I recently became a contributor for Top Flight Family, a luxury travel website for sophisticated families. Click on the link below for my recommendations on how to travel out of the country with no worries while leaving your kids at home.
http://topflightfamily.com/caregiver-checklist-traveltips/
I have a confession to make…
I visited Amsterdam with my girlfriends and for the most part, it was all a dream. Literally! Amsterdam had so much to offer when it comes to the Arts and it is home to some of the best museums in the world. For the most part, we squandered the opportunity to enjoy this history and art away. How was it squandered away you might ask? Special Cake… But I will get to that later.
In my opinion, Amsterdam is not a thriving culinary city, and we spent half of our first evening there searching for a suitable place to eat. We settled on a pub that offered shepherd’s pie and french onion soup to get us by. After dinner, we headed straight to the red light district! It was everything that I thought It would be and more. The red light district was full of streets lined with sex shops, peep shows and women posing casually in windows of walk up brownstones waiting for you to make an offer. No photography was allowed of the ladies in the windows, but they were not shy and their intentions were very clear.
Later that night, we stopped by a coffee shop for dessert and stumbled upon what the locals call “special cake”. Amsterdam is famous for its free spirit and long time legalization of weed. It comes in all forms, and one of the most common ways that it is served in Amsterdam is in baked goods. So back to dessert… We had coffee and cake at the Damkring and that is all I can remember about Amsterdam until our last day and our visit to the Anne Frank Museum.
My friend Avital’s father, Fred Spiegel is a Holocaust survivor and author, and because of his ties to the Anne Frank foundation, we were able to walk right into the museum and house to enjoy the tour. As you can see from the photo below, the line gets pretty long very early, so it is recommended that you purchase tickets online before going. You can also purchase them up to two months in advance. http://www.annefrank.org
Unfortunately, we did not go inside of the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, or the Rembrandt House. Blame it on the “special cake”. According to my photos, we walked by and I do know that we had a great time! Amsterdam is a great hub to other countries in Europe by plane or by train. We took a roundtrip flight to Rome for $85 from Amsterdam. When we came back, we took the train from the airport to the Hague for about 10 euro and stayed for a couple of days. We explored the North Sea and ate amazing Argentinan food by the beach. I must go back!
So to recap, you have your four must see museum’s in Amsterdam, be sure to check out Fred Spiegel’s book Once the Acacias Bloomed and if all else fails with food, eat pomme frities and waffles!
At the end of the week, I will be traveling to Europe with my In- laws, so be sure to follow my travels on instagram and catch my instastories for the details.
Live, Love, Travel…
Alisha
8 Essential items to keep you comfortable on long economy fare flights…
I reached out to a travel agent at the end of the Summer to start planning for me and my husband’s dream vacation to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary coming up in February. We are not going to take the trip until April. The flight is 24 hours plus, so we want to be comfortable. We are thinking, we have plenty of time to pay the trip off, let’s splurge and get those nice first class cabins. Not!!! We received a quote of $4,800 per seat for business class. There will be no luxury cabins on this ride. We will pass. To the back of the plane we go!
We are not going to let small seats and an overly long flight keep us from taking two tickets to paradise! We got creative with our flight itinerary and managed to get a day layover each way in a great destination that we have never been to before. This will allow us to not spend as much time on the plane at once and turn what would have been one vacation into two.
Now here is what you need to make it work. We are flying Turkish airways for this flight that we will take in April, but some of the economy airlines do not provide anything in return for low prices on fares. Some do not even provide snacks or drinks, so pack protein bars, trail mix and buy beverages once you have passed through security to take with you on the plane.
8 Essential Items to make your long flight comfortable
1). Travel Pillow: Travel Pillow $9.99
2). Fleece Throw Blanket: Fleece Throw Blanket $2.99
3). Ipad (I prefer the iPad so that you can save your battery on your cell phone and listen to music, read books and watch movies that you have downloaded if there is no entertainment provided on the plane). http://www.apple.com/ipad/
4). Bose noise cancelling headphones (they offer great surround sound and cancel out the loud noise from the plane and the people around you). www.bose.com
5). External cell phone charger: http://www.bestbuy.com $7.99
6). Infinity Travel Scarf (keep your passport and wallet on you in a comfortable place while you sleep on the plane). www.ivyandvineclothing.com
7). Personal Hygiene kit (freshen up with a toothbrush, mouthwash, hand sanitizer and wet wipes to wash your hands, and a hair tie to keep your hair in place). https://www.walmart.com $5.49
8). An Eye Mask to shut the light out in case someone near you wants to turn the light on and read or raise their shade. https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com $5.99
My very own line of leather custom passport covers for ladies who love to travel!
