Planning and Tips for Travel to Washington DC

When my family and I took our trip to Washington DC planning the trip was so much easier than planning other vacations we have taken.  I attribute this to the fact that most of the activities in DC are free so there was no need to purchase tours or passes.

Finding A Great Price For Your Travel to DC

I did spend some time comparing flights, trains, and the price to drive to decide the best method of transportation from Florida to DC.  I used many comparison sites such as Trivago, Kayak, Google flights, and Amtrack.  After several days of comparing prices, the best pricing was actually for all of us to drive but considering we only had 4 days we did not want to spend the time we had driving in a car.  So we decided that the next best alternative price wise would be to travel by train.

The train allowed us the ability to sleep during the ride so we would all be rested upon arrival.  The price was less than a plane ticket. Plus we could get on the train right after work and school and then arrive first thing the next morning.  This was a perfect option for us.  However, hindsight tells me that the train was not the best idea for traveling with the family.  I would not recommend taking the train unless you are booking a sleeper car because you have no privacy and you encounter all different kinds of activity while on a train and not all are pleasant.  If you are purchasing a sleeper car the experience is nice you get to see more of the countryside but you actually end up paying more than you would with a plane.  Keep in mind this is just the east coast train from Florida to DC.  Other trains may be perfectly fine for travel as our return trip was much more pleasant.

Getting An Amazing Room

Next, you will need to find a hotel or somewhere to stay.  I searched on Trivago, Airbnb, Hotels.com, kayak, and other sites to find the best deal.  I learned that staying in the city was quite expensive. So I searched the metro maps of DC to see how far the metro lines extended outside the city.  I found that they extended all the way into Maryland so I searched for hotels in that area close enough to the metro stop to walk or with a shuttle service to take us to the metro stop at no extra cost.  After about a week of searching, I found a great hotel at the last metro stop in Maryland through Hotels.com.  This hotel provided an excellent breakfast, the rooms were very clean, the staff was extremely friendly, and the rooms were around $80 a night.  We booked 2 rooms for the time we stayed and we were very happy with our stay.  There were plenty of restaurants around our area including a Starbucks and there was a school group staying in our hotel as well.  When searching for your hotel make sure you read the reviews and know what your expectations are for your budget.  Even though we paid a low price per night we had a great room and great service.  Don't be discouraged if you don't find what you're looking for right away take some time and do your research you will find a hotel at a great price.  

Things to do in DC

Next, we researched all the different things we wanted to do. The National Zoo with the Pandas!!!! That was the best part of the whole trip, well for me at least.  They have some other pretty amazing animals too and it's all free. You can access the zoo from the metro as long as you don't mind walking a little ways from the nearest metro stop.  Touring the Capital building is free you just need to contact your senator in advance to ask for tickets.  All the museums are free just look at the hours of operations almost everything in DC closes at sundown so plan your itinerary accordingly.  The Washington Monument is free but you have to stand in line for tickets they are first to come first serve and the tickets go fast people line up before the sun comes up.  We also opted to purchase the Big Red Bus tickets while we were there.  It was wonderful because it saved us from walking everywhere and we were able to see all the monuments.

Some words of advise if you have never been to DC

After dark nearly all the tourist locations shut down. You will find yourself in the mall area with no one around and all the doors locked.  There is no food nearby either as everyone has packed up for the night.  So I would recommend getting an early start each day and planning your dinner after dark.  you can catch the metro to one of the nearby areas with more food options such as China town.  Yes, DC has a china town, it is not nearly as large as New York but it is still pretty impressive as far as the food options go.  

You don't need to rent a car in DC. The metro is very robust and the metro stops are fairly close together. We did more walking in New York City than we did in DC.  In fact, if you rent a car you will have a hard time finding a parking space and parking becomes very expensive in the city.  If you do need a car to see something that is outside the city just call a taxi or uber for that specific trip.  

If you are worried about getting lost navigating the metro station don't. You can go to the city's website and download the metro app.  The app will tell you a map of the metro as well as when the trains run and you can even figure out how much it will cost you for each ride you take.  We purchased preloaded cards at the main metro stop in Maryland when we arrived.  This saved us from having to purchase rides and wait in line to add money to our cards. Plan out where you are going and estimate the amount of money you need on your card and add that amount when you arrive.  Also, don't worry about safety in the DC Metro.  There was security at every stop we made and many of the trains we rode in had security as well.  It was very clean and safe.  

