Category: Without Kids

Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

Long Beach Whale Watching

Lisa Wells

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Whale watching is one of my favorite things to do when we are near the ocean. There’s nothing like seeing such magnificent animals in their natural habitat. We have seen Orcas in Monterey, and Humpbacks in Alaska. When we visited Long Beach, I was really really hoping to see a blue whale. What a treat it would be to get to see the largest animal in the world! I knew it was still early in the season for the blue whales to be off the coast of Long Beach, but they had seen one a week earlier on one of the whale watching trips, so I was hopeful, but not optimistic.

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

Dockside Boat and Bed – Unique Places to Stay

Lisa Wells

Have you ever dreamed of owning a yacht? Dockside Boat and Bed allows you to live that dream, if only for a short time. These unique accommodations are a bed and breakfast on, yes, you guessed it, a boat! There are five boats currently docked at Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach where you can enjoy rest, relaxation, and a gorgeous view.

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

Kokopelli’s Cave – Unique Places to Stay

Lisa Wells

Thank you for joining us in part one of our Unique Places to Stay series! Today we are featuring Kokopelli’s Cave, a very unique bed and breakfast carved into the side of a cliff!

We love finding unique places to stay when we travel, and this one has topped them all so far! Sure, when you think about spending the night in a cave, you probably think damp, cold, and uncomfortable, right? Well this cave was far from that! Think luxury caving! Think a house… but inside a cave! Kokopelli’s Cave is in Farmington, New Mexico, and was the the perfect end to our road trip.

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

An African Safari Close to Home

Lisa Wells

My dream is to go on an African safari. It is definitely at the top of my bucket list! But that trip will be quite expensive, and though I will get to it someday, it won’t be in the very near future. However, I found this little gem, that, while not exactly the same as actually being in Africa, was a pretty cool “African safari” close to home! Safari West is in Santa Rosa, California, about 35 miles from Napa. Since we love animal adventures, it was the perfect addition to our Napa getaway (see the rest of our trip in our post about Napa here).

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

A Sleepover with the Sloths… and Other Animal Adventures

Lisa Wells

We love sloths.  We fell in love with them on our trip to Costa Rica.  Their laid back attitude and their sweet smile make them so precious!  So when I found an actual sloth sanctuary in the United States, we knew we had to visit!  The Zoological Wildlife Conservation Center was an incredible animal adventure!  Now if you’re looking for a place to bring your children to look at the animals for entertainment, this is not the place for you.  But if you genuinely care about animals and want to learn more about their care and conservation, then definitely check this place out.  They deal with rare, delicate, and endangered species, and we were lucky enough to get to meet several of them on our visit.

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

A Moment With the Manatees – Florida’s Gentle Giants

Lisa Wells

Oh Manatees… those gentle giants.  Some call them sea cows.  They have the sweetest disposition.  And seriously, who couldn’t love this face?

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

3 Super Simple Ways to Save For Vacation

Lisa Wells

Vacations can be expensive! Airfare alone is enough to make me cringe! Then add two kids to the mix and suddenly you’re paying double what you used to pre-kiddos. You may wonder how people can ever even afford to go on exotic vacations with their whole family. Well here are a few super simple ways to save for vacation, and afford to travel as a family.

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

Animal Adventures in the USA

Lisa Wells

We love animals!!! While traveling to Africa for a safari is definitely on my bucket list, it’s expensive!  So while I’m saving for that once in a lifetime trip, there are some pretty cool, and cost effective, things to do while staying in the United States.  This is a long list, and I have tried to find experiences in each state, but some I have failed to find. So… if you know of any awesome animal encounters that are not on my list, let me know and I will add them!  Some of these are drive through safari parks, some are places to go to see animals in the wild, and some are awesome animal encounters.

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Travel, With Kids, Without Kids

Bears! Visiting Katmai National Park

Lisa Wells

If you love bears, then Katmai National Park is the place for you!  This was by far one of the most memorable trips that I have ever taken.  We arrived at Brooks Camp by sea plane (an awesome experience all in its own).  Continue reading “Bears! Visiting Katmai National Park” →