Many of you may know, but some of you may not know that I have owned and operated an online clothing and accessory boutique called Ivy & Vine Clothing Company since August 2015. Ivy & Vine carries unique accessories for women and girls as well as t-shirts that I have designed.
I love to travel, hence the travel blog, and have carried a line of passport covers since opening the store. As an entrepreneur, my goal is always to create new concepts and expand my brand while feeding my passion.
My motto for the blog, as well as one of the shirts that I have designed for Ivy & Vine is “Live, Love, Travel”… So many of us are on this quest at different stages in our lives. When I started my international travel journey in 2005, I was a carefree single woman in my mid 20’s living life. I was also on a quest to find love. My two pain priorities were to see the world and find a husband! I sold my home in Alabama, moved my things into storage and took a job as a contract therapist. I was able to work in any state including the caribbean for a minimum of 3 months at a time. If that does not make the playing and travel field wide open, I don’t know what does! My work/ travel journey took me to New Jersey/ New York, Chicago, San Diego then Atlanta. Between my assignment in San Diego and Atlanta, I decided to take a month off to travel to South America and a few other countries. I was getting a little discouraged at this point. All of my girlfriends were in serious relationships, and I had been to all of these places and could not make it pass two good dates with a guy. I decided to just let love go and live my life and travel. If love was meant to come my way, it would. I took my trips and came back to Atlanta and got ready to start my new contract assignment. The night before I started my job, I met a guy (my husband) but he lived in Florida! We hit it off immediately and we were forced to really become friends and get to know each other from afar since it was long distance. I worked my contract out from April through July and moved to Florida where he was to see if it would work out at the end of July. This is where we bring the love back in to my life! He proposed to me that September and the rest is history. We will celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary on February 3rd. He did not have a passport when we met, but he had a desire to travel and the fact that I already did was something that he loved. He got his passport right away and we have been living, loving and traveling together since we met. He also knew that it was important to me to take my vacations with my girlfriends. He respected that and has never objected to me taking trips without him. That is very important when it comes to finding a mate. They should respect your love for travel.
My story brings me back to my passport cover design. I created it as a way to remind you of the importance of travel, no matter where you are on your journey. Whether you are single and doing solo travel, going on a much needed girls vacation, or a romantic getaway with your spouse. Live your best life, love who you are, the people around you and take the time to travel.
This line of passport covers is also dedicated to my fellow Greek sisters. I am a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. The covers are available in the colors of each sorority so that you can represent and have Greek pride while traveling abroad. The passport covers are available at www.ivyandvineclothing.com
I have created a discount code just for my readers in honor of my founders day. Use code “livelovetravel” from now through January 15th to receive 40% off the passport covers.
I hope that your 2017 is off to a great start and that you are planning to travel!
Alisha
#LiveLoveTravel
And why it is cheaper to order red wine than coke…
I visited Rome while on a girls vacation, and we ate our way through the city! We flew to Rome from Amsterdam roundtrip for $85 on American Airlines. It is always a great idea to have a little extra time on your hands while visiting Europe so that you can take advantage of the low airfare deals that may be available. I just came across a deal today on Vueling that offered one way flights to select cities for 14 euros.
When it comes to transportation and getting around the city, location is everything. We stayed at the Turner Hotel which was located in the heart of Rome, within walking distance of many historic sites including the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Via Veneto. The Colosseum, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona and fine stores of Via Condotti were also located nearby. We took the bus to the Pantheon from the hotel for free and we were able to walk to all of the other monuments and attractions for the day from there.
While in Rome, if you make the Pantheon your starting point for the morning, here are the main attractions that you can see for the day that are in walking distance.
