UKC

Thinking of doing a month away with the kids (7&9) this December/January and a combination of Nepal and India is currently topping the list of destinations.  Very early days, but probably a couple of weeks trekking in Nepal, some tourist sites in India and maybe a bit of beach in Goa/Kerala.

Anybody been to that part of the world at that time of the year with young-ish kids? Any recommendations for particular trekking routes?

In reply to Sam W:

Being in India with kids is just great and a constant source of communiation. You will come to know a different India than travelling with adults only - highly recommended.

Your suggestions however include a whole lot of traveling. That time of the year would not be best in the Himalayas beyond the absolute foothills. I'd suggest concentrating on much smaller area with less travel inbetween - you could do some trekking in the Western Ghats, take a pair of climbing shoes and visit Hampi and Badami (mainly exploring temples and having some fun on boulders) and hit the beach preferably anywhere outside Goa. Either Bangalore or Mumbai could be reasonable starting points. Several minor - but still worldclass sights could be visited en route. 

In reply to Sam W:

I don't have kids, but I have been to India a lot, and I think an important thing to factor in is how often you've been to South Asia yourself. It's very different to Europe and it takes a little while to get into the swing of it. Your kids might be a bit freaked out by all sorts of things - the food, the weather, the poverty, the general noise and chaos - and I guess how you feel about it is bound to affect their experience. I'm absolutely sure that going with kids would be fantastic, as tjekel says, but you might want to have a bit in hand for that first time a leper taps on your car window or the fiftieth time someone asks what is your good name.

Of course if you've been plenty of times yourself, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

I did the Annapurna base camp trek one new year and it was lovely during the day but very cold at night. Doing something like that with small children, along with a visit to Kathmandu, would take up a good chunk of your month, building in time for being sick, things not working exactly, etc.

If you were to just do a southern India trip then definitely consider Sri Lanka. Sort of the same, but a bit different/less hassle.

In reply to Sam W:

Not been to India, but Nepal, yes many times.  We arranged a trip to Langtang with some friends, they had 3 boys, aged from 8 to 11, we had our daughter who was 9, she had her 10th Birthday while we were out there. We camped most nights but had a couple of nights in lodges. The kids managed absolutely fine, all carried a light day pack while trekking each day. Only time there was almost a sense of humour failure, was when we were camped at our highest point (c. 4000m+) where it was very, very cold and frosty in the mornings. If there were local kids around there would always be games going on while it was daylight, and Daughter even received a Birthday Cake from our cook, which was a great effort, bearing in mind the conditions.  

Highly recommended, go for it. 

In reply to Sam W:

How will it affect their schooling?

In reply to Tom Valentine:

... They will learn much more than any school could ever manage during this time. 

In reply to Sam W:

Thanks for the comments.  So easy to try and pack in too much on these trips, trimming our aspirations is a good shout.  Only started seriously discussing it a week ago, will have a look at the logistics in more detail.

My wife and I have travelled extensively in less developed parts of the world, but not to south Asia.  That's part of the appeal, but I'm aware that it could also turn into the biggest problem.  Think it will be a shock for the kids, I picked up a hitch hiker on Friday night and the eldest looked like she was going to have a heart attack.  Will chat it over with my wife, want the kids to see how different the world can be, but not spend 4 weeks terrified.

We're keen for trekking, but part of the appeal of getting away at that time of year is to escape our freezing cold house, so would also like some warmth.  If we get out of the mountains, I'm assuming most of the lower altitudes will be warm compared to the UK, obviously getting hotter the further south you go?

In reply to Sam W:

Hi Sam, i’ve been to mid latitude India in December and weather wise it was mostly like a good UK summers day. I’ve spent a January in Pokhara, and when the sun was shining, again it’s very pleasant, especially in direct sunlight. BUT, when it’s cloudy or at night it can feel quite cold. Almost like a standard UK winters day/night. 

In reply to Sam W:

Yes the further south you go the hotter it gets, but being inland can be warmer without the sea breeze. You should definitely take a sleeper train but I’ve found in winter they can be chilly - you might need more than the blankets they provide.

The other thing is how squeamish are your kids about toilets? There are some belters out there! 
 

In reply to tjekel:

I hope Sam's LEA agrees with you.

In reply to Tom Valentine: my first reaction was to ask if you got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning ? However even though common sense says that missing the week before Xmas and the first week of the year will mean the kids will miss the thick end of nothing , the lea will doubtless take a different view . Mine all had a mystery illlness last week when there was all that snow at glencoe . Poor things were all very sick. Never mind though they were all feeling soooo much better on Monday morning . 

