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Walking into this Wednesday with an extra pep in o Walking into this Wednesday with an extra pep in our step.  While we’ve always raised our girls to know they can be or do anything we couldn’t be more excited for them to have witnessed #HERstory themselves today. How y’all feeling on this glorious Wednesday? #representationmatters #thefutureisfemale
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” “The time is always right to do what is right.” Nearly 53 years later and these words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are words that fit so perfectly in today’s society, that is a sad truth.

My dream for America would be for it to get its shit together. For the many Americans in denial of what is actually happening in this country to wake up. For allies to be loud all the time, not just on #blackouttuesday. The work Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped start is not done and I’m afraid it never will be. 

From visiting his birth home (swipe left) to where he was assassinated, we’ll always strive to be our children’s best teachers. Remember it starts at home! #mlkday
Wow, so many new faces in our tiny corner of IG! I Wow, so many new faces in our tiny corner of IG! I am so happy our “how we afford to travel so much” series and photography tips have been helpful, more coming soon! Just wanted to share a little more about us. We’re Monet, James, Jordyn and Kennedy and we live in South Florida. I started The Traveling Child in 2016 to inspire parents to travel the world with their kids while providing tips to make it easier and affordable. Our motto is if kids live there, kids can visit and you’ll often find us exploring destinations most don’t consider “kid friendly”. 

Hubby and I met at the one and only University of Florida #gogators. We’ve been together for 14yrs and have our 8yr wedding anniversary coming up soon. Our love for travel isn’t new, 2 months into our relationship we studied abroad together in China.

Jordyn is 6, Kennedy is 4 and they both go to regular public school because well homeschool is not for us lol, but school has been virtual recently because of you know what. Still travel with school aged kids is possible and there are flight deals during school breaks!

James works in sales in Corporate America in an office setting so while I have my own business now we do have tips on traveling frequently with a full time job as well.

I’m Jamaican and well that means I’m a hustler lol. I’m the author of the children’s book, The Traveling Child Goes to Rio de Janeiro (available on Amazon), a freelance writer for The Points Guy and wannabe photographer.  I also write for our own blog/website www.thetravelingchild.co where we share our tips on affordable travel, traveling with kids and providing the itineraries for all the places we’ve traveled to.

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How we flew to Singapore for free! We got a flight How we flew to Singapore for free! We got a flight deal for $395RT (tip from our how we afford to travel so much part 1 reel) and coupled that with points earned from a sign up bonus from a travel card. That cards bonus was 100,000 points which was redeemable for $1,250 in travel purchases. $395x3 plus only the taxes for Kennedy’s lap infant ticket meant we paid nothing out of pocket for the fights there! (Save and share this post.)

Is this series helpful? What do you want me to cover in part 3?

P.S. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using points and miles and 60 seconds is def not enough to go in depth. So I’m hosting a webinar on Saturday, January 23rd at 1pm EST where I’ll tell and show you how to find and book flight deals, go over travel credit cards and the other tools we use to afford travel so much. You will be able to ask all the questions you want and because of that it’s an intimate event with only 30 tickets available. Can’t wait to help you learn the tools to afford travel now so when the world is completely open you’re prepared! #traveltipsandtricks
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South Styrian Wine Road, The Perfect Weekend Trip from Graz

September 30, 2019      Austria, Destinations, Europe

After spending a few days enjoying all the things to do in Graz I wanted to explore more of what Austria had to offer. If you’re into wine, beautiful scenery and amazing food South Styria is the perfect place for a weekend trip from Graz. I spent three days and two nights enjoying the South Styrian Wine Road. Here is my itinerary to help you plan your own getaway!

Thanks to Visit Suedsteiermark and Graz Tourism for hosting myself along with Christina from Happy to Wander, Suzanne from Travel Bunny and Danielle from The Thought Card in partnership with the Propel Conference.

Weekend Trip From Graz: How to Get to South Styria

From Graz, Southstyria is a 45-minute drive or you can take the local train. Based on my itinerary we took the train from Graz to Leibnitz. It is very easy to take the train within and throughout Europe, here are some reasons why.

South Styrian Wine Road Itinerary

Weekend Trip from Graz Day One: Schloss Seggau and Buschenschank Tinnauer

Schloss Seggau

Leave Graz mid-afternoon and head to Leibnitz to enjoy the Schloss Seggau, often referred to as the Seggau Castle. It dates back to the 12th century and is also home to a hotel and 300 year old Episcopal wine-cellar. Arrive early enough to start your wine tasting journey of the castles own in-house made wines at their on-site wine shop.

 

In the evening have dinner at Buschenschank Tinnauer, a local restaurant which has been owned by the same family for generations. As it’s a small family business you’ll most likely be serviced by Martin Tinnauer, the owner of the restaurant. If you’re interested he will explain the history of Southstyrian traditional cold meat meals. Sit outside and enjoy the view of astonishing hills and vineyards. 

