London - St. Paul's Cathedral, River Cruise, and Wimbledon

Friday, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral, took a river cruise down the Thames, and then to Wimbledon.  Like our last visit to London, it took a long time to get to Wimbledon.  Sadly we missed the last tour and only got to the see a few of the courts and the gift shop.  But it's worth going to if you're a tennis fan, which we are.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

                                                               

View from river cruise

River Cruise

Blue Rock with his Granddad with Big Ben behind them

My parents near the London Eye

Wimbledon

Pointing at their favorite player's names

Wimbledon

Us at Wimbledon 

10 Money-Saving Travel Tips

Pisa, Italy - April 2011

My family loves to travel.  We take a vacation almost every month.  My son just turned 2 and has already been to 17 countries.  Obviously in order to travel as much as we do we have to be wise in how we spend our travel budget.  Here are ways we save money while traveling so we can take more vacations.
 

1. Look for free things to do.  Websites such as Free-Attractions.com make finding free things to do in every state easy.  You can easily find free museums, zoos, parks, concerts, and more.  If you live in Europe or are planning a trip here, check out http://www.freetodo-europe.net/.

2. Take a cruise.  Believe it or not cruising is one of the more economical ways to travel.  If your plans are flexible, book a last minute cruise to save even more.  My travel cruise agent has always helped me save money on cruises.

3. Go camping.  Camping is a cheap way to travel.  Most campsites cost less than $20 a night.  See my camping article for lots of tips.

4. Share a hotel room.  If you have two or three kids you can generally share a hotel room.  Get one room with double beds and add a roll-away bed if you need to.  Or if you are really adventurous you could try something like CouchSurfing, where you stay on someones couch for free.  Couch surfing probably works out better if you are not traveling with children.

5. Consider flying.  If you have to spend more than one night in a hotel to reach your destination it may be worth it to fly, especially if you only have one kid.  Remember, if you spend two nights in a hotel on the way there, you’ll have to spend two nights in a hotel on the way home.

6. Join Priority Hotel Clubs.  Most hotel chains have a hotel priority club.  Members get points for every night they stay that go toward free nights and upgrades.  Also don’t be afraid to call a hotel directly and ask if you can get a discount if you stay more than one or two nights.  A cheaper hotel chain in the Europe is Ibis.  We have stayed at Ibis Hotels in Germany, London, and France.

7. Look for a package deal.  Package deals can save you money, especially if you are traveling last minute.  Book a hotel, flight, and rental car together and save.

8. Travel during the off-season.  Spring, fall, and winter are generally cheaper times of year to travel than summer.  Traveling during the off-season can save you a lot of money.

9. Stay at a bed and breakfast.  Many bed and breakfasts are cheaper than hotels.  Plus they usually include a nice breakfast.  We spent a week in Ireland and only booked our first and last night.  You can read about our Ireland vacation here.  You can find many bed and breakfasts here.

10. Rent an apartment or condo.  If you are going to stay somewhere for a week or longer sometimes it’s less expensive to rent an apartment or condo.  Not only will you save money sleeping but you can cook some of your own meals and save money by not eating out every meal.  Homeaway.com has a great list of apartments and condos for rent.  We rented an apartment in Cinque Terre, Italy, and in Florence, Italy.

How does your family save money when traveling?

Cinque Terre with a Toddler

My husband and I have wanted to visit Cinque Terre for several years.  It is a beautiful rugged portion of coast along the Italian Riviera.  There are "Five Lands" which make up five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.  We stayed in an apartment in Riomaggiore, which ended up being my favorite village.

Traveling with a toddler, too much luggage, and a stroller is tiring, especially when arriving and departing.  We took the train from Pisa, which was super easy.  After making several trips up and down the stairs to get to our apartment we were set to enjoy the beauty.  Most of the towns were stroller friendly after you walk up and down the steps to get to them.  We took our full size German stroller rather than our travel umbrella stroller.  One day we did not use it, we just let our son walk and we carried him.  The next day it was worth bringing it.

Our favorite villages were Riomaggiore, Vernazza, and Manarola.  Although visiting all five is worth doing if you ever go.  There are a few parks in various villages.  We saw one in Vernazza and one in Monterosso.  Needless to say, that was our son's favorite part of Cinque Terre besides hanging out with us.

