We have finally reached the end of our Australian vacation recaps 🙂 .
You guys, I just cannot say enough about this trip in particular. It was such a blessing to travel so far with not only my kids but my parents too. It was so much fun to be there when my dad stepped onto his seventh continent. I am so very grateful that my kiddos are able to travel with their grandparents. I was fortunate enough to do the same with my grandparents too, and I still have the sweetest memories from those trips.
Okay, let’s recap the recaps before we wrap this up…
PART ONE (Arrival, Sydney, Bondi)
PART THREE (The Blue Mountains, Koalas & Kangaroos!)
PART SIX (The Great Barrier Reef)
So, it’s time to officially wrap this vacation up…
We woke up on what should have been our last full day in Australia still in the Cairns area. We slept in a bit and then headed into town for one last stroll around Palm Cove and lunch…
…this part of Australia just always gave me Maui vibes…and I was loving it!
We had our swimsuits on under our clothes because after lunch in Palm Cove, we checked out of our resort and headed into the heart of Cairns to stay our last night…
…closer to the airport in downtown. We had to leave our hotel the next morning at 3:45 AM, so we wanted to be a bit closer.
Our hotel room had really pretty views of Cairns…
…and tons of space for our family of six (my parents were in a nearby room).
Last day on vacay!
We headed to the rooftop pool to enjoy the summer sunshine…
…and snacks!
Blurry and dark but happy!
We cleaned up for dinner and headed back into Cairns…
We looked at the boats as we made our way to our final dinner…
…oh so pretty!
Cairns, you are lovely.
A seaside dinner? Yes, please! We had the BEST dinner! We all went around the table and shared our favorite moments of the trip along with naming our very favorite day of the vacation. It was all very, very sweet.
One last pic to wrap up Australia!
Until it wasn’t.
Bahaha!
Agh!
Listen, I’m a travel agent, so I understand that things can go awry on vacations. Even though it’s certainly not normal, I’ve had clients call me about everything from illnesses to car accidents, getting arrested, getting lost, death…you name it, I’ve probably heard it over these last 13½ years.
In a VERY brief nutshell, there was an issue with the airline that is still quite the mystery that caused our boarding passes not to get printed. It wasn’t just our family, it was other people too and no one quite knows why. We couldn’t retrieve our passes on our phones or the kiosks because of the darn passport/Visa needing to be approved at the counter and that’s where the issue was occurring and so many, many, many hours later after starting in Cairns and then flying to Brisbane and then flying to Sydney, we arrived back where we started on this vacation in hopes to get back to the US a “new” way…without our luggage.
Apparently while they were trying to figure out our boarding pass situation, they forgot to tell the ground crew “hey, a bunch of passengers need their luggage back”…and thus, the story picks up here…
…we’re back in Sydney! Who knew we’d end up here after hopping around Australia all day?! We sure didn’t! At the Brisbane airport, when I knew we were Sydney-bound, I made us a reservation at a hotel and we arrived.
We left our hotel in Cairns at 3:45 that morning, so by this time, we were exhausted, dirty and very hungry. The eight of us dropped off our bags…oh wait, we didn’t have any bags…we dropped off our carry on and headed to find dinner…
Look at us smilin’ on the way to dinner! It was an adventure. We were supposed to be home on Monday morning (Dallas time) and were just thankful that, at this point, we had flights lined up to get us home by Wednesday (at one point, they told us it would be Friday or Saturday).
Off we went…
…to locate a delicious pub dinner. We were so so hungry, and it was so late (close to 10:00!), but we were in good spirits. These are those moments when you’re traveling that you end up talking about and laughing about the most post-vacation.
After dinner, we found a pharmacy for essentials and then crashed for the night.
The next morning, we slept in and then headed out…
…in our dirty clothes 😉 .
Sydney, you are just the cutest! At every turn, we loved you.
We spent the entire day walking, eating, and exploring more Sydney. We all bought one outfit to put on for the flight home. That was win! Want to know what else was a win?!
This random cookie my mom bought. She kept saying “Shay, this is the best cookie ever!”, so I tried it and could not have agreed more.
