How to experience the best of Rio

My husband and I were lucky enough to visit Rio De Janeiro for the World Cup.  Our trip was kind of last minute, kind of planned forever.  We got the tickets last November, but did not actually decide to go until about a month before the game our tickets were for.  Because of this, we did not do a ton of research, we did not really have a place to stay, and we had no idea what to expect.  Luckily we have a few friends who have been to Rio and gave us some information and recommended someone to stay with.   To be honest our first couple of days in Rio were not that great, we got lost, were in kind of a shady area, had little sleep and discovered that Spanish is not as close to Portuguese as we hoped.  But as always we made the best of our situation and in the end had an excellent time.  Here are some tips, must see places and advice on Rio.

1. Visas, Money and weather

One thing that is very important to know is if you have a US passport than you need a visa to go to Brazil.  It can take quite a while to get your visa, so I recommend starting the process as soon as possible.  It can also cost a couple hundred dollars, so be prepared for that.  Because we went for the World Cup my visa was free, but I did have to go to my nearest consulate (Los Angeles) to apply in person.  I receive my visa in 5 days.  Some areas of Brazil require certain vaccinations, but Rio did not require any. Prices were surprisingly higher than I thought they would be.  They use the Real, not the dollar, we found that if you divided the Real price in half it was pretty much what it would be in dollars.  So 120 Reals was about $60 (it was actually just a bit more).  To ride the bus was much more expensive than I expected and depending on where you shopped prices were higher than the US.  Food and lodging were about the same as you'd find here. When we went to Rio, it was in July, which is technically their winter season.  The weather was perfect, around 75 degrees, but it did get dark pretty early at 5:30 pm.

2. Stay as close to Copacabana as you can

Our first mistake was not knowing the area that well.  The person we were staying with lived pretty far outside of Rio.  Unlike most cities where that is not as much as an issue, this was.  To take the bus to her house was very confusing and we had to make a couple transfers.  To take a taxi was very expensive.  In two days we had gotten lost about 4 times and spent over $100 on buses and taxis.  We moved locations on our second day to Copacabana and had a much easier time after that.   There is a metro system in the city that we used with absolute ease and everything we wanted to do was located around Copacabana.  The only down side to this is the logging itself was pretty expensive.  Because we had not made prior reservations we had to take what we could find and the cheapest was a shared room at a hostel for $60 each person a night.

3. Be very aware of your surroundings

One thing about Rio is the favelas are mixed in with the city.  They are mainly on the mountains surrounding the city, but its just a short walk up a staircase and you are in the favela.  Some favelas are not as dangerous as others, but it is hard to tell the difference and I was advised that unless I had a guide, to just not go there.  My husband was always aware of who was behind us, where our bags were, who we were around and he kept telling me to watch my purse and be careful.  While at times it drove me nuts, I was thankful for his ever present awareness, because there were a couple of incidents that I'm sure our being careful saved us.  For the most part we did not have a problem, nothing was stolen, no one purposely led us astray or scammed us, but there were a few close calls.

4. Go to all the tourist attractions

We made it a point to go to the Cristo Redentor, Pan de Azucar, Copacabana Beach, Ipanema Beach and the Maracana.  All of these areas were amazing, well worth the time and money and a must see. When we went to the Cristo Redentor it was cloudy.  So cloudy that you could not see it even when you were standing right in front of it.  But we waited and the clouds parted for a moment, we got our pictures, and then the clouds came back.  I have heard some days the clouds do not part and you do not get a refund, but it was the only time we had to go, so I'm glad the Heaven's decided to open for us, if only for a moment.

Pan de Azucar (the mountain that looks like a loaf of bread) was breath taking.  We went at sunset, it was half price, and not very crowded.  We got some of the most beautiful pictures of Rio at sunset that I have ever seen.  When we returned it was dark, but the trip was well worth it.

Obviously we went to the Maracana (the biggest soccer stadium in South America) for the World Cup game we had tickets to.  I was impressed with how well organized it was.  I am not a big fan of crowds and was a little worried about the 74,000 people that would be there, but it actually was very pleasant.  Of course seeing an actual game is the best experience, but if there is not a game going on when you are there you can still do a tour of the stadium.

5. Don't be afraid to venture outside the city

We had heard about some islands not far outside of Rio that were supposed to be amazing.  Besides asking some locals, we did not have that much information, but decided to go anyway.  The first island we went to was Agra dos Reis, a beautiful little town about 3 hours south of Rio.  We stayed there for the night and the next day took a tour of four other islands.  It was not hard to find a tour to do, there were several agencies along the main street of town, and we just picked one that sounded good to us.  We went to crystal clear water, swam with fish and had a nice meal on the beach.  It was a great experience and I recommend it to anyone looking for something to do outside the city.

6. Interact with the people

In all the cities I've been to in the world, Rio by far had the friendliest people.  Not only were people very pleasant to talk to, but strangers approached us and asked if we needed help.  I do not know of a lot of other cities that someone would ask you if you needed help.  I felt like we had all these guardian angles looking out for us along our trip.   My husband often thought the people that helped wanted some kind of tip or thank you, but when we offered some money they refused it.   Even people we sat next to on the bus were friendly and offered advice and service to us.  I was very pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the people were.