Hiking is popular in Cinque Terre as is relaxing.  There are few things to see besides the beautiful coast and villages such as a black and white church in Monterosso and a church in Vernazza.  Other than that, enjoy the food, rest, and bring a book.

Here are a few pictures from our time in Cinque Terre.  We walked from Riomaggiore to Vernazza along the "Via dell'Amore" - or Lover's Lane, a track winding along the cliff-tops, high above the sea.  Our apartment overlooked the coast and was in a great location.  We found an apartment recommended by Rick Steve's through a company called Edi.  The location was great.  We had a nice sea view and it was close to everything.  The only downside was all the stairs.

Paris with a Toddler

We spent this past Thanksgiving in Paris.  Thanksgiving morning we woke up to a nice snow fall.  Thankfully our neighbor offered to drive us to the train station in what he called a "Blizzard."  We took the ICE (high speed) train from Germany and it took around 3.5 hours to get to Paris.  The last time I went to Paris was when I was pregnant with one of my friends who came to visit.  It was a girls getaway and a lot different than traveling with a toddler in tow.

 Train

Snow covered ground on Thanksgiving.  Taken from the train.

I am so blessed to have such a great husband.  Collin mapped out our destinations and lead the way.  We spent 4 nights in a 3 star hotel.  We had a suite on the top floor (6th floor) with two balconies.  We had three beds and a crib.  They gave us that room because they didn't know how old our son was when we booked our room.  It was a nice hotel except we didn't have a shower but a bathtub.  That was interesting!  Worked out nice for our boy but was not so nice for us.

During our four nights, five days we went to Museum d'Orsay, the Louvre, Montparnasse Tower, Arc de Triomphe, walk along the Champs Elysees, night walk along the Seine River, sunset cruise along the Seine River, toured the Eiffel Tower, ate at Restaurant Tour Eiffel 58, located on the first floor of the Eiffel, did some shopping, and had a wonderful time with my husband and son.

Travel Tips for Visiting Paris with a Baby or Toddler:

The Metro: The Metro is great for getting around but is NOT stroller friendly.  Make sure at least two people traveling are able to carry the stroller up and down many flights of stairs.  We never saw elevators and the few escalators were either not working or going the opposite direction we were.  At night, many of the stroller entrances are closed which makes getting into the Metro very challenging.

Eiffel Tower: You can take your stroller up the Eiffel Tower.  However, to get to the top level you have to carry it up stairs.  The top level is very small and crowded.  Since I had already been to the top I stayed with my son on the second level (which has better views).  I do, however, recommend going to the top at least once.  Once at the top you are able to buy champagne and toast your time in Paris.  Expect to spend at least an hour going to the top level and coming back down to the second level.  There are several fast food options, sandwiches, pizza, etc. on the 1st and 2nd floor.  There are also two nice but expensive restaurants in the Eiffel.  We ate at the Restaurant Tour Eiffel 58 for lunch and spent 50 Euros for two meals.  It is much cheaper to eat during lunch than dinner and the food was very good.

 Restaurant Tour Eiffel 58

The Louvre: There are elevators in the Louvre but expect to spend more time trying to find them than enjoying the museum.  It is quite a maze when you are unable to use the many stairs.  It is worth it and if you have a young child that naps and can nap in the stroller this would be a good place for them to do so.  The best way to enter the Louvre is downstairs through the mall under the pyramid. The mall under the Louvre is also very nice, there is a food court with a good selection of food and a few stores that sell toys if you want to buy your child a gift.

 Above the Louvre

Inside the Louvre in the mall

Museum de Orsay: This museum is smaller than the Louvre and easier to see everything with a stroller.  There's a side entrance for handicap and families with strollers. Our son was asleep and they did not make us take him out of the stroller to go through the medal detector.  It was a great way to avoid the long line to get into the museum.

Seine River Cruise: We took a one hour sunset cruise along the Seine for 11 Euros a person.  Children under 3 are free.  Dinner was available.  There are several boats and tour companies located along the Seine near the Eiffel Tower.  You can take your stroller on the boats.

