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How many of you have heard you will no longer be a How many of you have heard you will no longer be able to travel once you have kids? I find most people who say these things don’t even have kids or if they do they have never traveled with their kids!

I’m not really into counting countries and we enjoy visiting places more than once, seeing the beauty all over the US and right in our state too. You don’t have to travel far to give your kids amazing experiences but you can also take them wherever you want. Y’all know my motto, if kids live there kids can visit!! 

Where have you been that people said you were crazy for taking your kids (or your parents for taking you) but you were so glad you didn’t listen to them and went anyway.

#travellingwithkids #familytravel
Everything you need to know about visiting Chichen Everything you need to know about visiting Chichen Itza, one of the 7 Wonders of the World (SAVE + SHARE this post).

Chichen Itza is 2.5 hours from Cancun, 2 hours from Playa del Carmen, and 90 minutes from both Tulum and Merida.

You can get here by renting a car, booking a private tour on Airbnb Experiences like we did, coming on a tour bus or for budget travelers taking the ADO bus. 

Most tours from Cancun are all day long, leaving as early as 7/8 am and as late as 9 pm drop off. This is because you’ll visit cenotes outside of Chichen Itza and the town of Valladolid. Since we only had 4 days in Cancun we didn’t want to spend a full day on the road but also really wanted to visit so booking private transportation allowed us to skip all the other stops and just go there and back. We were picked up at 9 and back at the hotel by 4 so we could have a relaxing evening.

Current admission is $533 Mexican pesos for adults, $80 for kids 3-12 and free for kids under 3. That’s about $30 US for adults and $5 for kids.

Once inside there is the main attraction that everyone comes to see but there are also other Mayan dwellings and a cenote. I recommend coming with a guide or hiring an official guide once on site so they can give you information on the history.

Have you been to any of the 7 Wonders? If so, which one(s)?

Hubby and I climbed the Great Wall of China together in 2007, Jordyn, James and I have been to the Colosseum in Rome, the girls and I have been to Petra and we all visited Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, Chichen Itza and the Great Pyramids of Giza together!

#chichenitza #7wondersoftheworld
Today is the last day of school and I could not be Today is the last day of school and I could not be more proud of Jordyn! Look at all those awards she racked up at her end of the year ceremony. She’s reading 3 grade levels above hers, was only 9 points away from a perfect score on her state reading test and made the Honor Roll every quarter of the year. It’s time to celebrate, let summer begin!!!
We’ve been to 34 states and while we haven’t v We’ve been to 34 states and while we haven’t visited them all yet these are 4 states you should consider visiting this summer. (SAVE + SHARE this list for inspo)

📍Idaho- Last year we explored Southern Idaho and it blew us away. City of Rocks National Reserve, Kayak to Shoshone Falls, white water rafting, and walking behind Perrine Coulee Waterfall are musts!

📍Alaska- We visited the South East part of Alaska, Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan and WOW talk about stunning. You’ll love exploring ice caves, walking on glaciers, canoeing through ice bergs, seeing the volcano and hopefully spotting some bears!

📍Utah- From the famous national parks like Zion and Bryce to the lesser known areas like Kanab, Utah is stunning. You can’t miss sand boarding through Coral Pink Sand Dunes and ATVing through the gorgeous landscape.

📍California- Where else can you surf and ski/snowboard in the same day? California has the most national parks in any state so you know the beauty is beyond amazing. Having lived there for 3 years I’ve explored so many cities and there is something for everyone!!

Would you like me to share my website link for our itineraries for each of these trips in stories? Have you been to any of these? Which state intrigues you the most from this list? What city/state would you like to see us cover?

#visittheusa #bucketlisttrip #travellingwithkids
We have been traveling with our girls since they w We have been traveling with our girls since they were 6 weeks old. Is traveling with kids always easy? Nope! Are there added costs to traveling with kids? Yes! But having status with World of Hyatt has helped elevate our travels, making things a little easier and saving us money, here’s how (SAVE + SHARE this post).