Check the weather before you pack and leave for DC. We took our trip in March. DC doesn't get a lot of snow or even harsh winters. It was supposed to be cherry blossom season but there were not cherry blossoms when we arrived.  It was extremely cold, windy, and we even had snow during our stay.  Unfortunately, we didn't plan for the snow and we did not have gloves, hats, or heavy jackets. We were a little on the cold side during our trip.  We did buy some warmer clothes and gloves from street vendors which my daughter still has her hoodie all these years later so the quality was great for a street vendor purchase.  

Have fun and don't expect to see everything.  These museums can take weeks to see everything in them so don't plan to see everything in one visit.  Just take your time, plan what you want to see in each location and plan to make a return visit to see the other items at another time.  

An Adventure in Washington DC

In 2015 my family and I traveled to Washington DC.  We were traveling on a budget and flights were crazy expensive from Florida to Washington DC. Even when searching Google Flights, kayak.com, Trivago.com, and CheapAir.com. I think it was mostly because of the time of year we were traveling, it was during cherry blossom season. We really wanted to go to DC so, we explored different options. Driving was out of the question that would have been about 10 hours in a car with 5 people. So, we kept looking for other options and found the Amtrack train. It was reasonably priced and we could hop on right after work/school and arrive the next morning.  With the great public transportation in DC, we wouldn't need a car so it was perfect or so we thought.

The Commute

The Amtrack train to DC was an awful experience.  We selected seats over the front wheels of the car because they had more leg space.  Little did we know that this part of the car had the most movement during the ride.  The restrooms on board were very poorly maintained, we had to walk back several train cars to find one that was functional.  We ate breakfast on the train, the food wasn't bad but the price was quite excessive.  I would recommend bringing some breakfast bars to avoid purchasing food on board.  Also, depending on the other people in the car with you the experience can get quite interesting.  On this particular trip, we had one person kicked off the train for drug use and another person that boarded with a small child that was intoxicated when boarded.  She continued to drink what she brought aboard plus what was served to her throughout the ride leaving her child unattended.  She was also very loud and obnoxious to everyone in the car.  Plus each time the train stops to pick up or drop off passengers it was not uncommon for those who choose to smoke to get off the train to smoke since it is prohibited on board.  The issue was they were not asked to stand away from the door of the train so the smoke came right back into the car.  This was an issue for those of us that have a smoke sensitivity or respiratory conditions.  Plus because of the motion of the train when I got off I was swaying like I was still on that train for hours, it was almost like I was seasick.

The Amtrack from DC back to Florida was much nicer.  We had a train car full of girl scouts. At first, I was skeptical thinking we would never get any sleep but after about 9 PM the kiddos were all settled in and were very quite some were even sleeping.  The restrooms on board were kept very clean.  we didn't have smokers coming and going right outside our door.  Plus we didn't sit over the wheels on the car so there was less motion.  We did eat lunch on the train on the way back as we didn't plan for snacks on the train.  Lunch was also good but pricey.  We used the dining area to play games when it was not being used to serve food.  Overall the return trip was a much better experience.  So, I would caution against using Amtrack for travel with children as you never know what your trip will be like and what kind of environment your train car will contain.

The Stay

While we were in DC we actually stayed in Maryland because hotels in DC are very expensive.  We searched for the best-priced hotels that we could get using the DC metro stations.  We needed something that would allow us to walk or get a free shuttle to the metro stop each day.  So we spent a lot of time looking and finally found a great hotel in Maryland that even offered free breakfast.  Since we were traveling for spring break we actually ended up in a hotel with a school group that was also traveling to tour DC.  Other than some noise from the kids in the halls occasionally the hotel was great and a very safe area.  We found some pretty authentic restaurants in the area so we were able to explore new foods while we were there.  We did have to take a taxi from the DC train station to the hotel since we had luggage and children we didn't want to take the rush hour metro to the hotel.