As I said, once we moved locations to be near Copacabana we had a much more relaxing vacation, but I am glad I got to see how people live outside of the city.  I feel like we got to see much more of Rio the state than most people do who go there for a vacation.   I think it would be awesome to go back to Rio for Carnival, but as of now I feel we saw pretty much everything we wanted to and I'm happy we were able to go to such a beautiful part of the world.

How to Cruise like a Pro

I've been on a couple of cruises and if you are looking for an affordable, easy, hassle free way to travel I recommend going on one.  Now I say affordable, because most cruises are not that bad of a price, especially considering that food is included, but they can be spendy if you make it that way.   The thing to watch out for with cruises is if you purchase anything on board, alcohol, gifts, or even excursions, they just add it to your bill and if you're not careful to keep track of what you are spending the big bill at the end can be higher than you expected.  Also if you go for a large outside room with a balcony, that can be a lot more than an interior room.  The nice, hassle free, part about cruising is you don't have to move hotels every night, yet you get to see lots of different cities.   Let me tell you about the things I learned on the cruise I took with my husband and another couple a few years ago to Alaska.

Research the different cruise lines

We knew we wanted to go to Alaska, and we knew there were certain cities we wanted to see.  There are several cruise ships that go to Alaska, but they don't all go to the same cities.  We also knew which cruise lines we did not want to go on, and certain features we wanted on our ship.   After looking over the options, ships and prices we settled on Princess Cruise Lines.  They went to Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm Ford, Ketchikan and Victoria, Canada.

Do not confirm your room

When I saw the option to confirm my room when making my reservation I thought that was really dumb.  Of course I wanted to confirm my room, so I checked the box without any second thoughts.  It wasn't until I was checking in to our cruise that I overheard someone saying he did not confirm his room in the hopes he would get an upgrade for free.   I guess if there are available rooms with windows or balcony they will upgrade people that booked cheaper rooms for free.  Now I am not 100% sure about this policy and do not know if every cruise line has that option, but if I had known I definitely would not have confirmed my room.  The only problem I could have potentially seen was we were pretty close to our friend's room and if we had gotten an upgrade and they hadn't or even if we both did we could have been on opposite ends of the ship.  And on a cruise ship that can be pretty far away.   Instead we had small interior rooms that cost just over $400 a person for a 7 day cruise (food included remember).

Plan and book your excursions before you go

Most cruise websites will have a list of the different excursions available at the different ports you will be visiting.  My husband and I searched through all the different options before we went and budgeted out what we could do.  We also planned with our friends what we wanted to do together and what we wanted to do on our own.  The great thing about a cruise is there is something for everyone.  I love horse back riding, so we made sure to book a ride that took us through the Yukon, but my friends weren't into that, so they took a train ride instead. But we made sure to do the dog sledding adventure together because that was something no one wanted to miss out on.  If you like adventure, if you want to take things a bit slower, if you have a big or small budget, you can find something that will fit your needs.  I also recommend booking them before you go as they have limited space and can fill up if you wait until the last minute.  In case you aren't sure what you want to do before you go however, you can still book excursions on board your ship, up to the day of, as long as there is still room.

Attend the activities on board the ship

Most cruises will end up having at least one day at sea, but don't worry the cruise directors make sure there is plenty to do so you don't get bored while on board (no pun intended).  We went to all the "Broadway" shows available, and while they weren't anything near Tony award winning worthy, they were fun and entertaining.  We also attended a couple comedian shows, the Newlywed game and a trivia contest.  There was always something going on in the different lounges, ballrooms, and night clubs.   We had a calendar of all the activities in our room upon arrival which is how we knew about the different events.  There are also other things to do that aren't scheduled if you want to go at your own pace.  There are several pools, a spa, casino, gym, and movies playing throughout the day.  We played mini golf, shuffle board, basketball and even participated in a ping pong tournament!  Every ship is different and has different amenities, so just make sure to check out what your ship has to offer either before you go or once you get on board.  Our ship had a scavenger hunt first thing when we got on that helped us get a feel for the ship before we even left the port.  There was an incentive for a cool prize if we got everything done, but we didn't finish on time so I don't know what the prize was!

Don't get overwhelmed by all the food

Our particular ship had a 24 hour buffet where we ate breakfast and lunch.  But for dinner there was a more traditional sit down option.  We chose the open dinning plan which meant we did not have a specific time to come and eat or a specific table.  I wanted the flexibility of not having a set time to be at the restaurant.  What if we were late?  What if we were playing ping pong and didn't want to leave to go to dinner?   The down side to this option is there was usually a line we had to wait in for a table to open up.  It was never too long though.  Also we were not guaranteed to sit at a table of four.  It could have been a table of six with two people we did not know.  Or two tables of two and then we couldn't eat with our friends.  It always worked out, but that was the warning we were given by choosing open dinning.  Also we never had the same waiter, so if we really liked one, we knew we most likely would not get them again.

