Top

Floradise

A lifestyle blog by Marette Flora

Photos to Inspire a Trip to San Diego Zoo

Our family had the opportunity to visit the San Diego Zoo last month during a quick escape from the Polar Vortex. It was our first family outing just the four of us in quite some time. We spent an entire Sunday under sunny San Diego skies admiring the animals and the impressive grounds. We lucked out when a local resident handed us a 50 percent admission coupon as we walked to the entrance to buy our tickets. Thank you, kind stranger, for helping us share such a memorable day.

You definitely need a map to wander the grounds and cover everything, like we did. The canyon trail where the bears lived was a highlight.

This mama hippo was nursing her little one, who was sitting under the water as I snapped this photo above.

The red panda highlighted my mood in January 2019. I began the year with motivation but struggled during the never-ending month.

I share this photo of the panda, which a volunteer called the highlight of the zoo, because this is what we saw after waiting 20 minutes in line. I would recommend arriving early in the morning when animals are typically more active, but who knows — maybe the panda likes naps?

The flamingos were the first animals we spotted and greeted.

The koalas would be another spirit animal. Aren’t they just SO ADORABLE.

We always love seeing gorillas.

The jaguar was super active when we visited, which I have never witnessed at any other zoo.

Doesn’t this photo above give off “Black Swan” vibes?

I thought I would be terrified to ride the Aerial Tram, but it wasn’t too scary, even for someone afraid of heights. It was included in the cost of admission.

s

The elephant cooled off on a warm day. I wished I could have splashed around in the water, too!

We also had to say hello to the giraffes.

Have you been to the San Diego Zoo?

Pin this post:

Related posts:

Brookfield Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo

CONNECT WITH ME:

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | PINTEREST

Toronto and Niagara Falls Trip Tidbits

I already recapped the highlights of our Canada summer road trip, but I left out three more tidbits I wanted to share about our trip. We found that we needed much more time to really experience Toronto and Niagara Falls, but we are glad we visited when we could!

  • We were starving when we arrived in Toronto, but we had not made any reservations for lunch. Many restaurants around the harborfront had long waits, and we even tried going to Amsterdam BrewHouse only to be told they were no longer accepting dining parties — for the weekend. We walked around the area near Rogers Centre, opting for lunch at an arcade restaurant named Rec Room  simply because it was one of the first suitable places we saw. It ended up being a perfect place to go with a toddler because we played games while we waited about 20 minutes for our table. The only non-toddler-friendly part: They gave us V’s drink in a glass cup, which she knocked over and broke during the meal. You would think they would give a child a plastic cup. This reminded me I should bring a cup and toddler flatware to restaurants while traveling, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. The outside of the restaurant is an old train depot also shared by a brewery. It was a popular spot before the Toronto Blue Jays game.

 

The food was decent, but I really enjoyed the blueberry mojito! Our appetizer was calamari, and we ordered chicken and salad for Victoria.

 

 

 

 

  • We stopped by a park called Col. Samuel Smith Park on our way from Toronto to Niagara Falls to fly the drone. Most of the Harbourfront area was a no-fly zone, so we decided to find a park that allowed use of the DJI Mavic Pro. The park was beautiful. If we lived in the Toronto area it would be a nice place to walk your dog and spend time with family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • I also want to share our amazing hotel accommodations at Niagara Falls (Canada side)! We stayed at the Radisson Fallsview and our 13th floor room had an awesome view of the Falls. We couldn’t stop staring at it! I would highly recommend booking a waterfall view room if you stay at this hotel. Note: Part of this stay was paid for with complimentary points I earned as part of a campaign I did with Radisson over the summer.

 

 

Have you been to either Toronto or Niagara Falls?

Trip highlights:

 

SkyWheel at Clifton Hill Niagara Falls

After our morning cruise to Niagara Falls, we had a whole day to spend in the area. We wanted to check out the conservatory, but V spotted the SkyWheel from our hotel room and wouldn’t stop talking about it, so we wanted her to experience it. Plus, we wanted to see the view of the falls from the top.

