Optimus Gus

Ninety percent of first time India goers do the Golden Triangle- Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. We did that plus Goa.

Delhi and Agra are two of the most fantastic places in the world. The Mughal kings make the Europeans look like paupers.

In retrospect, I could have skipped Goa and Jaipur. Siem Reap in Cambodia and Chaing Mai, Thailand are infinitely more interesting. Angkor Wat and the temples near it are very special.

My favorite hotel anywhere is the Imperial in New Delhi. Nehru held his cabinet meetings in the coffee shop until the Brits left. He also had a suite there he'd use for banging Mountbatten's wife.

The Oberoi in Agra is the only hotel in the restricted area by the Taj Mahal, so you have unobstructed views from your room.

We went in the summer and it was hot. But I am from Louisiana and heat doesn't bother me. It's also cheaper and less crowded.

I could have spent two weeks on Crete.

We stayed in the Rimondi Boutique hotel in Rethimno. Rethimno is a touristy little town, they all are, but it does have a nice restaurant selection.

Seeing the Palace of Knossos is a must. Go in the late afternoon to avoid the giant tour groups.

There are some lovely beaches on the south coast. Triopetras was beautiful. You should probably rent a car on Crete.

The Agios Antonius Gorge is a beautiful park to hike through. Crete has many beautiful parks scattered throughout the island.


In Athens, you could stay at the Grand Bretagne. It's an elegant old hotel. The Germans used it as their headquarters during ww2. We stayed in an airbnb, which was very nice.

Long but interesting. What a mess. AD might not find the grass is green in LA.

These are the ones from a similar attack in January

The area around the Museum of Art is upscale.

Sao Paulo is a big city. It'll be a lot more fun if you know or hang out with locals.

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Avoid big cities with little kids 

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Smaller cities are often more cost-effective. You can have the same type of experience without the London-Paris-Rome price tag.

It also gets you out of the checklist mindset (e.g. I have to see the Mona Lisa if I go to France).

Not glamorous at all, but we stayed in the Residence Inn at Del Mar. It was comfortable, nice enough, and affordable. Since you have a car, getting around won't be a problem.

These are my recs below, but I'd like to hear what others have to say. As people add their recs, I'll add them to this first post.


1. Rent an apartment. The value washing machine, kitchen and extra space cannot be overstated. We stayed in apartments in London and Amsterdam and living was easy.

2. Direct flights whenever possible. Connecting with a diaper bag and stroller, or even slow moving children, can be stressful.

3. Small airports. Gatwick and Atlanta were nightmares, Heathrow almost as bad. Paris Orly, Barcelona-El Prat, and even Paris-CDG and Amsterdam Schiphol were easy. Our flight to Atlanta was late, so we missed the flight to London. Getting a hotel room from the Atlanta airport kind of felt like trying to get the last helicopter out of Saigon in 1975.

4. Don't stay in the middle of the action. Before kids, we used to like to stay in the middle of it all. Our kids did much better if there was just a little peace and quiet on our street. If there is a park with a playground nearby, even better.

5. Pack two days of diapers and wipes in the carry on. If you miss your connecting flight like we did, the last thing you want to be doing at six in the morning is taking a cab to the nearest Walgreens to buy diapers while wearing the same clothes for the last thirty six hours.

5. Go easy on the first day or two. My kids need a little more time to adjust than I do. If I push them, they get grumpy, then I get grumpy.

6. Accept that a lot of what you are going to do is kid-oriented, then try to enjoy it. A trip to the zoo in London or Bangkok can be a lot of fun. You may have to skip the art museum or Michelin starred restaurant. As much as I would like my kids to try different foods, it may not be worth the battle.

7. If they are entertained on flights, life is easier for everyone. If you have toddlers, go to the Dollar Store before the trip and buy a bunch of junk that will entertain them for a few minutes each- coloring books, hot wheels, etc. If they are older, let them watch movies or play video games. I learned the hard way that flights aren't a good time to teach discipline.

8. If traveling trans-oceanic, try to get an overnight flight. The longer they are asleep, the easier it is.

9. Let kids participate in their packing. They will be more comfortable if they bring some of their stuff.

10. Take your time. Travel to fewer places on each trip but spend more time in each.

11. If you are traveling far, plan a day or two layover on the way. You can spend a day in Miami or London on the way to your distant destination.

12. (from hungryone) Person w/no kids here: the happiest kids I see on flights & in airports often have coloring books, colored pencils, etc and are happily (and fairly quietly) being creative in the midst of travel. Non messy simple art supplies should be a standard part of a kiddo's travel kit.

13. (from Baldona) Pre-travel prep - we try to prep the kids and get them excited. Like we watched Mary Poppins and Peter Pan before going to London. Get some kids books on the city. They inevitably will each get a couple of things they are excited about.

14. (Baldona) Under plan. Try to plan on Half as much as you would do as an adult or less. I'm always happier if we get one thing done and head to the beer garden early, then struggling to knock out two things and then missing the lunch window by 15 minutes and having a hangry family.

15. (Baldona) Beer gardens and outside dining. Europe is so much better with outside dining options where kids can play and act a fool while the parents enjoy a pint within view.

16. (Baldona) Avoid big cities with little kids - Small and medium sized towns are so much more enjoyable with little kids. Less walking, less time on public transit, and more relaxed environments without subways and big busses and semi trucks wizzing by the sidewalks.


17. (tigers13) Google top games that don't require wifi. Good way to kill time in the airport or plane if wifi isn't available....or in a restaurant.

18. (tigers13) We did an all inclusive resort w/ the kids. 2,4, and 5 years old. I wouldn't do it w/o the kids but it worked out pretty well for our situation.

19. (tigers13) All children, no matter how young, need a passport.

20. (Blackened out) Find a playground (they are everywhere in Europe) as soon as you can and let your kid play.

21. (Blackened out) It’s gonna be a crap shoot. Kids can do pretty well and get a good nights sleep (on a long flight) while the parents could be miserable or vis versa. Try to get the kids to bed early on your outbound flight.

Also, here is a photo of the night market in Hong Kong. It looks a lot nicer from a distance. When you are in it, it's just a lot of junk.

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Naval architect for super yachts.

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A buddy of mine does this. He grew up sailing, went to naval architecture school and now designs mega sail boats.

I saw him for the first time in a bunch of years, and asked him about it. He said yes, it's good but it's still a job. He'd rather be sailing.

I got one in Italy a few years ago. I didn't pay it, mostly because the letter was in Italian.

It never made it to my credit report, the rental company didn't charge me, and I have been back to Italy and didn't get arrested or cited.