1. Being a family of 4 standard hotel rooms can be kind of cramped. Having status with World of Hyatt means we’re eligible for free upgrades when available including suites as a Globalist.

2. Eating out for breakfast everyday on a vacation starts to add up really quickly. As a Globalist we get free breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children.

3. At hotels with club access Globalists also get free access which includes drinks and snacks, the perfect way to hold kids over until dinner without spending money.

4. I don’t know who decided 9 or 10am was a good time for check-out, hello we’re on vacation, we want to sleep in! Having status with World of Hyatt means you qualify for late check out at 2pm or 4pm depending on your level of status. So whether you sleep in, hit the pool or use the other amenities at the hotel you can enjoy a little longer. It especially helps us when we have flights later in the day.

5. After paying for our hotel room we hate having added fees. Thankfully when you have Globalist status with World of Hyatt resort fees are waived on free night awards and/or eligible rates.

6. Free hotel nights! There is nothing like booking a hotel and not paying a penny! Having joined World of Hyatt we rack up points (on more than just stays) and the higher your status, the more points you earn to get free stays faster.

7. As World of Hyatt members we even earn American Airlines miles on our Hyatt stays, getting us free flights faster to save even more money!

From being more comfortable to finding more ways to earn, you’re missing out if you haven’t joined World of Hyatt!

@hyatt #HyattPartner
4 Ways to Redeem Points at Hyatt Hotels & 7 Ways t 4 Ways to Redeem Points at Hyatt Hotels & 7 Ways to Earn World of Hyatt Points & (SAVE + SHARE):

Ways to Redeem
1. Redeem points for rooms at Hyatt hotels. There’s nothing like experiencing luxury without the cost, so glad I could redeem Hyatt points for this stay with one of the best views of Tokyo.

2. Redeem points to cover your meal at participating restaurants at Hyatt hotels.

3. Redeem Hyatt points to cover your spa treatment at participating spas at Hyatt hotels. 

4. Redeem points through World of Hyatt FIND experiences. With over 200 experiences like cooking classes, tastings, & walking tours there are so many activities to choose from!

Ways to Earn
1. Are you an elite member with American Airlines? If so, you can earn 1 Hyatt point for every $1 spent on AA flights. These are in addition to the normal miles you’ll earn on American, just sign into your AA account & link your World of Hyatt account.

2. Rent a car through Avis & can earn 500 Hyatt points per rental. Just provide your Hyatt membership number when making the reservation & use AWD code K817700.

3. Book a FIND experience by World of Hyatt and earn 10 points per $1 spent. Hyatt offers over 200 experiences such as culinary classes with celebrity chefs, hot air balloon ride in Arizona, guided bike tour over the Golden Gate bridge and more.

4. Even if you aren’t staying at a Hyatt property, if you eat at the hotel restaurant or book a spa treatment you can earn 5 points per $1 spent. We actually ate at a Hyatt restaurant in Kyoto & even though we weren’t staying there I gave my World of Hyatt number & received points!

5. Earn points on everyday spending with a World of Hyatt credit card: 2 points per $1 spent on restaurants, airline tickets, local transit, rideshares, & gym memberships plus earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

6. Transfer points earned on other credit cards who partner with Hyatt such like Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Freedom Unlimited & Freedom Flex. 

7. Book a cruise with Lindblad Expeditions & earn 5 points per $1 spent.

Are you doing any of these?

📍Andaz Tokyo

@hyatt #HyattPartner
If you visit Lisbon or any mainland city in Portug If you visit Lisbon or any mainland city in Portugal I highly recommend adding a trip to Madeira! It’s an island off the coast of Portugal, actually closer to Africa than Portugal. Here’s how I spent 6 days in Madeira (Save + Share this post):

🇵🇹Day 1: Pool day at my hotel (NEXT Hotel) for most of the day and then I went running up the crazy hills of Madeira to see Funchal by foot.

