A Kid’s Guide to the Galapagos Even though I am only eight years old, I have visited 29 countries, and the Galapagos is my favorite destination! My name is Abigail, and I want to tell you about my adventure! If you want to have a fantastic vacation in the Galapagos, you should start by cruising …
What to Expect on a Galapagos Cruise After 30 countries together as a family, we officially have a new all-time favorite destination! Especially in regards to wildlife, the Galapagos is simply on a level of its own. The interactions we experienced with animals in their natural habitat will be lifelong memories for our family. What other …
Traveling to the Galapagos with Kids Thinking about a visit to the Galapagos Islands? It’s a decision many families have put in the “someday” category. However, after experiencing it for ourselves, our family can officially say it’s an unbeatable adventure! Booking a family departure cruise with Ecoventura was one of the best travel decisions our …
Medellin with Kids After spending four days in Medellin, Colombia with kids, our family can officially agree that its transformation is inspiring! What was once the most dangerous city in the world has become amazingly innovative, safe, and family-friendly. Medellin has worked HARD to clean up the city and image, while still proudly holding onto …
Skylodge Adventure Suites Our 8 days in Peru were everything we had hoped it would be and more! Peru has so much to offer every traveler whether you are a family, adventure seeker, history buff, or nature lover. We toured the idyllic town of Cusco, explored the surrounding area by ATVs, and hiked the classic …
Washington D.C. with Kids After traveling to 18 countries over the last 10 months, our family wanted to prioritize a stop at our nation’s capital. Washington DC has so much to offer families! All of the Smithsonian Museums are “free” (or Jon would say “included” as a taxpayer). The National Mall offers incredible views, amazing …
Power Supply in Peru Do you need an adaptor or a converter when traveling to Peru? During our trip to Peru in May 2022 (read details about COVID requirements here), we had an incredible time touring Cusco, spending the night at Skylodge, and hiking the Inca Trail. Peru is amazing, and we consider it one …
Travel to Peru during COVID-19 We traveled to Peru during COVID-19 for a trip on the Inca Trail in May 2022. Peru is an amazing country and should be on everyone’s bucket list! This article answers all your questions about the logistics of traveling to Peru based on our experience in May 2022. Always check …
Top 5 Tips for Hiking the Inca Trail Visiting Macchu Picchu was a trip years in the making for us, and it did not disappoint! The only way we wanted to arrive was by foot along the Inca Trail. Unless that’s a physical impossibility (read about fitness tips later), the hike is an experience of …
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is consistently ranked at the top of all zoos in the nation and for good reason! Our family went when our son was a baby and knew we had to return once the kids were older. The commitment to conservation, animal interactions, and scenery all set …
Egypt Money Tips We spent 2 weeks in Egypt as part of our family trip around the world. Because each new country brings with it a difference in how money works best, we want to share our best Egypt money tips with you. As our trip has progressed (Egypt is our 17th country), we continually …
Getting around Egypt How difficult is getting around Egypt as a tourist? During our family trip around the world, we always wanted to stop in Egypt. We had a 2-day visit without kids during our Mediterranean cruise 10 years prior, and always knew we’d be back. However, we did not have to navigate our way …
Hurghada with Kids During our family trip around the world, we spend 7 days at Hurghada Long Beach Resort. After dealing with a wide variety of lodging during our first 6 months of travel, it was amazing! On our trip so far we have struggled with bugs of ALL kinds, being too hot AND too …
Masai Mara with Kids After having such a great time on our 2-night safari to Uganda, we decided to continue with a safari to Masai Mara with our kids. We had not initially budgeted for a second safari, so made some intentional changes to make it happen. First, we didn’t eat a single restaurant meal …
Can a Tourist get MPESA? When our family arrived in Kenya we saw signs everywhere for MPESA. Jon has worked hard at learning and managing international finances, which you can read about here, but MPESA was new. MPESA is a cell-phone-based payment system that can operate using SMS (text) messages. Data signals may be spotty, …
