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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

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Your Guide to Visiting St. Elizabeth Jamaica

July 13, 2019      Caribbean, Destinations, Jamaica

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.

Nothing brings me more joy than writing this blog post on visiting St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. That’s because it’s where my family is from and I feel so proud to share our part of the island. Most people pass St. Elizabeth up to visit Ocho Rios, Negril and even Portland but my parish of Jamaica has so much to offer. Here is your guide to visiting St. Elizabeth, Jamaica.

How to Get to St. Elizabeth, Jamaica

You can fly into either Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston or Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay to get to St. Elizabeth. Pending where in St. Elizabeth you’re going to it’s about a  two and a half hour drive from each. The main difference is there is a highway you can drive on when coming from Kingston for part of the way whereas from Montego Bay it’s all local roads. The airlines that fly to Kingston are American, Jetblue, and Spirit, Delta, Caribbean Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways, Cayman Airways, Copa, and WestJet. To fly into Montego Bay you’ll need to book with American Airlines, United, Caribbean Airlines, Delta, jetBlue, Southwest, Spirit Airlines, Air Canada, Copa, Condor, WestJet,Virgin Atlantic, or eurowings. You can rent a car at the airport from Alamo, or hire a private shuttle. 

You May Be Interested in Reading This Packing List for Jamaica

Where to Stay in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica

Since my family is from St. Elizabeth each time I visit I stay at my parents’ house. While I haven’t personally stayed here, Jake’s Hotel is rated as the top hotel in this parish. It’s located right at Treasure Beach so you can wake up and feel the ocean breeze! You can also check Airbnb’s and Vrbos in the area as there are quite a few. I recommend staying in the Treasure Beach area or Black River. If you’ve never used Airbnb before, sign up here to save $40 on your first booking. Here are 8 tips to guarantee a great Airbnb experience.

Attractions in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica

While most tourist don’t venture here there are a lot of attractions in St. Elizabeth. Here are my favorite things to do when I visit home.

Appleton Estate

Appleton Rum is the spirit of Jamaica and it’s made only in Jamaica right in St. Elizabeth. Spend the morning here learning about how Appleton is made on this two hour tour. It’s very interactive and while learning the process you’ll be able to taste sugar cane, press your own sugar cane juice and try the molasses used to make the rum. The tour ends with a tasting of 3 different types of Appleton rum and they are quite generous pours. Tours are offered Monday-Saturday from 9:00AM-4:00PM and cost $30 for adults. My children who were 3 and 5 at the time of our visit were free. Another option we considered are these tickets that include Appleton Estate and YS Falls.

family standing in front of appleton sign

YS Falls

YS Falls is my favorite place to go in St. Elizabeth. You can easily pair this with a trip to the Appleton Estate as they are only 15 minutes away from each other. YS Falls is more than a waterfall. There are two swimming pools, one heated and one with natural spring water. You can climb up the waterfall, walk across it, swing into it or even zip-line across it. Zip-lining costs an additional $35 for adults and $20 for children and there are 5 lines. This price is way cheaper than what you will find in Ocho Rios or Negril so if you’re visiting either places and want to zip-line definitely do it here.  YS Falls is open Tuesday-Sunday from 9:30AM-3:30PM. The entrance fee is $19 for adults, $11 for children 3-12, and free for kids 2 and under. Credit cards are accepted here including American Express.

girl standing in front of waterfall in Jamaica

You May Be Interested in Reading: Travel Safety Tips You Don’t Want to Skip

Black River Safari

Did you know there are crocodiles in Jamaica? Well there are and they mainly live in Black River. You can see them on the J. Charles Swabys Black River Safari boat tour. The tour lasts one hour and we saw about 12 crocodiles on our tour. Our guide was excellent and explains the history of Black River. It was the first place is Jamaica to get electricity, even before most of the US. When we arrived at 11:20AM the paper with the tour times said we missed the 11AM with the next one was scheduled for 12:30PM. However when I inquired they said they could get us on a tour in 10 minutes and they did.

family standing in front of boat

Floyd’s Pelican Bar

Down the street from the Black River Safari is Floyd’s Pelican Bar. When I say down the street I really mean the boats to take you to the Pelican Bar are down the street as it’s in the middle of the ocean. It’s a ten minute boat ride to this wooden hut sitting on top of a sandbar. We used Portia Tours to take us over, her number is 876-430-5460. If you don’t have access to a phone you can just follow the signs to Floyd’s Pelican Bar and you’ll see many boaters waving you down to take you over. The bar serves fresh fish, lobster and other seafood and it’s delicious!

wooden hut bar in the middle of the ocean

Treasure Beach

Treasure Beach is the most famous beach in St. Elizabeth but you’ll still probably be one of a handful of people there. It’s a black sand beach and the best point of entry is by the Jack Sprat restaurant. Parking is free here and you’ll have somewhere to eat when you get hungry!

mom pointing to daughter to look at something on the beach

Lover’s Leap

Lover’s Leap has the best view in St. Elizabeth and possibly Jamaica sitting 1,700 feet above sea level. It became famous due to a love story of a couple who was threatened to be taken away from each other by a plantation owner. The legend is they jumped from the cliff into the sea. Today there is a lighthouse and restaurant and Sunday evenings you can enjoy live music.

 

Where to Eat in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica

Oswald’s

Alligator Pond in St. Elizabeth has some of the best seafood restaurants on the island. You’d be missing out by not making a visit for dinner at least one night. Oswald’s sits right on the beach and is a local favorite. You can pick out your own fish, caught fresh daily, and then choose the way you’d like it cooked. They also offer an abundance of other seafood and hopefully you’ll be visiting during lobster season. If you are, get your lobster grilled, you will not regret it!

Jack Sprat

Jack Sprat is a must when visiting St. Elizabeth. While they serve a variety of food they have the best pizza in Jamaica so I recommend having some here. Located on Treasure Beach it’s best to eat at Jack Sprat the day you visit there or if you’re staying at Jake’s you’ll have the luxury of eating here whenever.

two pizzas sitting on a wooden table

Thinking of Visiting Other Islands: See Our Itineraries for Aruba, Cuba, The Bahamas, and Grand Cayman

I hope you will consider visiting St. Elizabeth on your next trip to Jamaica. It is such a beautiful parish and too often overlooked. Even if you choose to stay in Ocho Rios or Negril, it’s worth a day or overnight trip. 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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