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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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Sydney to Melbourne for The Great Ocean Road Tour

November 26, 2016      Austrailia, Destinations

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 planning our Australia itinerary it was very hard deciding how to spend our 8 days. While going from Sydney to Melbourne was high on my list I was outvoted for Syndey and Cairns. However, missing a once in a lifetime opportunity to take The Great Ocean Road Tour had me book a last minute flight from Sydney to Melbourne and I am so glad I did. Here’s everything you need to know about traveling from Sydney to Melbourne for The Great Ocean Road Tour.

How to Get From Sydney to Melbourne

When traveling from Sydney to Melbourne you will have many options from International airlines to smaller budget airlines. We chose to fly the budget airline Tigerair. Tigerair has an extremely limited luggage allowance but since we already booked our Airbnb in Sydney prior to booking this trip we only needed a bag for our day in Melbourne and left the rest of our luggage in Sydney. Roundtrip flights from Sydney to Melbourne range from $70-$200 round trip and there are flights nearly every hour from 7:00AM to 11:00PM.

Where to Stay in Melbourne: Melbourne Airport Hotels

When deciding where to stay in Melbourne we decided a Melbourne airport hotel would be best. This is because we were only spending one full day in Melbourne arriving from Sydney late at night and returning on a 6AM flight. With options to fit any budget directly at Melbourne Airport you can choose between Park Royal, Holiday Inn, and ibis Budget Melbourne Airport hotel.

Melbourne Airport Shuttle

Since we had an extremely short trip from Sydney to Melbourne and were taking a tour with provided transportation renting a car didn’t make sense. Instead to get to the city for our tour we took the Melbourne Airport Shuttle,the SkyBus. The Melbourne Airport Shuttle is an express bus that gets you from the airport to the city in 20mins. At the time of our visit the cost was $28.96 round trip. The Melbourne Airport Shuttle picks up in front of Terminals 1, 3, & 4. Even if you are coming into Terminal 2 the walk between terminals is extremely short as it’s a small airport. If you are staying in a hotel in the city, they even have complimentary shuttles that will take you from the bus station to and from your hotel.

The Sunset Great Ocean Road Tour

For our one day in Melbourne we booked this Sunset Great Ocean Road Tour through Viator. You will meet your tour guide at the office before they whisk you a way for this 14 hour tour. The main attraction of the Great Ocean Road tour is visiting the 12 Apostles but there is more in store on this tour.

Before getting the 12 Apostles you have a very scenic coastal drive. You’ll stop in the Eucalyptus Forest where you can see wild Koalas up in the trees. On our Great Ocean Road tour we even spotted wild Kangaroos, what a sight to see. Afterwards you will make a pit stop in a small town for a pizza lunch. Here you’ll also have time to stretch your legs and walk along the beach, shop in the various stores and get some dessert.

Sydney to Melbourne Great Ocean Road Tour Loch Gord

Heading back out you will visit both the Loch Ard Gord and Gibson Steps. Our driver allowed us about 25-45 minutes at each stop before we had to head to the next one. How much time you’ll have depends on the time of year you visit and what time the sunsets at the 12 Apostles.

We stopped for dinner right before getting to the 12 Apostles. There wasn’t the opportunity to sit down like we did earlier for lunch. Our driver brought us to a place where we could use between two options. Fish & chips are huge in this area so we decided to try out the recommended place. You can eat in the van on the way to the 12 Apostles or wait until you get there to eat while watching the sunset. I knew I’d need my hands to take pictures so I opted to eat in the van! It is a long day with a lot of driving but it was more than worth it!

​In hindsight I could have only spent 2 days in Sydney and 2 days in Melbourne. I wasn’t too much of a fan of Sydney and would have liked to explore more of Melbourne. One of my friends who came to Melbourne with us opted to just explore the city instead of doing the Great Ocean Road tour. She said she loved it and was so happy she too ditched a day in Sydney. Either way I am so happy I followed my gut and changed my itinerary. Heading from Sydney to Melbourne to experience the Great Ocean Road Tour was an unbelievable experience. Did you find this post helpful? Please share it!

 

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  1. Best Spa in Mumbai says

    August 1, 2017 at 6:53 am

    Hi,
    Thanks for sharing this great place and these awesome pics, it was fun reading this blog. Keep sharing and caring, it has been a great help.

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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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