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After spending 48 hours in Osaka we went to Kyoto. After spending 48 hours in Osaka we went to Kyoto. Here’s how to get here and where we stayed (save + share this post):

1. You can take the Shinkansen (bullet) train from Shin-Osaka Station to Kyoto Station if you have the JR Pass and it will only take you 15 minutes. If you don’t have a JR Pass the Shinkansen ticket costs about 1,420 yen (right now that’s about $11). 

2. If you don’t have the JR Pass you can take the Hankyu Kyoto Line or Keihan Main Line. These are regular non express trains and will increase your travel time to from 15 minutes to 45-55 minutes but they only cost 400 yen (about $3) so you can save money, especially for a large group.

3. There is also a bus that leaves picks up at Hotel Keihan Universal Tower, Universal Studios Japan and Namba and goes to Kyoto Station. I’m not sure of the costs.

4. If you flew into Osaka you can also take the Haruka Express train from the airport to Kyoto Station. 

In Kyoto we stayed at The Chaper Kyoto which is a Marriott property. The rooms are on the small side but the hotel is clean and modern. There is a bus stop down the block which we could take to get to Gion in 9 minutes. The room was about $240/night since it’s busy season.

The weather this time of year is pretty sporadic. Some days it was hot and sunny and some days cool and gloomy so definitely pack a variety of attire and bring some layers and the weather changes throughout the day. Will be sharing our itinerary soon.

Have you been to Kyoto? If you have other accommodation recommendations please share them below to help others!

📍Fushimi Inari Taisha
Want to visit Super Nintendo World at Universal St Want to visit Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan? You need to know this (save + share this post):

1. Just because you have tickets to the park doesn’t mean you’ll get into Super Nintendo World, it requires a timed entry ticket. These do run out so it’s not a guarantee you’ll be able to enter! If you get your park tickets in advance you might be able to grab an advanced booking in the app but if these are all gone by time you get your tickets you’ll need an area timed entry ticket. These are only available the day you’re visiting & you can only attempt to get it once you’re actually in the park! We got to the park when they opened at 8am & there were only two entry times left so arrive early! You can get them on the app (you must grant the app permission to see your location so they know you’re inside) or you can go to one of the ticket kiosks.

2. To really enjoy you’ll need a power band which are sold for about $35. If you don’t have one you can walk around & go on the 2 rides but you can’t play the games & collect coins.

3. The wait times for both rides are usually 1-3 hours! To avoid this you can purchase an Express Pass (most people said this reduces wait times to a mere 15 minutes). Express Passes were sold out the day we went so we only got to ride Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge but not Yoshi’s Adventure. To avoid the 2 hour wait for Mario Kart we actually went through the singles line. We did end up in two different karts but we only waited 20 minutes to ride instead of 2 hours. Yo Shi’a Adventure doesn’t have a singles line or we would have done that too!

4. If you want to eat at Kinopio’s Cafe you also need a timed entry ticket so be sure to grab this as soon as you get inside Super Nintendo World. It’s usually a 1-2 hour wait once you get your timed entry ticket.

5. Once you leave you cannot reenter (if timed entry tickets are required at the time) so be sure to do everything you want before leaving.

Universal Studio Japan is extremely popular & tickets do sell out often so buy in advance. The most popular sites to buy them are Klook (where we bought ours) & KKDay.

Hope this helps! Who has Super Nintendo World on their list?
How We Spent 48 Hours in Osaka (save + share this How We Spent 48 Hours in Osaka (save + share this post):

1. Kicked off the day trying soufflé pancakes, you’ll find restaurants all over the city that sell these. We personally had them at Belle-ville Pancakes.

2. Visit the Cup of Noodles Museum where you can make your own Cup of Noodles logo and then customize the flavor and toppings for your noodles. They also offer a ramen making class here in addition to the museum where you can learn the history of the company.

3. If you’re visiting in March check to see if the March Sumo Wrestling Tournament is taking place at Edion Arena Osaka. If so def try to get tickets in advance (they go on sale a month prior) or arrive early to get same day tickets. It’s a fun afternoon.

4. We also did a Tea Ceremony class but photos/videos weren’t allowed.

5. End the first day getting cheesecake at the infamous Rikuro’s for their jiggly Cheesecake.

6. The other day spend at Universal Studios Japan for thrilling rides, shows and to relive your childhood at Super Nintendo World.

Where to stay in Osaka? The W Osaka is gorgeous but a little pricey and the Fairfield by Marriott is more budget friendly with nice, modern clean rooms just less amenities and smaller rooms (will post stories of both so you can see).

How to get to Osaka from Tokyo: We took the Shinkansen bullet train which takes 3 hours but is such an experience as it goes up to 199mph. Be sure to sit of the right side of the train for views of Mt. Fuji. You can also take a quick flight!

Other things to do in Osaka we didn’t travel time for:

1. Visit the Osaka Castle

2. Go to the top of the Umeda Sky Building

3. Go out in the Dotonbori

4. Walk around Kuromon Market

5. Watch a show at the National Bunraku Theater

6. Explore the Sumiyoshi Shrine

Which activity would you most want to do? If you’ve been to Osaka before what other recommendations do you have?