We paid $15 to park at Clifton Hill, but we could have paid less across the street. (We don’t always make the best decisions on the spot. Ugh.) Tickets to the SkyWheel were reasonable at $11.99 per adult and $6.99 per child. That came out to $24.97 in U.S. dollars. (In comparison, the Navy Pier Centennial Wheel in Chicago is $15 per adult and $12 per child. The Centennial Wheel is taller, though, at nearly 200 feet vs. 175 for the SkyWheel.) You can also buy a fun pass if you’re planning to do the other touristy attractions in the area, but we passed on that. Some of the other options were the Zombie Attack and Wild West Coaster, which we were not interested in/were not appropriate for toddlers.

 

When we arrived, we took a couple of photos of V with the dinosaurs in the mini golf area, and then we spotted a balloon animal artist. Of course we spoiled V with a couple. We visited on a Friday afternoon and only had a short wait in line for the SkyWheel. Because it wasn’t too crowded, what we thought would be three rides around turned out to be five. No complaints here!

 

 

It was a bit rainy and sprinkles dotted the glass and hindered my photo taking, but we still had a nice view of Niagara Falls and Clifton Hill.

 

 

Clifton Hills has tons of quirky attractions, which you’d expect from such a tourist destination. I was surprised to see so many advertisements calling it the honeymoon capital of the world. That’s interesting! If you have kids or enjoy Ferris wheels, you might enjoy this. Otherwise, Journey Behind the Falls seemed like a great option for getting another view of the falls. We didn’t have a chance to do it but would like to in the future.

After our ride we explored Clifton Hill for a while before heading back to our hotel room for a much-needed nap.

Have you been to Niagara Falls? Did you ride the SkyWheel?

 

Niagara Falls: Day and Night Cruises

Hands down the most fun we had on our Canada trip was on the Hornblower cruises to Niagara Falls. Our 3-year-old hasn’t stopped talking about it and I know she will not soon forget the memories we made.

I purchased the day and night cruise package, which includes a 40-minute fireworks cruise that started at 9:30 p.m. and a 20-minute Voyage to the Falls day cruise. When I bought the tickets it wasn’t clear how I would purchase the package, but all you have to do is pick the date you want for the night cruise and then you can go to any day cruise as well. (They leave about every 15-20 minutes throughout the day.) We decided to go around 9 a.m. to space out the cruises and hopefully avoid huge crowds around the falls. In case you’re wondering, Hornblower leaves from the Canada side, while Maid of the Mist is on the U.S. side.

The line moved quickly when we arrived. If you already purchased tickets online, head straight to the walkway and elevators. After you take your photos, you keep walking until you get to the snack bar tent area, where your tickets are scanned. (I just pulled up the barcodes on my phone to avoid printing them out.) Then you continue walking down the ramps and receive your rain ponchos.

FYI: Adult tickets for both the day and night cruises were $55.90 (Canadian; about $43 U.S.). Victoria didn’t have to pay because she is under 5 years old, so that’s nice! If you just want to do the 20-minute Voyage to the Falls it will cost $25.95 (Canadian; about $20 U.S.).

The closer you move toward the falls, the more drenched you become. It’s actually a ton of fun. You can stand anywhere on the boat, and we chose the front. The upper deck area seemed to be a popular spot for most people.

The ponchos don’t really do much, to be honest. You will still be soaked but it’s fine! You could always bring your own. Also, be sure your phone and camera are secure from water damage.

After our cruise, we headed back to our hotel and explored Clifton Hill before returning around 9 p.m. We figured parking would be difficult to find on this Friday night, and it’s expensive near the falls, so we opted for a short taxi ride instead. (Earlier that morning we paid $15 to park for about an hour and a half. Yikes.) Crowds line up early for the evening fireworks, so plan accordingly.

I liked the morning cruise more than the evening cruise, but we did both because V would get a kick out of the fireworks. (Although, the evening cruise had a bar, so decide which is better for you.) You get more wet during the daytime cruises because the boats go closer to the mist. Also, I find the illumination of the falls to be quite gimmicky, but kinda cool, I guess. The entire town is a tourist trap, so just know what you’re getting into and have fun!

Check out our videos of the Niagara Falls cruises below and subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Have you done a Niagara Falls cruise? What did you think?

