School holidays are almost upon us again. For those of us in Auckland that have just gone through another 3 weeks of homeschooling this term it feels like the term hasn’t even begun.
It can be tough trying to think of things to keep the kids entertained – particularly if you are on a tight budget.
And you know, parents want to do things that they love too – which isn’t always the same as what kids want to do.
That’s what sets the Getting Lost Game apart. Kids love the randomness of the adventure and being in control (oh and of course the joy of getting the Stop for a Treat card). So much so that they don’t notice that parents have also loved ambling down country roads, finding hidden beaches and adventuring like they did when they were kids.
There are so many ways that you can play the Getting Lost Game so we decided to share with you some of our favourite ways to play to inspire you these school holidays…
The Getting Lost Day Trip
The beauty of the Getting Lost Game is that it works no matter where you are.
You can play it starting from your front door. We’ve done that and found dolphins at sunset at Arkles Bay…
Had picnics at Wenderholm, found hidden tree huts in Stillwater and ended up zip lining down a hill in Silverdale.
Or you can play it when you are exploring new places.
We’ve played it in Rotorua – finding lakes and pools.
And winding our way from Dunedin to Cromwell in a Camper van for a completely unplanned night.
Un-plan your entire holiday
Every time I try to plan something this year it’s like 2020 just laughs. I’ve had trade shows cancelled, gift fairs cancelled, engagement parties, child free weekends. You know – all the same stuff you guys have all had cancelled too!
So this option is great if you are just kind of rolling with that…. 😉
We’re (unsurprisingly) big fans of un-planning our holidays and I’ve taken the kids on two holidays now were we had absolutely no idea where we were going to end up.
The first time we started out from Kopu and ended up in Taupo.
The second time we headed out from our home in Auckland with a shopping list and nothing else and ended up in Paihia!
Getting Lost at Night
It’s been 2 years since we invented the Getting Lost Game and you’d think by now that our own kids may have gotten sick of playing it.
Nope! And that’s saying something with a 11, 13 and 14 year old!
Last weekend we went out on two Getting Lost adventures and we’re heading out on another today, and our 13 year old is having a Getting Lost birthday party next weekend.
We were talking to a counsellor who told us that the car was great for soothing not only babies, but teenagers as well. The motion soothes them, they get to play their music and if you have teenagers yourself you’ll know it’s the best place in the world for them to open up about what is on their minds.
So we’re all about playing Getting Lost with our kids for as long as we can.
As our kids have become older the game has evolved with them and they have become massive fans of night time Getting Lost Games.
It seems that most things are just much more fun at night than they are during the day.
Parks are so much more exciting and there is something so exhilarating about swinging and swooshing through the dark.
Looking for sea glass on the beach may seem boring during the day but at night with a flashlight takes on a new dimension.
And finding something for dinner becomes much more than the usual squabble.
Getting Lost without the kids
Maybe you don’t have kids. Maybe you’ve been able to send them away to Grandma and Grandads for the weekend. Or maybe you’ve just found a few hours when you can escape. However you’ve found yourself sans kids the Getting Lost Game is perfect to play when it’s just the adults too.
One of my many hats is working as a photographer and I love finding new places to photograph that aren’t all over Instagram. So sometimes I’ll just jump in the car and use the cards to find somewhere new. My favourite find – Mahurangi.
And then there’s the times me and James jump in the car and head where ever the cards lead us. We’ve found an epic second hand shop tucked away and had pies for lunch on the beach.
Let us help you choose!
We began Getting Lost as a travel blog 5 years ago.
James and I had been together for a year, blending our two families after first dating as teenagers decades before. Our lives were colliding and we were both travelling and exploring in ways new to us. I’d spent years living and working in the city in advertising. I was used to city living and review hunting. James had spent years living and working on the Hauraki Plains in a little cottage. He explored in an utterly different way to me. But somehow we bought our exploration styles together and found an entirely new way to explore.
Over that time we’ve written over 270 stories about the places we’ve found. Mostly in NZ – sometimes further afield. Sometimes with the kids, sometimes without the kids.
We’ve featured 26 of our favourite spots on the back of the Getting Lost Cards so you can pick one at random and find out more about that spot and our take on it over on the Getting Lost site.