Transportation

We purchased metro cards and loaded them, we didn't find any unlimited options for DC like we did for New York.  But the prices were pretty reasonable.  We used the metro to travel all over the city.  Even though it was spring in DC it was extremely cold and it was snowing. So the metro was running behind. So if you plan to visit for spring break you might want to check the weather as you might need some heavy jackets and gloves. Not to mention you may want to plan for metro delays.

Activities

Once you're in DC almost all the attractions are free.  All the museums are free to enter you just have to go in and get your free ticket.  The food at the museum cafe's is a little pricey and there's not a lot of places to sit so try to eat during off times.  Also, most of the museums and monuments close to dark so plan your day accordingly.  You can view the monuments from the outside after dark but you can't go in them.  I would also recommend if you want to go inside the Washington monument you have to arrive before dawn to stand in line for those tickets.  The tickets are free but they are the first to come first serve and they only allow so many people a day.  Also Whitehouse tours, you have to sign up online in advance and they do background checks so apply early its a long process.  If you want to tour the capital building you can get tickets from your Senator you just have to send them a request and they can send you some free entry tickets.  It is definitely worth a tour, it is a beautiful building and has a lot of history.  If you have time you should also step into the library, it's amazing how big it is and the architecture that has gone into the structure. The history and space museums are amazing and are definitely child-friendly.  We didn't get to go to the Spy Museum but if you have older children then this would be a good experience for them.  If you have kids that have already learned about the Holocaust in school the holocaust Museum would be good to visit, my children were too young at the time of our visit.

Another place you can't miss while you're in DC is the national zoo.  We have been to lots of Zoos in different states and this one is by far my favorite.  I may be a little impartial since they have an amazing Panda exhibit and I LOVE Pandas but this zoo is amazing.  They have a great elephant exhibit that is much larger than any I have seen so far, the panda exhibit is large, the pandas have plenty of room to climb and roam around. They had a really cool gorilla exhibit as well and so much more. They have something for everyone.  Even in the cold, the exhibits were open they had indoor exhibits for cold sensitive animals.  The zoo is free for everyone and there are some beautiful walking paths.  You can even get to the zoo by metro, no need to rent a car or take a cab.

in DC the museums, zoo, and monuments look like they are all close together but in fact, it is a lot of walking.  Not only did we use the metro to help save our legs we also used the hop on hop off bus tours.  The tour was amazing, we were able to see all the major monuments, we could get off the bus walk around the monument and then get back on and go to the next one.  It was a great way to get around plus hear some history of the city.  It was a very budget friendly want to get around without killing ourselves trying to walk all over the city.

Final Remarks

By using the metro and the bus tour we saw everything in 4 days. Our hotel provided us with free breakfast, the train station has some great reasonably priced restaurants where we ate lunch often, and we often ate dinner near our hotel.  Overall we were able to visit DC at a very low cost because most everything is free, the only expense was our train tickets, hotel stay, the bus tour, our food, and souvenirs we bought.

So, if your looking for a great educational vacation on a budget Washington DC is the way to go.  You can see the great history of our great nation. You can share that history with your family. All on a very reasonable budget.

Traveling with MGS Sensitivity

Traveling with MSG sensitivity can be a challenge for many of us. Those pesky additives can really reak havoc on our bodies from migraine headaches to very unpleasant digestive reactions and so much more.  Here are some tips for all you travelers out there that need to avoid those MSG's in order to enjoy your vacation.

Over the years I have battled many migraines during and after traveling or even just having a great dinner with friends or family.  I can say first hand what a huge problem MSG's are and how they can ruin your vacation if you have a sensitivty to them like I do.  That is why I am sharing these tips to help make your vacation more pleasant and hopefully avoid spending part of your vacation couped up in your room.

Understand What MSGs Are 

MSG's are known by many names and appear on food labels under many different names so you need to be careful even when traveling within your own country.

It's a misconception that MSG's are only found in Chinese food it is common in a lot of processed foods and in a lot of restaurants. Ever wonder why you have that massive migraine after eating at your favorite restaurant well it might be what you are ordering at the restaurant. Even some wine has MSG's used as a preservative.