Getting from Nairobi to Diani Beach You should visit Diani Beach! Read about our family’s top activities in Diani Beach here. However, unlike us, you should be prepared for how to get to Diani Beach. Our trip to Kenya started in Uganda, and so we flew into the Mombasa airport. If you want the best …
Visit to a Masai Village During our 3 day safari to the Masai Mara, Jon took the opportunity to visit the traditional Masai village. This was after a 10-hour game drive that day, so the kids were ready for a rest. Also, the “initial” cost for the visit was $20. For Ashley and the kids, …
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COVID Travel to Kenya Our family spent 4 weeks in Kenya during December 2021 during our trip around the world. We learned a lot about entering Kenya and safety with moving around. We want to share our lessons with you because Kenya is an amazing country! It is home to the white-sand Diani Beach, and …
How Expensive is Diani Beach, Kenya? During our family’s trip around the world, we spent nearly a month in Kenya. We planned this longer stay to keep our budget in check, but how expensive is Diani Beach, Kenya? Kenya had an amazing array of costs. There are things that seem impossibly cheap: tuk-tuks, local pastries, …
Diani Beach with Kids Our family spent 4 weeks in Kenya during our trip around the world. We spent three of those weeks doing some great activities in Diani Beach with our kids. You can read about safety and travel to Kenya here and about how expensive Kenya is here. Diani Beach has been consistently …
Money Tips for Dubai Our family learned several money tips for Dubai during our recent trip to the United Arab Emirates. We actually stayed in 3 emirates (Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai), but Dubai was the primary destination. Read about our top adventures here or tips on travel to Dubai during COVID here. Dubai can …
COVID-19 Travel to Dubai Our family traveled to Dubai during COVID in November 2021 as part of our extended trip around the world. We flew into Dubai and visited the adjoining emirates of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. This post is simply to share our experience of traveling within the United Arab Emirate (UAE) during COVID …
Dubai with Kids Our family did some great adventures in Dubai with kids during our 8 days in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November 2021. When planning our trip around the world, Dubai was one of the few places we had predetermined to visit. Brandon is a huge fan of waterparks and had been …
Budapest with Kids Spending 3 nights in Budapest with kids was not on our list when planning our family trip around the world. Thankfully, that oversight was corrected by travel logistics. The cheapest way for us to get from Slovenia to Dubai was to transit via Budapest. We jumped on what has become our favorite way to travel …
COVID-19 Travel to Slovenia If Slovenia is not on your bucket list, add it. We decided to travel to Slovenia during Covid in October 2021. When we started planning for our trip around the world, Jon specifically wanted to spend extra time here. There’s the allure of the lakes, caves, gorges, mountains, and coast. Choose …
Travel to Piran During the first 2 months of our family trip around the world, we moved rapidly. From our start in Paris, we only stayed in one place for more than 7 nights and used 12 different overnight accommodations. We were ready to slow down for a bit and knew we were heading to …
How Expensive is Slovenia? We expected Slovenia to live up to its reputation: everything the Alps has to offer, with smaller crowds and cheaper prices. So, how expensive is Slovenia? Our family spent 23 nights in Slovenia during October 2021. You can read about our stay in Piran, our favorite adventures throughout the country, and …
Slovenia With Kids Our family had an amazing time in Slovenia with our kids. We started with 12 nights in Piran, and you can read about that part of our trip here. After a quick overnight to Croatia, we spent another 11 nights between Ljubljana and to the northwest, in the area of Triglav National …
Plitvice Lakes National Park during COVID-19 Croatia should be on everyone’s travel bucket list. During our family trip around the world, we prioritized a trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park during COVID. This was an easy drive from Piran, Slovenia. There are public transportation options to arrive at Plitvice Lakes, but it is better to …
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COVID-19 Travel to the Colosseum Our family spent a week in Rome in October 2021. Read this to plan ahead for the Colosseum during COVID. The Colosseum is Jon’s favorite historical landmark, so make sure you are ready. For tips on traveling to Italy as a whole, visit our separate post here. Tickets for the …
