WAYFARERS Interview with Sarah Payne

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Sarah, Scott, Ahlia (4yr) & CYDNEY (2yr)
Australia, Northern NSW

A family of  4.
The Title: The interior designer, the brand manager and the little wayfarers.
The Persona: The perpetual travellers who always have their next trip planned.
Desires: Comfort, waves and good food

 

“Be a little selfish and do something for yourself every day, something different once a month and something spectacular every year”

 

How has travelling changed for you since having children?

Having children hasn’t slowed us down, we have still travelled a lot in the last four years, both domestically and international – Fiji, Hawaii (x2), Indonesia, NZ, Singapore and the Maldives.

I would say we are now more conscious of where we choose to stay, we consider what the food options are like and what service and facilities are offered for the four of us.

 

 

What advice would you give to other parents thinking about their first trip with a baby/children?

Consider selecting a room, which has a separate bedroom if possible. It will mean you’re not heading to bed when your baby does or sitting there whispering to your partner in the dark.

If it’s a long haul flight with a stopover, even for a few hours, consider getting a hotel room in the airport if possible (Singapore is fantastic for this). We booked our room for 4 hours. It allowed us to put our bags down, shower, head out for dinner and to relax for a moment, not having to focus on Ahlia wondering off or staying in her seat was terrific. Alternatively, stay for a couple of days. Singapore Zoo for kids was well worth the stopover.

 

 

what’s been the hardest part about travelling with KIDS?

Finding healthy food options and snacks while travelling – some destinations harder than others. Fish and chips on the kid’s menu quickly gets boring.

 

 

what’s the best part about travelling with your kids?

We’re so thrilled to be about to experience some amazing corners of the world with our little wayfarers. We no longer approach travel as “where are we going to go in the world” but “imagine the amazing places we will be able to show them”.

  

How have you best dealt with time zone changes and KIDS routine on holidays?

We have found it best to keep Ahlia on her usual routine (Australian time) while on the plane. Aiming to sleep at her normal times but as soon as we arrive at our destination, we change to local time – even if it means putting her to bed before she is ready. The first night has always been the roughest, but from then on she has always adjusted well.

 

 

What are your Family Travel essentials?

• Baby monitor – great for travelling with babies.
• Night light
• Pram – Babyzen yoyo – fits in the overhead compartment & perfect now we have two kids to get through an airport.
• Ergo – a must for when you are in transit and have all your hands full
• Antibacterial wipes for the plane – especially for when we were at that stage when everything went straight into the mouth. It might seem a little over the top, but a sick baby is the last thing you want to have on holidays.
• Snacks – for the plane but also once at your destination
• Baby pain medicine
• Hydralytes – in case they get sick

 

 

Kids essentials for the plane?

• Travel-friendly activities – books, pencils & colouring books.
• Ipad with headphones – you will need to download apps or shows that don’t require wifi
• A lunch box of food.
• Klean Kanteen drink bottle

 

What influences your travel decision?

The length of flight? Cost? Services & Facilities?

As our holidays end up revolving around surfing, we tend to hunt out accommodation options that are on or are close to surf breaks. The closer we are to the break the less time Scotty is away (in reality less travel time = more time getting barrelled) which in the end means more downtime for me.

Medical facilities, especially if we are heading to a remote island. We want peace of mind that they are close by in case anything was to go wrong.

 

 

Any tips on how to travel light with children?

Hahaha, I’m still trying to work this out.

It’s incredible how many nappies you need to pack for a couple of weeks away. If you are travelling somewhere you can easily buy them, then pack light and buy once you hit the ground – The Maldives is not a place to skimp on nappies; you are unlikely to come across them on your travels.

 

What ‘Mum bag’ do you travel with?

For years I have used the State of Escape – Escape & Freestyle – washable and crushable.

I’m searching for something similar but this time with a zip so things aren’t falling out trying to get on planes.

 

Quick questions

Next trip…

Mexico and California

Currently reading….

hmmmm I’d love to say I have the time. Does resort websites count?

Words of wisdom….

“Be a little selfish and do something for yourself every day, something different once a month and something spectacular every year” source unknown

Favourite destination in the world….

The Maldives to relax and surf. Japan for the culture, food and snow.

Surf or Snow…..

Surf…..but wish I could say both.

In my downtime I…….

Can be found on the beach or multi-tasking watching a movie. I otherwise have my head stuck in my computer researching SOMETHING or SOMEWHERE….

ONCE IN A LIFETIME TRIP…….

We would love to go to Nihi on Sumba Island, Indonesia

 

Sarah Payne

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