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Athens photo dump + photo tips (SAVE + SHARE this Athens photo dump + photo tips (SAVE + SHARE this post)! Also get you a tripod, mine is also a selfie stick which I love. It’s literally the single item I use to take our videos and photos 90% of the time. You can set your phone on a timer for photos or use a Bluetooth clicker, I’ll link it in my bio! 

Always shoot with your back camera and with the sun facing you! I personally use Lightroom to edit all of our photos and for videos I edit in splice, VN or capcut.

Last but not least shout out to @vavaasatisfaction for this hair, my girl did that and I’ll def be running this style back!
Things to Do and Where to Eat with 48 Hours in Hou Things to Do and Where to Eat with 48 Hours in Houston with kids #AD @traveltex (SAVE + SHARE this post):

1. Visit the Cockrell Butterfly Garden

2. Explore the Houston Space Center

3. Walk along the paths at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

4. Check out all the rooms at Color Factory

5. Eat at @Gatlin’s BBQ (Black-owned) and be sure to arrive early as they close at 6pm

6. Try the Brisket at @TruthBBQ

7. Eat ribs at @thepitroom

Have you been to Houston? What other recommendations do you have? 

#GetYourOwnTripToTexas #NationalBBQMonth
Hello Houston! It’s #NationalBBQMonth so what be Hello Houston! It’s #NationalBBQMonth so what better place to experience it than here. #AD @TravelTex 

We’re excited to eat our hearts through the city! If you live in or have been to Houston, what are your recommendations for BBQ places we have to eat at while here? 

SAVE + SHARE this post for your own foodie trip to Houston #GetYourOwnTripToTexas
24 Hours in Athens (SAVE + SHARE this post): We l 24 Hours in Athens (SAVE + SHARE this post):

We landed at 10:30am the day before boarding our cruise and hit the ground running. The best way to get over jet lag is to get on the current time zone immediately so that meant no time for sleep as we needed to stay up. 

🇬🇷 2:00pm Traditional Greek food tour with @foodaroundathens 

🇬🇷 6:00pm: Walk around the neighborhood of Anafiotika 

🇬🇷 7:00pm: Went to the top of the hill near the Acropolis for sunset

🇬🇷 8:30am: Self-guided Acropolis visit

🇬🇷 10:00am: All about Athen e-bike tour with @athensbybiketours

🇬🇷 1:00pm: Lunch at @hoocut for one of the best gyros we’ve had

🇬🇷 2:30pm: Head to the cruise port!

Yes we’re crazy but also we got right on the time zone and were good to go the rest of the trip plus we made the most of our time in Athens!

Do you hit the ground running if you land in a new time zone during the day to beat jet lag or do you sleep and take time adjusting? We love the app Timeshifter to help with jet lag management!
Athens - Boarding Virgin Voyages - Santorini - Rho Athens - Boarding Virgin Voyages - Santorini - Rhodes - Bodrum - Mykonos

What an amazing sailing it was! 10/10 recommend!

Let me know any questions you have and tag who you want to go on this cruise with!
Couples Posing Ideas (SAVE + SHARE this post): So Couples Posing Ideas (SAVE + SHARE this post): So we absolutely suck at posing but here are some amazing poses @geraldhazizi helped us with during our short photoshoot with him in Santorini. I will be using these as references moving forward lol, I love how they turned out. 

We used my phone and tripod most of the trip to capture images or asked fellow cruisers but I’d say this professional shoot in Santorini was worth it. Our session started at 10am so not super early at all, Gerald knew all the best spots and how to avoid the crowds!

Which pose is your favorite?
Tips for sailing on @VirginVoyages Resilient Lady Tips for sailing on @VirginVoyages Resilient Lady (SAVE + SHARE this post):

1. Download the app, it is essential to make your bookings, see what’s going on during your sail, etc.

2. There are 6 speciality restaurants on board for dinner (these are all included in your voyage at no extra cost 🙌🏾). Reservations open 45 days before sailing & are available from 6pm-10pm. If you can’t get a reservation for the day/time you want, don’t worry there are walk-in spots available and we did this many days when we decided to eat at more than one restaurant a night.

3. Be sure to check out the ship activities prior to sailing to pack appropriately for themed nights. Every sailing has a Scarlet Night where you wear red but our sailing also had a pajama party and 80s party and people really dress up!

4. Virgin Voyages doesn’t offer drink packages but they do offer a Bar Tab. You can purchase $300 in advance and get a $50 bonus and this credit can be used for anyone else in your cabin or even friends/family in another cabin so every person doesn’t need one and you don’t have to use it all on yourself. The drinks are very reasonably priced so just be careful getting too much in advance as you can’t use the credit on anything else on board. Beer is as low as $5, a glass of wine $7 and mixed drinks $9 plus tip is included! Soda and non-pressed juices, tea and regular coffee is free on the ship so you won’t have to spend anything on that!