How Expensive is Rome? How expensive is Rome? Our family spent a full week in the Eternal City in October 2021. We track all of our expenses and share our tips to help you plan your trip! For years, we have listed Rome as one of our favorite cities in the world, and we were …
Rome with Kids You should plan to visit Rome with kids. For years, we have listed Rome as one of our favorite cities in the world, and we were excited to finally experience it with our kids. Rome may be the most important city in the history of the world. After accounting for the history …
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COVID-19 Travel to Italy We have changed countries 5 times in the first month of our family’s trip around the world. Traveling throughout the European Union countries has been easy: no COVID-19 tests for kids. However, Italy created new rules starting in the fall of 2021. COVID-19 travel to Italy now requires COVID-19 testing for …
Cinque Terre with Kids Cinque Terre is an amazing family destination. We found that Cinque Terre with kids offered amazing adventures during our family’s trip around the world. Here’s the 5 our family did, all for €30 or less. You might first think about seeing the 5 towns, riding a train or a boat, and …
Where to Stay in Cinque Terre? It can be difficult to decide where to stay in Cinque Terre. Our family spent a full week here in September 2021. We chose to spend all 7 nights in Monterosso, and it was a great decision! We visited all 5 towns and Levanto. Because we travel with kids, …
Save Money in Cinque Terre Our family spent an amazing week in Cinque Terre in September 2021. During our trip around the world, we are staying focused on maximizing our family adventures while responsibly managing our finances. Here are our top secrets we used to save money in Cinque Terre while staying in Monterosso: Use the …
How Expensive is Cinque Terre? How expensive is Cinque Terre? Our family spent a full week in Cinque Terre in September 2021. After researching the various options, we chose to stay in Monterosso, which ended up being perfect. Cinque Terre can be expensive or very affordable. Read about our tips for saving money in Cinque …
COVID-19 Travel to the French Riviera How is the French Riviera during COVID-19? Is it possible to enter France, move around within the country, and is it worth visiting? Here’s a recap of our experience: Our family trip around the world moved along with a flight from Malaga, Spain, to Marseille, France. We spent one …
How Expensive is the French Riviera? We spent 8 nights along the French Riviera as a family of 4. How expensive is the French Riviera with kids? The answer might surprise you. Here is a detailed breakdown of our costs, including flights from Spain. Transportation: $264 $150: We flew RyanAir from Malaga to Marseille. With …
French Riviera with Kids The French Riviera. The Cote d’Azur. The peace, calm, beaches, great food. And kids? We spent a week of our family’s trip around the world in Cagnes-sur-mer along the French Riviera with kids. It was a family-friendly destination and has a lot to offer for kids! Here are the top 5 activities …
Monte Carlo Casino during COVID-19 During our day trip to Monaco, part of our family journey around the world, Jon took an hour to visit the inside of the Monte Carlo Casino. Here is Jon’s trip report for visiting the Monte Carlo Casino during COVID-19: First of all, Goldeneye is clearly the best James Bond …
COVID-19 Travel to Monaco Can you travel to Monaco during COVID-19? We did! After spending a day in Monaco in September 2021, this is our top information to pass along: We traveled by train from Cagnes-Sur-Mer (between Nice and Antibes) to Monaco. We brought our passports and our vaccination cards but did not need to …
How Expensive is Spain? We spent 13 days in the south of Spain as a family of 4. How expensive is Spain with kids? Here is a detailed breakdown of our costs, including travel via overnight bus from Lisbon to Malaga. Transportation: $401 We had a great experience getting to Malaga by FlixBus for $100. …
Overnight FlixBus With Kids During our family trip around the world, we have continued to recite our family mantra: “Be flexible.” Because the rules of travel during COVID-19 change so fast, we are planning one week at a time. Our search for a great travel route out of Lisbon led us to FlixBus. Jon was …
Caminito del Rey Without Tickets During our family trip around the world, we spent 13 days in Malaga, Spain. This is the home of Caminito del Rey, one of the top-rated hikes in the world. Because we ended up in Malaga on short notice, we didn’t plan and book a reservation. We checked the official …
Malaga with Kids Our family spent 13 days in Malaga, Spain, in September of 2021 as part of our family’s trip around the world. Read about the impact that COVID-19 had on our travel and activities in Spain here. We planned to visit the southern coast of Spain, but didn’t finalize plans for the Malaga area until the …