 

Related post:

CN Tower | Toronto

A Visit to CN Tower in Toronto

** We received complimentary admission to CN Tower. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate product links. I make a small commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise!



One of the items on my list for our brief Toronto trip was visiting the CN Tower. For someone who is terrified of heights I sure am obsessed with tall buildings. …

On our second day in Toronto, we headed to the Harbourfront Centre area to find parking near the tower. We went with a structure on Queens Quay that charged $15 a day. (The garage was also listed on Parking Panda, which I did not use but was listed on the gate.) That allowed us to explore as long as we wanted and it was just a short walk to the tower. We had been advised to arrive early to avoid long lines, and that’s the best advice I could ever repeat to anyone planning to visit. We arrived around 10 a.m., but getting there at opening would have been even better. On this particular day the next-door Ripley’s Aquarium was experiencing a power outage, so many would-be visitors were instead heading to the tower. Our line wasn’t too long at about 30 minutes to get to the elevators. Besides, you are distracted by photo taking and entertainers along the way. (We already had tickets waiting for us, though. If you need to stand in line to buy tickets it will take longer.)

Once you make it into the elevators it’s just a short ride to the observation level. From there we went directly to the next elevator to get to the SkyPod, which requires an additional admission charge of $12 per person to access. It’s best to go to the SkyPod first if you buy these tickets to avoid crowds as well.

 

While circling the SkyPod we saw the brave souls who were trying out the EdgeWalk, which like the name implies means you free walk on the edge of the OUTSIDE of the tower. It requires advance reservations and costs about $225. Graham was certainly interested for our next trip; in fact, he wants to plan a vacation to Toronto just to do this. I would never ever ever ever do this, but it was fun to watch others embark on the thrilling adventure.

 

I was even nervous to walk around the SkyPod, to be honest. But I loved that you can get a 360-degree view of Toronto, an impressive city. It’s just SO high, taller than the Sears Tower and the Hancock Building in Chicago. Victoria was not afraid at all, though. She’s braver than I’ll ever be. We brought her along in an umbrella stroller, which we had no problem getting around in.

Once we got to the glass-floor level we parked it in a corner to get around more easily. By then the tower was becoming a bit more crowded.

 

Looking down from the glass floor.

 

Glass floor view.

You can have souvenir photos taken on the glass floor, or do as so many others did and take your own selfies. The photographer has lots of ideas for poses if you want to go that route. One package of the best two photos taken of you was around $30 when we inquired.

You’re free to spend as much time as you want upstairs before you can board the elevator to return to ground level. Take your time and soak in the views! Once you’re on the first floor you can browse the gift shop or look at and purchase your souvenir arrival photos. We continued our tradition of buying Christmas ornaments from every new place we visit. We also picked up a Canada 150 teddy bear plush for V.

Next to the tower are the Ripley’s Aquarium and the Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play, in case you’re wondering what other attractions are around. It’s easy to plan a visit that incorporates all of these activities.

We had such a fun time at the tower and hope to be back someday so Graham could experience the EdgeWalk.

Have you visited the CN Tower? What did you think?

null null

Our Camping and Road Trip Essentials and To-Do List


This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripOil #CollectiveBias

Our Camping To-Do List

The end of summer is quickly approaching and we still have one seasonal bucket list item to cross off: camping! Our last camping trip was about this time last year at Nordhouse Dunes in Michigan, and it was one of my favorites we have ever done. It was also the last camping trip we had with our dog Taylor, so it’ll always have a special place in our hearts.

For our next camping trip we’d like to try a different park because the memories and emotions might be too fresh, so this weekend we are heading to different park. The next camping trip will also be special because it’ll be a first with our toddler Victoria. (It’s been so fun to celebrate all of our firsts as a family!) Of course, we are a little nervous about camping with a toddler, but we have to get over that quickly because we love the outdoors and we intend to keep doing it as she grows up. Besides this trip, we also have to get ready for our upcoming road trip to Canada.

To save time, it’s a must for us to be prepared for our road trips and camping getaways. With that goal, I made a checklist that allows us to be both spur-of-the-moment campers as well as prepared travelers.