Avoid Consuming MSG's 

It is important to look at your food labels, ask your wait staff, and when unsure stick with organic salads with oil and vinegar dressings.  The wait staff may not know off the top of their head but they should be more than willing to go to the kitchen and ask the cook.  Some kitchens might be able to elimintate the MSG's from your favorite dish by simply removing the seasoning and add table salt instead.

Be Prepared When Consumption Occurs 

Always be prepared for the accidental mishap.  Always carry your migraine medication or medication for your digestive issues on your person.  The sooner you begin treatment the sooner you will start feeling better.  

I always have Migraine medication in my bag in addition to Advil. You never know when you may need it. You might consume something that triggers your sensitivity and then you are in big trouble especially if you are hours away from your medication.  Those hours could mean the difference between having relief now and having relief in 2-3 days.  Migrains are funny things once they set in it takes a lot to get rid of them.  Having digestive issues are no different, if you treat them quickly you will feel better sooner and your body wont loose as many fluids.  Therefore you can get back to enjoying your vacation.  

Also, always keep water on hand.  Staying well hydrated after consuming MSG's will help flush them out of your system.  You want to get them all out of your system as quickly as you can and drinking plenty of water will help.  

Planning for our Disney Cruise

In 2016 we decided it was time for a vacation.  We realized we had never been on a cruise before and started looking at different cruise options. We always see the commercials for Carnival, Royal Carribean, Disney, and so many others.  We heard friends and family give pros and con's about all of them.  So we hit the books, or the keyboard, and started our research.

Carnival and Royal Carribean had some great promotional offers but neither had the same reviews for the experience for kids or the customer service excellence that was offered.  So we looked into Disney a little more.  We found out that the Disney rewards card that we have through Chase allowed us to trade in points earned towards our Disney cruise.  That made a Disney cruise even more appealing.

This rewards program allows you to earn points much like any credit card rewards program.  These points do not expire and can be used for anything Disney or flights.  Plus the points never expire so you can save up till you want to use them.  Plus you get some great perks with this program.  You can book a Disney vacation package or cruise interest-free for 18 months. This sealed the deal for us.

We booked our Cruise through the Disney Cruise Line using the points that we had been saving up. We paid the remaining balance over time till it was time for our departure.  The great part about Disney Cruise was we were able to add our gratuity up front so no extra charges once we were on board.  Plus soda, juice, and everything except the alcohol was free on board.  Some cruise lines charge extra for their soda package.

Their excursion packages were very reasonable on the Disney Island as well.  for 4 people participating in 3 activities for the day, it was approximately $150 total. We paid for this up front as well over the 18 month period. So no surprise fees when we disembarked the ship.

So, my advice is if you are looking to take a Disney Cruise is to find a great rewards program that you can use to help offset the cost. Take advantage of the 0% interest financing for your trip, just be sure to pay the balance off before the interest rate is adjusted or your savings will not be worth it.  Try to include all your costs into your booking upfront to avoid any surprises when you're ready to leave, nothing is worse than ending your vacation with a giant bill.  If your going to consume alcohol look into how much you plan to consume if its just one or two glasses a package won't be worth it but if you plan to consume a large amount over the course of the Cruise I would suggest taking advantage of the alcohol package to avoid a large bill at the end of your trip.

I hope these tips will help you reach your Disney Cruise destination!

Our Disney Cruise Adventure

In 2016 my family and I boarded a Disney cruise to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving.  This was our first cruise and let me just say Disney really does make everything magical.  We are longtime Disney World fans.  Being a Florida resident we have had the opportunity to take our children to all the Disney World parks and now a cruise. I will tell you how we were able to afford our annual tickets as well as this cruise in another blog so stay tuned.

Being so close to Christmas the boat was decorated with everything you would expect from Disney at Christmas.  When we walked into the main lobby there was a life-sized gingerbread house that you could smell before you could see.  They had a beautiful Christmas tree decorated in the main lobby, I won't even try to guess the size of that tree it was enormous.  The Disney characters on board were all dressed in their best holiday attire.  There was even one night Santa came to see all the little kids on board.  It was so great to see their eyes light up with joy and excitement.  