Besides the seating arrangements, there is the problem of how much to eat.  You can order as much food as you want.  Literally.  On lobster night all of us had two plates of lobster each!   If you want one of each dessert you can!  They basically do not say no to you when it comes to food.  That is besides the buffet.  And our cruise had a pizza, burger and ice cream place that was pretty much open all the time.  Let's just say I was glad I put my diet on hold for that week.

Drinks

Before we got on board I knew we needed to buy the coke card.  Unlike the food, drinks, including soda, are not free.  My husband and I are huge soda fans, so even though the card cost $20 each, I knew it was worth it.   The card came with a really nice thermos that we got to keep, so that helped with the $20 price tag. Whenever we went to dinner we just had to show our cards and we got unlimited drinks.  We also got drinks anywhere on board for free.  Alcohol is different, we did not drink, so I can't give any advice on it, but just be aware that drinks are not free.

Tipping

People worry a lot about tipping on a cruise ship.  You are expected to tip everyone, the person who cleans your room, brings your luggage, waits on you in restaurants, everyone.  But the tips are included in your bill.  There is an option to give an "extra" tip to the people that you thought went above and beyond and that is what all the little envelopes are that they pass out.  We did tip the person that cleaned our room extra, but that was it.

Keep your budget in mind

Like I said in the beginning, going on a cruise can be really affordable, but if you're not careful it can get out of hand.  We paid for our cruise and excursions before we even left for our trip and we budgeted tips into our trip because we knew that was a must.  We had a small souvenir allotment, but there are plenty of things to spend money on, especially with all the duty free stores on board.  The cruise ship will try to get you to buy things on the ship, but we found better deals at the ports we went to.   The other thing to budget is how much it is going to cost to get to where your ship departs from.  There are tons of Caribbean cruises for $300-$400, but the flight to get there and back usually cost more than that.  Living in a land locked state like Utah, we will have to travel to go on any cruise.  Luckily my family is from Washington so we drove up there, spent the night at my parents and then they dropped us off and picked us up at our main port.  That way we did not need to leave our car at the port for a whole week.  All we had to pay for was gas to and from Washington.  All these things add up however to your total cost, so make sure to budget for everything.

How to go to Disneyland on a Budget

I've been going to Disneyland for as long as I can remember.  Sometimes we saved for a long time so we could have a really nice, lots of extras, type trip.  Sometimes we would go spur of the moment without any kind of budget and we still made it work.  I have comprised this post of the different ways we were able to enjoy the special magic of Disneyland, without breaking the bank.  Some things may seem extreme, but they are honestly things I have done.  Most of the tips are more logical and doable for all families and people that want to go play in the park!

The key factors you should include in your budget are: transportation (how to get there, either drive or fly and if you will rent a car or not), lodging, food, souvenirs, tickets, and extras such as parking.

1. Transportation

We usually drive, I can't remember the last time I flew to Disneyland, definitely wasn't while I was living in Utah.  It is only a 10-11 hour drive, so it is doable for us.  When you get 2 or more people going on the trip then gas for driving is cheaper than a plane ticket for everyone.  My husband insists on going the speed limit or just under in order to save on gas.  It works.  We only fill up twice each way, which equates to about $360 total in gas, including driving all over Southern California.  We drive an SUV, so that is why it is a bit more for gas.  We are planning to take our Fiat on an upcoming trip and it should cost considerably less.  The plus side to driving is we do not need to limit what we pack, we can bring pack 'n' plays, strollers, food, the dog, everything without worrying about taking it on the plane.  Also we do not have to rent a car while there.  Most hotels will have some kind of shuttle or recommend a shuttle that usually cost about $20 a person each way to/from the airport.  But then you are limited to only going places around your hotel, unless you want to figure out the bus system or spend money to get a taxi.

Of course some people have frequent flyer miles or work for airlines or what not that make flying cheaper.  It just depends on how far away you live, what condition your car is in, and how many people are going that you need to take into consideration.

2. Lodging

I have honestly slept in the car on one trip, but that is not recommended.  Instead I recommend a quick search for hotels in Anaheim to find the best fit for you.  Search engines like Travelocity, Hotwire and Priceline have great features that can help you find the hotel that fits all your needs.    There are TONS of hotels around Disneyland at pretty much every price.  Some are nicer than others, but if all you plan to do is sleep there then you don't need to be that picky.  I usually require that my hotel have a continental breakfast, free wi-fi and parking, and within walking distance to Disneyland.  Some times we have brought our dog and will need a place that accepts pets.  We have never had a problem finding a hotel with all these requirements.  I usually spend around $85 a night.  There are other hotels that are cheaper that do not have things like a free breakfast. if that price is still too high for you.

3. Food

Disneyland is known for having amazing food, but that amazing food also costs a lot of money.  One of the ways I have saved the most is by not planning to buy all my meals at the park.  The main reason I want my hotel to have a continental breakfast is so I can load up on a big (free) breakfast before going to the park.  Also I go to a grocery store first thing when arriving in Anaheim so I can bring my own food with me.  Disneyland will allow you to bring as much food and drinks as you want into the park, as long as you do not bring alcohol or anything in a glass bottle.  There are lockers you can put your food or any other things you want in so you do not have to carry it around the park.  The lockers do cost $7-$15 a day depending on the size you need to rent.   I have never rented a locker, I just carried my food in a back pack or under the stroller.