5. Spa services book quickly and can’t be made until you get on board so head straight to the spa to book any appointments you want and note there is a 24 hour cancellation window so if plans change be sure to cancel in advance or you’ll be charged for the full service.

6. Reservations for a time slot for embarkation are required so check in as soon as possible to snag an early time and enjoy the ship longer!

Listen, a time was had on this cruise! Swipe for a cabin tour, food from some of the restaurants on board, and live music. I have more tips coming in a part 2 so let me know if there is anything specific you want me to cover on my next post! Tap the link in my bio for $200 onboard credit if you book a sailing on any Virgin Voyage!

The Traveling Child

If kids live there, kids can visit!

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Things to Do in Oahu with Kids

May 23, 2018      Destinations, Hawaii, North America

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

When my brother decided to propose to his girlfriend (she said yes) he wanted to surprise her by having both families literally pop out of the bushes as he got on one knee. Of course we had to be there and decided to make a vacation out of it. We spent 3 days in Oahu after first visiting the Big Island of Hawaii and here were our favorite things to do in Oahu with kids.

How to Get to Hawaii: Cheap Flights to Honolulu, Oahu

Affording travel as a family sometimes requires creativity.  While we normally allow flight deals to dictate our travels since we had specific dates and a specific location finding a deal would be unlikely. To lower the costs I looked into the frequent flier miles we had. Our Delta Skymiles accounts had the most miles but wasn’t quite enough for all 3 of us to fly round trip from Miami. However, it was enough for us to fly from LAX to Kona and then from Honolulu back to LAX for a grand total of $16.80.

Cheap Flight to Honolulu, Oahu

Most of these miles were earned from the sign-up bonus from our Delta AMEX Gold Credit Cards. When we signed-up the bonus was 60,000 miles, which really jump-started our balances and is enough for a round-trip flight. Sign up here for the 60k mile bonus and each time you refer someone you will earn up to 10,000 miles. Don’t think you can only get miles from flying, here are 12 Ways to Earn Miles Without Flying.

Now to get from Miami to LAX I checked my other accounts and I had enough miles with American Airlines to get 2 out of the 3 of us from Ft. Lauderdale to LAX, the 3rd ticket cost $116 and taxes on the two free was $11.20, totaling $127.50.  For our return from LAX, United had a flight deal to Ft. Lauderdale for $56pp, yes $168 total for 3 people! Being willing to fly more than one airline made our flights to Hawaii a minimal cost of $312.30.

LAX offers a free shuttle to get you from one terminal to the next and the 2hrs we had in between flights was more than enough time (team carry-on). Had we flown Delta round-trip we would of spent $940 on top of using the 162,000 SkyMiles we would have still used for the LAX to Hawaii round-trip portion. To save $627.40 I’ll gladly transfer terminals, those savings ended up being used for our accommodations.

The Islands of Hawaii We Visited

Hawaii is made up of 8 main Islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and the Big Island of Hawaii. We had 7 full days (+ 2 travel days) and decided to visit both the Big Island and Oahu. The Big Island is home to Hawaii’s Volcano National Park while Oahu is home to Honolulu.

Car Rental in Oahu

Just like on the Big Island of Hawaii, based on our itinerary getting a car rental in Oahu was necessary. We rented from Alamo this time and got a Jeep Wrangler. They too provided car seats for the girls and were the Cosco ones.


3 Days in Oahu: Where to Stay in Oahu with Kids

When deciding where to stay in Oahu with kids we found hotels to be extremely expensive for families. Due to this we opted to get a two bedroom Airbnb and share with my parents, splitting the cost. When we arrived to our Airbnb and were so happy with our choice. This was one of the best Airbnb’s we’ve stayed in, they literally thought of everything. The location was also perfect, we could walk to so many restaurants and were a 5 minute drive to Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach. Want $40 off your first Airbnb stay? Sign up here!

3 Days in Oahu: Things to Do in Oahu with Kids

Day One: My Brother’s Proposal

This day was dedicated to the reason we were in Hawaii, my brothers proposal! My family and his soon to be fiancés family were all in town and she had no idea we were there or what was about to happen. Just know she said yes and it was beautiful, so was our celebration dinner afterwards!