#osakajapan #travellingwithkids #cupofnoodles #universalstudiosjapan
6 Ways to Earn Delta Skymiles without flying! (SAV 6 Ways to Earn Delta Skymiles without flying! (SAVE + SHARE this post):

1. Link your Lyft and Skymiles accounts to earn 1 mile per $1 on US rides and 2miles per $1 on airport rides.

2. When booking Airbnb stays go to delta.com/Airbnb instead and you’ll earn 1 mile per $1 spent on airbnbs.

3. Order groceries online with instacart? Go to instacart.com/delta to link your accounts and earn 1.5 miles per $1 spent. If you’re new to instacart you can also get 3 months free.

4. Link your Starbucks account with your Skymiles account at delta Starbucks.com and you’ll earn 1 mile per $1 spent at Starbucks. Plus on days your flying with Delta, you’ll earn DOUBLE stars at Starbucks.

5. Sign up for SkyMiles dining at  Skymilesdining.com and is link your credit or debit card. Every time you use your card at a participating bar or restaurant, you’ll earn between 1-5 miles per $1 spent.

6. And nope you don’t have to use a Delta credit card to get miles for any of the above, no matter how you pay you’ll earn BUT is you do pay for them with a Delta co-branded credit card (there are several and depending on which one you have) you can earn anywhere from a additional 1-5 miles per dollar spent on purchases, even if they aren’t Delta airline tickets.

The cash price for the flight we took to Tokyo was $2,600pp so it would have cost me over $5,000 for this since it’s peak travel to Japan (never in my life would I pay that, we would have went somewhere else). Instead I only paid $118 total by using all of these ways to earn Delta miles over the past few years which gave me enough miles to redeem even though we don’t get to fly Delta on a regular since they don’t have the strongest presence at MIA airport as it’s American’s hub.

Do you use travel credit cards and/or points and miles from loyalty programs to offset the cost of travel? If so what are your favorite ones? Let’s all travel for less!
Konnichiwa from Japan! So excited to be spending s Konnichiwa from Japan! So excited to be spending spring break here with Jordyn on our annual mommy and me trip. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Japan right now (save + share this post):

1. US passport holders don’t need a visa to enter Japan for stays under 90 days but if you hold a different passport you may, so definitely check as passport holders from only 68 countries can visit visa free! 

2. Japan still has panini restrictions. Adults must have 3 doses or provide results of a (-) test taken no more than 72 hours before departure. Children 6-18 are exempt if the accompanying adult has 3 doses or they have 3 doses themselves. If the accompanying adult doesn’t they too require - test results. Children under 6 are exempt from all requirements.

3. While Narita airport is well known, Haneda is actually the closet airport to Tokyo.

4. Everyone regardless of age needs to fill out a the questionnaire on Visit Japan Web (https://vjw-lp.digital.go.jp/en/). It is used for Immigration and Customs declaration procedures and will speed up your process on arrival to the airport in Japan.

5. Japan uses the Japanese Yen and the current exchange rate is $1 to ¥132 but this fluctuates so be sure to always check current exchange rates. Credit cards are widely accepted including AMEX but always travel with a Visa or Mastercard as a back up in addition to cash.

6. The train system in Japan is extremely functional and the main mode of transportation even to get in between cities. You have to ride the bullet train (Shinkansen) at least once while here! Walking is also popular and Ubers are available.

7. The rainy season is officially June-Mid July and very humid while spring and fall are the most popular times to visit. When visiting in March and April especially since it’s Cherry Blossom season expect lots of crowds and be prepared to book hotels well in advance.

I first visited Japan in 2015 and so excited to see how it’s changed since then and do some things I didn’t do before. We’ll be visiting Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. If you have any recommendations especially on the best places for ramen and mochi ice cream please let us know!

Have you been to Japan?
When I tell you the #GalaxyS23 Ultra has it all an When I tell you the #GalaxyS23 Ultra has it all and I haven’t even scratched the surface of all the features this phone has. Can’t wait to share more but I promise you don’t want to miss out on these amazing features. 

Tap the link in my bio to learn more about the Galaxy S23 Ultra and consider switching to @SamsungMobileUSA! 

#SamsungPartner #TeamGalaxy #WithGalaxy
3 Ways to Get Good Pictures of Your Kids (save and 3 Ways to Get Good Pictures of Your Kids (save and share this post)!

Because spring break, Easter and graduations is coming up I’m resharing my tried and true tips of taking good photos of your kids.

Have you tried these? What trips do you have coming up that you can test these out on?

#phototips #travellingwithkids

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Cartagena to Medellin: How to Spend 2 Days in Medellin

May 16, 2017      Colombia, Destinations, South 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.

After landing a flight deal to Cartagena, Colombia we decided to extend our trip and go from Cartagena to Medellin.  This was a great opportunity to see another, very different city, in Colombia. Here are the details of getting from Cartagena to Medellin and how to spend 2 days in Medellin.