COVID-19 Travel to Spain This describes our experience traveling to Spain in September 2021. It is not prescriptive for travel arrangements. Rules concerning COVID-19 travel to Spain can rapidly change. Consult official sources for up-to-date information before booking and executing travel plans. We use and recommend the Re-open EU site. Travel to Spain We arrived …
How Expensive is Portugal? We spent 6 days in Portugal as a family of 4. How expensive is Portugal with kids? Here is the detailed breakdown of our costs, including flying to Lisbon from Paris. Read our thoughts on traveling to Portugal as a family here. Transportation: $308.45 4 flights from Paris to Lisbon: $184.52 …
Portugal with Kids Our family spent 6 days in Portugal at the end of August 2021. We had no issues arriving in Lisbon via flight from Paris (read about our experience traveling from the U.S. to Paris during COVID here). Our passports and COVID vaccine cards were both checked in Paris. Therefore, we had no …
Plug Adapter or Voltage Converter Now is a great time to start planning your trip to Europe. COVID-19 vaccinations are allowing for tourism to open, and prices are great (read more about our experience with COVID protocols in France here). You may know that outlets come in different sizes around the world. You might even …
Paris Transportation: Paris Visite vs. Navigo Decouverte Paris is an amazing place to visit. There are sights, tastes, activities, smells (some of them good) all awaiting American tourists. What is the best, cheapest way to get around Paris and enjoy everything that France has to offer? Our family saved over $100 by skipping the Paris …
COVID-19 Travel to France The impact of COVID-19 travel to France continues to evolve. It is confusing to figure out testing requirements, safety of travel, and if things are open. Here is how our trip to France has been impacted by COVID-19, arriving from the USA in late August 2021 without a digital EU health …
How Expensive is Paris with Kids? How expensive is Paris? Balancing amazing travel and financial responsibility is a focus for our family. The first stop for our family trip around the world was Paris. We stayed for 7 nights and did everything we wanted to do; below is the breakdown of our expenses. For our …
Paris with Kids Our family had an wonderful first week of our international travel by starting in Paris. The city has amazing history, sights, food, and people. However, it can be intimidating to do Paris with kids. Here are the top 5 recommendations after our week in France for doing Paris with kids: 1. Use …
New York City with Kids A trip to the Big Apple, the city that never sleeps, during COVID-19 and enjoying NYC with kids?! Read our top 5 tips below for how to have an amazing time in New York City. Yes, Manhattan is huge and has people everywhere, but with a little planning for logistics …
Saving Money in Boston As the start of a year-long adventure around the world with our kids, we had a great 3 night trip to Boston and found some great ways to enjoy the city at great savings. If you are visiting with kids in tow, check out our top 5 recommendations for visiting Boston …
Boston with Kids It’s hard to believe our family actually did it… we set off on a year-long adventure around the world with our kids. Boston was our very first stop and, therefore, will probably always hold a special place in our hearts. It was our first flight with our heavy backpacks, our first meal …
https://youtu.be/V7tgBAE64L4 St. Pete Beach After canceling trip after trip in 2020, our family was excited to finally get some quality time in St. Pete Beach near Tampa, Florida. This location is so convenient to amazing adventures in every direction even in neighboring areas. You can go north to swim with manatees in Crystal River. You’re …
Why Florida is a Great Place for a Family Vacation Florida is an obvious choice when it comes to a family vacation, and not just because of its wonderful weather and amazing beaches. The Sunshine State gives families a plethora of choices geared toward children and is great on the wallet. Families can choose between …
How Expensive is Switzerland? If you have followed our family and our history of traveling and finances, you know we both enjoy amazing experiences but also try to be reasonable with our money. We don’t like the terms “frugal” or “stingy” because they both have connotations of not being able to enjoy money. Intentional. That’s …
Switzerland Switzerland has been on our bucket list for years, so our family jumped at the chance to visit after finding amazing flight prices through Scott’s Cheap Flights. However, it’s hard to know where to even start the planning process. There are hundreds of amazing villages and towns all throughout the Swiss Alps, each one …