Some things I recommend bringing are: granola bars, cheese, fruit, sandwiches, water, fruit snacks and beef jerky.  These things travel well, do not need refrigeration and pack a lot of protein to help give you energy when you are feeling sluggish throughout the day.  When I went to Disney with my mother-in-law she brought a five course meal with us to the park, I'm talking rice, chicken, salad, fruit, you name it.  It was really nice to have that with us, but I do not usually bring quite that much food with me.  We usually plan to eat one meal in the park or just buying our favorite thing, mine being a pineapple float and my husband's a turkey leg.  These two items alone coast around $12 total.  Knowing we are going to get at least something in the park helps as we are walking buy all the amazing smelling foods and drinks, but by bringing most our food with us we are saving a ton of money.

4. Souvenirs

The ONLY thing my son wanted was a balloon, which is a pretty inexpensive souvenir.

My husband and I have kind of an unspoken agreement that pictures are our souvenirs.  Whenever we travel we try not to spend our money on trinkets or accessories, but rather take tons of pictures and then display them in our home and make lots of fun scrapbooks.   The Disney photo pass cast members are always willing to take pictures with your camera as well as their own.  I know I can trust giving my camera to them because they are trained on how to take a good picture.  I can't tell you how many times I have asked a passerby to take a picture and it has come out awful.  So make sure to find the cast members with the cameras to help you get that perfect shot.

a Disney photo pass member took this shot.

Now that we have kids, however, it is really hard not to want to buy every toy and stuffed animal in the park!  A lot of people have suggested to buy t-shirts and dolls off property, like at a generic store so you can give them to your kids while you are in the park and save a lot of money in the process.  My only problem with that is, because I am a die hard Disney fan I know when items are exclusive to the parks and know I cannot get them anywhere else.  So I've had to really reign myself in and set a strict budget when it comes to stuff for the kids.

Another thing to be aware of is there are some free things the Disney parks offer such as buttons and maps.  They may not be that exciting, but it is something tangible you can bring home from the parks.

5. Parking

The parking at Disneyland keeps going up.  If you pay for 3 days of parking that can be over $50.  I recommend staying in a hotel that is close enough to the park to walk.  I have stayed on all sides of the park and recommend finding a hotel on the east side.  That will put you on the opposite side of Down Town Disney.  If you have to walk through Down Town Disney it can be a pretty long walk and after walking around the park all day, those extra steps make a big difference.   Some hotels will offer a shuttle to the park for free and that is even better.  I have stayed at hotels where I could walk to the Disney parking garage, but it was a pretty long walk.  Then I had to wait for the shuttle and walk through Down Town Disney, it took a while and was pretty long, but did save me money.  Again, if you can, try to stay on the east side of the park.

6. Tickets

The cheapest way to get tickets to Disneyland is through a member of the military.  They have 3 day hopper passes for cheaper than a one day hopper pass at regular price.  There is a catch however, that person has to be with you when you go to the park.  In other words you cannot have them buy them for you and then you go when you want, they have to be with you at the gate with their id the first day you use the tickets.  The other catch is they have to buy them in advance.  You cannot go up to the gate, show your id and get your discount, you have to buy them at a special base or online and bring the tickets with you when you go to the front gate.

Another option is going with a package deal.  There definitely are packages out there that can save you money.  Packages through the Disney park itself are pretty good, but honestly Disney is designed for you to stay longer.  The more days you go to the park the cheaper the tickets are per day.  The packages the parks offer for the Disney hotel, meals and tickets are a great deal, but still more expensive then I can afford and usually for more days than I wanted to go.  I have gone through GetAwayToday and think they are the most affordable of the different packages I have found.  You can also trust them.  Their packages usually include hotels around the area and park tickets.

Be aware of scams!  Whenever you Google cheap Disney tickets a lot of different options come up.  There are some people that want to rent you tickets.  This is where they buy multiple day tickets and then "rent" them out to different people.  You have to return the tickets at the end of your trip, but there is no guarantee this will work.  Disney is pretty good at security and making sure people are not getting away with anything they shouldn't, so I would personally not recommend this.

And there you have it, buy taking these 6 things into consideration you can help save a lot of money.  Even taking one or two of these things into consideration can help save money.  My most important tip is making a budget and sticking to it.  Perhaps only bring cash with you, that way you will not be tempted to spend money you may not have budgeted.  Keep a tally of what you have spent so you are aware of it.  It is easy to hand your card over again and again and have no idea how much you are actually spending.  Disney is a magical place and it does not have to cost a fortune to have just as much fun as if you did!

How to Have Fun in Salt Lake City for Free

At the Clark Planetarium, free to enter and lots to look at without paying a dime

There are always posts about things to do in Utah for free, but let's be honest, they are things I could have thought up on my own like hiking or visiting Temple Square.  I have compiled a list below of things that you may not have known about.  These are things I have actually done and know they are fun.  But I will be honest as always and list the good and the bad about some of these free things.

