Magic & Memories

Before starting a family, Lexie and Ben Fenton had travelled to the USA, Mexico and Europe. A year after their son Toby was born, they ventured to Sri Lanka and Hong Kong for a wedding. But once their daughter Mila arrived shortly after, their adventures stayed closer to home. Family holidays consisted of Victoria getaways, caravanning around Tasmania and road-tripping up the east coast of New South Wales.

So, their recent overseas trip-which included a visit to Santa’s workshop at Christmastime- was one for the Fenton family Memory Books.

The journey started in Singapore in December, then wove through Paris, Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Sunday Morning Resort Pyhä, Milan, Florence (via Venice), Naples, Rome and Dubai.

The epic one-month holiday was a decade in the making.

‘When Ben and I were in Europe in 2016, we spent some time in Lapland and were in awe of its magic. The Northern Lights danced over our heads while we were pulled along by reindeer in a sleigh, meeting Santa and experiencing the winter wonderland that is Lapland,’ Lexie said.
‘We often spoke about how amazing it would be to take our kids there one day. Once we decided our family was complete after having Mila, we started planning. We wanted the kids to be old enough to travel well, but also old enough to remember the magic of a white Christmas in Lapland. What started as a small idea in 2017 slowly grew and became a reality when we began seriously saving and planning in 2023.’

Ben took the lead on much of the planning by researching activities and deciding how long to spend in each city. Lexie handled most of the bookings. Travel company 50 Degrees North organised their magical stay at Sunday Morning Resort.

‘50 Degrees North specialises in Nordic holiday experiences. It was a sensational package that included daily activities such as husky rides, snowmobiling, ice fishing, tobogganing, Northern Lights talks and chasing- as well as meals and lots of extra Christmas touches,’ Lexie said.

The couple kept the trip a secret from Toby, 8, and Mila, 6, until a few months before departure. In the lead-up, they read Lonely Planet Kids Guides about Rome, Paris and Singapore to help the children understand where they were going and what to expect. Although no amount of reading could prepare them for the once-in-a-lifetime adventures they were about to experience.

‘Only telling the kids small snippets worked really well,’ Lexie said. ‘We didn’t want them so focused on the big attractions that they forgot to enjoy everything else. In Paris, we didn’t tell them about Disneyland until the night before. With Finland, we told them two nights before. That way, we could truly experience the city without them counting down the days.’

With such an impressive itinerary, it was hard for the Fenton’s to agree on a favourite destination.
Mila couldn’t decide between experiencing a white Christmas, the magic of Disneyland or seeing the Eiffel Tower in person. She also loved the pasta cooking class she had with Lexie.
Toby said he loved every single minute of the holiday, but watching ice hockey and soccer were particular highlights, along with all the snow activities.

For Lexie and Ben, the stay at Sunday Morning Resort was unforgettable, as was all the food.

‘It was truly incredible – the food, the activities, the accommodation. All the little extra touches – like decorating our own tree in our log cabin and gingerbread decorating with the kids – made it so special,’ she said.

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As with most overseas adventures, there were a few challenges. A snowstorm caused delayed flights, which snowballed into missed experiences in Milan and Lake Como – and even lost luggage.
But after 28 hours of travel disruptions, Lexie and Ben were finally sipping wine in Italy with everyone’s bags safely reunited.
The cancelled flights and lost luggage weren’t enough to deter the Fenton’s from planning their next adventure.

‘I guess it all adds to the experience of travelling,’ Lexie said optimistically. ‘Next on the list is a lap around Australia. We’d also love to go to Japan, and possibly the United States, when the kids are a little older.’

The Fenton’s Top:
Experience: Lapland winter
Scenic view: Northern Lights, followed by Lake Como
Meal: Too many to choose! We ate out every meal so were spoilt for choice. Christmas dinner was definitely up there with the main being roasted whitefish with dashi semolina and miso beaurre blanc. Other amazing meals included pizza in Napoli, pastries in Paris, and mine and Mila’s handmade pumpkin and ricotta ravioli in a butter and sage sauce.
Drink: Kopi (Singapore) and every red wine in Italy
Spot for some Rest and Relaxation: Lapland allowed for free afternoons or mornings to do as we liked, which meant it was relaxing and we did not have to rush about or organise anything. Having the kids meant R&R looked more like sleep-ins with no alarms when we could, and downtime in between sightseeing (like an afternoon gelato or hot chocolate).
Way to travel from A to B: Trains over planes! Walking through cities and neighbourhoods allowed us to see many places we may have missed if we used taxis or uber (particularly in Rome and Paris).
Downtime activity Family game of Monopoly Deal or other card games
Souvenir/Shopping Purchase: A leather tote from Florence and a Wool coat from Rome, small memento statues or key rings for the kids – Eiffel tower, Leaning tower of Pisa, Colosseum, Burj Kalifa, the Merlion.