There’s nothing quite like travelling with children.
I mean, who would want nothing more than being stuck more than 30,000 feet above the ground with their delightful offspring not wanting to sit still?
It’s just the best fun (not!).
You try distraction with iPad apps (lasts five minutes), watching movies (yeah right!) and playing with toys (that happens at home mum!), all to no avail.
Imagine trying to eat plane food with a toddler buckled to your lap too.
You may as well throw your food on the floor before you eat it!
And you really haven’t lived until you’ve tried to change a nappy in a plane bathroom.
And to think I’ve only done two relatively short trips (Singapore eight hours, New Zealand three hours).
However I’ve been “stupid” enough to go solo, with my lovely husband waiting at the other end of course.
Hats off to those parents who have done the long haul flights!
But I think the real fun is getting through immigration and customs.
Being stuck in a long line is no fun as an adult.
Throw in a wriggly toddler who has been awake since 4am and wants to run around and you get the “pleasant” looks from fellow travellers.
Honestly, do you think it’s any fun being that frazzled parent?!
Luckily it was a fairly quick trip through customs after landing in New Zealand last week.
Pity I couldn’t say the same after waiting some time for our luggage…
And don’t even get me started on collecting our dent-a-car.
All the doom and gloom aside we’ve had a pretty great time across the ditch.
A cosy one bedroom apartment hasn’t been ideal but Izzie has enjoyed the fun of riding the lift, only discovering there’s buttons to push after being here almost two weeks.
You could say we’ve become quite the tourists, checking out many parts of the north island including the zoo, much to the delight of Izzie.
A touch of plane spotting (boosting daddy’s pride) has been on the agenda daily with every passing plane brought to our attention by our excited little girl.
I’m not going to lie, I’m looking forward to getting back home next week.
Living out of a suitcase can be tricky as an adult, trying to pack for a little human felt like torture!
But if I’m looking forward to one thing more than anything else (insert evil laugh here) is handing my darling daughter over to her father for the return trip home.
Let’s see how long his peace and quiet lasts….