Gelato shops and sidewalk cafe’s that serve, cappuccino, pizza and pasta line almost every street in Rome. Food is plentiful and ready at any time. We enjoyed scoops of Gelato and slices of pizza for 1 euro each during the day and enjoyed dining at Trattoria’s and Ristorante’s at night.
A Ristorante is a restaurant. Here you’ll find the ambiance a bit formal or at least the decor is thought out and cohesive. Tables are usually dressed in linen; tableware and china all match. Waiters are professional and knowledgeable. The menu is usually extensive and the food is often inventive. Expect to pay for all this service. At dinner this night at a ristorante is where I found out that it was much cheaper to order a glass of red wine than it was to order a coke. I have never been a red wine drinker, but the wine was flowing this night. I opted for coke. At the end of the dinner when the bill came, there was a charge for 10 euro. That was for my coke and a refill. The wine went for 3 euros per carafe. When in Rome!!!
A Trattoria is a small, family-run eatery that often serves a few choice regional dishes (think carbonara), with many of the recipes past down from generation to generation. Mom or grandma usually cooks. Dad handles the cash register. The kids wait tables. Decor can range from neat and comfortable to a “hole in the wall.” Prices are usually much less than a ristorante. In the pictures below at this Trattoria, the dessert selections were left out on a table in the middle of the room for you to choose from. After you made your selection, your server brought you a fresh one out from the back to enjoy.
I recommend that you book your tour for the Vatican City in advance and leave yourself enough time to enjoy the Sistine Chapel. TripAdvisor is a great resource for tours and reviews, but don’t just click on the first package that you see with a nice price point. We had an amazing tour guide who was an American exchange student, studying religion in Rome. He offered free tours of the Vatican as a way to practice teaching. We all gave him a tip at the end of our tour and it was very detailed, but most important, we could understand what he was saying!
Shopping in Rome was on point. There were street vendors outside of our hotel that sold leather handbags and shoes for as low as 20 euro and there were perfume shops on every corner set up like pharmacies that sold fragrances that had not even been released in the US yet for half the price.
Between the plane ticket to get there, splitting the hotel room 4 ways, food and entrance fees to the museums, this 3 day, two night trip to Rome cost me about $225 including the taxi ride to and from the airport.
If Rome is not on your list, it should be, and you should always take a little time for the possibility to see more while in Europe. You never know where you could go!
Live, love, travel…
Alisha
Top 5 places to in Las Vegas on the Go!
My husband and I take an annual trip to Las Vegas each December and we stay for several days. There is one thing that you can count on with Vegas, and that is that there is never enough time to see or do it all!
This time, we decided to spend more time doing activities off of the strip and we always pick a few new restaurants to try. I have shared our photos of the Grand Canyon visit on social media over the past couple of weeks, but not the great food! Las Vegas is a foodie’s dream come true and I have compiled a list of my top 5 places to eat from this trip on the go.
1). The Wicked Spoon… The wicked spoon is not just a buffet in the Cosmopolitan Hotel, but a culinary food hall that serves everything from fried chicken to ox tail pho. I have eaten here three times and can honestly say that it is the best buffet that I have eaten at not only in Las Vegas, but anywhere! The pricing is not bad either. Adults start at $27 and kids start at $16. You can get a meal to go for $20 and bottomless beverage packages for $15. Click here for more info: https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/restaurants/wicked-spoon
2). Giada at The Cromwell… In my opinion, Giada’s has the best view of the strip and we had the best seat in the house this visit. All pasta is made fresh in house and the signature lemon pasta is a must have. Save room for the complimentary bread plate and cocktails. Also, make sure that you stop by the photo booth in the lobby before you leave. https://www.caesars.com/cromwell/giada#.WF1YZ2XHWRs
3). Secret Pizza… Secret pizza is very hard to find if you don’t know where to look for it, but it’s in the Cosmopolitan hotel on the third floor. It is cheap and open from 11:00am until 5:00am. Secret Pizza is the perfect late night hang out spot to get food after a show or a night in the casino. They serve NY style slices for $5-$6 and you can’t go wrong with that. https://www.yelp.com/biz/secret-pizza-las-vegas
4). Burger Bar by Hubert Keller… Burger Bar Las Vegas is owned by celebrity chef Hubert Keller, and is located in Mandalay Place, in the mall between Mandalay Bay & Luxor. Burger Bar is very laid back with a pub like atmosphere. They serve organic burgers and boozy shakes. No reservations required. Check them out here: http://www.burger-bar.com/lv_main.php
5). Egg Slut!!! Egg slut went from being the number one food truck in America (based in L.A.) to becoming a restaurant with a few locations. Luckily there is one inside of the Cosmopolitan Hotel. My favorite dish here is the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich, made with hardwood smoked bacon, an over-medium egg, cheddar cheese and chipotle ketchup, served in a warm brioche bun. For more information, visit their website here: https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/restaurants/eggslut
Last week on instagram, I mentioned a company by the name of Jaeci.com that came out and and gave us a personality quiz to help us determine our spirit animal. I am a honey bee and my husband is a Giraffe. We received beautiful necklaces from the company with cards that show the meaning. Take your personality quiz here: https://www.jaeci.com/spirit-animal-1-1/
We always have a great time in Vegas and never have enough time to see and do it all. I hope that you have a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. My daughter turns two on December 29th and I look forward to turning up at home in my pajamas for the new year with the family along with a bottle of Sweet Bitch wine.
