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How many of you have heard you will no longer be a How many of you have heard you will no longer be able to travel once you have kids? I find most people who say these things don’t even have kids or if they do they have never traveled with their kids!

I’m not really into counting countries and we enjoy visiting places more than once, seeing the beauty all over the US and right in our state too. You don’t have to travel far to give your kids amazing experiences but you can also take them wherever you want. Y’all know my motto, if kids live there kids can visit!! 

Where have you been that people said you were crazy for taking your kids (or your parents for taking you) but you were so glad you didn’t listen to them and went anyway.

#travellingwithkids #familytravel
Everything you need to know about visiting Chichen Everything you need to know about visiting Chichen Itza, one of the 7 Wonders of the World (SAVE + SHARE this post).

Chichen Itza is 2.5 hours from Cancun, 2 hours from Playa del Carmen, and 90 minutes from both Tulum and Merida.

You can get here by renting a car, booking a private tour on Airbnb Experiences like we did, coming on a tour bus or for budget travelers taking the ADO bus. 

Most tours from Cancun are all day long, leaving as early as 7/8 am and as late as 9 pm drop off. This is because you’ll visit cenotes outside of Chichen Itza and the town of Valladolid. Since we only had 4 days in Cancun we didn’t want to spend a full day on the road but also really wanted to visit so booking private transportation allowed us to skip all the other stops and just go there and back. We were picked up at 9 and back at the hotel by 4 so we could have a relaxing evening.

Current admission is $533 Mexican pesos for adults, $80 for kids 3-12 and free for kids under 3. That’s about $30 US for adults and $5 for kids.

Once inside there is the main attraction that everyone comes to see but there are also other Mayan dwellings and a cenote. I recommend coming with a guide or hiring an official guide once on site so they can give you information on the history.

Have you been to any of the 7 Wonders? If so, which one(s)?

Hubby and I climbed the Great Wall of China together in 2007, Jordyn, James and I have been to the Colosseum in Rome, the girls and I have been to Petra and we all visited Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, Chichen Itza and the Great Pyramids of Giza together!

#chichenitza #7wondersoftheworld
Today is the last day of school and I could not be Today is the last day of school and I could not be more proud of Jordyn! Look at all those awards she racked up at her end of the year ceremony. She’s reading 3 grade levels above hers, was only 9 points away from a perfect score on her state reading test and made the Honor Roll every quarter of the year. It’s time to celebrate, let summer begin!!!
We’ve been to 34 states and while we haven’t v We’ve been to 34 states and while we haven’t visited them all yet these are 4 states you should consider visiting this summer. (SAVE + SHARE this list for inspo)

📍Idaho- Last year we explored Southern Idaho and it blew us away. City of Rocks National Reserve, Kayak to Shoshone Falls, white water rafting, and walking behind Perrine Coulee Waterfall are musts!

📍Alaska- We visited the South East part of Alaska, Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan and WOW talk about stunning. You’ll love exploring ice caves, walking on glaciers, canoeing through ice bergs, seeing the volcano and hopefully spotting some bears!

📍Utah- From the famous national parks like Zion and Bryce to the lesser known areas like Kanab, Utah is stunning. You can’t miss sand boarding through Coral Pink Sand Dunes and ATVing through the gorgeous landscape.

📍California- Where else can you surf and ski/snowboard in the same day? California has the most national parks in any state so you know the beauty is beyond amazing. Having lived there for 3 years I’ve explored so many cities and there is something for everyone!!

Would you like me to share my website link for our itineraries for each of these trips in stories? Have you been to any of these? Which state intrigues you the most from this list? What city/state would you like to see us cover?

#visittheusa #bucketlisttrip #travellingwithkids
We have been traveling with our girls since they w We have been traveling with our girls since they were 6 weeks old. Is traveling with kids always easy? Nope! Are there added costs to traveling with kids? Yes! But having status with World of Hyatt has helped elevate our travels, making things a little easier and saving us money, here’s how (SAVE + SHARE this post).

1. Being a family of 4 standard hotel rooms can be kind of cramped. Having status with World of Hyatt means we’re eligible for free upgrades when available including suites as a Globalist.

2. Eating out for breakfast everyday on a vacation starts to add up really quickly. As a Globalist we get free breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children.

3. At hotels with club access Globalists also get free access which includes drinks and snacks, the perfect way to hold kids over until dinner without spending money.

4. I don’t know who decided 9 or 10am was a good time for check-out, hello we’re on vacation, we want to sleep in! Having status with World of Hyatt means you qualify for late check out at 2pm or 4pm depending on your level of status. So whether you sleep in, hit the pool or use the other amenities at the hotel you can enjoy a little longer. It especially helps us when we have flights later in the day.

