I can still sing The Wonder Pets theme song in Spanish.
“Sonando! el teléfono!”
I learned it 5 years ago when we visited the Mayan Riviera for a family winter escape. Zacharie was 3, Charlie just a year old, and naps were still a part of our daily routine.
So while we could have some splashing fun at the pool and beach, we were retreating to our room a few times a day. And the tv would get flipped on. So The Wonder Pets in Spanish on local tv became a staple of our stay.
Local tv took a bit of a twist a few years ago when my wife and I took a trip to Bermuda. Our Airbnb had an Apple TV. I fired it up, flipped on Netflix, and we sat back and binged half a dozen episodes of Suits while the rain howled outside.
Netflix changes the game when it comes to ‘local’ when you’re traveling. Sure, different rights holders in different countries mean the offerings can be different, but with so much original content on Netflix, and a roll out in 130+ countries, when you travel, your Netflix is always with you.
The first four nights of our trip to Australia last month were without tv. We couldn’t figure out our Airbnb’s remote, and no matter which settings we flicked, we couldn’t get it to work.
The tv stayed off the entire time we were there.
Which is a blessing, and a curse. When you travel with kids, and you’re cooped up 24/7 on excursions and in the same small one bedroom apartment, you can get in each other’s space easily. We need time apart, we need time to do our own things, and that usually means the kids watching a show before bed while we sit in the other room and talk.
So this time, the boys sat down with their iPads and dialed up Netflix to chill out with a few episodes of Dinosaur King and Teen Titans Go! before bed.
My wife found time to work her way through Orange Is The New Black‘s new season, while I tried to catch up on The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt and Bloodline.
Having Netflix when you travel means never having to learn The Wonder Pets theme song in Spanish.
Awesome.
Now if Netflix would just allow us to download / borrow an episode or two so we can watch our shows on the plane, all will be perfect in the world of global travel (they are considering it, btw).
Where are you headed this summer? Which show will you binge when you’re there?
Disclosure: I’m a member of the Netflix Stream Team.