Straight to OZ or stopover
 

We have 3 boys - 8, 4 & 2 and are concerned (to say the least) at the prospect of flying for such a long time and being stuck in one of the airports etc etc etc.

Infact after our meds had been completed the reception staff commented on our way out how we would cope on the flight!! Made me feel really good - nearly slapped the 3 of them on the way out and here's me thinking the 3 of them endured it all with incredible behaviour!! First for everything.:ohmy:
This made us think that maybe a stopover would be a good idea - allow us to catch our breath and eliminate the possibility of me losing it!!!;) ;) ;)

Experiences and opinions please

Lia

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Flying with a decent airline like singapore and you'll have no trouble. Multiple seat back movies and games, and helpful staff who do losts to make your trip a pleasant one.

Your choice to stopover, but I would recommend getting into Oz late afternoon/evening if you can, and go to bed Oz time. Trying to stay awake for the day from morning flight with tired kids is hard.

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

My husband, myself and my 2 children (6 and 3) flew over in December. We didn't stop over, as I thought the kids will sleep anywhere, and by the time you've dragged them round an airport at the stopover, got your cases, found your hotel etc... you're half way to Oz!

We flew with Singapore Airlines who were absolutley fantastic. They really looked after the kids. There was plenty of things for them to do.

Be under no illusions, it is a very long flight, but, my kids were fine, and I would have no hesitation in doing it again. I would not stop over.

In fact, my little girl has more tantrums driving the 5 minutes down the road to school than she did on the 26 hour flight! I didn't even know she was there!!!

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

I would'nt do the flight without a stopover, unless it was an emergency of course. My kids are older than yours at 13 and 10, but when we went last year the one night stopover at Kuala Lumpur was a godsend!!! We stayed in the aiport hotel, the Pan Pacific, which is absolutely fab. At £110 for 2 double rooms, brilliant value, in fact we wished we had stayed 2 nights!!! Its just enough to recharge you batteries and help you get refreshed for the next leg of your journey. Another reason it was good for us was that the food on Malaysian Airlines left a lot to be desired shall we say, so it was great to get something decent to eat!! C x

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

I understand if you have the 40KG luggage allowance, a stop over is not an option.
If you have the cash and time I would say definitely stop over somewhere.... what a great chance to see another part of the world!

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

After speaking to a travel agent i was told that if you apply for the extra luggage allowance your ticket is stamped migration and you are not allowed to stop over. But then he said yes you can fly to brisbane from glasgow with emirates via dubi but you have a 9 hour wait for your next plane just what i wanted lol nearly half a day in a airport yipeee

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

I was told by Singapore that a stop over was no problem - even with 40kg baggage allowance. There are facilities where you can lock up your baggage and collect when you come back! She told me alot of people do it.

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Ive heard that this is possble too with Singapore Airlines. C x

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Our thoughts were to have the stopover so we arrive in Oz in better shape, also to fly overnight the second leg so we see Oz through the window as we land. It's the start of a new life so we want to see the country as we touch down and we want to be in a good mood as we get off the aircraft!! :)

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Yes! We are going to stopover for a few nights, get over the jet lag and let the kids have a break from flying. And its exciting to taste a different city for a few days too.

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

I'd like to see the sea and the city as we bank to land in Oz not pitch black and the lights of the city.

:)

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;) And the sleep stuck in your eye is not visually impairing you! :lol:

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lol

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Joking aside ,we are not looking forward to the flight with the kids!! Though in all fairness, it nevers ends up being as bad as you imagined!!

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

With kids in tow i've always done stopovers.

This time i#m doing one with emirates - dubai 5 nights the 11 hour flight direct:)

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

When we validated in 2004 we didn't stop over on the way out but saved it for the way back and the kids were fine (5,7 and 9 at the time).
This time we're stopping over, again as we're flying SIA it's Singapore.

Andy

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

hi there
we have 2 children aged 4 and 2, we went to oz last year and stopped over on the way there but not on the way back. OH MY GOD never never never would i travel to oz again without a stopover (and medised) the flight back was a never ending experience of pain and stress even though the children were good!!:eek:
we stopped over in Kuala Lumpur on the way there and it was a breeze, if if were you, (especially when the children outnumber the adults!!!) i would stopover and enjoy a longer travel time than not stopover and endur a shorter time in hell!!!:ohmy: :curse: :ohmy:

beth:)

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Hi there Bethandneil just seen your from cleggy im from scunthorpe :) when are you hoping to move out there and where to?
Were just serously thinking about it at the mo or should i say obsessing about it!Where did you visit when you went over and how much all in all did the trip cost (hoping to visit next april).

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

If you fly via the USA you get 46kg no matter how long you stopover and what visa you are on.

We are flying London - Miami - Cancun - Los Angeles - Hawaii - Melbourne. Is that enough stopovers?

:beer:

Buzzy

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Hi,
If you can do a stop in Singapore they have a really good zoo there to go and see,It would also break up the journey. We're going to try and save a bit extra so we can go to Disney enroute to Brisbane. I have 3 children 6, 5, 3

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

what a fantastic response to the thread - once again really appreciate your comments.

Def going to stopover - thinking of Dubai, as Emirates fly from Glasgow and give reduce rates on their acommodation.
Had no idea about the baggage allowance so thanks for that too.

