The Wonderland Family Travelers

08/04/2020

Feeling free dancing to an Indiana sunset

18/07/2019

Brothers in the city.

11/06/2019

Dreams do come true!! And we even met one of Teddy’s hero’s,

08/06/2019

Because sometimes life just requires dancing and singing a catchy tune in the middle of the street while the sun is shining on your face!

04/06/2019

Art that inspires!

02/06/2019

I really think I need to start an instagram account called “Teddy Eats”. He tried the sausages, that didn’t go over very well. But he did like the Currywurst, with no sauce....and he peeled off all the skin 🤦🏼‍♀️.

02/06/2019

The stare down, when only choice for lunch is Schnitzel! But......he tolerated it! He ended up eating half of it!

01/06/2019

30/05/2019

24/01/2019

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”― Mark Twain

14/01/2019

“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”

13/01/2019

Flying into Hong Kong is such a beautiful view! The water is an electric blue with a greenish glow. We were blown away with the beauty that we found in Hong Kong. Such a treasure and a surprise!

12/01/2019

We walked with umbrellas in hands and caught rain drops on our noses. With every step we gently splashed a puddle. We could feel and hear people all around us, hundreds of people, thousands of people, yet it was so calm, so still, so quiet, so peaceful!

11/01/2019

Have you ever crossed a crosswalk with hundreds of people (sometimes up to 3,000) at the exact same time going all different ways?!?! It’s awesome!!

11/01/2019

Remembering that morning in Tokyo when we arrived at the fish market at 3 am and ate sushi at 5am.

30/05/2018

I am so excited to have our friend's daughter, Reilly, share on our website about her experience as a teenager finding her love of international travel and culture. What a beautiful story of finding her wanderlust and her experience in Graz Austria.
http://wonderlandfamilytravelers.com/the-traveling-storyteller-wanderlust/

Finding Wanderlust Graz Austria Written by Reilly Woehler When I was 12, my mother took me to Europe to visit our friends who were living out there at the time. People warn not to waste Europe on the young, but I say it’s not wasting when it is necessary for young people to learn and grow through ...

18/04/2018

18/04/2018

Dreaming of a Disney vacation? Did you see all of your friends posting pictures from their Spring Break at Disney and now you are itching to go? Booking starts NOW for Fall Break!!
I would like to introduce you to my friend Alyssa, Disney expert and Disney vacation planner. Alyssa's planning and scheduling services are all FREE when you book your Disney vacation through her. Click below on our Wonderland Family Travelers Website to start planning your Disney Vacation! http://wonderlandfamilytravelers.com/disney-planner/

Disney Planner I would like to introduce you to my friend Alyssa. Alyssa is an expert on all things Disney, especially Disney vacation planning. Are you looking for the most magical and memorable Disney vacation for your family? Email Alyssa so she can help you plan it for FREE when you book your st...

15/04/2018

Every traveler has their unique journey. Every traveler has a story to tell. My travel story began years ago, so long that I can't remember much of it, I was a toddler in fact. But my own family (my husband, my kids, and I), our family travel story began in 2015 with a trip to Italy. Ironically, it was the same country that I visited as a child. A country that means family to me. I invite you to our family's travel story of Rome......

http://wonderlandfamilytravelers.com/our-rome-story/

Our Rome Story I still want to pinch myself, did this really happen? I have always been in love with Italy; the culture, the people, the food! Italy also represents family for me. When I was little, my grandparents lived in Rome. My Uncle, Aunt, and cousins lived there as well. I remember baking Chr...

09/04/2018

I’m excited, nervous, and so very happy to share what I have been chipping away at since December. For years I thought it would be fun to have a travel website that would be geared towards family travel. I thought it be great to have a website that shares information about family travel, gives sample itineraries, travel tips, reviews, and lots of information about what to see and do and what kids would enjoy when traveling. I would love to invite you to take a look at my labor of love, our family travel website. I hope it inspires you and whisks you off on a beautiful journey. I hope the information given helps you plan your own adventures. I have so much more information to share and so many stories to tell, I cannot wait to add more content. I will be having guest writers sharing their expertise and tips about travel, including Disney, Universal Studios, Legoland, and more! Please let me know what information you would like see!! I hope you enjoy our new website!

www.wonderlandfamilytravelers.com

When your children are 6 and 9 and they start talking about setting a goal to visit 20 countries before they turn 20, you know they have inherited the "travel gene". Our family has a true passion for exploring the world. We are fascinated by other cultures, the history, and traditions of other cou....

09/02/2018

I need your advice!! When looking at a travel Website what is the information you want the most?

1. Information on what to see and do
2. Sample Itineraries
3. Advice on travel
4. Travel deals on flights
5. Personal stories about traveling to those locations
6. Videos and photos of those areas
7. Any other suggestions?

Thank you for time and advice!

06/02/2018

Here is another great deal! Looking for a fall break adventure? Flights from Chicago to Prague for $506.