Aside from the great decor which I love so much about Disney especially during the holidays, they had so many great activities for adults and kids.  My daughter was nearly a teen at the time so she was able to take advantage of the preteen lounge.  We got her signed up and she was able to use her room wristband to check herself in and out of her preteen club whenever she desired.  She pretty much had free run of the ship except during dinner, we made her eat dinner with us much to her dismay.  She made lasting friends that she still talks with to this day.  

My son was still in the explorer club meaning he was younger than the preteens but not a toddler at the time.  We had to check him in and out each time he wanted to go and play or participate in the activities.  The check in and check out process was quick and easy.  There was a safe word for each kid that the parent and child needed to know in addition to the child's wristband scanning to match the parents' information.  This made your pick up secure so each child was going back to the correct parent.  In addition, they had hand washing stations anyone that entered had to wash their hands and anyone leaving had to wash their hands.  This was such a great idea with so many people on one boat this helps keep illnesses in check.  

The ship was always very clean, we never saw a spill, trash, or a dirty bathroom for the whole week we were on the ship.  Every time we went back to our estate room it was nice and tidy the bunk beds were always put away after breakfast and then set back up for us at night.  We also always came back to a really cool animal towel in our room.  on our last night, the animal was a monkey hanging from the roof.  It was the best we have ever seen.  

The entertainment was wonderful, we saw a live theater performance which is what you would expect from any Disney performance, they are always "magical".  We also watch 2 movies while on board, one hadn't even been released to the public yet.  We enjoyed the water roller coaster on board which was always kept clean and was so much fun.  The only thing we didn't like about it was there was always a line no matter the time of day or night.  The kids also enjoyed the pools.  My husband and I enjoyed the adult pools but I will talk more about that in a minute.  

One night they had a deck party where everyone dressed like pirates, they had a little show some fireworks off the top of the ship over the ocean and then a big dance party on deck.  The show was wonderful and so realistic.  The fireworks are something I will never forget, the beautiful colors reflecting off the deep black water with the moon in the sky, it was just beautiful.  Then everyone danced for hours on the deck.  

We also signed up to build our own gingerbread house since it was close to the Christmas holiday this was an activity offered on the ship.  Not only did we get freshly baked gingerbread and all the material to make a gingerbread house.  They also had a chef proving instructions to help everyone successfully build and decorate their house.  We were able to take our gingerbread house back to our rooms to consume, but we could not bring it off the ship.  

Some of the adult entertainment was great as well. As I mentioned before my husband and I enjoyed some of the adult only pools, coffee shops, and hot tubs when the kids were at their explorer club and preteen clubs.  Disney Cruises are unique in that they have a section of the ship that is dedicated for adults only.  This is great because most of the ship is swimming with children of all ages. Adults can get away in the Adult only areas or if you are traveling without children you can hang out in this area and the pools, hot tubs, coffee shops, and even bars are empty.  I think we saw one other person in the hot tub and only a few in the coffee shop.  Other Cruises everyone is always mixed together and you never have any space in a pool, hot tub, at a bar, or even a quiet moment to drink coffee.  

So, what did we do off the ship? in the Bahamas, we did some shopping but we did not do any of the excursions at this stop. When we docked at the Disney island in the Bahamas we rented bikes to explore the island.  There was this really cool tower we climbed to the top you could see almost the whole island from the top.  Once we were back at the beach we rented snorkeling gear.  We snorkeled for hours, we saw the sunken Mickey, we saw fire coral, swam with sea turtles, and tons of fish.  It was a great experience for the kids this was their first time snorkeling.  We hung out on the beach the rest of the day.  Disney provided a cookout on the beach which included all kinds of BBQ options.  The food was great and the desserts were even better. 

Before boarding the ship we saw a Christmas tree all decorated with snow falling around it and the Disney characters available for pictures.  It was such a great surprise to see the beautiful decorations on such a remote, mostly uninhabited island.  

The next day it was time to leave. It was a sad day to walk off that ship and say goodbye to the lovely wait staff that had taken care of us for dinner each night and return to reality.  Being on that ship was like being in a dream.  No worries, just building memories and having fun.  I can't wait till our next opportunity to go on a Disney Cruise and I hope each of you also gets the opportunity to board this magical Disney Cruise line.