5. After paying for our hotel room we hate having added fees. Thankfully when you have Globalist status with World of Hyatt resort fees are waived on free night awards and/or eligible rates.

6. Free hotel nights! There is nothing like booking a hotel and not paying a penny! Having joined World of Hyatt we rack up points (on more than just stays) and the higher your status, the more points you earn to get free stays faster.

7. As World of Hyatt members we even earn American Airlines miles on our Hyatt stays, getting us free flights faster to save even more money!

From being more comfortable to finding more ways to earn, you’re missing out if you haven’t joined World of Hyatt!

@hyatt #HyattPartner
4 Ways to Redeem Points at Hyatt Hotels & 7 Ways t 4 Ways to Redeem Points at Hyatt Hotels & 7 Ways to Earn World of Hyatt Points & (SAVE + SHARE):

Ways to Redeem
1. Redeem points for rooms at Hyatt hotels. There’s nothing like experiencing luxury without the cost, so glad I could redeem Hyatt points for this stay with one of the best views of Tokyo.

2. Redeem points to cover your meal at participating restaurants at Hyatt hotels.

3. Redeem Hyatt points to cover your spa treatment at participating spas at Hyatt hotels. 

4. Redeem points through World of Hyatt FIND experiences. With over 200 experiences like cooking classes, tastings, & walking tours there are so many activities to choose from!

Ways to Earn
1. Are you an elite member with American Airlines? If so, you can earn 1 Hyatt point for every $1 spent on AA flights. These are in addition to the normal miles you’ll earn on American, just sign into your AA account & link your World of Hyatt account.

2. Rent a car through Avis & can earn 500 Hyatt points per rental. Just provide your Hyatt membership number when making the reservation & use AWD code K817700.

3. Book a FIND experience by World of Hyatt and earn 10 points per $1 spent. Hyatt offers over 200 experiences such as culinary classes with celebrity chefs, hot air balloon ride in Arizona, guided bike tour over the Golden Gate bridge and more.

4. Even if you aren’t staying at a Hyatt property, if you eat at the hotel restaurant or book a spa treatment you can earn 5 points per $1 spent. We actually ate at a Hyatt restaurant in Kyoto & even though we weren’t staying there I gave my World of Hyatt number & received points!

5. Earn points on everyday spending with a World of Hyatt credit card: 2 points per $1 spent on restaurants, airline tickets, local transit, rideshares, & gym memberships plus earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

6. Transfer points earned on other credit cards who partner with Hyatt such like Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Freedom Unlimited & Freedom Flex. 

7. Book a cruise with Lindblad Expeditions & earn 5 points per $1 spent.

Are you doing any of these?

📍Andaz Tokyo

@hyatt #HyattPartner
If you visit Lisbon or any mainland city in Portug If you visit Lisbon or any mainland city in Portugal I highly recommend adding a trip to Madeira! It’s an island off the coast of Portugal, actually closer to Africa than Portugal. Here’s how I spent 6 days in Madeira (Save + Share this post):

🇵🇹Day 1: Pool day at my hotel (NEXT Hotel) for most of the day and then I went running up the crazy hills of Madeira to see Funchal by foot.

🇵🇹Day 2: I explored the NW part of the island visiting Seixal Beach, Ponto Moniz, Fanal Forest and Ilheus da Ribeira da Janela.

🇵🇹Day 3: I went on a sidecar adventure where I explored Valley of the Nuns, the Cabo Girão Skywalk, and the fishing town of São Pedro with @madeirasidecartours.

🇵🇹Day 4: Whale and dolphin watching tour but we only saw dolphins. In the evening I did an Airbnb Experience at a locals farm house where he cooked a great dinner where 90% of the items were picked directly from his gardens that day. He also taught us how to make poncha, a favorite local drink. The tour should already be linked in my Maderia story highlights.

🇵🇹Day 5: I toured the SE part of the island visiting Ponta do Garajau, Monte Palace, and ended the day at the most beautiful views from Pico do Arieiro (the shots of me on the clouds).

🇵🇹Day 6: I watched the sunrise from Miradouro Ponto do Rosto and then did an 8 mile hike of Levado do Caldeirão Verde. After the hike I relaxed at the pool!

If you want photos taken in Madeira I recommend @robframing.

Honestly Madeira was everything and I don’t see it dropping out of my top 5 international destinations anytime soon.

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Travel Safety Tips You Don’t Want to Skip

July 14, 2019      Travel Tips, Trip Planning Tips

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.