My camping prep list has to-do tasks, items to buy, as well as a camping trip meal plan section. I find that writing down what we will be eating for each meal helps cut back on shopping and packing time. I share the printable camping prep list below to help you do the same! (This list focuses on those items that often break or need to be replenished vs. essentials like your tent and sleeping bags. It assumes you have already checked that they are good to go.)

Our camping/road trip prep lists:

  • Choose a destination/find a campsite.
  • Make a list of camping or road trip supplies we need to replace or replenish.
  • Get an oil change.
  • Pack our bags. (Bring along our pet supplies or find a pet sitter/boarding if it’s not a dog-friendly place).
  • Download movies on the tablet for Victoria.
  • Water the plants.
  • Take out the trash.
  • Charge our cameras and phones.

One way we cut back on prep time is using our storage space in our Jeep to keep some camping gear ready to go, including our air mattress, snorkeling gear, floats and camping chairs. We always have these with us, which comes in handy for day camping at places like Indiana Dunes State Park. (The air mattress is helpful when we are taking a road trip to visit family that doesn’t have an extra bed for us.)

Before we can hit the road, we often need to shop for some of the camping supplies listed above. In addition, we must make sure our car can get us to our destination safely. We can accomplish both of those important tasks by heading to our local Walmart’s Automotive Care Center.

 

 

We ask for the Pennzoil Platinum®: Full Synthetic Motor Oil with PurePlus™ Technology for our Jeep, which helps clean out the sludge that lesser oils leave behind. Cars with more than 75,000 miles would benefit from the Pennzoil® High Mileage Vehicle® motor oil instead to keep their engines running cleanly and strongly. (It just so happens to be on Rollback right now for $35.88 vs. $39.88, too. Find your local Automotive Care Center on Walmart’s Rollback page.)

 

 

After dropping off our vehicle, we can then head into the store for our camping essentials, which are conveniently located right next to the Automotive Care Center.

 

We check out some camping gear to replace our broken or empty items, including headlamps, propane batteries, insect spray, a first-aid kit, sunglasses and sunscreen. If you’re going to a body of water, water shoes may be handy as well.

 

Next was the grocery section for necessities that I need for the camping meal plan I created. This includes cooking spray, burger buns and black-bean burger patties, our favorite soups, and a frozen potato skillet meal to mix with eggs. We make sure we have all the condiments we need as well. We already have coolers, but if you need one you can find one in the camping/fishing section.

For snacks, watermelon, bananas and grapes are musts for our toddler, and Graham and I also like munching on trail mix and oatmeal bars. We often indulge with cookies and chips and salsa as well ― let’s be real.

Getting this shopping done in advance will make taking off so much faster this weekend and will help us beat the Chicago traffic out of the city. We typically need to wake up around 5 a.m. in order for that to happen, making it that much more important to get our oil change or shopping completed ahead of time. That gives us more time outdoors in our favorite places near Chicago, including Indiana Dunes State Park.

A visit to Indiana Dunes last year.
A visit to Lake Michigan Recreation Area last summer.

I’ve provided a camping essential list below for ideas on what you might need for your next trip! Be sure to check that your tent (including poles and stakes), canopy, air mattress and/or sleeping bags are in good shape and don’t need to be replaced. My list concentrates on items that often need to be replaced or run out, in our experience. Also, you can add ease and convenience to your own road trips by visiting the Walmart Automotive Care Center near you.

 

Do you have any upcoming road trips or camping trips? Tell me about them below!

Grab your camping prep list!

 

Click here to download a PDF.

 



Related camping posts:

 

Connect with Walmart & Pennzoil:

Father’s Day at Arlington Park

 

Father's Day at Arlington Park

When I asked Graham what he wanted to do on his first Father’s Day, he said he wanted to go to the racetrack. I already knew he would say that.

We each have a history with horse-racing. My grandparents would take me to the racetrack as a child, and I have fond memories of spending time with them. My grandpa died when I was 14, so those memories are some of the few I can remember vividly.

Graham is from Louisville, Kentucky, home of Churchill Downs, where the greatest two minutes in sports happen. He, too, has memories at the track, and Churchill Downs is one of the most well known race venues in the sport.

