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Renowned Advice for Solo Traveling to Help you Get Away and Recharge

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People don’t always understand my husband and I because we vacation frequently without each other. One of my favorite quotes by Jason is about us and our relationship is “We live together and work together, so we vacation separately.” Now that isn’t always true, we do take some vacations together like our trip this past fall to Hawaii. However, we do a fair deal of solo traveling.

Things to Consider: Solo Traveling

There are many things you need to consider when you are solo traveling. Many of the items are the same as if you are traveling with your family, but there are some unique differences. After all, if you want to change your mind while solo traveling there’s no one to argue with you.

Solo Traveling Destination

Chose a destination for solo traveling with lots of activities to choose from. One of my favorite places to go is the state of Florida, and there is an endless supply of fun down there. Jason; he prefers to solo travel to Las Vegas. You should consider what is drawing you to the vacation spot you are picking out so you can truly take advantage and see all the things that will enhance the experience.

There are many travel destinations that seem to be made just for the solo traveler. Check out this Bucketlist.

Renowned Advice for Solo Traveling to Help you Get Away and Recharge #travel #solotravel #destinations #vacation #solovacation

Safety

Now I like to post pictures on social media of where we are and what we are doing. But I don’t post photos of where we stay or are staying until after we’ve been there. Safety is a real concern, and keeping your haven safe is a priority. Don’t tell people where you are staying, if asked about it keep your answers vague.

Technology

To really relax and recharge limit your technology usage. I’m not saying throw it all away when you are solo traveling, but truly take time to appreciate where you are. One of my favorite memories of a recent trip to Florida was driving across the state and seeing cows in pastures with Palm Trees. I’m from Wisconsin and this sight cracked me up.

Don’t get so caught up in capturing the moments, that you forget to live in them. ENJOY your vacation. This is how you relax and rejuvenate your soul.

Renowned Advice for Solo Traveling to Help you Get Away and Recharge #travel #solotravel #destinations #vacation #solovacation

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Benefits of Flexible Points

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Towards the end of every year, I always start to look at the balances of my point accounts and start also looking at what I plan to do for traveling over the next year or two. Yes, I really do mean year or two. (Check out our post on our plan for our next Hawaii vacation.) I have found that using flexible points gives us the most travel options.

When I had started to look at the first trip to Hawaii for our family, I planned it out over 2-3 years to make sure I could do as much with points as possible. There are always risks planning that far out such as points needed for the flights or hotels go up or airline carriers changing flight options. We were fortunate that the choices we did gave us some flexibility in case of those changes.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Over the last two years, I have moved to keep points in a program such as Chase Ultimate Rewards. This way my points aren’t locked up with Southwest, Delta, or Marriott. Using this program let us keep our flexible points in one place until we need them.

Using Flexible Points

For the trip to Hawaii we recently went on, I was short the miles needed for all the flights using United. They had nonstop flights that were worth us spending a little more on. By not having my points locked in, I was able to transfer from Chase to United to complete that booking.

Additionally, I was then low on points to finish the hotel booking through Marriott for the travel package for the boutique hotel. I was able to top off the account with Marriott with the points from Chase.

Benefits of Flexible Points – When things Change

During those two years, a lot of changes happened in regards to the points hobby.

  • Alaska Airlines lost the ability to book Delta fights.
  • Alaska gave the flexibility to book American, Alaska or Delta flights.

Starwoods/SPG was a considerable hotel favorite in the points hobby. Starwoods/SPG was purchased by Marriott and changed redemption rates. Additionally, they cut the ability to earn points by 1/3rd the price per dollar than previously. Rumors of other airlines being purchased, hotel groups consolidating, would force many to try to stay ahead of the game. Where having the flexible miles in something like Chase Ultimate Rewards allows transfer partners for hotels as needed with IHG (Holiday Inn), Marriott, or Hyatt (my personal favorite).

For airlines, you have many options including Southwest and United. You can always cash in Points through the travel portal at 1.25 cents per point or penny per point in statement credit. Another example of how flexibility is beneficial. Southwest recently began booking flight options to Hawaii. This gives more options besides United and Delta, and will likely continue to make travel there competitive.

The more flexibility you have, the better.

Food in Hawaii – I can’t believe I paid $20 for pancakes to go

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Food in Hawaii is expensive.  There is no way around it.  There are ways to save, but towards the end of our trip, our options became limited due to Hurricane Lane.

Why we spent $20 on Pancakes to go

Let me start with the $20 pancakes.  When everything was closing due to the hurricane, most restaurants shut down.  Even Starbucks and McDonalds were closed down.  Some of the hotel restaurants would only serve you if you were staying with them.  The only options we could find was Burger King and IHOP nearby.
 

100% Kona Coffee

IHOP had a limited menu while they were open which means all deals were gone.  One order of chicken strips and two orders of pancakes for Joni, Cheyenne and I were just shy of $60 on the pickup order.  Under normal circumstances, there are some cheaper options.
 

Food in Hawaii – Food Trucks

Food trucks are very common throughout the island.  We had grabbed food at a couple of these along with some excellent snacks.  Cheyenne fell in love with the ‘rolled ice cream.’  I preferred to stick with the ‘Hawaiian Shaved Ice.’  Don’t call it a slushie; it is so much more than that.
 
If you find yourself up on the North Shore in Haleiwa during your site seeing, make sure you stop in at Matsumoto‘s Shaved Ice.  The line is usually long, but it is so much more than a slushie.  Also, make sure to add the condensed milk as it adds such a sweet option to it.  Well worth the wait.
 

