out usually meant meeting someone for lunch and then continuing onwards sometimes up to 9 or 10 PM
That meant, even with jet lag, that we would wake at around 6 or 7 AM and would stay in our PJs and in bed. We might go downstairs for breakfast or ask daddy for take out and then scrawl back into bed for a morning snooze or power nap before heading out for the day.
4. Take tissue/napkins/toilet paper with you - simple tip but one that we kept forgetting. Wipes are great too.
5. First day in Hong Kong. There are a few things you will need to do when you get there:
a. Get Octopus Cards for everyone in the family. There is a deposit fee for every card but this is a card you can use for all public transportation and many stores. You just need to refill the card when you run low.
b. Get a holder for the kids or a pouch for your girls cause it will help them store not just the card, but tissue paper, and perhaps a light snack
c. Get a SIM card if you have an unlocked phone - when you get one (there are kiosks practically at every corner) be careful what you buy. If you want just a phone line, anything will be fine. However, if you want data - they might tell you cheap plans have data when in fact it's just free wifi on their networks' wifi spots...which means, you won't have data everywhere. If data is important for you (it is for me) then make sure you ask for a SIM card that covers DATA everywhere (not free wifi).
If you have time, you could research at home before going - sometimes they run sales and you might get lucky and get a discounted card. You'll have to pre-order it and pick it up at certain locations once you arrive
6. Bring your toilettries. I thought I'd make the packing process easier by buying toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner in Hong Kong. But when we got there we were astounded by the prices. They are not cheap. No wonder family members ask me to get these for them at Costco! Bring your own.
7. If you are like me and do not like to go to tourist attractions and be packed like a sardine, and if you have some flexibility in terms of when in the year to go, ask friends and family in Hong Kong when exam weeks are. It just so happens that we arrived on the eve of mid-terms. We didn't realize it then but that meant not only children but also parents were couped up at home studying!!! A lot of the places we went to were practically child-free. When exams finished (about 1 week) we noticed how much more crowded everywhere was
8. Plan as you go. We made plans to meet with friends and family - and of course, it was all over food. So What actually happened was that after each lunch we would just explore the area or the malls we were in. And there is so much to see and taste and experience in Hong Kong you probably will never be in an area with nothing to explore. Because of this, we visited places we would have never been to otherwise! The only 2 days we did plan were Disney and Macau.
But even in Macau....we bought the tickets there, and booked reservations for a Portuguese lunch, but other than that we literally winged it!!!! We got there and got some maps from the tourist info centre and asked people how to get to the heritage area. We took the bus not completely sure of where we were going and once there just used google maps to get us around! We did get lost once but it was not stressful.
9. If all fails, call a cab. We learned this at the tail end of our last trip here. Cabs in Hong Kong and very easily accessible and they are cheaper than in North America. If you ask some people in Hong Kong they will still say it's expensive but that is because of what you are comparing things with. For us, having kids, especially at the tail end of a busy day, meant just calling a cab and taking us home in one simple trip. Definitely keep this in mind.
Having said that, a few times friends told us to take the bus. We were told it was 'easier'. This is a matter of personal preference but I think we prefer the train. If you have an option of bus or train do consider the following:
a. Do we travel well in traffic? My kids don't, so a couple of times we were stuck in traffic in the bus and they almost puked.
b. Do the kids need distractions? Sitting in a bus had very few distractions for my kids. The trains seemed to offer a lot more distractions and they seemed to be much less aware of time.
c. How far/close are the stations to your destinations
10. Schedule some meals to places your kids will enjoy eating. This time around we tried to balance adult meals with kid-friendly meals. Even though there were many adult oriented meals, they knew we had plans to take them out for pasta, for fries, for McDonalds or for pizza. Even Starbucks was a 'home away from home' for them. That balanced things out and they seemed to be ok with that
11. On the plane -
a) Headsets - invest on good headsets for the kids - at least for mine, they do not sleep much so they are on the ipads or the flight entertainment system a lot.
b) ipads - if you have them, invest some time before going to research on new apps that would be good for the kids. I deleted a lot of the old ones and replaced them with new exciting ones.
c) Check what is in the flight entertainment system- there is content that is not suitable for your kids - you need to keep an eye on these
d) Sleep - I don't set my hopes high that they will sleep much on the plane. Set expectations low. I just wish for no vomiting, and no pain. If that means they will have a long period of screen time, for me, it's worth it. That is your call. My kids this time slept an average of 4 - 5 hours.
What seemed to work for me this time was to actually give them a 'rest' time. That usually happened at about 3 to 5 hours after take off. That would take about 30 to 60 minutes and often didn't mean any sleep. Then they would go back to watching TV or reading or whatever else they would do. Eight hours into the flight I would tell them it's time to go to bed. We would set things up and they would now really try to sleep. Gauge it - you will see signs of tiredness. Sometimes they slept 2 hours only and other times they slept 4-6 hrs straight. Regardless, I do try to wake them up 60 to 75 min before landing (minimum). This gives me enough time to take them to the washroom, get them to wake up fully, and if needed, walk a bit to make sure they don't vomit
e) Seat Selection - If you take Air Canada, where there are only 3 seats in each row, you will have the challenge of deciding how to sit if you have a family of 4 like mine. Last time we did 3 (me with the kids) and my husband sat on the center aisle next to us.
