A 2-week Japan itinerary built around highlights like Fushimi Inari, TeamLab Planets, and Nara's bowing deer, based on our own family trip and plenty of research

The 25 best things to do in Kyoto, built around highlights like Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, and Arashiyama, based on our own family trip and plenty of research.

10 amazing free (or almost free) things to do in Hong Kong, from historic trams and night markets to skyline views and hidden temples, based on our own family trip.

One of the things we love most about visiting Hong Kong with kids is the food. There’s always something familiar to fall back on, but always something new to try too. Hong Kong also feels a little like a second home to us. Susie was born here, and we’ve returned many times over the years, so we’ve had plenty of opportunities to explore the city’s food scene, both with and without kids. Hong Kong is an easy place to eat as a family, whether you’ve got adventurous eaters or tho

Our full list of the 25 best things to do in Tokyo, built around highlights like Shibuya Crossing, TeamLab Planets, and Senso-ji Temple, based on our own family trip and plenty of research.

When we visited Thailand in 2006, riding elephants was considered a normal tourist activity. Since then, attitudes have changed significantly. Nearly two decades later, travelling with our kids, we wanted them to experience elephants up close, but only in a way that was ethical and respectful of the animals. That's when we discovered Following Giants, a no-touch ethical elephant sanctuary on Koh Lanta, Thailand. It turned out to be one of the most impactful experiences of our

For most families, Hong Kong is somewhere you visit. For ours, it's somewhere we come back to. Susie was born in Hong Kong, back when it was still under British rule, and although she left when she was very young, the city has always remained special to her. Over the years, we've returned on multiple occasions, but our most recent trip finally gave us the chance to bring the girls along and introduce them to the place where their Mum was born. That family connection means we'

Everything you need to know about visiting TeamLab Planets Tokyo with kids, including tickets, what to wear, and our favourite exhibits, based on our own visit as a family

We are not a Disney family. We’d never been to Disneyland or Disney World, and with only five days to explore Hong Kong, we weren’t entirely sure Hong Kong Disneyland was worth dedicating a full day of our trip to. We’d heard the usual Disney horror stories about hour-long queues, packed walkways, and spending more time waiting than actually having fun. Our experience couldn’t have been more different. We ended up loving it, and we'd genuinely recommend it, even to families l

The Big Buddha on Lantau Island was somewhere we'd actually visited twice before this trip, once around 20 years ago and again back in 2011, long before kids. We'd built it up in our heads over the years, so when it made it onto our 5-day Hong Kong itinerary with the girls, we couldn't wait to go back for a third time. Honestly? This visit was a slightly different experience than we remembered, mostly down to a few avoidable mistakes on our part rather than the island itself.

Our favourite quiet Kyoto temple, and a UNESCO site most visitors skip in favour of the bigger names. Home to one of Japan's oldest pagodas and a stunning Japanese garden, this ended up meaning the most to us out of every temple in Japan.

A well-located Hong Kong hotel with a great outdoor pool, redeemed using Marriott Bonvoy points rather than paying full price. Here's our full, honest review.

Hong Kong is a special place for our family. Susie was born there while her parents were working in the city, which was still a British territory at the time. She’s been back many times over the years, and our 2025 visit was my third, but we'd been itching to bring the girls and show them where Susie was born and where her family made so many happy memories. Of course, a lot has changed since 1982, but Hong Kong remains a fascinating place. It's a unique blend of skyscrapers

The Prince Sakura is a spacious hotel in Tokyo with its own stunning Japanese garden and koi pond, and is an easy walk from Shinagawa Station. Here's our full, honest review

7 December 2025 Steps: 3,324 It’s a short entry today. We had planned a day out at Sanur Beach , but unfortunately Susie still hasn’t shaken whatever bug she’s caught and wasn’t well enough for the one hour ride each way. We decided that since it was our last day in Bali, we would spend some time relaxing by the pool and then head into Ubud for a nice family dinner instead. Susie wasn’t feeling up to anything unfamiliar, so we went out for another Italian meal , this time at

6 December 2025 Steps: 8,389 (but around 1000 actual steps)! We had been wanting to visit a temple in Ubud for a water purification ceremony . Jessica has really taken to visiting temples on this trip and the ceremony felt like something completely different from anything we’ve seen elsewhere in Asia. The main temple visited by tourists is Tirta Empul, but it’s about a 50 minute drive from our hotel, and gets very busy unless you arrive early in the morning. We did some searc

5 December 2025 Steps: 11,886 Today we headed into central Ubud to visit a few temples and explore some of the markets . We were dropped off at the Coco Supermarket on the south side of town, and it was about a 20-minute walk to Ubud Palace. It was incredibly hot , so we had to stop for a drink along the way before we even made it there! The Ubud Palace The Ubud Palace is free to enter , and while it isn’t the most impressive temple complex we’ve seen on this trip, it’s stil

4 December 2025 Steps: 10,838 Today we spent the morning relaxing by the pool at the hotel, before heading into Ubud for an afternoon at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary to see the Balinese long tailed macaques, followed by dinner in town. A Relaxing Morning by the Pool After a full day of travel yesterday, we promised the girls some pool time in the morning, and it was a lot of fun. The hotel has a few different pools, but we loved the crescent shaped infinity pool , and

3 December 2025 Steps: 7,922 We don't have too much to report today as it was mostly a long day of travel. We said our goodbyes to Koh Lanta and made our way to Bali, which we’re excited about as it’s our first time visiting. We used the same minibus service as we did on our way to the island and Mun Lanta was great again. The price was reasonable compared to others we saw and they were really responsive on WhatsApp at +66 89 971 7792. We’d definitely recommend them. We were

2 December 2025 Steps: 8,208 After our early morning wake up to go see the elephants yesterday, we had a lazy morning before heading to Khlong Khong beach in the afternoon, as it is the best beach for kids in Koh Lanta . We spent the afternoon at Koala Bar relaxing on the bean bags under the shade of a tree and it was wonderful! The sand is incredibly soft and the great thing about Khlong Khong Beach is the gentle slope into the sea, makes it perfect for kids. We took the