How to Get from Cartagena to Medellin

Fly from Cartagena to Medellin

Flying from Cartagena to Medellin was very easy and affordable. We decided to flying Avianca Airlines. Buying a last minute flight from Cartagena to Medellin only cost us $90 round trip.

Drive from Cartagena to Medellin

Driving from Cartagena to Medellin takes an average of 15 hours. This drive has you going up and down windy mountainous roads. I would not recommend this option at all especially if driving at night.

Where to Stay in Medellin

When deciding where to stay in Medellin we found Airbnb’s to be most affordable. We rented this Airbnb in the El Poblado neighborhood. It was walking distance to a grocery store, shops and restaurants. The bathroom was a little outdated for my liking but for $50/night for a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment I can’t really complain. New to Airbnb? Sign up here and save $40 on your first stay. Nervous about staying in an Airbnb? Read my 8 Tips to Guarantee a Great Airbnb Experience.

photo of an apartment with red couch and black table

Things to do in Medellin: A Two Day Medellin Itinerary

Day One: Real City Tours in Medellin and the Metro Cable

We arrived the night before so we had a full day ahead of us. We were lucky enough to get a spot on the free walking tour provided by Real City Tours. They only offer two tours a day Monday-Friday at 9:00AM and 2:00PM and one tour on Saturday at 9:50AM. You can only reserve the tour 1.5 days in advance so Saturday’s tour would open for reservation Thursday after 6:15PM.

The tour basically goes in a rectangle with about 12 or so stops throughout where you will stop and either sit or stand while your guide gives you some history of that area. The tour shows and talks about both the good and bad of Medellin so there is discussion on prostitution, porn-trade, alcoholism and drug-addiction. My kids are so young I didn’t care about this but you may.You do stop for a quick break halfway through the tour to get a snack, drink, and to relax a bit but I recommend bringing snacks and definitely water. Strollers are allowed on the tour but a carrier is much easier as the streets are busy and you will have to tackle a few stairs. On the flip side if your child is heavy it may be very tiring to carry them for 4 hours.

After the tour we took their subway system to the Metro Cable to head to Parque Arvi. Everyone must exit the metro cable at Santo Dominigo (the last stop) and then switch to another one to go all the way to the park. We heard you can get some nice views of the city from the Santo Domingo stop so we walked around a bit since we would have to change metro cables anyway.

Unfortunately for us it started to drizzle a bit while we were exploring Santo Domingo and because it was windy the metro cables stopped running. They were unsure of when they would start back up again and after waiting 20mins we decided we would just head back to our Airbnb since we were starving. Good thing we did as about 3mins after we got in the cab it started pouring! Although we didn’t make it to Parque Arvi we got a great tour of Santo Domingo and nice view of the city from above on our ride down the mountain.

girl standing holding onto railing over looking mountain and cable car

Day Two- Guatape & Rock of El Penol Tour and flight back to Cartagena

Through TripAdvisor I found LandVenture Tours, the #2 tour company in Medellin, the 1st is Real City Tours. We did the Guatape & Rock of El Penol Tour and I could not have been happier. It was a private tour and they provided a car seat for our two year old. We did this tour on the day we were leaving Medellin. They dropped us at the airport after our tour, saving us taxi fare. We also didn’t have to worry about where we would store our luggage after checking out of our Airbnb.

The price was $59 per adult and $30 per child. While I’m not used to paying for the kids on tours of this nature with a total of $237 it was still cheaper than a lot of the same tours through other companies. Alejandro was our guide and he picked us up from our Airbnb promptly at 10AM.

We made the scenic drive to Penol and Alejandro told us all about the area on the way. They allow you to personalize the tour so if at any point you want to stop to take a closer look at something you can. We made a few stops at overlooks to admire the lakes and cities before getting to the Rock.mom holding daughter in Medellin 

We had carriers to use for both kids to make the 750 stair climb to the top. However, we did see children around the age of 3, 4 climbing up themselves with their parents. As much as Jordyn loves to climb stairs I could see her begging to be carried by the 100th stair so I decided against that. It took about 15/20mins to make the climb as we stopped twice to catch our breath and drink some water. The view from the top is absolutely breathtaking, one of the most beautiful views I have seen.

mom holding two daughter in front of a massive rock  beautiful lake with greenery all around

After the Rock we went to the town of Guatape, famous for its zocalos (a form of art in Colombia). We first had lunch before Alejandro gave us a tour of the town and taught us all about the history of the zocalos. He was very informative and the homes decorated with this artwork are so beautiful, colorful, and unique.

man showing toddler artwork on the wall

toddler girl climbing up a colorful staircase

When we were finished we headed back to Medellin proper. Alejandro was able to drop us off at the airport saving us taxi fare. Getting from Cartagena to Medellin was easy and affordable. Spending 2 days in Medellin was a nice introduction to the city but I recommend at least 3 days if possible. Did you find this article helpful? Please share it!

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.
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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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