Day Two: Diamond Head, Dole Plantation, & the Polynesian Cultural Center

Things to Do in Oahu with Kids: Hike Diamond Head

Since our first day in Oahu with kids was dedicated to family we had only two full days to explore the island. This really isn’t enough. Fair warning this day was jam-packed and if we had more time we would have only done Diamond Head and Dole Plantation. The Polynesian Cultural Center really deserves an entire day!

Our day started with a morning hike of Diamond Head. It’s open from 6AM-6PM but there is no entry after 4:30PM. The fee to enter is $5 per car or $1 per pedestrian and it’s cash only, we had to turn around.  Get there early, the sun gets hotter by the minute and it gets really congested on the narrow paths so the earlier you arrive the less people you have to fight to get through. The parking lot is extremely small so arriving early guarantees you a spot as otherwise you will have to wait for a car to leave to park.

The hike is .8 miles to the top but between the steep areas and look out points along the way it took us about 40 minutes to get to the top. Jordyn walked the entire way herself and I used my Ergobaby to carry Kennedy on my back. Another option is this tour that goes to the summit of Diamond Head Crater and includes a boat cruise along the Waikiki shoreline.


Things to Do in Oahu with Kids: Dole Plantation

Afterwards we showered and headed to Dole Plantation. There are many activities to do there and each ticket is sold a la carte. We took the Pineapple Express through the plantation; it was nice for the kids but a little underwhelming for us adults. In addition to the train ride they have a botanical garden and a maze.

For us the main attraction was their infamous Dole Whip! My mom thought it would make sense for the 5 of us to share the Pineapple Split instead of each ordering a separate cone. Once we got it I realized why is cost $27! While the price is justifiable it was way too much for us, Pineapple Split 1, The Traveling Child 0!

Things to Do in Oahu with Kids: Polynesian Cultural Center

Completely full we headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center, one of our favorite things to do in Oahu with kids. The center is open from 12PM-9PM. We decided on the Ambassador Luau tickets, which come with a tour guide and reserved seating for the night show.  The Cultural Center is a ton of walking so I rented a stroller upon arrical. It was a baby trend stroller and a pretty nice one. It cost $20 to rent but you get $10 back when you return it.

The Polynesian Cultural Center highlights the six Polynesian cultures of Hawaii, Somao, Tahiti, Tonga, Aotearoa, and Fiji. There are 6 different villages, which highlights the history and customs of each place. We watched the canoe pageant to get a feel of the traditional dances of each place.

The kids each got a passport from the information desk. After completing certain activities in each village they earned stamps to exchange for a toy at the end of the day. Check them out taking hula lessons in the Hawaiian Village to get a stamp.

We were able to watch a traditional marriage ceremony, take canoe rides, try some traditional foods, play some traditional games, learn how to throw spears, and more. After exploring we attended the luau which included a buffet, the food was decent. At the end of the show a junior fire dancer performed, watch the video below. Can you believe he is only 14 years old? We were all blown away by his talents.

While the center is only open 9hrs per day it takes an average of 14 hours to go through the center. They allow you to use your tickets for 3 days so you can return another day during your visit. You just go to the office before leaving to get the return ticket.

Day Three: Wild Dolphin Snorkel & Waikiki Beach

When looking for things to do in Oahu with kids my girls saw dolphins and that’s all that was on their minds. Since it was a last minute decision to do a wild dolphin snorkel I feel like we lucked out choosing Ko Olina Adventures. We had to check in at the ungodly hour of 6:15AM.  Since it was a 45min drive from Waikiki we got up way before the crack of dawn.

Kids 3 and under are only $30, kids under 12 are $114, and adults are $139. The tour also includes lunch and morning snacks. My youngest daughter who was two was allowed to go on the boat but not snorkel.

Two snorkel spots are included in the tour in addition to snorkeling with the dolphins. We saw some sea turtles as well, they were huge! Check out this video swimming with dolphins in their natural habitat was amazing!

After the wild dolphin snorkel we went to the beach from some much needed relaxation. We chose Waikiki Beach because it was close to our Airbnb and I read they had a little cove perfect for the girls. Honestly I didn’t get the hype on Waikiki Beach or any of the beaches on the Big Island or Oahu. Most were rocky, cold, and extremely rough. You can read more on the Instagram post I made about it and read the feedback of others who have traveled to other islands of Hawaii, there is some really good information in the comments.

Things to Do in Oahu with Kids

Like our matching mommy and me swimsuits, order this set here and see the other matching suite offered here.

Unfortunately our 3 days in Oahu were over and it was time to go home.  With our limited time we weren’t able to experience all things to do in Oahu with kids but we’ll be back! While we didn’t like Waikiki beach we really enjoyed our beach vacations in Aruba, Negril, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Did you find this article helpful? Please share it!

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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