So we have just come home from Thailand. We had a wonderful 11 nights away which looking back went pretty smoothly.

Of course there are always going to be hiccups on any holiday, so I thought I would share a few of my 'what not to do on holiday moments'.

On the upside I will give you some of the things we did that were sheer brilliance (if I do say so myself). Sure we got some things right: here are the good bits

• We took everyone's advice and purchased little things from the $2 shop as well as little lollies that could be taken out in emergencies and used as bribery. We did that a lot.
• We uploaded movies onto the Ipad for when Samuel had had enough of the movies on the plane.
• We made sure we brought Samuel a spare set of clothing, his shusher and comforter for the plane. He actually slept pretty well. Okay he slept well stretched out like a lazy cat on my husband and I who had no sleep what so ever.
• We purchased loads of little snacks such as bags of crackers, muesli bars and nuts. These came in very handy down at the pool, and between meal times.
• Trunki!! - Brilliant! This was a life saver. We had long walks and long waits at the airports. Samuel would simply sit on his Trunki and be pulled around like Lord Muck. Still .. it stopped him whining.

Our fails:

• The Ipad was amazing until the earphones we brought with us broke on the plane - bring a spare set with you.
• No matter how preoccupied you are trying to get your hand luggage to fit in the overhead compartments, always keep one eye on small child. We managed to 'lose' Samuel on our way from Bangkok to Phuket. I swear he was right in front of me when I was putting the luggage up. Next minute GONE! To say I had a mild panic attack was an understatement. I had terrible visions of Jodie Foster in the movie Flightplan and ran the length of the plane shouting at the top of my voice. No Samuel. My husband went down to alert the cabin crew, and lo in behold, who should be sitting in business class next to a suit, chatting away about his family holiday....Samuel. He even managed to fasten his own seat belt!
• Even if your child doesn't wear day time nappies, put one on for long flights. Time zones all up the woop, and Samuel slept for a long time on me. I kept thinking I really must take him to the toilet. Argh 5 more minutes of watching this movie, and then it happened.....that wet sensation going all over me.
• On that note, bring spare clothes for yourself. Its not flash wearing trousers soaked in pee for the remainder of the flight.
• We forgot black out blinds! I was soooo close to putting them in then forgot about it, and boy did I regret it. Bright sunshine streaming in your room at 5.30am. No holiday lay-ins for us. Check out our blackout blinds.
• Do not allow teenagers to purchase anything from room service, or the gift shop without running it past you first. 1 x small bottle of sunscreen - $NZ 50.00. Ouch - I kid you not.
• If you go on one of those Island hopping adventures, do not mistake the travel sickness pill for saccharine for your coffee. I'm not mentioning any names, but lets just say my husband could not keep his eyes open during the boat trip after putting 2 in his coffee. Bahahaha.

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