Bali is one of those places that are perfect for a family getaway from Australia. Bali was the first country we ever travelled to with the kids and it was also the trip that sealed the deal for a lot more travel with them. Our first trip to Bali was when our first born was 12 months old. We have since returned when the boys were older. Bali has so many hidden gems. There is something around every corner, so I am sharing some of our favourites with you. We had one week in Ubud and one week in Seminyak. What did surprise me was how different Bali was since we first visited. It is now super busy Bali and lots of restaurant and accommodation options.   We stayed Royal Tulip Visesa - Jl. Suweta, Banjar Bentuyung Sakti, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali, Ubud, 80571, Indonesia Hotel Vila Lumbung - Jl. Raya Petitenget No.1000X, Bali, Seminyak, 80361, Indonesia    We ate La Lucciola - This beachside restaurant is a must and the food was one of our favourite meals. Saigon Street - This was close to our hotel and had the most delicious Vietnamese food. Sea Circus - a very cool resturant with lots of options on what to eat and drink    We visited Bali Monkey Forest - If you have been following us you will know our kids love the great outdoors and animals. The boys couldn’t get over the free roaming monkeys and loved the experience. Padang Padang - Gorgeous white sand beaches and crystal blue water. An easy day trip from Seminyak. Pandawa Beach - The beach is accessible down a few flights of steps. Our kids were older and managed perfectly. The beach is beautiful and the water crystal blue.   We really loved Bali for a family holiday. With so many activities and sights to see, our kids really enjoyed the experience. Plus, with a six hour flight from Melbourne how could you say no!   

  Marfa was a surprise package on our recent road trip in the Untied States and one that we loved. Santé Fe to Marfa was a full days driving. The drive through the desert on dusk was a surreal experience. The light was like nothing I have ever seen before and the empty paddocks where literally glowing. We arrived in Marfa late in the evening just on Dusk. We stopped about 30 minutes out of Marfa on highway 90 to view the Prada Sculpture. To be honest, we nearly missed it. Situated in the middle of nowhere, this sculpture stops you in your tracks and does not disappoint. Marfa is said to become a Modern art mecca and one that should not be missed. The town itself had an underlying cool feel to it despite being in the middle of nowhere. We were lucky enough to stay at the El Cosmico. To experience yurt living for a night. It was like proper camping and this place certainly had a special magic about it. This overnight experience in a yurt went down as a family experience that we continue to talk about. The boys loved seeing wild rabbits bound around the camping grounds. The yurt was comfortable with an air-conditioning, which gave us relief from the heat of the desert and essential while travelling with a baby in a porta cot. After the kids fell asleep we enjoyed some much-needed beverages under the stars. There is something magical about sleeping in the Desert and El Cosmico did not disappoint. The next day we woke to a gorgeous sunrise and coffee on the yurt porch. We headed in to explore the town and fuel up on some much needed caffeine. The clean lines of Marfa coupled with the rustic nature (think tumble weeds) of a desert town create a magic I haven’t experienced anywhere else. This cute little town is perfect place to shop and explore some small and quaint art galleries.  If you get the opportunity Marfa is a place to pop on the travel bucket list. This town is small in nature but huge in impact. This tiny little town still continues to inspire well after you have departed.    

  The Farm Byron Bay is a functional working farm that fosters a community of growers, producers, eateries and education on produce. We recently got to visit the gorgeous farm on a work trip and we were not disappointed. We were lucky enough to eat at the delicious Three Blue Ducks  restaurant and wander the grounds of this gorgeous place.   The sun was shining and this little oasis was a great place to relax and enjoy the sunshine that we hadn't seen in sometime.  This place caters for the whole family. Be sure to pop it on your must visit list next time you visit the Byron Bay area.   Demi wears Audrey Tie Knit Jumpsuit, Rosie wear Eliza Knit Dress and Rebecca wears Kimmy Knit Jumpsuit with Kylie Knit Cardigan.

