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It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t fe It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t feel like it in Miami, it really never does but that just gives us a reason to explore other states. West Virginia is one of them, fun fact I actually lived here between undergrad and grad school! Here are Things to do in West Virginia (SAVE + SHARE): 

1. Enjoy New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, or visit any of the states 35 state parks as West Virginia has 1.5 million acres of parks and public land. We personally walked the Shavers Lake Trail and canoed on the lake. 

2. Enjoy some serious adventures! We’re always trying something new and West Virginia offers a lot of options from whitewater rafting, to 1,000+ miles of off-road ATV trails, to rock climbing, caving and mountain biking . 

3. Take a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad which stops at the Whittaker Camp where those who worked in the lumber and coal industry lived during the work season. 

4. Explore Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where you might just get to see some black bears! 

5. Walk the Falls of Hills Creak trail to get up close to some gorgeous waterfalls! 

This week I’ll be sharing various cities and states you can experience a beautiful Fall getaway. What are some of your favorite places to enjoy autumn?

Tap the link in my bio for my West Virginia blog post and a blog post of the best places to experience Fall in the US!
Still not over our day exploring the waters of For Still not over our day exploring the waters of Fort Pierce. We danced, snorkeled, fished and went tubing. Definitely want more days like this and still pinch myself that this is what a day of work looks like for me sometimes. Thank you @seadoo for the opportunity.
If you know my husband you know water activities a If you know my husband you know water activities are his favorite! Fishing, jet skiing, just being on a boat on the ocean relaxing, name it, he’s there. So we couldn’t be more excited than to not only get the chance to test out the new @seadoo Switch but be the stars of a whole commercial for it. We had entirely too much fun filming this. Of course now he wants to buy one!

Do you like getting out on the water? Favorite activity?
Our 3 Day London Itinerary (SAVE + SHARE): 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 1: Walked across the Tower Bridge (you can take a tour of London of Tower as well), walked along the River Thames and took a make a fascination hat class with @create_your_own_hat! 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 2: Harry Potter walking tour, checked out Borough Market and went on a night ghost bus tour. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 3: Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards, and explore Westminster for the infamous red telephone booths, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

If you have more time on previous visits to London we have taken a day trip to check out Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye, took a ferry ride down the Thames River, checked out Warner Brother Studios, and did a graffiti/street art tour.

Is London on your list? If you’ve been what did you do that you think is a must for visitors?

Things to do in London, London with kids, family travel
Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are no Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are not babies anymore. Where has the time gone? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner 😭😭😭😭. 

Too in my feelings to provide an informational post, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? List Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? Listen replace husband with whoever you need to but why these ppl keep acting like we can take our money when we’re gone?!? Y’all feel me or nah? 😅😬😩
Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is us Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is usually on everyone’s things to do in London list but since the girls and I don’t eat beef or pork the menus for most places didn’t make sense for us as they are filled with ham sandwiches and other things we don’t eat. I ended up finding Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen instead which offers a tea menu with breakfast items, while not traditional it worked best for us! It cost £35 pp.

For a traditional Afternoon or High Tea Try:

🫖Palm Court at The Ritz
🫖The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
🫖Theatre Royal Drury Lane
🫖The Grill Room Hotel Cafe Royal (has vegetarian an vegan options)
🫖Coronation Afternoon Tea at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey
🫖The Rosebery Coronation Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
🫖The Goring Hotel

Afternoon Teas Geared Towards Families:

☕️Peter Pan Afternoon Tea at Aqua at The Shard
☕️Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel
☕️Jungle Book Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
☕️Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at Taj 51
☕️The Buzzy Bees Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel
☕️Grover’s Children’s Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel
☕️The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
☕️Sherlock Holmes Inspired Afternoon Tea at the Mind Palace
☕️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych
☕️Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson
☕️Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea at The Soho Hotel

Have you done a proper Afternoon or High Tea in London before? Was the one you did on this list, if so what did you think of it? If you have additional recommendations please do leave a comment!