Fast Food Options

They do have fast food in Hawaii as well.  Jack in the Box, Burger King and McDonald’s were close by the hotel we stayed at and found around Waikiki.  Cheyenne and I would walk down to McDonald’s for a $1.50 ice cream cone to help us cool down.  The costs are higher than back in the 48 states, but it was cheaper than some of the sit-down restaurants.  Some of the ‘dollar menu’ items are still cheaper, so there is a lower cost alternative.
 
We did also do IHOP on the cheap for one meal also.  IHOP loves to have them monthly specials they advertise for all their locations throughout the US.  We found them to be the same cost as the ones back in Wisconsin.  By getting the pancakes that were on special at that time instead of the general menu pancakes, it was the difference between $5 for breakfast for one of us compared to $18-20.
 

Convenience Stores for Quick Food in Hawaii

Cheyenne also learned about “ABC Stores.”  They are a set of convenience stores throughout Hawaii and in Las Vegas. If you pick up snacks and munchies here and bring them to your hotel, it saves on the urge for the expensive snacks throughout the day.
 
We also brought some snacks from home in our luggage.  Granola Bars and trail mix help cut out the snacking between meals. This is a great way to pay less for food in Hawaii.
 

Local Favorites

Koko Head Cafe

Sometimes though you do have to splurge, especially when we are talking about food in Hawaii.  Cheyenne and I have found our new favorite restaurant.  Cheyenne likes to remind me that I always let her pick where to eat for her birthday and she keeps telling me now its one of the local restaurant that a friend of ours recommended to us on Ohau.
 
Sooner or later Cheyenne should come to terms that she is not going back to Hawaii for her birthday.  If you have a chance, there is a small local joint that serves breakfast and lunch called Koko Head Cafe.  We loved it so much; we had to go here twice.  Cheyenne would keep trying to steal from my plate.
 
To get an idea of the indulgence for breakfast, the meal of choice for Cheyenne was Cornflake Crusted French Toast with Billionaires Bacon, Pepper Maple Syrup and Frosted Flake Gelato.  This eating experience and the fantastic food is worth the effort to go off the beaten path.
 

MAC 24/7

If you find yourself staying close to Waikiki Beach, MAC 24/7 is within walking distance to most of the hotels in the area.  It is located in one of the Hilton Properties and featured on Man Vs. Food.  You will find some of the best pancakes for breakfast here.
 
No matter where you get food in Hawaii, we hope you have an AMAZING time! If you have or find other local places to eat or tips others can use, please comment below!

Best Vacations for Teens

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Best Vacations for Teens

We believe that everyone should travel. That doesn’t mean you need to fly somewhere or even go far. You can travel in your own state or do a road trip and we encourage you to read more about why we think everyone should travel. Since we have a teenager, we get asked a lot where we think the best vacations for teens are. Now we travel a decent amount but we certainly don’t travel everywhere; and we’ve never been overseas. But we do have some favorites for you to consider when planning your best vacations for teens.

  • Las Vegas – Yeah that sounds odd, it’s a mecka of lots of things you probably don’t want your teenagers to know or see, but with that said there are also a lot of opportunities in Las Vegas you may not get other places. Sporting events, fights, lots of things to do that are family friendly.
  • Florida – Florida has many things to do from swimming at the beach, to planning a Disney destination vacation.
  • Wisconsin Dells, WI – There are so many waterparks and things to do here it’s often overlooked. Visit in the summer to take full advantage.
  • Hawaii – There is something extra special to be said about visiting an island. Combine that with all the great things to see and do and you can’t really go wrong. Plus a stop at Pearl Harbor lets you sneak in some learning too.
  • Mexico – We’ve only been to Cancun but I imagine the experiences are similar in other places around Mexico too. Try to get in a few excursions to see historical sites, dolphins and snorkeling opportunites you can’t get other places.

Need some other ideas? Check out this list of the 20 Vacations places for Teens by Travel Advisor.

Tips to make the Best Vacations for Teens memorable

  1. Anytime you are planning trips with teens involve them in the trip planning. If they feel invested in the trip they are more likely to enjoy it and not complain if something outside your control goes wrong. When we travel we make Cheyenne research wherever we are going. With today’s easy access to YouTube and social media reviews this isn’t that hard for her. She then gets to pick 1 must do activity as do each of us. That is the thing we make sure we do first so that we get everyone’s item in on our vaction. For example: When we went to Hawaii – Cheyenne’s must do thing was to visit the Dole Plantation which we actually ended up doing twice.
  2. Make them accountable. There is no reason your teenager can’t pack their own bag, be responsible for souveniers they want and help you navigate around the airport, etc.
  3. Plan downtime. We’ve found that most people want to pack everything they can into their vacation. I get that, I really do, but will you enjoy it if you don’t have some downtime? We’ve found that if we plan in downtime we enjoy the fast, action packed, busy days way more. This can be helpful if you have a rainday or something goes wrong like being able to move your tours if a hurricane threatens your trip such as when Hurricane Laine decided to visit us on our Hawaii trip. This is in my opinion the most important tip when considering the best vacations for teens.
  4. Plan your photos. Our daughter hates to have her picture taken. That’s probably because Joni takes about a million of them. We set the expectation up front we are going to take pictures, probably a lot them. If you don’t complain and you go along with them things will be easier and you will be happy we have them when we get back. With that said Joni tries to limit our family snaps to a handful a day so they aren’t overwhelming

Do you have other tips or places to making the best of vacations with teens? Comment or contact us to let us know so we can share with others!