I recently launched my very own line of Live. Love. Travel. passport covers and I cannot wait to share them with you.
Happy Holidays!
Alisha
My big fat Mediterranean Cruise!
When I first started traveling, Santorini was one of the first destinations on my bucket list. My husband was down to go anywhere I wanted to, so I started doing my research. The journey to Santorini, Greece would be a long and expensive one that would involve several flights, a ferry and possibly a donkey. I kept looking. One afternoon, I found this website that offered Mediterranean cruises to the Greek Islands, including our flight and Santorini for half the price. Sold!
We booked an 8 day cruise with Gate 1 travel that departed from Athens Greece, and made stops in Mykonos, Kusadasi Turkey, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete and Santorini.
We arrived in Athens around noon and we were greeted by a Gate 1 driver that transported us to our hotel. We had the day to explore Athens on our own. Our driver took us through the city center and pointed out the Panathenian Stadium, the President’s residence, the ruins of the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch, built to celebrate the arrival of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. When we checked in, and we had a nice handwritten note from our tour guide waiting for us at the desk, welcoming us to Greece. He gave us instructions for the next day and invited us to a welcome cocktail reception for the Gate 1 travelers later that evening. We dropped our bags off in the room and headed out! Our hotel was close to the major attractions, so we got a map and started walking and hiked up to the Acropolis.
The next morning, we all met in the lobby and got on a bus to transfer to the port in Piraeus to board our ship. Our ship was from the Celestyal Cruise line. It was a smaller ship and each room had twin beds only. Take your computer and pre- download movies or other entertainment that does not require the use of wifi while on the ship. Live cultural entertainment is available each night after dinner. Our best meal on the ship was breakfast each morning and the greek salad at dinner whenever we had it on board. Your best dining experiences will be on each island.
Our first stop was Mykonos. We spent the day exploring the island on our own. I bought cases of olive oil for everyone and we had dinner at the best restaurant by the sea, called “Mamakas”. We drank Ouzzo and enjoyed authentic Greek food before heading back to the ship.
The next morning, we arrived in Kusadasi Turkey. Kusadasi is known for its significant historical and religious sites, including ancient Ephesus. We toured the archaeological site of Ephesus, home to the Library of Celsus and Fountain of Trajan. Ephesus is also said to be the final resting place of the Virgin Mary. Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation.
Our next stop was the small island of Patmos. Patmos is steeped with intense spiritual character, which inspired St. John the Divine to write the Book of Apocalypse. Patmos was beautiful and so sacred. You could feel the vibe as soon as you set foot on the monastery where John wrote the book of Revelation. We were not allowed to take pictures inside here, but I did buy a cross and oil that had been blessed by the Monks. We only spent a half day here and headed back to the ship early to set sail to Rhodes.
Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese Islands. When we arrived, we were on our own, so we hired a tour guide for the day for about $10 usd. They stand out at the port and wait for the cruise ships to come in. It was a rainy day in Rhodes, so we chose to do our tour by car only and get out along the way to take photos. We Drove along the coastline to the town of Lindos, overlooking the bay. We also drove to the Acropolis of Lindos and Temple of Athena before heading back to the city of Rhodes. We saw the ruins of ancient Rhodes and walked around the medieval Old Town to see the Palace of the Knights before heading back to the ship.