1. Festivals

Salt Lake City is known for its festivals.  From Llama fest at the Krishna temple in Spanish Fork to the chalk festival at the Gateway, Salt Lake always has a festival in the works.  Here are a few I have personally attended.

Llama fest.

 This usually takes place every July.  Its been a while since I've been to this, but when I went with my husband we had a blast.  This is a free event, even parking is free.  My husband participated in the llama games where he lead a llama through an obstacle course, beauty pageant and race.  There was live music, food, and you can tour the temple of course.  While I did not have kids when I went, I think my kids would enjoy this very much. This earns a 7 out of 10 for me.  The Krishna temple is best known for the festival of colors where you throw chalk at each other, but I have not actually attended that, so I could not rate it.

Chalk festival.

 This happens every June at the Gateway.  This is a free event, but if you park in the parking garage and stay more than an hour you have to pay for parking.   The chalk festival is when artist from around the state draw chalk drawings on the street.  You can vote on them or just enjoy them.  There is a different theme every year and it is fun to see how the artist interpret the theme. I have taken my kids and they loved it.  They enjoyed seeing characters they recognized (there is always a lot of Disney and other recognizable cartoon characters) and thought it was fun to walk around outside on a nice summer night.  I give this a 6 out of 10.

Sundance Film Festival.

  I cannot forget one of the most famous festivals in Utah!  You do not have to spend money to go to the Sundance Film Festival, if you do not get tickets to one of the movies you can always go to Park City and be part of the happenings.  I went to the Sundance festival one year and did just that.  My husband and I drove out to Park City without a plan, we just wanted to walk around, be in the atmosphere and hope we spotted someone famous!   We did see Fifty Cent and a free movie while we were there, nothing I really understood, but it was part of the experience.  We had fun, but I do not think my kids would have enjoyed it, they are two right now and walking around in the snow on a crowded sidewalk is not really their thing.  I give this a 4 out of 10, seeing a "real" Sundance Film would definitely change my opinion.

Living Tradiations Festival.

 This is a really fun festival held every May at Pioneer Park.  There are food carts, crafts for sale, performances and games all from different cultures around the world.  I have been once with kids and once without.  While the time we went without kids was a lot less stressful, I had a good time with the kids.  They enjoyed the different performances we saw and loved walking around seeing the crafts and activities around the park. If you are looking for something that has a vast variety of different cultures all in one place, this is a great festival and once again, it is completely free.  If you attend on Saturday even parking is free down town.  The food and crafts of course cost money, and while it is always an adventure to try food from other cultures you do not have to spend money if you do not want to.  I give this an 8 out of 10.

Japan Festival. 

 This is usually in April and takes place down town.  Again it is free, although sometimes parking down town does cost money.  The Japan Festival has crafts and food for sale, but also performances.  There are two different stages and one usually has more martial arts and the other has dance performances.  We went with the kids last year and they loved seeing all the people dressed up as Anime characters and traditional Japanese dress.  We did not stay longer than an hour however as it was pretty hot with no shade, and very crowded.  I give this a 4 out of 10.

There are several other festivals that take place throughout the year such as the Brazilian festival, Asian festival, Greek festival, Swiss Days and arts festival but I have not attended them yet.  We are planning to go to the Scandinavian festival in Ephraim this year, I will have to report on that.

2. Free Days.

When I say free days I mean the days throughout the year where places that usually charge admissions are free for a day.  Places such as the zoo, aquarium, natural history museum, etc.  This is a great opportunity to visit a place that you may not be able to afford otherwise.  I will warn you however these days are EXTREMELY crowded.  Like parking down the block because every spot is full crowded.   My husband, kids and I recently went to the new Living Planet Aquarium to a private party that was free for guests.  Besides the people attending the party there were also paying people attending the museum.  The line for the paying people was all the way out the door and almost to the parking lot.  It was so crowded we could barely make our way through the crowds to see the exhibits.  We had to wait in line to let the kids touch the stingrays and we finally just left after going to only one part of the aquarium.  In my opinion it was not worth it.  I recommend getting a season pass to anything that you enjoy going to, that way after your initial payment is paid off, it becomes "free" whenever you want to go!  I give free days a 2 out of 10.  While it may be nice to save money, the crowds are not worth it.

3.  Real Salt Lake reserve games.

My family recently went to our first reserve game for RSL.   This is a completely free event, even parking.  The reserve team usually plays throughout the year usually at the America First Field, but make sure to check the above link for their complete schedule.  The crowds are considerably less than a regular game and the whole feel is a lot more laid back and friendly.  There were some people cooking waffles and pancakes that were asking for donations, but that was the only time we even saw any money.  There were even some star players on the scene to watch the game.  We saw two key players from the game the day before.  They were taking pictures with fans and signing autographs.  I do recommend bringing a lawn chair as there is no seating.  Even my kids had a great time and loved running around the field after the game was over.  I give this a 9 out of 10.

4. Farmer's Market.  

There are a lot of Farmer's Markets in Utah, but the down town Farmer's Market is the biggest and most diverse.  It runs from the middle of June to the end of October.  Of course lots of people go there to buy food and crafts, but if you do not want to spend any money it is really fun to just walk around and take in the local arts and talents the people of Utah have to offer.  Dogs are also welcome and there is a great playground for kids near by.  I give this a 7 out of 10.