🇵🇹Day 2: I explored the NW part of the island visiting Seixal Beach, Ponto Moniz, Fanal Forest and Ilheus da Ribeira da Janela.

🇵🇹Day 3: I went on a sidecar adventure where I explored Valley of the Nuns, the Cabo Girão Skywalk, and the fishing town of São Pedro with @madeirasidecartours.

🇵🇹Day 4: Whale and dolphin watching tour but we only saw dolphins. In the evening I did an Airbnb Experience at a locals farm house where he cooked a great dinner where 90% of the items were picked directly from his gardens that day. He also taught us how to make poncha, a favorite local drink. The tour should already be linked in my Maderia story highlights.

🇵🇹Day 5: I toured the SE part of the island visiting Ponta do Garajau, Monte Palace, and ended the day at the most beautiful views from Pico do Arieiro (the shots of me on the clouds).

🇵🇹Day 6: I watched the sunrise from Miradouro Ponto do Rosto and then did an 8 mile hike of Levado do Caldeirão Verde. After the hike I relaxed at the pool!

If you want photos taken in Madeira I recommend @robframing.

Honestly Madeira was everything and I don’t see it dropping out of my top 5 international destinations anytime soon.

The Traveling Child

If kids live there, kids can visit!

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5 Days in Fort Myers & Sanibel Island

July 22, 2018      Destinations, Florida, 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.

If you are considering a trip to Florida, Fort Myers & Sanibel Island should be at the top of your list! There are so many things to do in Fort Myers & Sanibel Island; whether you are traveling to the area with kids, to get married, or spend alone time with your significant other there is something to do for everyone. We recently spent 5 days exploring Fort Myers & Sanibel Island with kids and here is our itinerary.

dad and daughter watching dolphins from boat
You May Be Interested in Reading: Tips for Taking Vacation Photos

We visited Fort Myers & Sanibel Island on a sponsored press trip but all opinions are my own.

When We Visited Fort Myers & Sanibel Island

We visited Fort Myers & Sanibel Island the week of 4th of July. If you’ve never experienced the Florida heat please do prepare yourself with plenty of sunscreen, hats and sunglasses.

How to Get to Fort Myers & Sanibel Island

Since we live in South Florida we took a short 2.5 hour road trip to Fort Myers & Sanibel Island. If you are traveling here out of town there is an airport in Ft. Myers, the Southwest Florida International Airport, which is serviced by Air Canada, America, Eurowings, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver, Southwest, Spirit, United and Westjet. However, this airport could be more expensive to fly into and with its close proximity to both Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa International Airports it would make sense to check flights into all three to determine which would be cheaper as renting a car would be necessary regardless of the airport you fly into.

Stay at the Best Hotel in Fort Myers: Pink Shell Beach Resort

We stayed at the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina and when they say the only thing they overlook is the beach they mean it. This was the best hotel we have ever stayed in. They have condominium style rooms which we love as they give our family much more space plus amenities like a full kitchen if we choose to stay in and cook. You can read my full review on the property here.

 

 

The Perfect 5 Day Fort Myers & Sanibel Island Itinerary

Day Zero: Check-In to Pink Shell Beach Resort & Movie Night

After driving to Ft. Myers Beach after work we checked into our hotel and had dinner on site at Bongos.

A few nights a week the hotel has movie nights by the pool. Tonight’s movie was catered to younger kids, it was Sherlock Gnomes. Since it was raining they moved the movie indoors but still had the free popcorn that’s made fresh from their popcorn machine. The night before Justice League was playing, so their movies catering to multiple age groups.

Day One: Dolphin + Shelling Tour and The Bubble Room in Captiva

Our first full day started bright and early with Captain Randy who took us on a Dolphin and Shell Tour. His boat ramp is located on Captiva Island which is at the end of Sanibel about a 45-min drive from the hotel with a $6 cash only toll to cross the bridge. The drive was so worth it, it is was by far the best wild animal encounter we have ever had. We saw dozens of Dolphins throughout our day, many who followed the waves of the boat for 20+ minutes, constantly jumping in and out of the water.

