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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

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The Best Restaurants in Santa Barbara: They’ll Leave Your Mouth Watering

April 3, 2019      California, Destinations, 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.

My husband and I recently spent an amazing long weekend in Santa Barbara. We planned to relax at our hotel, the Ritz Carlton Bacara and do some Santa Barbara wine tasting. Of course we planned to eat but we had no idea the food scene in Santa Barbara was so big. We absolutely fell in love with the food and want you to experience the same. Here are the best restaurants in Santa Barbara.

Best Brunch in Santa Barbara

My husband and I were celebrating our six year wedding anniversary so waking up early was not on the agenda. Therefore when searching for the best places to eat in Santa Barbara we honed in on the best brunch in Santa Barbara. Lucky for us it so happened to be at our hotel at Angel Oak Bacara. From the drinks to the entree to the ocean view Angel Oak Bacara exceeded our expectations and it’s definitely worth a visit even if you aren’t staying at the property.

Ritz Carlton Bacara Resort Angel Oak Drinks

For brunch at Angel Oak Bacara my husband ordered the shrimp and grits while I ordered the Striped Bass. Both were cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious. My only complaint would be I wish there was more risotto in my meal but some would say I’m just greedy!

Angel Oak Bacara Brunch

Best Lunch in Santa Barbara

When looking for the best lunch in Santa Barbara we wanted to take advantage of the beauty Santa Barbara has to offer. What better way than finding Santa Barbara restaurants with a view. We decided on Boat House which is right on the beach and one of the best restaurants in Santa Barbara. With the side of the restaurants facing the ocean being completely made out of glass every table has a water view and the restaurant is filled with natural light during the day.

The Best Places to Eat in Santa Barbara Boat House

While Santa Barbara Picnic Co is technically not a restaurant after our experience I can’t leave it out as an option for best lunch in Santa Barbara. If if could be classified as a restaurant it would definitely be one of the best restaurants in Santa Barbara and one of the most romantic restaurants in Santa Barbara as well. You can choose the location of your choice and Santa Barbara Picnic Co will set up the most beautiful scenery and spread for you to enjoy.

Best Lunch in Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Picnic Co

Our picnic was at the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens. If it were a real restaurant this location would be on the list of best Santa Barbara Restaurants with a view! The area our picnic was held overlooked the Channel Islands with a gorgeous view of the city.

 

The Best Places to Eat are the Downtown Santa Barbara Restaurants

Downtown Santa Barbara is filled with some of the best restaurants in Santa Barbara. After some amazing Santa Barbara wine tasting downtown you can pretty much walk into any of the nearby restaurants for an amazing meal. We had the pleasure of eating at two of the finest downtown Santa Barbara restaurants, The Lark and Barbareño.

 

We enjoyed dinner at Barbareño on our first night in Santa Barbara and boy was it a great way to set the tone. Did you know both Ranch and the Egg McMuffin were created in Santa Barbara? Neither did we but our waiter informed us and Barbareño offers their own spin on the Egg McMuffin and an amazing Chicken and Ranch dish to celebrate this accomplishment.

Best Restaurants in Santa Barbara Barbareno

Literally every Lyft driver and any person we spoke to who we told we were visiting recommended The Lark. For both locals and tourists it’s one of the the best places to eat in Santa Barbara. We visited on a Tuesday night and thankfully had a reservation as it was jam packed and had a long wait for walk-ins. Meals here are made for sharing so feel free to order a few items for your table.  

Best Restaurant in Santa Barabara The Lark

The Best Restaurant in Santa Barbara is: Angel Oak Bacara

I know I mentioned Angel Oak Bacara as the best brunch in Santa Barbara. However, after also eating dinner there I’d argue it’s the best restaurant in Santa Barbara. Not only was our dinner just as good or better than brunch but the service during both meals was impeccable. Our glasses were never empty and the wait staff always went above and beyond to make sure our experience was top notch.

Angel Oak Bacara Dinner Chilean Sea Bass

For instance for dinner our waitress recommended the Abalone, which is Angel Oak Bacara’s signature dish. However, my husband and I were already pretty set on what we wanted to eat and having never tried Abalone before weren’t too sure if we wanted to steer away from our original choices. Our waitress then provided a viable solution. Since sides come a la carte and are shared for dishes like the filet mignon was husband was having she said she could offer us a half portion as a side dish. This way we got what we were comfortable with but also got to try a new dish!

Ritz Carlton Bacara Angel Oak Abalone

Santa Barbara is truly foodie heaven and with so many amazing choices is was hard to narrow down the best restaurants in Santa Barbara. Have you been before? What do you think are some of the best places to eat in Santa Barbara? If you found 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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