5.  Local events.

Star Wars day at the Murray library

 Unfortunately I do not have a link for all the free local events that take place around the Salt Lake valley, but I recommend talking with friends, listening to the radio and even reading the billboards on the freeway to learn about events going on.  Just this month I went to a Jedi training at the Disney store, a Star wars themed story time at the Murray library, the Living Planet Aquarium, the Living Traditions Festival and a carnival at Salt Lake Community College all for free.  Some events happen yearly and you can plan for them, but others may be for a special occasion, but there is usually something going on that is fun and free.

How to Have an Amazing Disney Trip with Infants

People often tell me they are waiting to go to Disneyland/Walt Disney World until their kids are older.  That way the kids will remember the trip and they all will have more fun.  Well, I am here to tell you those people are missing out on lots of fun and tons of memories.   I have been going to Disneyland for as long as I can remember.  But even when I was 8, 10, even 13 years old my memory is not that great, I remember going and a few details, but not every moment.  What I do remember is the atmosphere, the feeling of being someplace familiar, yet new.  A place where my family went to have fun, spend time together and make memories.  I am so glad my parents took me from a young age so I can look at the pictures now and know I have always loved Disney, even before I could remember.

Here I am (on the right) with my sister in front of the White Rabbits door.  We have a picture in front of this door from every trip we've ever taken.

I have also taken my own kids to Disney at 6 months, 13 months and 18 months, so I know what it is like going with little babies.  I have listed some tips below in the hopes that you can see how taking your baby(ies) to Disney is a memory you wont want to miss out on.

Realize you will not go on every ride in the park

The first time we went with the kids, we realized how different our trip would be.  Before, when we'd go to the parks, the first thing we would do upon entering was get fast passes for all the big rides, then wait in line at the other big rides while we waited for our time on our fast pass to come.  This time was nothing like that. We went alone, without any grandparents or friends, it was just my husband, me and the two kids (who were 6 months old), which meant if we wanted to ride any "big" rides it would be by ourselves.  We did do a couple, but soon discovered it is just not as much fun without someone to share the experience with. Instead we spent the day seeing Disney through our kids eyes.   We took our time walking around the parks and enjoyed the atmosphere more than the thrills.

Keep in mind, if you do want to ride some rides (especially if you go with more than just you and your significant other) you can get a parent swap ticket.  Basically part of your party waits through the line and goes on the ride while the rest of your party is with the kids.  While in line ask for a parent swap and you will be given a ticket for up to four people to go on the ride through the fast pass line, so the waiting party can skip the line when they go on the ride.

Realize that infants can actually go on a lot of rides

My son's face the first time he rode in the Tea Cups

I was shocked when I found out that our 6 month old babies could not only go on Pirates of the Caribbean, but also Toy Story Mania!   It was a little hard pulling on the chord to get the most points possible with my baby on my lap, but it was still super fun.  Almost all of the Fantasy land rides are infant friendly and of course all the shows allow infants as well.  You can see a complete list of height requirements and suggestions for Disneyland here and Walt Disney World here.   Besides rides however, there are a lot more fun things to do with your baby.   When my kids were 18 months old we went to Thunder Ranch at the back of Disneyland and had a blast.  They had a petting zoo, lots of characters, dancing and crafts for kids.  We could have spent the whole day in just that one area.  So be aware of activities other than rides.  The maps give a good description of where everything is in the park, so take one with you and look it over.


As far as a diaper bag....

Some people suggest packing light so you are not weighed down with a stroller, huge diaper bag and all that goes in it, but we always bring a medium back pack with us and that just about does the trick.  I recommend bringing at least one, if not more changes of clothes.  It is hot, the baby may spit up or heaven forbid poop on their cute outfit and the last thing you want in your precious photo with Mickey is a soiled outfit.  I also brought lots of diapers, but in every bathroom they have a diaper dispenser where you can buy one for $1 in case you run out.   My babies drank formula, so I also brought plenty of that and water so I could mix it. When they were a bit older I stuffed the back pack with all sorts of snacks and even a full lunch.  You can bring food and drinks into the parks as long as they are not in a glass container.  You can also rent lockers in the park if you do not want to carry everything around with you.  I found if I kept my kids clean and fed, they were a lot happier.

Strollers

We always bring our double wide City Mini stroller with us for two reasons.  First the seats lay flat so my kids can take naps when they need to with a huge shade to keep them cool.  And second I did not want to pay to rent a stroller.  It cost $15 for one stroller and $25 for two strollers per day.  It was just more cost effective to bring our own.  I do not recommend leaving anything valuable in your stroller if you park it in the stroller parking area, they are not watched that closely.  We tied a big Disney balloon to ours so we could easily identify it among the sea of strollers.  I have to say the best part about renting a Disney stroller is, if someone walks off with it, they will give you a new one no questions asked, and often times replace any items that might have been in it. If your own stroller is taken, there is no guarantee they will let you use one of theirs for no charge, but you can always ask!