We all get excited about going on vacation. After all you’ve spent weeks, months or even a year planning the perfect trip and it’s finally here. As you’re getting ready to leave what’s the one thing everyone says? Be safe! But how do you stay safe while traveling? Implement these travel safety tips written in partnership with Scout and you’ll do just just.

family standing in front of christ the reedemer travel safety tips

Travel Safety Tips Before You Go

Pack Over the Counter Medication

Getting sick on vacation sucks! What’s worse is not being able to get better because there is no pharmacy near you, the medication you’re used to isn’t offered where you are, or you can’t even read the labels because they are in a different language. I remember being so happy I had Motrin for my daughter when she got sick while we were in Costa Rica. It was the middle of the night and the last thing I would want to do is have to wait until the next day to give her some relief and spend who knows how long searching for some.

Know Where the Nearest Hospital is to Your Hotel

On the same lines another travel safety tips is knowing where the nearest hospital is to your hotel. When we traveled to Orlando with a friend her son got sick in the middle of the night and she had to take him to the emergency room. Knowing how far one was and if it made more sense to drive herself or call an ambulance really helped. Imagine having to figure this out at 2AM when you’re exhausted.

Secure Your Home

home alarm system travel safety tips
This blog post is sponsored by Scout Alarm.

You’re going on vacation, not moving, so you want to come back to your home the same way you left it. We secure our home with Scout, it’s an independent home security system that allows us to protect our home wherever we are. Protecting our home is a must but it doesn’t mean we have to spend a crazy amount on security. Scout is affordable and offers flexible monthly plans starting at $9.99/month or $107 for the year. My favorite part is it’s an easy, DIY install so I don’t have to schedule an appointment for a technician to come to your home. Use the app to secure your home from anywhere.

Make Copies of Your Passport and Email Them to Yourself

When we were leaving Brussels to head to Amsterdam my backpack with our passports was stolen at the train station. Thankfully I had copies in my email which makes the process of getting a new passport smoother. In addition to emailing yourself a copy you can also print one and leave it in your hotel room, especially if carry your passport on you.

Prepare Your Children

If you’re traveling with kids make sure they are aware of safety tips too. Besides having our phone numbers memorized we make sure the girls know the name of our hotel. If they have a cell phone make sure their location is on and you have access to find their phone in case you get separated.

Travel Safety Tips While You Are At Your Destination

Ask for the Local Emergency Number

911 is not the emergency number in every country. If something happens to you when no one else is around you’ll need to call help yourself. The middle of an emergency when you’re probably panicking is not the time to look up the emergency number in that country.

Use a Fanny Pack

Listen, fanny packs are back and for good reason. Putting your phone, wallet or other valuables in your pocket makes it easy for thieves to steal it. Even putting things in your backpack can be easily taken as you wear it on your back. Using a fanny pack puts your valuables in front of you where your eyes are always on them and makes it harder for them to be stolen. There are some really fashionable ones now too, like this one I got before our trip to Rio de Janeiro. 

Bring Your Own Carbon Monoxide Detector

Whether you’re staying in a hotel or Airbnb laws in other countries are different. The place you’re staying may not have a carbon monoxide detector and unfortunately their have been tourist deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning. So be prepared and travel with you own like this one.

Add a Lock to Your Hotel or Airbnb Door

So many times I’ve heard stories of people checking into a hotel and then getting to the room they were given a key for and walking in on other guests or seeing all of their stuff in there. Once my mom was staying at a hotel and someone who worked there opened her room door while she was sleeping. I couldn’t imagine the fear that would ensue if that happened to me. With both hotels and Airbnb’s there is always someone who has a spare key.  To keep yourself safe bring your own additional lock. I bought this one for my solo trip to Tulum and now bring it on all of our trips (here’s a cheaper alternative). It was my first solo trip so I even bought this door alarm as well.

You May Be Interested in Reading: 8 Tips to Guarantee a Great Airbnb Experience

Travel Safety Tips When You Return from Your Trip

Check Your Credit Card Activity and Bank Statements

The immediate weeks following a trip I keep an eye on my credit card activity and bank statements. It is so easy for people to steal your account information without even touching your card. There are all these scanners that allow thieves to just swipe your information with you knowing. It’s also a good reason to put your cards in a RFID wallet.

Hopefully these travel safety tips will prepare you for your next trip. I know we just want to go on vacation to have fun but making sure our home is safe while we are traveling and that we stay safe while away is important. Did you find this post helpful? Please share it!

*This blog post was sponsored by Scout but all opinions are my own and true.*

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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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