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I mean c’mon there is not one reason, look at th I mean c’mon there is not one reason, look at this view from the top of the Kloof Corner hike! The biggest way we’re able to afford traveling so much is by letting the deals dictate where we go. Cape Town has been on our bucket list forever but with flights typically costing $1,200-$1,800 it hasn’t been a priority. But when Scott’s Cheap Flights (now called Going, I don’t like the new name but that’s besides the point) dropped this Cape Town deal for less than half of what it normally costs we jumped on it!

So often I hear “but there are no deals during school breaks”, YES THERE ARE! We went to Cape Town for Thanksgiving and the girls get the entire week off of school so they missed no days. Plus since there seasons are opposite it was late spring and the weather was amazing. Scott’s emails deals directly to your inbox for the airports you choose (we select our home airport and airports we can easily fly direct to and always have cheap flights because sometimes it’s worth flying to a city for a deal (known as a repositioning flight). They offer a free version but you don’t get all the deals so we have the Premium subscription which costs $49 for a year and you can tap the link in my bio and use code TRAVELINGCHILD20 for 20% off. They have an Elite membership level for business class seats. Because someone always asks, yes they give deals for nonstop flights but please remember you can’t fly everywhere nonstop. Beloved if you’re going to Thailand from the US you’re going to have a layover.

Anyway when in Cape Town you must hike, there are so many amazing ones! This Kloof’s Corner hike is perfect for sunset. It’s not stroller or wheelchair accessible as there are stairs but if Jordyn and Kennedy can hike it in 40mins (one way up) I promise you don’t have to be super fit!

P.S. when booking a flight from the US you have 24 hours to cancel & get a refund (on flights booked 7 days in advance). So many ppl told me they hesitated on this deal because they had to see if they could get off work/what dates worked for their travel partners. Always book first, think second & just cancel within 24hrs if you can’t make it work! What’s the best flight deal you’ve booked?
Hello from Cape Town, South Africa! Here’s every Hello from Cape Town, South Africa! Here’s everything you need to know about getting into South Africa (save + share this post):

1. Your passport must be valid for 30 days after your scheduled date of departure.

2. You must have 2 consecutive empty pages in your passport.

3. There is no visa required for US citizens for visits less than 90 days.

4. There are no shots required to travel to South Africa, unless you are traveling from or transiting through yellow-fever deemed countries, then a yellow fever shot is required. You can find a list of these countries online.

5. South Africa has opposite seasons than the US so our winter is their summer. December to February are peak travel due to the weather but if you visit in November like we did you’ll get good weather and avoid the massive crowds of peak season.

Have you visited South Africa? If so, which part? If not, is it on your list?
Because why do y’all do this to us trip planners Because why do y’all do this to us trip planners? Are you the one in your group that plans the trip or do you just show up? If you’re the planner tag your friends 😅. If you just show up do you look at the itinerary or ask all the questions even though the info was given to you 👀?

Original reel idea credit goes to @kryssedeal, sis really nailed exactly how I feel!!
#sponsored Last year we were able to cross some am #sponsored Last year we were able to cross some amazing places off our bucket list. We want you to do the same so we’ve teamed up with @vrbo to give you the opportunity to win $3,500 and turn your bucket list trip into a book-it-list one! 

Just head over to the giveaway post on @vrbo, make sure you’re following them and tag 3 people you’d want to join you on your trip! 

So what is your book-it list vacation this year?

*T&Cs apply – link in bio

 #VrboTogether #BookItList
Things to do in Istanbul (save and share this post Things to do in Istanbul (save and share this post):

1. Visit the various houses of worship like Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque. Suleymaniye Camii, Ortakoy Mosque, Chora Church and the Camlica Mosque

2. Tour palaces like Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace

3. Climb the Galata Tower for amazing views of Istanbul. You can even enjoy a meal here at the restaurant on the top floor.

4. Take a cruise of the Bosphorus to see both the European and Asia side of Istanbul.

5. Visit the cities Bazaars, the Grand Bazaar where you can shop your heart out and the Spice Bazaar where you can eat your heart out. Don’t leave without trying a Turkish delight!

6. If you want to go shopping Istiklal is the place to do so. They have a wide range of stores including international chains like Zara.

7. See a Dervish show at Hodjapasha.

8. Walk across the Galata Bridge to see fisherman at work and then walk under it to taste their fresh catches.

9. Take a day trip to the Princes’ Islands.

10. Experience a Turkish Hammam.

11. Explore the neighborhood of Balet, enjoying the colorful building and have some traditional Turkish tea or my favorite Apple Tea.

12. Turkey has some amazing food so go on a food tour or take a cooking class. If you don’t do either just make sure not to leave without having a traditional Turkish breakfast!

I recommend at least 5 days in Istanbul but you can easily spend a week or more exploring the city.

Have you been to Istanbul? If not is it on your list? For those that have been what was your favorite thing to do?

#istanbul #bucketlistadventures
Our Egypt Itinerary (save + share this post): 3 n Our Egypt Itinerary (save + share this post):

3 nights Siwa: Shali Fortress, 4x4 safari in the Great Sand Sea, sunset on Fatnas Island, emple of Amun and Temple of the Oracle, take a look or a dip into Cleopatra Spring, Mountain of the Dead, House of Siwa Museum, float in the salt lakes.

5 nights Cairo: Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx,  Egyptian Museum, Saqqara, Khal Al Khalil, Old and Coptic Cairo: Hanging Church, Mohamed Ali Mosque, Al Azhar Mosque and the Fortress of Babylon, see an Al Tannoura Egyptian Dance Heritage Show at Wekalet El Ghouri. For a break from the historical things with kids spend a day at Dreamland Park, Kidzania, or Ski Egypt. Stay at Marriott Mena House.

3 nights Luxor: Hot air balloon ride, Luxor Museum, Mummification museum, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temple of Karnak, Temple of Luxor, Colossi Statue of Memnon and Hatshpsut

3 nights Aswan: High Dam, Temple of Philae, Nubian Villages, Sail on the Nile by Felucca, Nubian Museum, Abu Simbel

On the way to Aswan from Luxor you can also stop to see the Temple of Horus and Kim Ombo Temple. If you have extra time visit Alexandria, Bahariya Oasis, and White Desert National Park to see the White Desert.

Have you been to Egypt? Is it on your list? There is so much to see outside of Cairo! 

#bucketlisttravel #cairoegypt #luxoregypt #aswan
OUR MOROCCO ITINERARY (save + share this post):

🇲🇦2 nights Chefchaouen- painting class, hiking, enjoying the Blue City and more.

🇲🇦3 nights Fes- Royal palaces, Moroccan dance class, visit the tannery and more

🇲🇦6 nights Marrakech- Majorelle Gardens, explore the Medina, explore the various mosques, stay in a riad, take a Moroccan cooking class and more.

🇲🇦3 nights Sahara Desert- ATV tour, sand boarding, Bedouin experience and more.

For all the details of each trip tap the link in my bio for the itineraries of each city. Have you been to Morocco? Is it on your list?

P.S. the girls were 3 and 5 on this trip

#moroccotrip #thisisafrica #travellingwithkids

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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