Nursing moms

Each park has a baby station that is different than a regular restroom.  The baby station has a room where cartoons are playing and little ones can rest (as well as parents) and nurse.  There is a whole room full of changing tables so you don't have to wait in line at the restroom.  The baby station is air conditioned and a bit more peaceful than the park and both men and women are welcomed.

What about nap time?

Honestly our kids are pretty good at taking a nap in their stroller.  We never left the park for nap time.  I felt it would take way too long to leave the park, go to the hotel, let the kids unwind and fall asleep then go all the way back to the park.   If you are staying on property (in a Disney hotel) it is a bit easier to do that, but we never have and my kids didn't seem to mind sleeping in their stroller vs a crib.   Were their naps at their usual time?  No.  Were they for as long as they usually sleep?  No.  Were they exhausted at the end of the day?  Yes.  But that is part of what going to Disney is all about.


Learn what your kids do and don't like

One child getting a hug from Mickey, one child running away

My kids usually LOVE to take pictures with characters, and that was one of the best parts of going with them even when they were super little, but some kids are terrified of the characters.  If your kids scream and run away at the first sight of Mickey Mouse, it may not be worth standing in a long line to do.  Some kids do not like rides, so that may be something you wait until they're older to do.  My kids seriously liked everything, rides, characters, fireworks, parades, you name it, but not all kids are that way and your trip will be a whole lot easier if you learn quickly that they are scared of the dark or get fussy if they have to wait in long lines.

Take TONS of pictures

Your child will not remember this trip at all, but you will.  And you will want to share your memories with your child as they grow, and what better way to do that then with pictures?   We have tons of precious "firsts" with our kids and of course pictures to go with it.   Keep in mind that Disney photographers (part of the photo pass system) will take pictures with your camera as well as with their own for no extra cost.  I always had my photo pass card scanned as well, because you never know if they capture something precious on their camera that they did not get on yours.

Take your time

Not something we'd usually do, but the kids loved beating the drums

The thing that saved us on our first trip with our kids was taking it slow.  I felt like I did 100 more diaper changes than I usually do in a given day, but that might have been because usually when I go to a Disney park I take a maximum of 3 bathroom breaks, so changing diapers every couple hours seemed like a lot!   I also felt like we stopped to eat a lot, but again, I'm use to eating while waiting in line for an awesome ride and just sitting down for one big meal during the day.  Once I got used to the idea of lots more stops than usual, I was okay with it.  I had to mentally make sure my babies stayed hydrated and wore lots of sunscreen.  When you put safety and the babies comforts first, your trip will be a whole lot better.

Don't forget a huge bonus about taking your babies to Disney is they are free until they are 3 years old.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about going to Disney with an Infant in the comments section.

How to Travel Internationally

I have been to a few different countries and have had a lot of interesting experiences.  I wanted to set this post up just to talk about traveling internationally.  No specific country, just some tips and tricks to know for international travel.

1. Make sure you know where you are going.

When I traveled to Europe with my husband, we visited a few different countries.  We did not have any cell phones that worked in Europe and weren't sure what kind of access we would have to the internet.  So before we left, we loosely scheduled what we wanted to do in each city and printed out maps from Google maps so we knew where we were going and how we would get there.   Unfortunately a couple of the Google maps lead us on a wild goose chase, but because we had brought the name and address of our hotels with us we were able to find out where to go.  I found this extremely helpful in navigating the city without access to any kind of GPS or internet.

2. Make sure you have met all the requirements of the visiting country before you leave.

This may sound obvious, but I thought we had everything in order the first time we traveled internationally.  I'd gotten all the passports, visas, travelers insurance (a requirement of the visa), ID's, and confirmations together, but I actually did not know we needed to bring my husband's green card with us when we left the country.   The airline employee almost did not let us on the plane in New York.  He said that we could leave, but my husband couldn't come back without his green card. Oops.  Luckily we had just enough time to call a friend and ask her to mail us the green card to our hotel (another reason to bring your hotel's address with you) and it came without a problem.   So double check all the requirements, shots, vaccinations, visas (even US citizens need visas for certain countries), paper work, everything you need before you go.  You can check this US government website to know what is required for traveling to any country.

3. Don't be afraid if you don't speak the language


 I have visited several countries where I did not speak the language.  Luckily my husband speaks 4 different languages and could communicate in all the countries we've gone together.  But it is not vital that you are fluent in the language of wherever you are going.  It is definitely polite to try and speak the language, but there will always be people that get offended if you butcher their native language (cough-France-cough)  Do not assume that everyone speaks English, because they don't.  But the majority of people do try to help you if you are polite.  Most people that work in hotels, shops and transportation speak English, but it doesn't hurt to bring a language guide book with you.

4. Look up facts about the culture before you go

The bigger the hair, the more power the person had.  Yes that is hair, not hats

In my opinion most people understand you are a visitor and do not know the local customs, but there are some areas of the world that do not care about this and expect you to know certain things.  For example did you know in Afghanistan if you touch, speak or look directly at a woman in public it dishonors her?  And during the month of Ramadan no one, including foreigners can eat, drink or chew gum in public?  Okay, so you may not be traveling to the middle east, but I wish I would have known we planned our trip to Italy during a yearly strike. Apparently they have this "strike" the same time every year and there was no public transportation available during part of our trip.  Even if you just Google local costumes of where you're going before hand, it is worth it.  And who knows?  Maybe you'll learn something that will add to the overall experience of your trip.