This time there was nothing left, so on the way there he sat behind us by the aisle, and on the way back in front of us in the window seat.
The worst is definitely having him sit on the row behind or in front of us, by the window - try to avoid that - he can't help you at all.
f) If you have sensitive kids - bring gravol and benadryl! Need I say more?
12. Make it an adventure with them. It occurred to me that my kids were old enough this time to remember the trip. So on the first day there I told them we would make it an adventure and try to remember and log in all the SIGHTS and SOUNDS that were DIFFERENT from home. I also asked them to think about how they FELT when they saw the differences.
It really made the trip very interesting. I shared with them what I saw and they showed me what they saw. We shared our feelings and I let them ask me any questions they had.
We saw a lot more because of this, and they had a lot more to write in their journals. But more importantly we all had so much fun doing it. I was surprised but when we got home they both made a power point presentation about their trip!
13. Have a plan for the kids if you go shopping. Most of the time they will be tired by the time you get to the place you shop. Unless you go to the many Western style shopping malls (which honestly, are the same as those here and more expensive), see if you can either go alone while the kids play at a park or if the store has at least somewhere for them to sit. Thank them for their patience and reward them with a snack later on!
It's been a fun time! But as I returned, I discovered I tore a tendon, and the only thing I can trace it back to is all the walking we did! YIKES!!!! So one final tip? For as much as you enjoy it....REST too :D
Til next time!!!!
Read more: Food, KIds and Allergies in HK. Spontaneous Tourists
I love the fact that we get to see family and friends, but the tradeoff seemed so high.
Because of my lack of excitement and honestly, because of lack of time, I had, for the first time EVER, not planned ANYTHING prior to going. I didn't research anything and had absolutely no itinerary other than had scheduled a few gatherings with friends and family.
But to our surprised, we enjoyed Hong Kong very much this time! The kids were well behaved. They kept going even when they were tired. Only one threw up a little on the plane ride HOME. And most importantly, no one got sick.
Here are a few new tips:
1. PRAY. This might not be what you were expecting but I really believe God answered my prayers and the prayers of all the people whom I asked to pray for us.
2. Download Apps. Hong Kong has changed a lot since the last time we were there 5 and a half years ago. There is an App for everything now. Some recommendations before you even get there:
a) OpenSnap - this one gives you all the information about restaurants in Hong Kong. Useful.
b) MTR - MTR is the name of the train system. There is a MTR mobile app and a MTR Tourist app for you to use. You can plan your trips with the best routes and have an ETA. Do note that sometimes there is walking involved to go from station to station. The app only tells you the actual train ride time
c) HKeTransport - It gives you instructions on what transit to take
d) Google Maps
e) Discovery Hong Kong has a list of apps you can download for information
f) Currency Converter - download any good one you want - tons free online
g) Whatsapp - everyone in Hong Kong uses whatsapp. It's the best way to communicate with family and friends, if you have any, in the city
h) KMB and LW - these are the bus systems in town - gives you an idea of bus routes and even ETAs and all the stations it stops at.
I'm sure there will be new ones coming up but the tip here is simple: check the most useful apps the year you go and prepare!
3. Plan to adjust your daily schedule to one that starts closer to noon. Not much happens before 10 or 11 AM. Our own family time was always in the morning. Going out usually meant meeting someone for lunch and then continuing onwards sometimes up to 9 or 10 PM
That meant, even with jet lag, that we would wake at around 6 or 7 AM and would stay in our PJs and in bed. We might go downstairs for breakfast or ask daddy for take out and then scrawl back into bed for a morning snooze or power nap before heading out for the day.
4. Take tissue/napkins/toilet paper with you - simple tip but one that we kept forgetting. Wipes are great too.
5. First day in Hong Kong. There are a few things you will need to do when you get there:
a. Get Octopus Cards for everyone in the family. There is a deposit fee for every card but this is a card you can use for all public transportation and many stores. You just need to refill the card when you run low.
b. Get a holder for the kids or a pouch for your girls cause it will help them store not just the card, but tissue paper, and perhaps a light snack
If you have time, you could research at home before going - sometimes they run sales and you might get lucky and get a discounted card. You'll have to pre-order it and pick it up at certain locations once you arrive
6. Bring your toilettries. I thought I'd make the packing process easier by buying toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner in Hong Kong. But when we got there we were astounded by the prices. They are not cheap. No wonder family members ask me to get these for them at Costco! Bring your own.
7. If you are like me and do not like to go to tourist attractions and be packed like a sardine, and if you have some flexibility in terms of when in the year to go, ask friends and family in Hong Kong when exam weeks are. It just so happens that we arrived on the eve of mid-terms. We didn't realize it then but that meant not only children but also parents were couped up at home studying!!! A lot of the places we went to were practically child-free. When exams finished (about 1 week) we noticed how much more crowded everywhere was
8. Plan as you go. We made plans to meet with friends and family - and of course, it was all over food. So What actually happened was that after each lunch we would just explore the area or the malls we were in. And there is so much to see and taste and experience in Hong Kong you probably will never be in an area with nothing to explore. Because of this, we visited places we would have never been to otherwise! The only 2 days we did plan were Disney and Macau.
