Plans to backpack the Peruvian jungles and travel the world changed dramatically when Anja and Wilco discovered that not only had their adoption application finally been rewarded with newborn twins, but also that Anja was pregnant. Undaunted, mom and dad simply decided to take Ollie, Max and Freddie with them around the world – from Cape Town to Perth, Hong Kong, Moscow and Oslo; stopping in London to catch their breath. From there it was on to San Francisco for a road trip across the United States to Orlando. Along the way they filmed the BBC Travel documentary Four Men and a Lady.
What type of accommodation works best with kids?
Flats, because you can rent them cheaper and they are more fl exible. We stayed in one B&B in Oslo and it was horrendous because the boys get up at six in the morning. Trying to contain three active kids in one room and keep them quiet until nine when the other guests wake up is impossible.
Which country treated kids the best?
South Africa and China are, without question, the friendliest nations. England is pretty awful; Russia’s really awful. America is okay if you’re outside the big cities. The great thing about America is that if your kids trash a restaurant (and we have really trashed some!) they don’t care, if you leave a big enough tip. In England, they just give you dagger eyes.
Did you come across any strange traditions?
In China being a twin is considered a real gift. Plus the Chinese lucky colour is red, so having a redheaded twin (Max) was like walking down the street with David Beckham. They would just do this (light slapping) to the child’s face and I’d say, “˜He was just about to go to sleep!’
Where did you encounter the most difficulty?
Russia. We have a great mate who lives in Moscow and we used to phone him a lot, especially when the police tried to arrest us in Moscow for having the wrong visa documents. They were just after a bribe of US$100, which was a few days’ budget for us. They were completely unfazed by the idea of packing us into the back of the van with the kids. So we phoned my friend, but he told us to pay up.
What was the best way for you to travel?
The ultimate way to travel with kids is in a camper van. You can move through all the different places and never have to pack up. We would drive from 19h30 to midnight and play during the day, so we never really travelled while the kids were awake.
What is your favourite South African place to take the boys?
The best place we’ve been with kids is Umngazi River Bungalows, near Port St Johns. When you have to get up at 05h30 to play with the kids in the hotel room, it’s not a fantastic holiday, but at Umngazi they had amazing women who looked after the boys from 08h00 till midday. Then we’d have lunch with them and play in the afternoon and, because we’d had the whole morning to ourselves, it made us quite nice people in the afternoons. You have to protect yourself and be a bit selfish because, if you don’t, you’re not always good parents.
Where to next?
The plan is to drive all the way to see my grandma in Newcastle in the UK. We thought we’d drive to Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, and then do Newcastle to Newcastle. It won’t be for another two or three years, so we’ll have to keep reading Getaway to work out the best route.
Get more online
Visit www.fourmenandalady.com for photos of the trip.