 

After being wowed by the Dolphins Captain Randy took us to a secluded island where we could collect shells. There was literally only one other family of four there and it was so nice basically having the entire beach to ourselves. The whole beach was filled with shells of all shapes, sizes and colors.

toddler girl holding shells in her hand on the beach  beautiful shells

When our trip with Captain Randy was over we were hungry so we headed to The Bubble Room. If you make it to Capitva Island you must eat here, it is truly an experience like no other. After we ordered we walked around the 3-story, 5 dinning room restaurant to look around. I don’t even know how to explain all that is in the restaurant but it more than kept the girls entertained while waiting for our food. Be sure to save room for dessert, it’s definitely the 2nd best thing they offer after the décor.

​Day Two: Bike Ride to Sanibel Light House & Zoomers Fort Myers

We love renting bikes and seeing cities through riding around so when we found out there was a bike path to Sanibel Lighthouse and Beach we knew that would be the way for us to get there. We drove over to Sanibel Island and rented bikes from Billy’s Rental. Billy’s rents a wide range of bikes including those with baby seats, single-speed, trailer attachments for kids and even the weehoo that we rented and used to have Jordyn ride with me. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. She was able to pedal too but not be cooped up in a trailer and feel like she was contributing.

mom and daughter riding backs with little girl being pulled on her small bike by mom

We did a 2-hour rental, which was enough time for us to ride to the Lighthouse, hang out for an hour and ride back. For the two bikes with children’s seat, the rental cost was $27 and they do provide helmets if you need them.

After all of our hard work biking through Sanibel Island it was time for lunch! We decided on The Island Cow, a cute little restaurant just two minutes from the bike rental shop. There are literally cows all over the restaurant, both inside and out and the girls were fascinated by the décor.

We headed back to the hotel and the girls took a nap while us adults relaxed for a bit. When they woke up we headed to Zoomers Amusement Park and had such a fun night. Zoomers has go-karts for adults and kids, kiddie rides, mini golf, water boats and an arcade.

mom and daughter go-karting

You can purchase tickets individually or you can buy a wristband for unlimited rides. Since a lot of the rides are geared towards kids you can buy a companion pass, which is much cheaper and allows you to go on rides as long as you are accompanying a child. There is only 1 ride for kids under 36” so if you are bringing a younger child know they can only go on the train and play arcade games.

​Day Three: Hotel Activities- Parasailing, Jet Skis, Beach, Pool and Escape Room

The Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina has so many activities on-site that we knew we wanted to spend at least one day enjoying everything they had to offer. We started the day Parasailing with Estero Island Parasail which we were able to book directly on the beach at our hotel.  Up to 3 people can fly together but only Jordyn and my husband went, Kennedy and I watched. Adults are $80 while children under 10 are $55 and if you want to go along for the ride but not fly it’s $20 and there was no discount provided for children. They also offer a photo package for $30, which includes one video, and while you can’t see the photos before you buy (they just give you the SD card from the camera) I’d recommend it. Even though I didn’t go and was able to take videos of them, each video had the crew member assisting them in it so he would have been in all the photos too. The photographer is also able to take photos from places on the boat you as a passenger aren’t allowed to be. Here is a photo from our package:

father and daughter parasailing

Since parasailing apparently wasn’t thrilling enough for Jordyn she asked to go jet skiing afterwards. Kids 3 and up are allowed to be passengers so her and my husband rented one for 30 minutes.