But even in Macau....we bought the tickets there, and booked reservations for a Portuguese lunch, but other than that we literally winged it!!!! We got there and got some maps from the tourist info centre and asked people how to get to the heritage area. We took the bus not completely sure of where we were going and once there just used google maps to get us around! We did get lost once but it was not stressful.
9. If all fails, call a cab. We learned this at the tail end of our last trip here. Cabs in Hong Kong and very easily accessible and they are cheaper than in North America. If you ask some people in Hong Kong they will still say it's expensive but that is because of what you are comparing things with. For us, having kids, especially at the tail end of a busy day, meant just calling a cab and taking us home in one simple trip. Definitely keep this in mind.
Having said that, a few times friends told us to take the bus. We were told it was 'easier'. This is a matter of personal preference but I think we prefer the train. If you have an option of bus or train do consider the following:
a. Do we travel well in traffic? My kids don't, so a couple of times we were stuck in traffic in the bus and they almost puked.
b. Do the kids need distractions? Sitting in a bus had very few distractions for my kids. The trains seemed to offer a lot more distractions and they seemed to be much less aware of time.
c. How far/close are the stations to your destinations
10. Schedule some meals to places your kids will enjoy eating. This time around we tried to balance adult meals with kid-friendly meals. Even though there were many adult oriented meals, they knew we had plans to take them out for pasta, for fries, for McDonalds or for pizza. Even Starbucks was a 'home away from home' for them. That balanced things out and they seemed to be ok with that
11. On the plane -
a) Headsets - invest on good headsets for the kids - at least for mine, they do not sleep much so they are on the ipads or the flight entertainment system a lot.
b) ipads - if you have them, invest some time before going to research on new apps that would be good for the kids. I deleted a lot of the old ones and replaced them with new exciting ones.
c) Check what is in the flight entertainment system- there is content that is not suitable for your kids - you need to keep an eye on these
d) Sleep - I don't set my hopes high that they will sleep much on the plane. Set expectations low. I just wish for no vomiting, and no pain. If that means they will have a long period of screen time, for me, it's worth it. That is your call. My kids this time slept an average of 4 - 5 hours.
What seemed to work for me this time was to actually give them a 'rest' time. That usually happened at about 3 to 5 hours after take off. That would take about 30 to 60 minutes and often didn't mean any sleep. Then they would go back to watching TV or reading or whatever else they would do. Eight hours into the flight I would tell them it's time to go to bed. We would set things up and they would now really try to sleep. Gauge it - you will see signs of tiredness. Sometimes they slept 2 hours only and other times they slept 4-6 hrs straight. Regardless, I do try to wake them up 60 to 75 min before landing (minimum). This gives me enough time to take them to the washroom, get them to wake up fully, and if needed, walk a bit to make sure they don't vomit
e) Seat Selection - If you take Air Canada, where there are only 3 seats in each row, you will have the challenge of deciding how to sit if you have a family of 4 like mine. Last time we did 3 (me with the kids) and my husband sat on the center aisle next to us.
This time there was nothing left, so on the way there he sat behind us by the aisle, and on the way back in front of us in the window seat.
The worst is definitely having him sit on the row behind or in front of us, by the window - try to avoid that - he can't help you at all.
f) If you have sensitive kids - bring gravol and benadryl! Need I say more?
12. Make it an adventure with them. It occurred to me that my kids were old enough this time to remember the trip. So on the first day there I told them we would make it an adventure and try to remember and log in all the SIGHTS and SOUNDS that were DIFFERENT from home. I also asked them to think about how they FELT when they saw the differences.
It really made the trip very interesting. I shared with them what I saw and they showed me what they saw. We shared our feelings and I let them ask me any questions they had.
We saw a lot more because of this, and they had a lot more to write in their journals. But more importantly we all had so much fun doing it. I was surprised but when we got home they both made a power point presentation about their trip!
If you want to see one of my kids' presentation, go here
13. Have a plan for the kids if you go shopping. Most of the time they will be tired by the time you get to the place you shop. Unless you go to the many Western style shopping malls (which honestly, are the same as those here and more expensive), see if you can either go alone while the kids play at a park or if the store has at least somewhere for them to sit. Thank them for their patience and reward them with a snack later on!
14. Allow time to recharge. It is a lot of walking but I learned to take things easy this time. We were late for dinners a couple of times but I learned it was not worth stressing out over them. Pause and take a breather - stop by for fresh juice or coffee...sit and regroup.
It's been a fun time! But as I returned, I discovered I tore a tendon, and the only thing I can trace it back to is all the walking we did! YIKES!!!! So one final tip? For as much as you enjoy it....REST too :D
Til next time!!!!
Read more: Food, KIds and Allergies in HK. Spontaneous Tourists
Comments