We were excited to spend the day together as a family and hopefully create some fond memories for Victoria, but we had no idea what to expect because neither of us had been to Arlington Park. We bought our general admission tickets ($18 each) online to save time and cash, along with a program for the day ($2.50). It took us about 50 minutes to drive from our neighborhood in Chicago to Arlington Heights. I was nervous about having to find parking, but there’s actually plenty of free parking, as well as preferred and valet options.

We also didn’t know whether we should bring a cooler since all the picnic tables had been reserved. We chose to instead eat ahead of time vs. paying a cooler fee ($5). It was pretty easy to find a free bench on the Apron level to watch the races. (Just don’t get up, you’ll lose your spot.) And had we brought a cooler, we would have had plenty of room for it in front of our bench seating. We saw many families enjoying their sandwiches, snacks and drinks. A blanket or towel is also not a bad idea to put on the bench, which can get warm in the sun. Luckily we had intermittent shade due to the clouds, and the breeze kept us cool. I was so grateful for that.

Victoria loved cheering on during the races, yelling “Go, horse, go!” It was the most adorable thing ever and was not prompted at all. Arlington Park is a perfect place for kids because they can be as loud as they want. Everyone else is yelling, too! We didn’t have any luck with our bets, though we came so close –photo finish close — many times.

It was simply the most gorgeous day for it. Graham had a great time, and that’s all I could have asked for.

 

Father's Day at Arlington Park

Have you been to Arlington Park? 


Celebrating Canada’s 150th Anniversary & a Giveaway!

I recently read an article listing Canada, which is honoring its 150th anniversary, as one of the best places to travel in 2017, which sparked my interest in finally setting dates for our trip. Because we can’t take a major vacation until winter, we’re instead looking at places to explore that aren’t too far of a drive from Chicago and have lots of activities to do as a family, especially outdoors. I’ve written about my desire to go to Toronto, Ontario, on this blog before, but now that trip seems more like a possibility. I’m eyeing an extra-long weekend in September to celebrate our third anniversary, and I can’t wait!

I’m finding that the trip is a lot more affordable than I initially thought. Radisson makes it easy to book a Toronto hotel room within our budget. To get the best bang for your travel buck, you can also join Club Carlson, which lets you rack up points that can be easily redeemed for hotel nights. I know this based on personal experience: When I redeemed my Club Carlson points in January I had no trouble at all finding available rooms. I was able to use the rewards at a variety of hotels, including Radisson Blu, Park Inn by Radisson, and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson.

Club Carlson hotel rewards points allowed us to take a family vacation during the dreaded Chicago winter while saving us some cash. We had two of our hotel nights accounted for, which left more in the budget for Orlando and Clearwater, Florida, fun! We stayed at the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration in Kissimmee, which was nicely decorated and conveniently located for all the activities we wanted to do on our road trip. We also stayed at a Radisson-Carlson hotel in Atlanta on the drive back, and the room was similarly comfortable, clean and nicely appointed. On this particular trip, we will be staying at the Radisson Hotel Toronto East (shown below).

Radisson Hotel Toronto East

For our Canada road trip, we plan to take advantage of a new Radisson rewards redemption option with Petro-Canada. With just 18,000 points, we can get a Petro-Canada gas card to use on our drive, and we’re already on our way there with the points we have left over from our last family road trip. Plus, Radisson has a free interactive map feature on its website where you can visualize your road trip and plan your things to do.

 

15 places to explore in Ontario, Canada:

Our upcoming Canada road trip from Chicago will be an 8-hour drive, which is nothing compared to the distances we have covered in the past. We have a list of family-friendly places to go that reflect our love of the outdoors and family-friendly fun. These attractions are all located either on the drive to Toronto from Chicago, in Toronto or close enough to make a day trip from the Radisson Hotel Toronto East, where we plan to stay.