The Owners of Buschenschank Tinnauer, Mr. and Mrs. Tinnauer

Weekend Trip from Graz Day Two: Wine Tasting, Slovenia, and Pumpkin Seed Oil Making

Vinofaktur Genussregal

For my first full day on the South Styrian Wine Road I had breakfast at my hotel before arriving at Vinofaktur Genussregal where my group was immediately poured glasses of Rosé. However, we hadn’t only arrived at our first winery, I’d go as far as to say it’s a museum.

We got a private tour where we learned about the wine industry in Austria and specifically South Styria. The tour was also our first introduction to learning about the oils produced in the area and this regions famed pumpkin seed oils. What fun would learning about them be if we did get to taste them, there are so many samples available to try. Not only oils but honey as well. I never knew there were different types of honey dependent upon the bees but we were able to try four different kinds.

Meat is huge in Austria and if you’re a meat eater you’ll be happy to know trying the infamous cold meats is also an option here. I don’t eat beef or pork but was very interested in learning all the things made from pigs. Items like medication capsules, shampoos, needles, ceramic glasses, bullets, candles, wine corks, matches, cigarettes, and more are made from various parts of pigs.

We started our visit with rosé and we would finish it with another tasting or both red and white wines. If you want to stock up on wine, this is the place to do it. There is a whole warehouse full of wine for purchase.

Lunch at Landgasthof Wratschko

After a wine and history filled morning we had lunch at Landgasthof Wratschko . Here we had another meal special to the area, Backhendl. Backhendl is the areas special fried chicken and it was delicious!

Kästenburg Winery

Our post lunch schedule was supposed to include walking one of the wine hiking trails. Unfortunately, the rain was non-stop throughout the day so we wouldn’t be able to complete this. However, we still continued to enjoy many glasses of wine. We headed to Kästenburg Winery which has opened in 1638 and continues to be ran by the same family. Six generations later the wine production is handled mainly by Jakob Jakopé, the youngest of his 3 siblings at 21.

Jakob gave us a tour of the cellar where their award winning wine is aged. He also showed us the vineyards on the property while pouring us several glasses of wine to try. 

Heart Shaped Road in Slovenia

Since it was still raining we added a nice detour to our itinerary and headed to Slovenia. Austria and Slovenia border each other and the imaginary line that separates the two is on the road. So as we drove to Dreisiebner Stammhaus, half of the car was in Austria while the other half was in Slovenia. I was sitting in the middle I was technically in two countries at one time! So why were we driving to Slovenia? The restaurant I mentioned overlooks Slovenia’s famous heart-shaped road.

While we didn’t eat at the restaurant since they so graciously allowed us to come on their property and take photos we gave a 2 Euro donation. This is typical for anyone who wants to visit and take pictures, just pay on your way out.

The Resch Pumpkin Seed Oil Press

While wine might be the main focus of most people’s visit to South Styria, the pumpkin seed oil industry is just as big here. We had the pleasure of visiting the Resch Pumpkin Seed Oil Press where we got a private tour from 5th generation producer, Bernd Resch. His whose family has been producing oil since 1842 and he currently does it alongside his dad. 

He showed us the entire process beginning with milling or grinding the seeds, followed by mixing in water and salt. Afterwards the mixture is boiled at 180 degrees and then pressed so the oil comes out. The leftover press is fed to the cows! You can get a tour every Tuesday from 9AM-8PM. While the pumpkin oil here is amazing I’d be holding on to a selfish secret if I didn’t tell you about the pesto they also make. Just buy it!!

Back to Kästenburg Winery for Dinner

After a long day of exploring it was time for dinner and we headed back to Kästenburg Winery. In addition to the winery, the family also operates an inn and restaurant where Jakob’s mom, sister and brother work. For dinner we had a mix of traditional South Styrian foods hot and cold alongside amazing glasses of wine. Dinner was phenomenal but be sure to save some room for dessert because you will love the freshly made pastries.

How to Get Around South Styria When Wine Tasting

If you follow our itinerary and do all the wine drinking we were doing, driving yourself around won’t be the best idea. Instead make a reservation with WeinMobil, a taxi service for visitors wine tasting.

Another option available to wine tasters staying in Gamlitz is the free taxi service offered to hotels, wineries and restaurants who participate in the GAST Taxi service. If you’re going from one participating establishment to another this option will be your cheapest.

Where to Stay During Your South Styrian Wine Road Adventure

We stayed at the  Weinlandhof Hotel, located in Gamlitz. The rate includes a breakfast buffet with quite a few options including hot and cold food. There is even a stove top to make your own fresh eggs. The rooms were decent but the WiFi is very limited and I had to go to the common area to use the internet. Besides that there is a nice spa and pool downstairs and massages are even offered on an appointment basis.

Enjoying the South Styria Wine Road was the perfect way to end my trip in Austria. After getting to visit here and spend 3 days in Graz, I’m very much looking forward to exploring more of the country. Did you find this post helpful? Please share it!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Suzanne Jones says

    October 1, 2019 at 5:53 pm

    That was such a fun trip! Reading this was a lovely reminder 🙂

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Hey, I’m Monet!

Hey, I’m Monet!

A full time working woman, wife and mama of two. I use every last one of my vacation days traveling with my kids, hubby, friends or solo. Join me as I share my travel experiences and tips to make travel affordable and easier with the little ones. You can read more about me here.

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