In reply to Tom Valentine:

Missing a couple of weeks of school is pretty low on my list of concerns for the trip, but just in case it's stopping other people from doing fun stuff with their kids

I know a lot of teachers (including my wife, although she's an ex-teacher at the moment) and none of them would have a problem with primary school kids missing lessons for this kind of trip.  There is also official room for manouevre  as schools can give permission for one-off absences where there is a clear educational benefit to the children, and I think this trip fits into that category. 

From a practical point of view we want to go this winter as our eldest is Y5, so no SATS to think about, and time out may become a little trickier in secondary school.  We'll probably go over Christmas, this is largely because it fits in better with work, but does also mean the kids would miss 2 weeks less of school. 

And finally, whatever the rules say and whatever the school thinks, our kids love family time together and I'm sure extra time with their parents and a massive adventure will leave a far bigger long-term impression than a couple of weeks with their (lovely) teachers.  I hope other families can find ways to squeeze extra adventures large and small into their kids lives.

In reply to mike123:

Totally agree about the last week before Christmas and would add last week before summer hols as another complete waste of school attendance. Less sure about the first week of any term.

It sounds like you have been very clever in feigning your children's illnesses. If you were able to claim gypsy blood you'd  be allowed a couple of months extra off without the need for all the dissembling.

In reply to Tom Valentine: sorry , it seems like you have misunderstood . My poor children were very  ill last week and missed out on a couple of days skiing and , more importantly , a day of school. It was all very traumatic . Particularly the igloo building . They hated not building that igloo.

In reply to tjekel:

Define "learn"

Maybe you mean "experience"?

Trekking in Nepal, India tourist sites, and the beach in Goa/Kerala are wonderful in their way, but they are not structured lessons as delivered in UK schools by qualified teachers

In reply to Sam W: I’m genuinely interested to know what kind of person partakes in an adventurous activity like climbing and yet thinks taking a couple of primary kids on an amazing  adventure , missing a week of formal school for 4 weeks away ( I’m discounting the one before Xmas ) is anything other than a good thing .

In reply to profitofdoom:

I found walking through Kathmandu, even the tourist areas, very educational. It's one thing to learn about poverty and developing countries in a classroom, and another to see and smell it first hand. 

In reply to Ben Callard:

Playing devil’s advocate here, from a purely experiencing a developing country context, one could visit India in the summer. That is monsoon season so a way better time to see the realty of life in a poor country, as everything gets even more chaotic and falls to bits. More educational, no time out of school - what’s not to like? Of course it would clearly be a less fun holiday. 

In reply to mike123:

Hi mike123, as you posted right after my post, I suppose you meant me when you wondered "what kind of person" in your post. I will respond to you

[1] I didn't say the trip is "anything other than a good thing", or say or hint that it's a bad thing. I was challenging tjekel's comment "They will learn much more than any school could ever manage during this time"

[2] In addition, I have spent several decades in education myself and I believe (but didn't say) that such trips should be taken only during school holidays. And PS schools, and other education authorities, agree with me

[3] I do think such trips are a good thing. I have taken my kids on extensive trips outside Europe/ the US, and saw the good results of such trips

Thanks for listening, Mike

In reply to profitofdoom: thanks for replying . My post wasn't aimed at you and more to the thread in general, sorry if it seemed like I was having a go at you , this wasn't my intention . . As always there are differing points of view and I do try to listen . I tend to think the the op has though about this and already made his decision .

 I hesitate to speak for the OP , however here goes . Firstly , if you worked in education then taking trips outside school holidays probably wasn't possible for you ? Whereas for him this maybe the only time he can take the time off work, or he may have a slack period . 

 I think we over educate our primary aged children . If it were up to me they wouldn't start formal primary until aged 7 . I appreciate that any ( or even most)  families couldn't afford to not work for another 3 years and I haven't really thought that through , but what I mean  is that 5 and 6 year olds shouldn't be sat at desks , not that they should not be in some form of state sponsored child care . 

Anyway , just spotted the time . I might return to this .

In reply to mike123:

Nice idea about delaying formal education until 7 - but only in some cases. 

In a household where every room has books in it and where children engage in creative activities, indoor and outdoor, during the course of the day, then why not, in theory?

But in a household with wall to wall Jeremy Vine and the only excursion being a trip to McDonalds every other day, then I'd stick with the system as it is.

In reply to profitofdoom:

No, I actually think learn, and I am in education as well for quite a while. Learn to orient themselves in different cultural contexts, learn to citically appreciate media content concerning those countries, learn to communicate. I actually do think that experience and learning may be part of one process.

Finally - I do think educators including myself deem themselves a tick more important than they are. And I love my job!