Off to watch an episode of Boston Legal on DVD as the TV is cr** and I love Alan Shore!!:eek:

Goodnight all

Lia

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

:D Has anyone gone the 'wrong' way round and had a stop over? A good friend of mine is leaving hte UK at the end of the month and going home to Kentucky in the states. WHEN we get our visas i would like to go that way round and have a bit of a holiday with her before heading off to our new life in oz

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Hey Daunted,
we was thinking of going that way but it means going via America which is full of yanks!!!! :lol: It just the hassle I think of dealing with the customs checks at America.
Good luck either way.
Gary :beer: and Vikky

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

We (OH, 4 year old and 3 year old) had an 18 stop over in Singapore, we booked the transit hotel, ( one big room), we all had a really good sleep,then went for a swim in the airport pool, shower, dinner and caught the flight onto Perth.

This worked really well for us but we had loads of hand luggage, toiletries, swimmers, change of clothes so I don't know if that would still be feasible. We didn't get our 40 kg of luggage as we were still in transit !!

But as someone has said, it won't be as bad as you think and don't try Phenergan ( kids sedative) without trying it out first, it can have the reverse effect and make kids hyper !!!!!!!

Good Luck:thumbup:

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Yes. We have flown mant times that way, because you get 46kg each, no matter what visa you are on. A stop in Kentucky is perfectly possible. Our routing for emigration in June goes London-Miami-Cancun-Los Angeles-Hawaii-Melbourne.

PM me if you really want to do that Kentucky stop, and I'll tell you how you do it.

:beer:

Buzzy

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

has anyone stopped at thailand on the way to oz. We will be flying from manchester to brisbane and oh really fancies going to Thailand.

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

We did a stopover at Singapore, when we landed we were able to check-in 48 hours early for our next flight to Oz, then went to hotel with just hand luggage for one night! Make sure you have something in writing from Singapore Airlines regarding 40k allowance.

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They have put an electronic note on the tickets for us.

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I stopped there on the way back from Oz once, only in Bangkok for 3 days. Fantastic city, loved it. Take an empty suitcase.

:beer:

Buzzy

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Hi Lia,

Don't stop over get yourselves straight there.
We went for a holiday at Christmas time with Emirates flew from Heathrow as we visited my sister for the weekend and picked up a bug on the way out. We'll never fly from Heathrow again chaotic. We intend to emigrate later this year but we will fly direct from Glasgow to Perth no messing. Our kids were great on the flight slept most of the way and that's with my son ill as well.

Our kids are 6 and 3 plenty of flims on the flight psp's etc, sweets, drinks and colouring in books.

Cheers Carol

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

I think it really depends on how you want to spend the first few days in Oz. We travelled in 2003 with Cathay Pacific stopping in Hong Kong for about 4 hours each way and were tired for the first few days. In Dec 2006 we went to Oz again for Christmas but went with Malaysia. Landed at Kuala Lumpur and got connecting flight to Langkawi for 3 nights and it was brilliant. When we finally arrived in Oz we did not suffer at all from time differences and we were fully refreshed for our family visit. We would not now fly without doing a stopover unless in an emergency situation.

We are hopefully emigrating towards the end of this year and I am currently planning our trip to Oz. Looking like London - Johannesburg (10 days) - Kuala Lumpur (2 days) - Langkawi (6 days) - Kuala Lumpur - Sydney. Did think about Singapore but not sure if there is enough to do plus we want to chill out on the beach for a few days before arriving in Oz. Also looking at maybe doing stopover in Bangkok instead of Kuala Lumpur. There are so many options and I feel that we will need the stopover as a holiday before trying to settle, find house, get jobs etc which will all be stressful.

Helen

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Or use the money you would spend on a stop over and fly business class with Virgin Atlantic or one of the other premium business class carriers and arrive without much jetlag and have a much nicer trip with a bed :)

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Did you have kids with you only we have 3 girls aged 10, 7 and 3?

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Not that time! But I would take yours there - the 10 and 7 year old will certainly love all the different sights, sounds, smells. The markets especially may be of interest to girls!

:beer:

Buzzy

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Thanks. I think we probably will do it. The kids love seeing things on holiday and have already seen some really different cultures. I think i'm just a bit worried about other "sights" they might see;)

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

avoid Patpong then.

Chinatown will be fine.

Explain to them that many Thai ladies have English "husbands" and thai women look young for their age. That will explain the number of middle aged English guys you see with young thai girls.....

:beer:

Buzzy

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

Hi,

We are flying out to Brisbane in August (hopefully!) and have 3 children aged 16, 6 and 2. We are flying with Singapore Airlines and without a stopover, I think the worst one will be the 16 year old - she gets bored on a train to Manchester!!! We just want to get there and get the journey out of the way but obviously it depends on your situation and whether you have a job to start when you get there etc. You know the kids better than anyone else and how they will cope with the flight.

Good luck!

Re: Straight to OZ or stopover
 

WE flew with two kids aged 2 and 4 years. I had been dreading it but they wee great and took it all in they're stride.

We had a four night stopover at Singapore. We flew with Singapore airlines who were absolutely fantastic with the kids. We stayed at the Rasa Sentosa resort on Sentosa Island. I booked one room directly with the hotel over the phone as we were unable to have a both kids in the same room if we booked through a travel agent. It saved us loads. I also arranged transportation with the hotel for an airport pickup so they collected us in a mini bus which easily fitted our 40kg baggage allowance. I can honestly say this was the best thing we ever did. It refreshed all of us and because it was on the same time zone as Perth we got over our jetlag before arriving in Oz. We has a fantastic mini holiday which was much needed amidst all the chaos. The resort was fairly basic and a bit tired looking in parts but more than adequate for what we needed. It had a nice pool and good food and was very close to all the sightseeing stuff.

I had been a bit reticent as I thought it would be a bit of a hassle with unloading all the luggage again etc etc but it really was the best decision we ever made especially as our feet didn't touch the ground for weeks once arriving in Oz as there was so much to do!!