Kat’s top tips for travelling with your host family!
As an Au Pair in America, you MIGHT just get the chance to travel with your host family. I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity when I traveled to O’ahu, HAWAII, with my host family and host kids. Just after I had decided to match with my host family, they asked me if I would be willing to travel with them to Hawaii (of course I said yes without hesitation!) We stayed in a cute little house not even a 5 minute walk to the beach in Waimanalo and we watched the most gorgeous sunrises every morning!
At home in Seattle I have a regular schedule but on vacation it’s hard to keep to your usual routine so this is the perfect situation to show your family you can be flexible and understanding! Some days we spent the full day together, other days I was able to explore on my own. On my full day off, I went to Waikiki to go parasailing, souvenir shopping and swimming in the crystal clear blue ocean and I used my half day off to go and hike up to the light house and drive along the coast of O’ahu! Amazing!
My advice to you when going on vacation with your host family would be:
1. Pack a few activities in a bag for your kids to take and use on the plane (give them each their own bag with snacks, books, markers and drawing paper etc). My host parents packed the kids’ bags and brought their ipads with so that they could watch shows. (A 7 hour flight is like a lifetime for little ones!)
2. You may be on holiday, but remember you are still there as the au pair, so you should still help out as you would when in the host family’s home!
3.Google or read up about the place you are visiting and see what there is to do in your area and book it in advance, this way you can get the most out of your day off. It would be awful to wait until your day off and then spend half the day looking up what your entertainment options are, so be prepared!
4. Be grateful for the opportunity to travel and enjoy it! Your host family may not take you on holiday with them every time!