  Road trips are one of our favourite things to do and after a successful road trip two years ago through the states, we decided that we would replicate it. However this time with a 10 month old that was teething and wasn’t sleeping – not to mention juggling a heavy work load on the road for the first 10 days. Would we do it again? Absolutely, but not in the same time frame we attempted.  We loved all the places we got to visit this time round, however we would just slow the pace next time, especially travelling with three kids.     First stop was Los Angels with the kids and we all had jet lag on epic levels this time around. We stayed at the super cool Freehand Hotel as apposed to Santa Monica. We love downtown LA and we loved our previous and short visit last time. Had we just been travelling with our 7 and a 10 year olds this would have been the perfect place to base ourselves. However the rooms were small and with a baby it was more on the difficult side. Plus, the car had to be parked in an offsite car park making it that bit more tricky with our little one. I guess I forgot how much the small things make life so much easier when travelling with a baby. As far as location in downtown Los Angeles the Freehand Hotel was in the perfect position. So convenient being opposite the wholefoods and walking distance to everything we needed.  Wholefoods is the perfect place to stock up on baby food, nappies and wipes.   Day one We went back and visited the Grand Central Market. This was a bit of a favourite last visit. The hustle and bustle, the good coffee (hello jet lag) and not to mention great for fruit or anything else you want to stock up on. It was an easy walk from the Freehand Hotel and our first stop after wholefoods.  We had a late lunch at the colourful Olvera Street, where we all had a taste of some great Mexican. This place was like stepping into another world and seriously so hard to believe that we were still in Los Angeles. After filling our tummies with mexican, we headed back walking the streets of downtown and checking out all the cool and very amazing street art. The kids were blown away.  We had sunset drinks at the roof top bar at the Freehand Hotel, which is well worth a visit, but maybe without kids. We seriously felt a little uncool with kids in town but the views were well worth one drink and the kids loved the fact they got to have a drink around one very cool pool. Day one is always a 'take it easy day' while we all battle with jet lag. I have to say the youngest member of our travelling crew seem to adapt the best out of all of us. We headed into Santa Monica for a quick bite to eat at our favourite fish and chip place on the pier, the Albright. Their fish and chips is a must try and one of our favourites. No trip to Los Angeles is complete without a trip to the Pier. There is something magical about this beautiful lit pier at night. It really screams all kinds of kids magic and our kids certainly loved it.  Day two We ate breakfast at the Freehand Hotel, who did amazing food and coffee and had a fantastic atmosphere that got us up and going and ready for the day. We visited the Los Angeles zoo for the day. Our kids loved this zoo. It was one of their favourites and our 10 month old also loved the day seeing so many animals for the first time. As we have so many different age groups in our family this was a great day for everyone, even for the grown ups. It was set out well and it was a full day of walking and observing.  After the zoo we ducked up to the Griffith Park Observatory to witness the sunset and also see the famous Hollywood sign. It was beautiful up on the observatory and we all enjoyed walking off the jet lag. Dinner was at a diner in Downtown LA before turning in for an early night. Day three We lost track of time and Mr T had headed out for breakfast when I got an alert to say that we needed to check out. We thought we had an extra day and jet lag was playing full havoc on all of us. We quickly threw our things together and the Freehand Hotel where super helpful letting us have an extra hour to get our things together and check out. Jet lag had its full grip on us day four, however pushing through into routine was essential for bouncing back and bulletproof coffee from whole foods was on high rotation. My favourite places that we visited with the kids are listed below. Things to see and do with the kids Griffith Park Observatory Los Angeles zoo Santa Monica Pier Olvera street Street art in Downtown Los Angeles Grand central Market We stayed at the Freehand hotel Los Angeles. This hotel oozed coolness and the rooftop bar was great. However with small kids under 5 years I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.  While super cool and the food onsite being amazing, the rooms are small and having to park off site makes unloading with a baby a lot more tricky in busy downtown LA. Great Places to eat Grand Central market that has so many great places to choose from. Freehand Hotel for a great and substantial breakfast. Olvera Street for great mexican food. The Albright at Santa Monica pier for fish and chips.  