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3 Reasons To Always Gate Check Your Car Seat

September 20, 2016      Tips on Traveling with Kids

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 flying with babies and toddlers you’ll often travel with their car seats. Most airlines allow you to check your car seat for free so don’t worry about paying to bring it. However, a big question is whether you should you gate check your car seat or check it at the ticket counter. Here are 3 reasons to always gate check your car seat.

Gate Checking Your Car Seat Means It’s Less Likely to Be Damaged

If you are escorting your car seat to the gate there will be less people handling it. This means the chances of it being damaged while traveling through the airport are a lot smaller. You still want to protect it from the dirt and germs it will come in contact with while under the plane. Get a car seat protector bag you can put it in before handing it over to the gate agents. The last thing you want is for your babies face to be rubbed up against a car seat that got dirty while being under the plane with everyone’s luggage.


You May Be Interested In: 5 Tips on Traveling with Your Car Seat

Gate Checked Items Are Rarely Lost!

How many times has an airline lost your checked luggage? How when your luggage doesn’t make your flight and has to be delivered at a later time? An airline losing your car seat would surely start your vacation off on the wrong foot. Sometimes airlines have car seats available for passengers in instances they lose yours. However,  it’s not a guarantee and you never know the condition of the one they provide.

If you are renting a car at the airport and that company rents car seats you could potentially get one if they have any available. However, if they don’t, one person would have to get the rental and go and buy a car seat and then come back for you and your child.

But what if you are traveling alone, then what? If you have a family member or friend picking you up they would now have to stop and buy one for you. If you planned on taking a taxi they most likely won’t have one especially if not pre-ordered. In big cities like New York City, there is Uber Family  which provides car seat. Be sure to check out the restrictions on what children are allowed to use them. These all sound like issues I wouldn’t want to deal with!

You May Be Interested In: Tips on Flying with Babies or Tips on Flying with Toddlers

You could get lucky and be able to bring your car seat on the plane! 

Even if you didn’t pay for seat for your child under two if the flight isn’t full you may be lucky enough to get a seat for your lap child. Get to the gate early and ask the gate agent if there are any open seats on the flight. If there are, let them know you are traveling with a lap infant. If that seat isn’t already in your row ask if there is anyway passengers could be rearranged so your lap child could have their own seat.

To increase the chance of an open seat I always select our seats in the last few rows. I also choose the window and pick the aisle for my husband. The rows in the back along with middle seats always fill up last. If the flight doesn’t sell out these seats are usually open. The gate agents and flight attendants I have encountered on many airlines are usually more than willing to assist. The more comfortable your child, the smoother the plane ride for everyone. Just don’t ask the gate agent to reassign seats if you get to the gate during final boarding!


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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Comments

  1. Dnbranch says

    February 7, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    When traveling with a Infant Car Seat do you try to gate check that one also? I am worried about my Travel System and the size and if they will be able to gate check it.

  2. Monet says

    February 13, 2017 at 7:17 am

    Sorry for the delayed response, we have been traveling and I’m just now seeing this. Yes I always gate check the infant car seat as well. Your travel system should break down to 2 pieces so as long as it does the size should be fine. I had a Chicco travel system and never had an issue. If an airline has a weight restriction it’s usually no more than 20lbs for each piece so unless you have a really big stroller I can’t see them denying you. Let me know if you have any other questions!
    Monet

  3. Tanajah says

    December 28, 2017 at 12:25 pm

    I plan on traveling with my infant within the next few month. What advice do you have, if any, on traveling with a jogging stroller travel system

    • Monet says

      January 31, 2018 at 8:26 am

      Hi Tanajah,
      I’ve never traveled with a jogging stroller travel system so not much advice there. However I definitely recommend getting a stroller bag to protect your stroller while it’s under the plane.
      Monet

  4. Petra says

    February 15, 2018 at 5:10 pm

    I have purchased a seat for my 16-mo old daughter (rather than having her on my lap) for a direct 7 hr flight next month. In your opinion should I use my car seat on the plane or just gate check it?
    The last time I traveled with a 18-mo old (my middle child) I used his car seat on the plane, but found the install and navigation in the aisles to be tough.
    Thoughts?

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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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