5. Book tours

Our tour guide showing us what the Forum used to look like

I know a lot of people would rather explore the city on their own, at their own pace and on their own schedule, but I really recommend doing at least one tour of wherever you are going.  Usually the tours are only a few hours and in my experience I have always learned way more than I ever would have if I just explored on my own.   We did a walking tour in Rome and were granted access to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.  We could have done this on our own, but it was included in the price of the tour and it was nice just not having to worry about it.  Besides, we went with an anthropologist and she told us mounds of historical facts and awesome stories that I would not have known otherwise.  Each time we've gone on a tour it has increased my appreciation for the area and enriched my overall experience.

6.  Be prepared for the unexpected

Even with as prepared as I felt whenever I've traveled, things have always come up.  Sickness, getting lost, losing wallets, planes getting cancelled, you name it, its happened.  I always tell myself whenever I'm going through something that I will have a great story for when I get home!  It helps put me at ease, and know everything will be all right.  Even when we forgot to bring my husband's green card he was making plans to stay in Europe with some friends he had there until we could get the green card to him.  It didn't come to that, but having a go with the flow attitude definitely helps.  And know you can always ask for help.  There is a US embassy in every country and there is usually someone who speaks English that can point you in the right direction.

7. Get travelers insurance

I'll be honest, we've only gotten travelers insurance once, and that is only because the visa required it, but I have heard a lot of horror stories from close friends who wish they would have had it.  Medical care in other countries is considerably cheaper than getting treated in the US without insurance, but it still can cost a lot.  Travelers insurance does not cost that much, I think we paid around $70 for my husband's insurance.  It usually cost around 5%-8% of your total trip expense, and it doesn't just cover medical emergencies, but also lost luggage, bad weather, and other unforeseen events.

How to Get the Most out of Your Zoo Membership

We have a membership to the Hogle Zoo in Utah, but I believe this post can apply to almost any zoo in the US.  One of the biggest perks of having a zoo membership is you can use your membership to get into most other zoos around the country for a discounted price.

We became members just over a year ago right before out twins first birthday.  We wanted to have their party at the zoo, and knew we would be visiting the zoo a lot with the kids, so we signed up to be members.   We have one of the more expensive memberships, the booster membership, that gives unlimited rides on the train and carousel, we are allowed 2 guests every visit, we could add a third adult to our membership and as many kids as we needed.  This allowed us to include our nanny on the membership so she could take our kids to the zoo if she wanted to.    Even being a more expensive membership, it did not cost that much.  You can view prices here.

We go as often as we can to the zoo and the kids never get tired of it.  They are just excited now to see all the animals as they were the first time they went.  Maybe even more because they are older and understand more of what they are seeing.  Their favorite part is going on the carousel, and we go every time.   I love the zoo because I can go with other moms and their kids as a place to walk, chat, and let our kids play together.  If my friends do not already have a membership, I get them in for free with mine, so it is a great alternative to going to a park or play area.

The Hogle Zoo is a smaller zoo, so we can easily see everything in a few hours.  They are just about ready to open their Savannah area which has been under construction for a long time.  That will definitely add to the overall zoo experience.  There is also a splash pad for kids in part of the zoo.  When it is too cold for the water to be on my kids still love to climb on the rocks and go down the slide.  It is hard to pull them away from that area.

The splash pad

Being a zoo member I receive a zoo magazine that tells me about events going on at the zoo and fun facts and stories about the animals and workers.  It allows me to feel more connected with the animals when I go.  I know their names, where they are from, their ages and even when they pass away.  I love getting this magazine and usually learn about an event I did not know about already from it.  I also received a calendar that I have hanging up that tells me of upcoming events.  There are free events, member only events, events that cost money and events that need a reservation.  They are clearly marked on the calendar.

A great benefit of being a zoo member is the sunrise and sunset safaris.  Those occur about once a month during the summer hours on different days of the week.  The sunrise safari is when the zoo opens a few hours early to members only, and the sunset safari is when it stays open later.  We have gone to the sunset safaris and loved seeing the zoo at a different time of day when it was less crowded and less hot.  Most animals were still up, but several were sleeping.   If you have a booster membership it includes early entrance to Boo at the Zoo and a free entrance to zoo lights.  Boo at the Zoo in my opinion was too crowded, even with the early entrance.  The line was so long to get into the zoo we had to park around the back and they didn't get around to opening the gates until a few minutes before everyone else could enter.  I do not know that I would do it again, if I did I would go later in the day when most of the crowds have gone.  We did that for the Easter Egg dive and had a much better experience.

At Boo at the Zoo, the kids can wear costumes.

We love going to the zoo, it is something we do several times a month.  The kids love it and I am excited to take them to the different educational experiences they have for kids when they are old enough.  The membership has paid for itself 10 fold.  Now we consider it a free activity to do as a family that is healthy, educational, and fun.