  Sedona was Day 8 of our US Road trip. We got up early and left Palm Springs. The plan was to have a quick drive through the south entrance of Joshua Tree National Park and have lunch here. We could not get over the difference in the landscape from the north entrance - so much flatter, not so much of the rocky landscape and so much less vegetation. After a quick stop we headed off on the freeway to Sedona. We had a picnic lunch at an abandoned roadside truck stop. I am not sure what it was but this place - it was a little eerie, but so beautiful. The heat of the day was fierce. This abandoned truck stop made for a great place to stretch small legs and have a good break to walk around the area. We arrived late evening to Sedona to the glowing cliffs. We had no idea what to expect when arriving to Sedona. The flat desert and different landscape made this area beautiful. We stopped over at Bell Rock to watch the sunset and have a quick stretch of the legs before arriving at our hotel. We arrived at our hotel Sugar Loaf, which was basic in decor but had incredible friendly service. It had a pool and was walking distance to wholefoods and some great cafes. Our first night food was at an incredible Paleo restaurant that was walking distance from the hotel. The food was unbelievable and catered for the whole family. Our boys loved this place and I highly recommend a visit to Paleo Brio Healthy Kitchen when visiting Sedona. The next day we woke up early as you do when travelling with three kids, one being a baby. We had a modest breakfast at the hotel – the boys loved the pastries that the hotel provided. We walked to wholefoods to grab some snacks and much needed bulletproof coffee. We had been making these in Australia and to see these available on coffee menus in the United States had us so excited. To be honest we don’t plan out our days, which we should when travelling to a tight timeframe. We have places we want to visit, but also have to work around how the kids are feeling, especially when travelling with a baby. Some days we could punch it further than others. So today was one of those days that we pushed it. We had so many places we wanted to visit but were super limited to our timeframes. To be honest a good week is needed to explore Sedona at a manageable and happy pace. We hired an off road Jeep for the day through red rock rentals, which was also just up the road from us. We did this with all three kids including the baby. We had read on forums that some of the off roading was rough. I'm not going to lie, we took the easy family friendly routes and still some of them where very rough and dusty. Would we do it again? Absolutely. We fitted our car seat in and had a muslin wrap that we popped over the baby when it got dusty. Did they love it? All three loved it and it was a successful day out with the kids. Exploring off road was so much fun and the map was so easy to follow. We were nervous about navigating ourselves, especially off road with three kids. But to be honest, the company had made it super simple and provide you with a comprehensive map and photos. They also provide the kids with goggles and safety helmets. I cannot recommend this company enough. A half day was perfect for us. By lunch time, the sun got hotter and it became the perfect time to return back to our hotel for a bite to eat. We finished off the day at the Slide Rock. I would say this is a must with kids. Our kids still talk about this incredible place. Be warned it is 'touristy', but not to the stage that the sights cannot be enjoyed. The canyon is pretty breathtaking and a cold stream runs through the middle. The water is probably the coldest I have ever dipped my toe into. The name slide rock indicates exactly that - a place where people slide down the rocks through the rapids. Both our boys attempted it over and over and loved it. They could not get enough of it. We got around exploring with a baby carrier. The walk down to the canyon is easy but steep with full steps most of the way down. This was definitely a highlight of our whole trip and we stayed in the national park until close. We loved it.  Dinner saw us return to the Paleo restaurant after a huge day of activities and exploring. Although we had two nights we really only had one full day of exploring. Sedona had our heart and to be honest it is definitely a place we are looking forward to returning to as we felt we hardly scratched the surface. If you are also on a road trip or passing by, this is a must do spot. We stayed at Sugar Loaf. This place was a little dated in décor but made up for it in incredible customer service. In my opinion, a great location and walking distance to wholefoods and some great restaurants, but also out of the hustle and bustle of the main street. We ate Paleo Brio Healthy Kitchen I highly recommend this place. We loved it and returned twice. We visited Bell rock - Beautiful place to visit on sunset and some great walks around the base of the rock. Red rock rentals- Incredible company and so helpful with the kids. We found the customer service outstanding and strongly recommend this company for off roading and Jeep rentals. Slide rock national park - Absolute highlight for our kids and a great national park. Don’t forget to pack your swimmers, a towel and a warm change of clothes. We could of spent a whole day here.