We cruised overnight to Crete. Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands. Crete’s history is highlighted by the ruins of the Palace of Knossos. The Palace of Knossos was the ceremonial and political center of the ancient Minoan civilization and residence of the mythical King Minos. Here, the mountain caves are thought to be the legendary birthplace of Zeus, according to Greek mythology.
Our final day cruising the Greek Islands is here and we have arrived in Santorini! Santorini’s harbor, the island’s distinctive caldera, was formed thousands of years ago by one of the most devastating volcanic eruptions in history. This event, which created the island’s placid harbor, is believed to have led to the demise of the ancient Minoan culture and inspired several Greek myths. We had to disembark in the middle of the sea and get onto smaller boats that take us over to the side of the cliff on the island. From there, we took cable cars up to the top. People can also ride donkeys to the top of the island.
From Santorini, we cruised back to Athens and we had a transfer to the airport. We had a connecting flight in Paris that allowed us to stay overnight which was a bonus. We arrived right before sunset and hit the ground running. I had visited Paris a couple of years before this trip, so I was familiar with the landmarks that we wanted to visit and the route that I wanted to take to get us there quickly. We stayed in the Opera district and used the train/ subway system to get around after we checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Mercure Paris Opera Garnier Hotel and the staff was amazing. We told them that we were celebrating our anniversary and they upgraded us to a suite.
This was one of the best vacation experiences that I have had and another example of how cruising is a great way to travel. We saw so many of the islands plus Paris for a fraction of the cost and during one visit (one airline ticket). If you have not cruised yet, go for it!
I will be traveling to Las Vegas next week with my husband on our annual trip. I hope to spend some time off of the beaten path this time and see the city and state from a different perspective.
#LiveLoveTravel
Alisha
To cruise or not to cruise or not to cruise is definitely a question for a lot of people who have not done it before. In my opinion, cruising is one of the most cost effective ways to travel and visit several different vacation destinations on an all inclusive package.
I went on my first cruise with a friend and her church group for my 24th birthday. I had no clue what what I was getting myself into or how it would be with a church group, but there was no way that I was passing up a 7 day vacation to Puerto Rico, Aruba, St. Thomas/ St. John, Barbados and Dominica for $550! Yes people, $550… That made me a believer and I have been on 5 more cruises, including a Mediterranean cruise that I will save for another post, since then.
Back to my first cruise, there had to be at least 50 people in our group so we were able to get a great deal on Carnival for this Eastern Caribbean cruise. I only new two other people but that did not matter at all, we were on vacation! We had to fly into Puerto Rico that morning and we did not set sail unto about 10:30pm that night, so we were able to check in, get back off the boat and we had the whole day to take tours and explore the city. The flight to Puerto Rico was about $450. You cannot beat a vacation like that with food and drinks included for right at $1,000.
I lived in Orlando for a while after I got married and decided that I wanted to go on a cruise for my birthday one year. I had always wanted to visit the Cayman Islands. Tampa is a major port for cruise ships and Carnival had 4 day cruises going to the Grand Cayman and Cozumel (Tulum) for $350. It was an hour and a half drive for us and we paid to park while we were gone.
I was able to spend some much needed quality time with my mom on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Labadee Haiti and Ocho Rios Jamaica. I never imagined that I would ever visit Haiti. Royal Caribbean has its own private beach there and it is gorgeous! It is also home to the world’s longest zip line over water. You can relax on the beach for the day, shop at the straw market and enjoy lunch. You can also snorkel, explore surrounding Labadee with a shore excursion or relax on a sandbar. In Ocho Rios, there were so many excursions to choose from but we shopped, had jerk chicken and hung out at the beach. I really enjoyed the accommodations on Royal Caribbean. The rooms were big, the beds were super soft, there was a ben and jerry’s, johnny rocket’s, chop’s steakhouse and starbucks! The ship that we were on had a mall, and even an ice skating rink, but everything closed down at 9pm each night. This cruise was definitely meant for relaxation. We were able to get in on this trip with a group as well for $550 and we set sail out of Ft. Lauderdale. Our flights were $197. This is another great price for an all inclusive trip.