Finally at 10:00 PM that night, we left Sydney and headed to San Francisco!
Back at the airport heading (hopefully!) to the US.
A long 15 hours later, we landed in San Fran and then RAN to another flight (full on Home Alone sprint)…
…and then took one last flight from San Francisco to Dallas to get us home on Wednesday morning.
And that concludes the recaps on our trip to Australia 🙂 .
The Shull six have many more adventures ahead, but this trip here will always go down as one of the most special. It wasn’t just the destination, it was the time of year, the people, the “alone time with my teens”…it all added up to just one big special vacation.
Don’t forget, if you want to visit Australia too, we want to send you! Contact my travel agency today for more info on an Australian vacation or to any of our other destinations around the world. We would be so honored to send you to Europe, on a cruise, to Mexico, the Caribbean, Walt Disney World, Hawaii or any of our other destinations. Find out more information, get pricing and connect with my team and me HERE!
I hope you have the BEST Thursday, friends! I will see you all back here tomorrow! xx
Elspeth says
What a whirlwind of a day!!! So glad you made it home safe!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Natasha says
It’s true that the vacation misadventures are the ones which get talked about the most! I am still asked about the flight where I spent TWENTY HOURS on the plane due to various mishaps. It was supposed to be a seven hour flight. Phew. And the time my dad drove six and a half hours (on twenty minutes notice) to pick us up in another city (after major flight delays and cancellations) so we could get home for Christmas also lives on in family legend.
Also, travel with grandparents is super special. I am always thrilled when my parents agree to vacation with us! My husband’s parents don’t love travelling so we have to find different ways to build memories with them.
As to your last meme — YES! YES! YES! We are not guaranteed tomorrow so we have to do it now (if we can).
Mix and Match Mama says
You are a girl after my own heart, Natasha. Your Christmas story is insane…but I love that it’s one you think back on often.
bette says
ashby looks so grownup in that photo with lovie. ❤️
Mix and Match Mama says
I can hardly believe she’s almost a teenager!
Jenn says
Oh, what a trip! Traveling back from Australia when things go well is not for the faint of heart, let alone when things don’t go as planned!
I love the saying above about traveling while young! I turned 40 this year and my husband and I realized we only have 4 more summers with our oldest still home, so working to cross off some bucket list trips before she leaves! We are venturing to Vegas, Sequoia National Park and Zion National Park this summer!
Mix and Match Mama says
I hope you have the BEST time!!! Take the trip, make the memories…you’ll never regret it. xx
Laci says
What a crazy ending! When things like this happen, is it on the person or the airline to pay for the extra hotel stay?
Mix and Match Mama says
We had to pay for two of the new flights and the hotel out of pocket but since then we’ve been reimbursed for it all (and reimbursed for our one outfit too 😉 ).
Laci says
Good to know!
Josie says
Who do you use for travel insurance?
Mix and Match Mama says
It depends on what type of vacation my agency books (different ones for different reasons).
dn10 says
Shay! Slightly unrelated question I want to get my tragus pierced like you have! Did it hurt after you got it done? And when were you able to start wearing air pods again? It looks so cool but I’m afraid it would get agitated with headphones and sleeping.
Mix and Match Mama says
For me personally, the tragus was one of the easiest ones. I didn’t have any issues. I don’t remember how long before I could wear my AirPods again? Maybe a month? I just know it was much easier than daith or cartilage.
dn10 says
That is awesome! Any update on piercing #13?!
Mix and Match Mama says
I have 11 now…I don’t know if I’ll get to 13. Don’t tempt me, ha!
Patty Anderson says
Your dad’s smile in the last photo is pure joy! Glad you all had a fabulous trip. I highly recommend New Zealand for the next one!
Mix and Match Mama says
It is certainly on my list!!
Mary Brown says
Yikes! So because of the boarding pass problem you missed the flight and had to completely book new flights? So sorry. How did you eventually get your luggage?
Mix and Match Mama says
Yup. We had to fly somewhere else just to get on a flight back to the US just because of boarding passes not being printed. Such a mess. The airline brought us our luggage about two days after we arrived back home.
