One of the biggest perks of homeschooling is the ability to go on vacations or visit local attractions during off-peak seasons.This is extremely helpful when we travel as a group of 9 out of Singapore!
2 Benefits of Off-Peak Season Fun
1. Less Crowds
Locally, we get fewer crowds when we visit playgrounds, swimming pools, the Singapore Zoo, and even eating at popular hawker stalls and restaurants. In fact, we are so spoilt now that we cringe when we see crowds 😛
2. Cheaper
Travelling overseas during off-peak seasons definitely give us greater savings in both travelling and accommodation costs. And the chances of getting interconnecting rooms, even higher! Yes, now that we have more adults (almost all hotels consider children 12 and above adults!) than children, we are often forced to book a minimum of 3 rooms. So we need/prefer interconnecting rooms whenever possible, which the hotels often cannot guarantee during peak seasons.
Where Do We Go?
The past few years have seen us at the various resorts at Batam or Bintan, Club Med Bintan for our 20th wedding anniversary, Perth and Gold Coast, Australia – all booked during off-peak seasons. Yes, it is still expensive because we are a large family. But this is one area that Henson and I have decided that we will spend on. It is our yearly vacation to bond (I won’t say relax, coz you know kids and all that!) and to have a change of environment and routine.
Most of the time, we plan our off-peak fun trips after PSLE since I most certainly need a break from it! But this year, we have an 18-year-old whom we thought was due to enlist in the army in June (we have since been notified that he is due to enlist in October!). So we brought forward our family vacation dates – again, the flexibility of homeschooling!
We Love Club Med Bintan
Boring us went to Club Med Bintan, again! Lol! And it must be even more off-peak than October as the prices were lower than what we remembered paying for the last time. Yay!
The last time we went, the place was so empty that they got to go on the famous Club Med trapeze multiple times! David and Henson were so good at it that they were offered a chance to do the CATCH segment where they swing from one trapeze to another! This time around, the resort was relatively empty until the last day when a group of Japanese high school students descended on the resort. They were there as part of a school field trip! Imagine going to Club Med as part of your school’s field trip?!!?
Here’s a video clip of 8-year-old Deborah doing the knee hang and the backflip. She said she enjoyed the trapeze the most!
Activities and Food Galore
Although the sun was nice and hot when we arrived, we were rained out the afternoon of the next day and on the morning of the day we left. Bummer! However, since they are not as strict as the lifeguards here in Singapore, we were allowed in the pool as long as there was no thunder. So the girls had fun playing in the pool in the rain! The boys tired themselves out at the squash courts and table tennis tables. They even had some fun juggling!
Aaron our resident juggler.
As usual, we had our money’s worth by stuffing our faces at every meal and then some! I think this is the main reason we love Club Med so much! Food is always in abundance and so are the activities to occupy the children.
I know most families have no choice but to work within the confines of the official school calendar and work schedule. So we are very grateful that we are able to enjoy this flexibility! With the children growing up and the possibility of them entering our local institutions of higher learning, our days of travelling as a complete family and enjoying this flexibility is probably coming to an end. So we will have to adjust our expectations and schedules in time to come. Meanwhile, we are going to milk it for all we can!
A Grateful Testimony
*Because God…
The last few trips we made to Club Med saw Anna refusing to go near the beach after the 1st time there stung her raw and itchy eczema-afflicted skin. This time around, she agreed to go with her sisters. At first, I thought she would only play with the sand but she actually went into the water and sat in it and played for the longest time. The only thing she did not like was the seawater splashing into her mouth! It is indeed such an amazing sight to behold. And I have much to thank God for even though we are currently battling eczema with Sarah. It gives me hope to know once again that God is faithful.
Related Posts
Family Vacation 2014 (Club Med Bintan)
The Lim Tribe Goes Down Under (Perth 2012)
2 Comments on Off-peak Season Fun
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Hi Serene,
I would like to ask what kind of diet do you put your kids through, for those suffering from eczema? My three-year-old daughter has it too. Got better recently and flared up again. Not sure what foods to give or avoid! Thanks!
Hi Lydia
Thanks for stopping by. Well, if the flare up is really bad, I go whole hog – no grains, no legymes, no dairy, nothing sweet (not even fruit) and of course nothing processed. Definitely no MSG, additives, preservatives, chemicals. So I only offer protein (meats/fish/eggs) and vegetables (green leafy ones, avoiding nightshades) and healthy fats (olive oil/coconut oil/lard).
Once the flare up abates, I will allow some fruits but always in a limited quantity. I will also increase our supplements – evening primrose/borage oil, fish oil, vitamin C, probiotics, digestive enzymes, magnesium.
This is what I do because I have seen massive improvements with it. It is very tedious. Coz no outside food at all. But unless it is super severe, there is always *some* improvement after a few days. Then you need to allow the skin to heal from the open wounds and scabs and all. That’s where the moisturisation must occur.
Hope this helps you. Let me know if I can be of more help.