One year, we took a cruise out of Jacksonville, Fl during the month of December which is a great time to get cruise deals. We went with a group of about 10 (you see the group trend here also for those discounts) and we got the cruise for $250 each. We drove 5 hours from Atlanta to Jacksonville and paid to park at the port. We went on a 5 day cruise to Key West and the Bahamas on a Carnival cruise ship. We had a blast! You cannot beat that price when it comes to traveling with family and wanting everyone to be included.
The last cruise that I took was in February of this year. My Sorority line had an anniversary and we decided to take a last minute trip to celebrate. When I say last minute, I mean we decided within less that 60 days. Cruises are always the easiest route when it comes to pre- planned travel. I called an agent and she had us all booked and on our way to the Bahamas for a 4 day getaway by the end of the day for $350. We had a great time with no stress. Our plane tickets were about $200 each for an all include trip under $600.
For those of you on the fence about cruising…
Just do it at least once. Cruising is not just for the older retired crowd anymore, it is for singles, couples and families. There is a cruise for everyone. Don’t just take a cruise because it is a good deal. That is the best way to get turned off. If you are into high end luxury, look into Crystal Cruises, Oceania and Seabourn. There are over 500 theme cruises available such as the “Top Chef Cruise” for all of you foodies out there. There are singles cruises, Marvel Comic cruises, Jazz, Crafting, Poker, Photography and even swingers cruises available. Then, there are the regular “let’s just go on a fun vacation” cruises out there. The main cruise lines that people use in this category, along with first time cruisers are Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Disney, Celebrity and Holland America. Really do your research, look at the reviews, ask around and pick an itinerary that makes you happy. If there is something on the ship that you are not 100% happy with when you get there, you have the bright side of knowing that you are heading to a place where you have always wanted to visit.
A bit of advice for first time cruisers…
If you are a drinker, buy the all inclusive alcohol plan if your cruise is long enough to do so. Alcoholic beverages are not included with your cruise price and your taxes, gratuity and port fees are not either. You cannot be the only one in your stateroom to buy the all inclusive alcoholic beverage plan, your roommate must purchase it too. This will be something that you need to discuss before you decide who to room with if you are going with a large group. If you are visiting a place where you want to participate in an excursion that is in high demand, book it online before you go. I am usually not a fan of this, but in locations like Labadee, zip lining is in high demand and one of the only things to do there. The zip lining is owned and operated by the ship and it gets booked up really fast. In the Bahamas, if you want the Dolphin experience at the Atlantis, book it online in advance. There are only so many slots available for guests from the cruise ship since they still need to service guests that are staying at the resort. I am a fan of late seating for dinner each night. This gives you more time to spend on land at your port of call. You won’t feel the need to rush back to get ready for dinner. You will almost always make it by 8pm. If you don’t have a passport yet, get one. You do not need a passport if you set sail from the Unites States and will travel to the Caribbean, you may use your birth certificate. For long cruises on bigger ships, please take a carryon bag with toiletries and clothes to change into for that night and the next morning. On my very first cruise, my luggage did not show up until the next day at my door, 5 minutes before our first excursion. Pack some dramamine in case you get sea sick and a jacket. It tends to get a little cold on the ship.
I have not taken my kids on a cruise yet, but we have one booked on Norwegian for next year that includes airfare and we are taking them. This is Norwegian’s 50th anniversary and they are celebrating by allowing each person to book a cruise with a fifty dollar deposit. Norwegian also has a low price guarantee. If at anytime, I see that the price for our cruise has dropped between now and 60 days before we set sail, we will be refunded the difference. You can’t beat that! Norwegian also has a kids club that we plan on using while we are on board so that we can have some adult time during dinner.
I really enjoy cruising and feel that it was also the best way for us to see the Greek islands. I will talk about that on next week. Until next time, #LiveLoveTravel
Alisha
It is the holiday season and the perfect time to shop and save! I have compiled a list of the top three affiliates from my blog that have given me exclusive, deep discount codes just for you, my readers. I have also included my online boutique, Ivy & Vine Clothing Co. All items will be reduced to up to 50% off for you to begin shopping on Thanksgiving Day and we have flat rate shipping. Please research each travel deal and company before making your purchase, read the reviews and don’t forget to purchase travel insurance!