06/02/2018

Waiting for a good deal to go to Paris? Icelandair is flying from Chicago to Paris for $635 !! And Icelandair is a fantastic airline!

19/01/2018

If money was no object and you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

18/01/2018

How do you save for big trips?

“How can you afford to travel like that?” is probably one of the most frequently asked questions I get, when I tell people that we travel internationally as a family every year. There are so many parts to that one “simple” question. Everyone has things in life that they are passionate about (or at least everyone should!). Saving for what we are passionate for is easier because it is truly a goal we are working for. At times saving for travel can be hard, but it is sooo worth it in the end!

Here are a few tips that we use to save money for our goal, traveling the world!

1. Every time I go to purchase something I almost think of it as, “Wow this could be a night at a hotel” or “this money could go towards a plane ticket”. There are many things I pick up to purchase but when thoughts like that play in mind that item seems to find its way back on to the shelf. Cutting back on the “wants” and trying to only buy the “needs” will make a cushion to save more money for traveling. Even if it’s just $10, EVERYTHING adds up!
2. Start a Travel Savings account, NOW! – Even if your dream trip isn’t for 2, 3, 5, or even 10 years away, open a savings account at your bank that will be your travel savings account. Look at your monthly budget and figure out how much you could be depositing into your savings account each month or each pay period. No amount is too small, it will add up quickly! Set it up for automatic transfers and forget about it. Then when you are ready to start planning for your trip you will have a nice chunk of money to pay for it. My husband started this 10 years ago and it has been so essential in our ability to pay for our travels.
3. Find a credit card that will help you earn a free trip (kind of)- Credit Card Points –
(**Disclaimer: Please use credit cards responsibly. You will never be able to truly enjoy traveling if you are constantly worried about the debt you will be going home to!) Find and use credit cards that will earn you free travel points. We recommend Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. IT HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED THE WAY WE TRAVEL!! With the Chase Sapphire Reserve card you earn 3X points on all things travel: flights, hotels, trains, taxis. You also earn 3X on all restaurants. And one point on everything else. You do have to pay an annual fee on the card but you also a $300 travel credit that is automatically applied so I feel like the fee is a wash. The other huge benefit is travel insurance that comes with the credit card. When London had the awful terror attacks this summer and we had to change our flights from London to Dublin, we received a full refund through our credit card for our London flights. That was huge! There are so many other benefits to this card, check their website for all of the new and updated benefits. If you are interested in signing up, let us know and we can send you a referral link. Using our points we have flown to Italy, Iceland, Ireland, London and will be traveling to Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan, all without spending a dime! This card has made us change the way we think about travel. Crazy airfares to far off destinations don't scare us away anymore. We have learned to play the points game. The travel that seemed to be only a dream has become a reality. I'm totally not trying to be an infomercial and of course I'm not getting paid to say any of this but I truly wish someone would have shared this info with us years ago!

Now it’s time to start your travel savings!! What do you do to save money for your passions?

12/01/2018

I’m not going to lie, I had nervous butterflies in my stomach when we were heading to our first Airbnb. Were the owners going to be there? Was the place going to be clean? Did the house really even exist? Ok, maybe I have watched too many of those “Today Special Reports” of scammers. But I relaxed somewhat in the knowledge that we had done a ton of research on each of the places we were staying and I really needed to just hope for the best. Thankfully we were pleasantly surprised and had an amazing stay at each of the houses and apartments we stayed in. Currently, there are not many options for families to stay at hotels in Iceland. Most are geared to the single or double traveler. Not wanting to pay the atrocious amount for two hotel rooms for two weeks plus the fact that we wanted to travel around the entire country and there were no hotels around almost half of the ring road, we decided to take the leap and try Airbnb. We are so glad that we did!! Beautiful, well kept, clean homes. You felt a little bit less like a traveler and more like a native. Exchanges of keys went very smoothly. Homes were inviting and welcoming. One of the houses we stayed in was a farm house near the ocean surrounded by moss covered hills and volcanic dirt. The farm house had been in the family for four generations. Sitting on the kitchen counter when we walked in was a traditional Icelandic breakfast cake. It tasted like comfort, with hints of ginger and sweet dried cranberries. During our time in both Iceland and Ireland we stayed in a total of 7 Airbnbs. They were all so very different from each other. Modern, minimalistic apartments to cabins in the middle of nowhere to a farmhouse to a townhome in the middle of a bustling city. All made us feel comfortable and at home. I would definitely stay in Airbnbs again. They offered us a welcoming home at a very reasonable price.