Kristen says
My motto is “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”
My family is big on travel. We tend to spend our money on travel instead of material items. This summer we are off to Venice and then a cruise through the Greek islands and Croatia!
Katie Compton says
Well… when did you finally get your luggage back??? #cliffhanger
Thanks for always taking us along on your adventures! I enjoyed your pics while curled up under my fuzzy blanket on snow/ice day #7 of the school year. 😊
Mix and Match Mama says
We have swung to spring temps this week, so I am JEALOUS of your snow! Enjoy the cozy day!! The luggage came to our houses two days after we landed. 🙂
Cris says
My Mom and I are headed to your area to visit my brother, and we’re staying this Saturday through Wednesday. Weather.com says that after Saturday the high is in the 40s for the whole time we’re there! whomp whomp 😊
Mix and Match Mama says
Listen, it could change on a dime!
kristin says
wait what about your luggage?
Mix and Match Mama says
It arrived two days later at home 🙂 .
Kacey says
Ohh my goodness! What an adventure!! Side note, I cannot stop laughing… at first glance in the first picture it looks like Andrew’s arm is around Smith’s waist and it looks like a crazy optical illusion, making Andrew’s arm look SO long LOL!! Once you see it you can’t unsee it and it’s cracking me up!
Mix and Match Mama says
And now I have to go look!!
Andrea Conrad says
I think his arm actually is that long!
Marisa Patel says
What a fabulous vacation! Thank you for sharing it with us, Australia is definitely on my list of places to visit now.
Debra says
Wow what an epic trip, with a wild ending! It’s so funny how all our travel mishaps are the funniest and some of the most talked about travel experiences. Side note, I noticed Kensingtons Chanel bag in the last pic. Beautiful! Lucky girl!
Jen says
I am curious was your airline issue with virgin Australia? My daughter was there in the same cities same time and has major issues with virgin Australia losing her bag. United did their part, but once it was in Sydney it became a huge mess. Everything the airline told us was not what they were doing at the Cairns airport. It went on for almost 4 days.
Mix and Match Mama says
Really? It wasn’t that airline, but that’s interesting!
Anna says
Do you keep any Airtags in your checked luggage? I’ve thought about it, but then wonder if the airline would really do anything with the information if they lost my luggage.
Mix and Match Mama says
We do now…
Shay says
What a crazy adventure. How did they accept your luggage without the boarding passes? That seems like they could have done something at that point to verify you were on the flight. Well sometimes the most frustrating experiences make for the best stories after a little time has passed. Everyone will laugh about it one day! Haha
Mix and Match Mama says
Riiiiiiight?
Emily Lester says
I’m surprised that you were able to check your luggage without a boarding pass. I’ve never been able to do that and I fly quite a bit.
Mix and Match Mama says
They checked them in Cairns and told us we would get the boarding passes in Brisbane because we needed to show our Visas, and so they took them and had possession of them. They should have given them back, but they didn’t pull them.
Jeanette says
Wowzers!! You all never look tired!!
Keisha Dawson says
What an incredible trip! You have so inspired me to make traveling with my crew a much higher priority in our family!
Kara says
Whew! What an ending! Glad you made it back safely.. I am laughing and wondering if Smith has 2 dinners in front of him at the pub?! Growing boys!!
Andi says
Thanks for sharing the stroy…I am headed to AUS in a few months. So just to be clear the issue was the boarding passes could not be printed in time for the flight or they could not be printed at all? I am assuming you arrived at the airport in plenty of time and personal could not print your passes either? How would you avoid this happening in the future? (Thanks for your opinion on this- I do not want to get stuck!)
Mix and Match Mama says
They could not be printed at all. And we couldn’t use the app or our phones because both would give the passengers the notifications of “see the representative”. The airline next to this one was trying to help, people were coming from other departments, it wasn’t just us, there were others ahead of us too, but they could not get them to print, so we all stood there and watched our flight take off without us. I think it was a freak think that is unlikely to happen again. (At least, I’ve never experienced it or heard of it, so it seems completely freakish.)
Elizabeth Feldpausch says
I don’t know that I would have been as positive about the delays as you were 🤪