  1. Point Pelee National Park of Canada: Exploring the trails and seeing the wildlife. It would be a pit stop on the way to Toronto.
  2. Niagara Falls: Taking in the views of the waterfalls on day and night cruises. Victoria was intrigued by photos of the colorfully illuminated falls at night.
  3. Skylon Tower Observation Deck: Getting another view of the falls.
  4. Toronto Botanical Garden: Taking one of the free weekly tours of the grounds.
  5. Toronto Blue Jays game: Crossing off another MLB ballpark.
  6. CN Tower in Toronto: Checking out the views from the building.
  7. St. Lawrence Market: Strolling and grabbing lunch.
  8. Harbourfront Centre: Admiring the visual arts installations or just walking along the Boardwalk.
  9. Toronto Zoo: Saying hello to our animal friends.
  10. Royal Ontario Museum: Getting lost in the museum that contains more than 6 million specimens, objects and artifacts.
  11. Canada’s Wonderland: Riding the amusement rides and eating too much food.
  12. Casa Loma: Touring the majestic castle.
  13. Clifton Hill Skywheel: Riding Canada’s largest observation wheel!
  14. Hershey Chocolate World: Treating ourselves to too much chocolate.
  15. Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada: Our toddler would love this place!

I am not sure if we can get to all of these amazing attractions in just one trip, but we will sure try to cross off as many as we can.

We are excited about going on a Niagara Falls boat cruise!

Finding more affordable things to do in Canada this year would be no problem: Canada’s parks, historic sites and national monuments are free in 2017 in honor of the country’s 150th anniversary. While researching our trip we found more than 40 national parks, monuments and historic sites in Ontario alone. We could easily swap out a stop at one of those free sites if we wanted to save some cash.

To help you plan your own getaway, Radisson is giving away a one-night stay certificate to use on your Canada trip! See details below to enter. You can also save on a two-night stay (12 percent off) with Radisson’s Summer Promotion.

Are you a member of Club Carlson? What’s your ideal Canada vacation? Use the interactive map feature and let me know where you would go!

Enter the Radisson Giveaway!

Plan your trip with Radisson.
Victoria was captivated by photos of all the fun offered at Niagara Falls.

 

One reader will receive a one night stay certificate. The winner will be picked at random on July 7. To be eligible to win, you must:

1. Share my Facebook post.
2. Tag @Radisson.
3. Comment below!

 

Note: Winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize or another winner will be chosen. Winner will be asked for an email address to send the certificate. Hotel certificate may be used in U.S. or Canada.

Click here to learn how to travel to Canada on its 150th anniversary.

 

A Few Hours in Savannah, Georgia

I recently had a chance to either have lunch in Atlanta or Savannah during a road trip, and I jumped at the chance to see the latter, even if only for a little while. I knew we didn’t have much time, so I wanted to explore whatever we could.

We headed toward what seemed to be a cluster of restaurants listed on Yelp. That took us to East Bay Street. We parked next to Emmet Park for $4 and then walked toward the uneven, historic steps of River Street, which lies alongside the Savannah River. I instantly fell in love with the Spanish moss and cobblestone streets.

 

 

 

 

After checking out a few of the souvenir shops and being jealous of the people embarking on the history-tour buses, we stumbled upon a restaurant called Huey’s. When I saw a crab cake sandwich on the menu I was sold, so we walked in.
The restaurant ended up being more New Orleans style, but I am so glad we went there. I ordered the crab cake sandwich, which came with red beans and rice. Amazing and filling! I scraped my plate clean and wanted seconds. I left room for beignets to go instead, and the server was nice enough to give them to us for free!

 

The beignets were not nearly as good as those at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, but they were still tasty.
Huey’s windows face River Street and the Savannah River, offering a view of passers-by and the water. It was a lovely restaurant for lunch and I imagine dinner is more of the same. The server was professional, friendly and attentive.
I wished I had time to explore the Historic District and many more of the restaurants I passed by in Savannah, but just a little taste made me want to return in the future.
Have you been to Savannah? What are your favorite things to do there?