Panama City Beach The gulf coast has always been a family favorite of ours, and Panama City Beach is no exception. It’s so convenient to much of the eastern United States, and the crystal clear ocean will make you think you are in the Caribbean. This made PCB an easy choice for our family when Jon …
Guide for Leading a Trip to Israel We recently wrote a post about our favorite tips for traveling to Israel that you can find here. However, we felt like tips for LEADING a trip to Israel deserved it’s own post since there is so much that goes into it. When you are in charge of …
8 Tips for Traveling to Israel Traveling Graces usually focuses on taking our kids to awesome places and having unique experiences. This time, Mr. and Mrs. Traveling Graces led a group of 31 (!) to Israel for a tour on evangelical Christian and Biblical history with a focus on the life of Jesus. This post …
Miami Although our family has been to many beach destinations around this area, we were originally skeptical of whether Miami would be a suitable destination for families. We were pleasantly surprised to find the area around our condo to be low key, quiet, and very family friendly. Throughout the week, we enjoyed parasailing, surfing, touring …
Wilstem Ranch French Lick, Indiana has become quite the tourist destination. For years, it has offered luxury accommodations at French Lick Resort and Casino as well as West Baden Resort. It has also tapped into the family travel niche with the addition of Wilstem Ranch and Big Splash Adventure. You could easily spend an entire …
Belize With very reasonably priced airfare from the US, traveling to Belize has been on our family’s bucket list for quite some time. During our previous trip to Costa Rica, we loved splitting our time between the country’s jungle and ocean areas and knew that would be the perfect way to experience Belize as well. …
Costa Rica We began our travels to Costa Rica fully confident that it would deliver on natural beauty and heart-racing adventures. However, we never imagined that we would leave ranking it as one of our favorite destinations in the world! After experiencing the friendly no-pressure attitude, beautiful beaches, safe and easy to drive country-side, and …
Disney World ** Check out ALL the details of our trip on WDW Prep School’s podcast with Shannon Albert here. ** Although our family travels to Florida have included a day or two at Disney in the past, this was our family’s first chance to spend a full week staying on-site! This can easily be …
Caribbean Cruise Jon and Ashley have been long time fans of cruising, but wondered if it was a good choice with our two young kids. Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas ended up being a great decision for our first family cruise with endless activity choices for all ages. Details: This particular cruise sailed to …
Ireland This summer Brandon and I had the opportunity to meet my parents in Ireland for a week of wandering and exploring! We found it to be an easy destination for traveling internationally from the US with kids. There is no language barrier, and it’s very safe and closer than most European cities. Although Ireland …
Atlantis There’s a lot to know about traveling to the Bahamas. A trip to Atlantis will be awesome, but make sure you read this to stay safe, avoid the frustration of extra costs, and enjoy all the amenities and food. Let’s get right to it, Our family’s ultimate list: Upon arriving at the airport, there …
Turks and Caicos Turks and Caicos promises clear blue water, relaxation on white sand beaches, and luxury accommodations, but how does it measure up as a family destination? Our family set to find out when we found an amazing deal on flights and a picturesque home to rent. Details: We first became interested in traveling …
Mediterranean Travels 18 days, 4 continents, and 29 stops along the way, what a whirlwind trip! At the time we thought this might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so we traveled by plane, train, and ship to see as much as we could! We loved each stop for different reasons: Rome for its charm and food, …
Moorea, Tahiti Our ten-year anniversary trip that we had saved for and dreamt about since our honeymoon finally arrived! Moorea absolutely did not disappoint. Details: We arrived into Papeete via Air Tahiti early in the morning then took a ferry over to the smaller island of Moorea. After researching several islands in French Polynesia, …
Massanutten Resort Massanutten Resort in the mountains of Virginia caters to year-round family fun during all four seasons! Snow sports, adventure courses, restaurants, pools, indoor and outdoor waterparks, and golf courses are just a few of the countless things they offer their guests. Details: Massanutten remains a destination that our family has chosen to return …