THE PLANNING
The Frostis family
As newbies in the world of the medical conference combined with family holidays, we weren’t sure what to expect on departure from Down Under. It is safe to say however that the trip to Vietnam with Unconventional Conventions left us keen to repeat the experience!
The Langran family
We signed up for this, our first Unconventional Convention, as we have always wanted to visit Vietnam. The prospect of combining this with a family friendly medical conference offered at a competitive price and with lots of sightseeing opportunities thrown in was just too good to miss.
The Wheaton family
Having previously joined a most enjoyable Unconventional Conventions expedition to Antarctica in 2014, we embarked on the October 2018 family-friendly Vietnam trip with our girls aged nine and 11 years old. Overall, we found this trip to be brilliant!
THE EXPERIENCE
The Frostis family
All members of the family had a very enjoyable time, and we fitted more into this holiday than we ever could have if we travelled by ourselves. Not often do you get the chance to cook traditional Vietnamese food, ride your bike through rice fields (after surviving a bike ride through town), visit historical sites, experience the wonderful transport medium of basket boat in torrential rain and go to dinner with a large group of people all dressed in fruit theme clothing! Afternoon time by the pool was infinitely improved by the presence of a bar with “two for one” arrangements during happy hours that seemed to go on for a long time….
The Langran family
Whilst those at the conference slaved over a hot PowerPoint, others played in the pool and kept the pool bar busy. The organised excursions were lots of fun. The old town of Hoi An was minutes away, and every night we’d turn up looking for a table for 16 with no prior booking to be fed glorious food!
The Wheaton family
There was an ideal mix of varied, high quality education, free time and engaging organised activities. These included, but were not limited to, pottery and cooking classes, boat rides and walking tours.
The Frostis family
The medical program was well arranged and, having formed friendships with other families early on, there was no need for the delegates to feel guilty for leaving their partner with the child-minding duties. The other halves (affectionately named “the handbags”) managed to struggle through lazy hours by the pool or shopping trips in nearby Hoi An without too much difficulty.
THE FRIENDSHIPS
The Frostis family
We are happy to say that we formed friendships with other delegates both with and without children that we hope to maintain in the future. Who knows, we might arrange a “fruity” reunion during one of the upcoming family-friendly conferences…
The Langran family
We were hoping to meet up with like-minded families and we weren’t disappointed. The first social event was a hoot and set the scene for the trip – the impromptu fun of karaoke was embraced by kids and adults alike, and soon everyone knew everyone. And so it was that the four families melded effortlessly together. It was on one of these nights that the fruit costume plan was hatched; the last night seeing everyone decked out in fruit themed clothes before ending up in the hotel pool.
The Wheaton family
We were very fortunate to meet some delightful families with whom we shared many interesting experiences. One of the highlights was the camaraderie and friendships struck up between the children on the trip, resulting in hours of play in the pool. We are now counting down to our next family friendly Unconventional adventure.
The Langran family
“How was the week for you?” I asked my son as we bid farewell to Hoi An. “Bananas, but great fun. When can we go again?” he replied. Couldn’t have put it better myself.
