Happy Christmas and New Year!

Tis the time to get all festive and have a great excuse to drink and eat like crazy! We all know good behaviour and diets start on the 1st of Jan so it's time for guilt free fun!

Please have a safe holiday with plenty of family time and good cheer. Take it easy on the roads, whatever Australian road you may be travelling down....

Another year is dawning

With the chance to start anew.

May I be kinder and wiser,
In all I say and do.

Best Wishes from Jacqui and Family Road Trip Australia

Keeping Kids Safe in Public Amenities

This week's report of three young girls being filmed by a man in the showers of their Adelaide caravan park serves as a reminder about keeping our kids informed and safe.
Caravan parks are generally safe places for children to play and roam about, however as with any place there can be a pedophile or pervert lurking about waiting for an opportunity to target a vulnerable child. While we cannot wrap them up in cotton wool and monitor their every move we can inform ourselves and our children how best to avoid stranger danger.
In caravan parks children are in some ways safer as there are so many people about that the chance to get a child alone and not be seen are few. Kids also tend to roam around in groups providing safety in numbers.
On the other hand sharing public ammenities, meeting lots of new people (strangers), and possibly sleeping in tents or unlocked campers can pose a risk.
Talk to your kids about stranger danger and set some rules:

• Teach them to be aware of the people they meet and see around. Ask them to let you know if any adult makes them uncomfortable or is being strange or overly friendly.
• Make a rule that they are not allowed to enter anyone elses caravan, chalet, tent or camper etc (we made this rule for Brayden but did say that he could go in only with the kids who lived there and only after we had met the parents).
• Tell kids they must only go to the public ammenities with a parent, sibling or young friend.
• Allow boys under 10 (everyone probably has an opinion about what is too old) to use the female toilets and showers if they don't have dad to take them to the mens.
• Make a rule for kids to be back at their campsite before dark.
• In large parks and camp grounds set a boundary for kids to stay within.

For a great article about keeping kids safe while travelling around Australia, click on the following link

http://www.travel-australia-online.com/travel-safety.html

Need a Christmas gift for the travelling family?

Are We There?

If you are tired of the kids asking "Are We There yet?" Here's the answer!

NEW WEBSITE

www.arewethere.com.au

• Games for travel
• Activities for restaurants
• Great boredom busters for school holidays
• Gifts for Christmas
• Vouchers available

The idea for "Are We There" began on a road trip in Queensland after travelling with 3 kids aged 3, 5 and 10; on planes, boats, buses and cars for 2 weeks. "Are We There Yet?" was a popular question, and soon everyone knew the answers to "Eye Spy!" Mum began to think - we need something for the kids to do whilst traveling!  "Are We There"-  A website providing fun games and activities,often educational. Designed to provide lots of fun and entertainment.

Activities to do by themselves, or games to play with a parent, friend or sibling. Let's face it - you are already so busy booking the trip, packing the bags, organising someone to water the plants and feed the dog (or is that water the dog and feed the plants?), when do you get time to put together packs for the kids, and keep them hidden, (unopened!) until you leave?

It doesn't end there- now when we go out, we are complimented on the kids' good behaviour.  But you know what?  They are good because we are busy playing games- banagrams and hangman are particular favorites!

And so Are We There was born - A website designed so you can order items, have them sent to your home prior to leaving, then give to your child on the plane, bus, boat or car (or in the restaurant!)

The Holiday is Over - Australian Tourism Crisis

This article was written by Clive Dorman for WAToday.com.au

Australian tourism has hit rock-bottom. Like an addict looking for a road to recovery, the industry finally conceded last week there is a problem.

The State of the Industry report by the federal government's Tourism Research Australia agency, which was presented at the industry's first Tourism Directions conference in Canberra on November 15, laid out the stark reality that tourism ran into a brick wall a decade ago.

That was roughly when Australia ceased to be the world's ''flavour of the month'', even though consumers around the globe still rate Australia among the top few places they would like to see.