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'

We went into TeamLab Planets Tokyo expecting a crowded, slightly chaotic tourist trap, one of those places so hyped that it couldn't possibly live up to expectations. While we can't deny that it was busy, it ended up being one of our kids' favourite experiences from our five days in Tokyo and one of the standout attractions of our 100-day family sabbatical. We certainly had our doubts before visiting. While planning our 100 day family sabbatical, I spent far too much time rea

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.

If you only have time for a handful of temples in Kyoto, most lists will point you toward Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, or Fushimi Inari. They're all worth the hype, but after several increasingly crowded days of temple-hopping, Daigo-ji ended up being the one that stuck with us the most. We visited on a quieter, half-day morning built into our 5-day Kyoto itinerary. We'd gone back and forth on whether the extra travel time was worth it - turns out, it ended up being our favouri

Discover the charm of Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo with our in-depth review. Experience first-class service and serene Japanese gardens at Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo.

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

Discover the charm of Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo with our in-depth review. Experience first-class service and serene Japanese gardens at Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo.

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

1 December 2025 Steps: 6,732 Following Giants, Koh Lanta Ethical Elephant Sanctuary We had spent some time looking for an ethical elephant experience and Following Giants Elephant Sanctuary in Koh Lanta kept coming up as the place that truly puts the elephants' wellbeing first. Ethics around animals is something we think about much more now than we did years ago. Back in 2006 when we were backpacking around the world, we rode elephants without really questioning it, and at th

30 November 2025 Steps: 7,777 Koh Lanta Old Town Today we caught a taxi over to Koh Lanta Old Town to explore the famous town on the island that is known for its wooden houses , some of which are built on stilts over the water. We started by walking to the end of the pier and spent some time watching locals fishing both in the water and from the pier. From there, we wandered into the heart of the old town and found one of the wooden restaurants perched on stilts. Nothing be

29 November 2025 Steps: 11,205 Relax Bay, Koh Lanta We spent most of today at Relax Bay , which is just a short walk from our hotel. What we love about this beach compared to more famous beaches like Long Beach, is how close the water is to the bars and restaurants. It feels very intimate. It’s perfect for families because you can sit with a drink in the shade while the kids play nearby without feeling like they’ve wandered too far. It's funny to realize that after all this t

28 November 2025 Steps: 4,680 Today was my birthday, which was a bit of an odd experience as I don’t think I’ve ever had a birthday overseas before and I’m usually in work! It’s also been a while since I’ve had family with me, so it made the day feel even more special, especially as we celebrated with a cooking class at Lanta Thai Cookery School. Lanta Thai Cookery School I absolutely love cooking classes , and in fact me and Susie did a class here back in 2011 when we last

27 November 2025 Steps: 11,744 Today we enjoyed a slow, relaxed morning at the villa, and took the opportunity for Pops to spend some time working with Jess on her maths - it’s not every day you have a maths teacher on hand to help with these things! After a bit of homeschooling, we walked down to Lock Lack Coffee, where we got some fantastic smoothies and yogurt bowls . It was nice to have some fresh fruit in the morning! Lanta Animal Welfare Centre After an hour playing i