Hotel guests are able to rent stand up paddle boards (SUPs) and Kayaks for free and we took full advantage. The beach was perfect for the SUPs, the water was extremely calm and shallow. We even came across a few dolphins and a stingray on our paddle!

toddler jet skiing with dad

Mom standing up on paddle board with two young daughters sitting down in the ocean

After hanging out at beach for the first half of the day we moved to the pool. The pool at the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina is so nice, even when there are a lot of people you don’t feel like it’s super crowded. A waterfall splits the pool with one side being much deeper than the other. There is also a kid’s splash pad, shallow enough for even the littlest babies.

lagre resort pool with waterfall in the middle

kids playing in the pool

After so much time in the sun we all needed a nap so we went back up to our room to relax and take a snooze. When we were well rested we headed to Escape Room Ft. Myers where we tried to escape the Play Room. We have been dying to do an Escape Room and were so happy to finally find one that allowed kids and bonus kids under 5 are free! In this escape room there are kids costumes such as superman, princesses, etc. and the kids def tried them all on and played dress up. It was so much fun and was the perfect activity for the raining evening we were experiencing in Ft. Myers. We even broke the record for escaping the room in the shortest amount of time for our group size!!

Viator

​Day Four: Lovers Key State Park, Love Boat Ice Cream, Pool, and Fine Folk Pizza

There are so many outdoor and water activities in Ft. Myers so on this day we tried our hand at canoeing at Lovers Key State Park. We were able to rent a canoe for half the day for $48 (they only charged us the 1-2 person rate due to the kids ages). Where you pay and get the paddles is not where you get the canoe into the water and while the employee told us it was a 2 minute walk I really wish we would have driven since carrying the two paddles, 6 bench pads, and everything else wasn’t the easiest and the kids don’t walk the fastest.

Be prepared to get the canoe into the water on your own, they are just laying on the gravel with no employees on that side. They ask you not to drag the canoe on the gravel but if you are canoeing on your own I don’t see how it would be possible to pick it up by yourself. There is no shade on the 2.5 mile trial so be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and bring water, sunglasses, and a hat (we failed on the hat part). We even saw a few pros with chair umbrellas that clipped to the seats on their kayak/canoes, I wish we had those! It’s Florida and the outdoors so insect repellent is also a must.  There are manatees, dolphins, and even alligators in the mangrove trial but we only saw a manatee. You can also see plenty of jumping fish and birds diving into the water to eat them!

little girls smiling in a canoe

After canoeing we planned to go on one of the hiking trials in the park but it was so hot we decided on ice cream instead. Everyone said Love Boat Ice Cream had the best homemade ice cream so we went there and it did not disappoint. We have never been to an ice cream store with so many flavors, there is something for everyone. Avoid coming late in the evening unless you want to wait on a long line, we drove by the night before on the way to the Escape Room and the line was outside wrapped around the corner.

two little girls eating ice cream

Of course the girls wanted to go in the pool when we returned to the hotel so we hung out there until it was time to get ready for dinner. For dinner we ate at Fine Folk Pizza and they really get eating out with kids. Forget coloring books and crayons, they give kids a dough tossing lesson while you wait for your food. It was so funny watching Jordyn try to catch the dough and having the tossing experts put a show on for the rest of us. When the lesson is over they allow the kids to keep their dough so while Kennedy was asleep during the show when she woke up she was able to make whatever she wanted with her dough.

 

Day Five: Fishing in Captiva + Drive Home

We would be driving home today but not before one last adventure. After checking out we headed back to Captiva Island for a fishing trip with Captain Randy. He provides everything, rods, bait, etc., so we just had to show up.

During the trip we moved to different spots but unfortunately we didn’t catch anything. Still we had a great time and came across more pods of dolphins as well as spotting some manatees! If you needed to freshen up after fishing there is a really nice bathroom with a shower by the boat dock you can use before flying/driving home.

daughters on a boat with their mom

little girl watching dolphins do tricks

Fort Myers and Sanibel Island was such an amazing trip and just goes to show you don’t have to go far from home to have a great time! Looking for additional resources for planning your trip? Check out the official website of Fort Myers and Sanibel Island! Did you find this post 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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