Visit Ivy & Vine Clothing for the special women and little girls in your life. My Live Love Travel Tee, travel infinity scarf and our Style and Travel Girl Passport holders are featured this morning in the Global Lifestyle Holiday Gift Guide for Luxury Travel items. Ivy & Vine has several items available for the stylish traveler from passport covers and sunglasses, to infinity scarves with hidden pockets that will hold your wallet and cell phone during your travel excursions. Visit www.ivyandvineclothing.com to shop and save.
Give the Gift City Pass in Atlanta and save up to 43% by clicking my link. The person who receives it can use it within 6 months of the purchase. This will be perfect for Spring break! You get an average savings of up 50% when compared to Box Office Prices. Skip lines at attractions. Travel when you want, visit attractions in any order on your own time. Also available in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Toronto. Click my City Pass affiliate Banner to the right for more information.
I have several deals with Tour Radar that will be available for you only through Cyber Monday! These deals will start on Black Friday, November 25th and run through Monday the 28th. You will receive 35% off of packages to Europe with deals starting as low as $286 with a 7 day tour through Scotland and 40% to Asia including 10 days in Indonesia – Bali and The Gili Islands starting at $735. Other European deals include Italy, Greece, Ireland and Great Britain. Deals are available to Japan, Indonesia, South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well. Please click the Tour Radar Black Friday Banners to the right for more information.
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I am a firm believer that a family that travels together, stays together. I have mentioned before that my husband loves to travel as well. It is strange since he grew up being a self proclaimed home body. As much as I love to stay on the go, my kids would rather be at home. I know, I know. How could this be! Well, it is in their DNA. My in- laws are from Miami, FL. Growing up, they would take my husband and his sister on trips to DisneyWorld, they would go to California and even take short day cruises to the Bahamas. Two to three days away from home was always more than enough for the family. Home was a comfortable place to be! Same goes for my kids. No matter how much money we spend on fun and entertainment, the question of the day from my son is “can we go home now?”
We have taken long weekend vacations together to New York and Savannah and we have all had a great time, but times are changing! I recently came across a nice deal to go to a country that I had never visited in Europe before. I shared it with my husband and asked him if he wanted to go. Of course he did! At first we were going to take the kids, we didn’t want to burden our parents yet again with the task of keeping them. I passed the deal along to my sister, sorority sister and my mom and he shared it with his parents as well. Why not? We never thought that they would bite. This is just not something that they do, but you never know. My mom passed but offered to keep the kids, all of them (THANK YOU JESUS) my sister and sorority sister are in, cool. My husband sent me a text message from work saying that his mom was interested in going on the trip. Word??? Word. You know the flight will be more than 2 hours right? All my husband has to do is convince his dad. He called his dad and presented the trip and his response was “sure, why not.” Just like that, we are all going abroad in January! Me, my husband, my sister, sorority sister, my sister in law, my mother in law and my father in law. The only people in the group that have crossed the Atlantic are me and my husband. This is going to be great!
Have you traveled abroad or on long trips with your in- laws before? What has your experience been? Leave a comment below!
I’m all about new experiences and adventures and this trip will be one for sure. I also love playing tour guide but we have never been to this country before either. Planning for this trip will be a challenge for several reasons, but I have come up with a quick guide for packing for Europe in the Winter that you may be able to use as well. We will restricted to traveling with a carry on suitcase and one personal item because of the airfare deal that we got. It will be cold so we will need to dress in layers and we will be gone for 5 days. Here is what we will do. You can click the links to purchase the items:
We will need layer up and wear the big coats on the plane. We will also have to leave room in our personal items to bring back any souvenirs that we may buy. I hope that this packing list helps you with your future trips. I am excited for this adventure abroad. We always have a great time on our family travels. This one will be even more special since we are taking the whole family to a new country and we will experience a new culture together. Follow our story on instagram and get the details on the blog when we return!
Wednesday on the blog, I will discuss a holiday shopping guide for the travel addict.
Alisha #LiveLoveTravel