Here are my most important things to know when trying to find an Airbnb:
1. READ, READ, READ REVIEWS!! And when you think you have read them all, read more. We only stayed in places that posted MANY reviews. I read everything carefully and paid attention to the positives and negatives of the home.
2. Superhost – We looked for homes that met the Superhost criteria and had the superhost badge. To become a Superhost, you need to have an account in good standing, and over the past year you must have hosted at least 10 stays, maintained a 90% response rate or higher, received a 5-star review at least 80% of the time you’ve been reviewed, as long as at least half of the guests who stayed with you left a review, completed each of your confirmed reservations without canceling.
3. Prices –I always looked for a place in our budget but I also made sure that the price wasn’t too good to be true. Did the price seem similar to other places in the area that met the same criteria? Also do they charge you full price at booking?
4. Message the owner – I liked that before I even booked a place I could email the owner with any questions. I would email the owners asking any questions I had about the house or even questions about the area that the house was in. Many responded very quickly. Some didn’t respond at all, so I knew I didn’t want to go with those.
5. Location, Location – Double check the location of the home. Check the map on Airbnb and then double check if that is the location that you will want or need.
6. Read House rules and amenities carefully – Are you ok with their house rules? Check in time and Check out time? Do they have all the amenities you need? Do you need a stocked kitchen? Does the house come with sheets and towels? Do you need to supply your own?
7. Check cancellation policy – make sure the cancellation policy works for you.

Are you ready to book an Airbnb? Where would you like to stay in an Airbnb?

10/01/2018

The conversation goes a little like this. “Our flight to Iceland was $227.” “What? Seriously?” Here, let me pick your jaw up off the floor. Yes, our flight to Iceland was cheaper than our last flight to Orlando. Flights to Europe can be a little more affordable than people think or what they may first see. Don’t get me wrong, flying from the US to Europe is expensive no matter what, especially if you are taking your family, but there are some great deals to find with a little creativity and stepping out of the box.
Here are my 6 best tips that help us find great deals on flights especially to Europe

1. Kayak and Google Flights will become your best friend! They will be the ones to give you all the warm and fuzzies of finding incredible deals. You don’t book your flights through these sites but they help you to find the best prices on the dates that you want to go. Then once you find the flight and price that works best for you, you head to the website of that airline and book it through there.
2. Don’t limit yourself by flying out of your home airport. When originally looking for flights to Iceland we started with our search from Indy to Iceland, $1279. YIKES! Then I changed my departure location, Chicago to Iceland, $227 YEESSS! It was over $4,000 cheaper for our family to rent a car to drive to Chicago and fly out of there than flying out of Indy!! Search for airports within good distances, it may just save you $4,000!
3. Take the path less traveled! Round trip and direct flights are NOT the only way to travel. Flying to Europe? Now that you know you can find less expensive flight to Iceland, Did you know many flights from Iceland to much of Europe are between $99-$250. For example right now flights in june from Iceland to Dublin $110. From Iceland to Berlin $120. From Iceland to Rome $251. Break up your flights in to segments to see if can be cheaper than the direct flight. BUT Don’t discount direct flights though. Make sure you check all of your options before committing to a price. I just found an awesome flight for $600 from Chicago to Rome Round trip.
4. American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines are NOT, I repeat NOT the ONLY AIRLINES!! There are so many awesome international airlines. On our last trip we flew all budget international airlines; Icelandair, WOW airlines, Air Lingus, and Air India. We had fantastic flights, amazing staff, plenty of leg room, tons of awesome movies to watch, and delicious food(well, as good as airplane food can get), and all were on time and efficient. If you are nervous to fly an unknown to you airline, google it! We always read through tons of reviews before we book. But even though we read the occasional awful review, we still booked with all the airlines and had a fantastic experience. Props to Icelandair who gave our kids backpacks filled with a book, toys, stuffed animals, games, snacks, and headphones when we boarded the plane and even handed everyone a FREE bottled water. Icelandair, we love you!
5. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays will become your favorite days! Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the cheapest days to travel. When making your schedule try your hardest to travel on these days. Sometimes just by switching your travel day from a Monday to a Tuesday, you can save hundreds of dollars. The more flexible you can be with your schedule, the better the deal you will get.
6. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!! The best time to start looking into international flights are 8-10 months in advance. If you are looking to travel in June or July, the best rates for international travel will be in October through end of November. Set price alerts on your favorite travel websites. They will send you alerts when the prices drop. Prices start to increase quite a bit starting at the end of February. If you are extremely flexible with your schedule and destination, google flights will suggest places for you to travel at unbelievable prices.

Now that you have some tips for spending less on airfare, where do you want to go???
** These tips are all my own opinions and findings!

09/01/2018

Ideas??!! A few weeks ago we started up our New Wonderland Family Travelers page (THANK YOU to all that are now following!) I have heard from a few of you about what you would like to know more about traveling - Airbnbs, Inexpensive international flights, packing, traveling with kids (especially internationally), road trips. I will be making a few videos and writing about all of these great topics!! HERE IS WHAT I NEED YOUR HELP WITH - Is there anything else you would like to know about??? What would be helpful to know?? What do you wonder the most about when trying to decide to travel?? Thank you in advance for your help!