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As someone who is so Type A and always planning ev As someone who is so Type A and always planning every detail of our trip, it was so nice to let the stress of planning go and let @JetBlueVacations handle everything! 

We bundled our flight, hotel and airport transfer and our local insider booked our excursion. I was finally able to relax before and during my vacation knowing everything was taken care of for us. My fellow planners, take a break and let JetBlue Vacations handle everything for you! 

Use code: HAMBRICK for $200 off flights + hotel!
Book by 12/10/23 for travel 12/15/23-11/1/24 Min. $3,500 spend & terms apply
Plus there were options to Johannesburg, Mumbai, S Plus there were options to Johannesburg, Mumbai, Seychelles, Hong Kong, & Manilla for like $250RT from not only JFK but Chicago, Dallas, DC, San Fran & LAX. 

Definitely the best flight deal I’ve ever booked but since then I have gotten some other amazing ones. $540RT to Sydney, $400RT to Marrakech, $60RT to Denver, $150RT to Guatemala. Love a points deal too, 70k Skymiles RT to Tokyo, 60k miles RT to Egypt & more!

So where can you find these deals?

Going: A subscription based site that emails you immediately anytime a deal pops up. It has 3 levels: Limited deals (free), Premium ($49/yr), & Elite ($199/yr). Comment LINK & I’ll send you a link for $25 off Premium or Elite!

Secretflying.com: For my international community this is the best site for you. They provide deals daily from every country in the world but you have to search for them.

Google Flights: You have to search yourself here by typing in the airport you want to fly from but you can put an entire region (Europe, Caribbean, Africa) and the dates you can travel and the map will populate with the prices in all those places so you can see the cheapest places to go.

Skyscanner: This site allows you to put your home airport, select anywhere as your destination to find the cheapest flights during the dates you can travel or you can put your home airport & destination you want to travel & find the cheapest dates to fly there. This is my favorite site to use for school/work holidays.

Theflightdeal.com: Just like secretflying but only for flights from the US.

What’s the best flight deal you’ve booked? Any other places you use to find deals? Comment LINK & I’ll send you a link for $25 off Going on their Premium or Elite levels!

#flightdeals #pointsandmiles
The thoughts that go through my head on flights ar The thoughts that go through my head on flights are irrational! Don’t even get me started on what happens if there is any bit of turbulence 😭😭.

If you sit next to me on a plane just know the likely hood of me grabbing your hand at some point is extremely high whether I know you or not 😅. 

I can’t be the only one, can I? And listen I will take all the tips because I have tried everything but seeking professional help, but maybe I need to!

Flight anxiety, fear of flying
Please do not tell me “but we’re only sleeping Please do not tell me “but we’re only sleeping there, we’ll be out all day”. When I get in after a long day I need to be comfortable and not afraid to touch things! In my 20s it did not matter but I’m too old now, I like what I like! 

Have you ever checked into a hotel and then got to your room and immediately checked out 👀?

1. Team book anything, I’m just sleeping there!
2. Team the hotel matters no matter how long the stay 
3. Team I’m somewhere in between

#hotelmatters #travelhumor
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! Match It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! Matching holiday pajama time that is and @littlesleepies has picture perfect options for you to wear for your holiday card photo shoots! I love how soft they are and that they come in a wide range of prints and sizes from preemie to 3X. And yes they even have matching prints for your pets! Every purchase gives back to Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a foundation for childhood cancer. Y’all know matching PJs sell out QUICK for the holidays so hurry up and order now! 

Use code TravelingChild15 for 15% off regular priced items. So when are you bringing out the holiday decorations 👀?

#LittleSleepiesPartner #matchingpjs #matchingpajamas
Everything you need to know about Rainbow Mountain Everything you need to know about Rainbow Mountain (save + share this post):

1. Rainbow Mountain is a 3 hour drive from Cusco. 

2. The majority of tours leave at 3am but I like sleep & booked with a company that has 7:30am tours. This was much better as when we arrived most groups were walking down from the mountain so when we reached the top the crowds were minimal.

3. Rainbow Mountain’s elevation is 17,000 feet. It’s imperative you stay in Cusco (11,151ft in elevation) a few days prior so your body gets used to the altitude. 

4. The hike is roughly 4.5 miles RT, most of it is flat but the last stretch is steep and you will get short of breath, needing breaks. I def thought I wasn’t going to make it!

5. Wear lots of layers. It was warm at the base of the mountain but towards the top & especially when the wind came through it’s cold! 

6. The best time to hike Rainbow Mountain is the dry season April-Oct.

7. You can rent a horse for the majority of the hike, but the steep part you have to hike yourself as horses aren’t allowed there. The cost is about 70 soles (roughly $17 at the time of this post).

8. Vendors at the base of the mountain will stamp your passport for 2 soles. They actually do this at Machu Picchu too but I forgot to get mine stamped there.

9. If you traveled to Peru 10 years ago you would not have been able to do this hike because Rainbow Mountain was just uncovered around 2015. Prior to it was always covered by snow but global warming has caused the temperatures to rise & the snow to melt.

10. Most popularly called Rainbow Mountain the original name is Vinicunca, which comes from the native Quechua word meaning mountain of colors. The 7 colors of this mountain come from mineral compositions and depending on if it rained recently or not the colors vary in their brightness.

Have you heard of Rainbow Mountain? Would you do this hike?

#rainbowmountain #solotravels #bucketlistadventures
There are so many beautiful places on this earth t There are so many beautiful places on this earth to see. #VSP_Partner. Often, our eye health is overlooked, but it is important to keep your eyes top of mind so you can see the world through healthy eyes and clear vision. To help you see a new part of the world, I’ve partnered with @vspvisioncare to give away travel items to put towards your next trip:

✈️ $2,000 in gift cards to Hotels.com, Southwest, and VISA

✈️Two (2) pairs of sunglasses to wear on vacation

This giveaway runs from November 3–10, 2023 and the winner will ONLY be announced via DMs from the @vspvisioncare account on November 10, 2023. Be on the lookout for scammers!

How to Enter:

🏆 Like this post

🏆 Follow these accounts @vspvisioncare and @thetravelingchild

🏆 Tag two (2) friends that you want to take on this trip! (More tags = more entries.)

🏆 Fill out the entry form at the link in my bio. (Entry form will be hosted on Rafflecopter.)

*Eligibility: Must be located within the 50 United States and District of Columbia and be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. See full terms and conditions at the link in my bio.

#Sweepstakes

The Traveling Child

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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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