 On the Seine River Cruise

 Notre Dome

 Eiffel Tower glowing at night

Montparnasse Tower: The best views of Paris are found from this tower.  This was super easy to get to with a stroller.  The elevator was fast and stops in a climate controlled room that gives you 360 degree view of Paris.  Here you can see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe, and many other wonderful views of Paris.  There is a small restaurant that sells sandwiches, coffee, and desserts.  There is also a mall nearby that has a few restaurants as well.  If you want to go to the top, you can leave your stroller by the entrance upstairs and walk the two flights of stairs to the roof.  The views are nice from the top but are better a few floors below inside.

Picture at the top of the Montparnasse Tower

Arc de Triomphe:  There is an elevator that is stroller friendly to get to the top.  However, it takes you to the inside part of the museum and you have to walk the stairs to get to the roof.  There are nice views from the top of Arc de Triomphe as well but the views from Montparnasse Tower are better.

Highchairs: Very few restaurants have highchairs.  We have a Jeep Travel Anywhere 2-in-1 Sport Booster Seat and Everyday Bag that is great.  We used the bag part to carry diapers and food and it fit nicely under the stroller. 

Language: When traveling to another country it is always helpful to know a few key words and phrases.  However, most people we encountered in Paris spoke some English. 

Disneyland Paris: We decided not to go this time because of the rain and snow.  However, we did find out that there is a train from Paris that goes to Disneyland Paris for 8 Euros each way.  You can purchase cheaper tickets from many Parisian hotels or visitor locations for less than you would pay at Disneyland.  Children 3 and under are free and many hotels offer tickets where children 3-12 are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. 

Packed and Ready!

After an exhausting day, we are finally packed and ready to go on our cruise.  I should have taken my own advice and been 100% done packing yesterday.  There is just so much to think about when you're going to be gone for two weeks and have a baby.  Our suitcases barely closed after we were done.  It's amazing how many diapers, wipes, and baby food is consumed weekly.  Hopefully our flight back home will be lighter since most of the baby items will be used up.  That is if we don't buy anything.

This will be our third cruise to go on, first with a baby.  Thankfully my parents are joining us and will be a huge help in helping with our baby.  They have not seen him in six months.  This will be nice for all of us.  We are looking forward to catching up in person rather than on Skype.

As of now our flight is on schedule.  We have no shore excursions planned which is really unlike us.  I guess we'll book some on the ship.  These past few weeks/months have been really busy.  I'll give you the full report when we return.  Stay safe!

Traveling with a Baby

As we are preparing to go on our first cruise with our soon to be 8 month old son, I want to share a few travel tips from our own personal experiences.  While this is our first cruise to take our son on, we have done quite a bit of traveling since he's been born.  He has already been to 7 different countries, taken 3 round trip flights, including one overseas.  I am not an expert but I have learned a few things.  Here are 11 tips for traveling with a baby.

1. Make a list of what you need and pack early.  I try to have everything packed at least two days before.  

2. Pack extra diapers and wipes especially if you are traveling somewhere you've never been.  This way you’ll have more time enjoying your destination rather than shopping for baby items. 

3. Carry-on extra clothes for the adults and the kids when flying.  There is something about airports and flying that sometimes makes a kid throw up or have extra leaky diapers.  

4. Try to keep your child's regular sleep schedule.  When you travel to a different time zone this is difficult.  But it's important that they get enough rest.  

5. Wipe sanitizers are lifesavers.  I know you can't avoid germs but there is nothing worse than having a sick baby when traveling.  We make it a habit to wipe down highchairs, seatbelts on airplanes, and toys that have fallen on the ground.  

6. On car trips stuff an empty tissue box with plastic bags.  These come in handy for dirty diapers, clothes, and all sorts of things.  

7. Take time to play.  Every day on your trip make sure your baby laughs and smiles.  It's very stimulating for them to travel and they need the extra connection with you.

8. Do not be afraid to throw clothes away.  If you're traveling and your baby has a big blow out diaper sometimes it is just easier to throw the outfit away.

9. Pack baby Tylenol and any other medicine they may need.  

10. Pack extra food.  You never know when your plane will be delayed.

11. Take lots of pictures.  They may not remember these trips so having pictures is a nice reminder.

Most children love traveling.  I hope these tips help you.  I’d love to hear any travel tips you have.