Road trip footage:

Ways to Save Money for Travel

** This post contains referral links that I could receive compensation for. It helps me pay for travel!

In 2007, I decided I wanted to travel to a new place every year. I was inspired by the Dalai Lama quote you often see on Pinterest: “Once a year, go some place you’ve never been before.” Back then I had student loan and credit card debt, and I was living paycheck to paycheck. I worked at a newspaper that had furloughs or layoffs every year, too. (I loved the job, though!) Despite all that, I knew I wanted to make travel a priority, even if it meant traveling to nearby cities I had never been to and saving international travel for later. That’s how this blog started. It was a way for me to see new places and experience new things. Now I am in a better financial position, but I still take many of the same small steps to save cash throughout the year for travel.

  • Using Ebates for online purchases and transferring cash-back checks to savings. I only recently started using Ebates but I’ve already accumulated $111.06. Tip: If you’re headed to a store, try shopping online first using Ebates and then pick the order up! That way you earn for purchases you would already be making. Also, I only shop online if I get free shipping.
    • Ebates Coupons and Cash Back
  • Also, booking hotel rooms and airfare with Ebates and using deals sites! Example: I recently used Priceline via Ebates when it was offering 12 percent cash back. I booked an Express Deal, which was 30 percent off on a 4-star hotel. My room was even more affordable! (You don’t know which hotel you are getting with Express Deals, but I have practiced figuring out which hotel is the secret deal.) Orbitz, Expedia, Hotwire, Travelocity and Booking.com are also on Ebates, along with many other travel sites. When booking airfare I almost always use a site on Ebates.
  • Keeping a good old-fashioned change jar and enrolling in automatic transfers to savings. It works. You’ve heard it before because you really do build up some savings. When Graham and I saved for our honeymoon, we had enough loose change to pay for our car rental for about a week, plus some gas money! If I pay with something with cash, I put all or most of the change into the jar. 
  • Sharing referral and affiliate codes and links with friends and family so that if they use a particular service you recommend, you get paid! For example, Booking.com offers a referral bonus of $20 for you and $20 for the friends you refer; I’ve used the booking site many times to find affordable lodging options. I try to reciprocate by using friends’ and fellow bloggers’ codes as well.
  • Freelance writing and editing. Do you have a side hustle? It could help you pay for travel!
  • Decluttering and selling extra items on eBay, Craigslist, Poshmark and other sites. I regularly sell books, clothes and handbags I no longer use. I use cash-back sites to sell old electronics, like laptops, cellphones and cameras. (I have used eBay and Gazelle.)
  • Participating in no-buy months for specific categories of items, such as makeup, clothing and books. Overall, things I don’t spend money on include getting nails done, shoes, books, magazines and going out to bars. Identify what you can go without. (I have only bought two or three pairs of shoes in the past year and I received my new running shoes as a gift. Also, I allow myself one or two brunches with friends a month, but during most months I don’t even go once.) I’m not saying these are bad items to spend money on, but I have found that I can go without them. I also find that good friends will let you borrow books when they are done with them. 
  • Analyzing subscriptions and cutting back on them. I had an Audible subscription until recently, when I decided to put it on hold. I plan to revive it when a certain book is released soon. Cancel memberships you’re not using!
  • Save a portion of all bonuses, raises or overtime pay for travel. Whenever I get a bonus at work I use half for bills and half for fun. 
  • Using Spothero to save on parking costs in Chicago. Paying for parking and transportation is unavoidable here, so I might as well find ways to save. I regularly get emails from Spothero with promo codes that I keep in mind when we need parking. I have found spots for $10 that are normally more than $25 in the Loop. Sometimes I take the train so that I don’t have to pay for parking at all (Train tickets are $3-6.).
Saving during travel:
  • Stay in accommodations that have kitchens so you can cook at least part of your meals.
  • Share accommodations with friends and split the cost.
  • Pack snacks and drinks in a cooler (if you’re on a road trip) and shop at grocery stores for at least some of your meals on vacation. 
  • Bring a water bottle to refill.
  • Camp at your destination! Graham and I camped on Maui and it was amazing! It saved us hundreds on lodging.
  • Bring your own snorkel or beach gear to save on rental costs.
What are some of your tricks for saving money for travel or fun?

); ga('require', 'displayfeatures'); ga('require', 'linkid', 'linkid.js'); ga('set', 'anonymizeIp', true); ga('send', 'pageview');