On a recent business trip to Ecuador I made time to visit the Mitad Del Mundo Ecuador Equator.
When I’m on business trips I usually have zero time for sightseeing, but when I have a few hours free I like to see the local famous monuments & sights.
In Ecuador a huge draw is the Mitad Del Mundo – aka “Half The World” – on the equator separating the northern & southern hemispheres.
I got there just before sunset, so had to quickly have a look around & take some pictures before the sun set.
Here are a few pictures from the Ecuador Equator to give you an idea of what you’ll see there.
Ecuador Equator – Mitad Del Mundo
This is a popular picture on the Ecuador Equator right in front of the Mitad Del Mundo Monument.
Up close in front of the Mitad Del Mundo.
In case you weren’t convinced, they want to make sure you know this really is the Ecuador Equator.
The Mitad Del Mundo monument and the surrounding park – all very nicely kept.
Yes another obligatory picture straddling the northern & southern hemispheres.
This post is sponsored by iWi but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
As a business traveler, I am constantly on the go.
I have been in Miami, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Mexico & Brazil – just in the last 2 weeks!
With all this travel, it’s not always easy to stay healthy – airport fast food & dinner meetings don’t help.
I never eat fish anymore, so my wife worries about my Omega-3 levels.
She says better Omega 3s are important for my health because they prevent heart disease, stroke, cancers & all sorts of other terrible things.
Basically Omega-3s are important in keeping us healthy as we age.
When I think of Omega-3s I think of fish, but she told me I actually don’t have to eat fish at all now that there’s an easy way to get better Omega-3s.
Recently we stayed at the Legoland Florida Hotel, which is immediately next to the Legoland Florida theme park.
If you’re wondering whether it was worth the cost to stay at the Legoland Florida Hotel, keep reading!
Legoland Florida Hotel: Is It Worth It?
Not only did we take the kids to Legoland… we took the grandparents too!
Legoland is not only a fun theme park for the whole family, but it’s much less crowded than many of the other major theme parks, making it a better overall experience!
The Price Is Right
Believe it or not, the Legoland Florida Hotel is much less expensive than you might imagine.
We’ve looked many times into stay on property for other theme parks, but usually the cost is astronomical. Not so for Legoland Florida!
And, if you get the Awesomer or Awesomest annual passes (also very reasonably priced – especially if you’re Florida residents like we are), you get a 10% DISCOUNT on your hotel stay too.
Location Location Location
Staying on property gives everyone the flexibility to enjoy the day.
We like the idea of being able to go back & have a nap in the middle of the day… With grandparents & toddlers this can make or break the day.
Luckily our toddler managed to completely knock out in the stroller.
Staying on property means we can enjoy the theme park even from our room!
We could see some of the rides & caught a huge fireworks show just before bedtime.
Early Admission After Breakfast
Staying in the hotel comes with a full buffet breakfast and early admission to the park.
We get up EARLY with kids, so we definitely used this perk.
More Entertainment Inside!
The kids were obsessed with the Lego decor & activities inside the hotel lobby: bricks, bricks, bricks!
I can’t believe we managed to get out of the hotel without taking any pictures of the rooms!
There was a treasure hunt inside the room with free lego toys for the kids to build & keep.
Plus, the bunk beds & kids lego movies playing in the room – it’s heaven for the kids & the adults.
Since we bought the annual passes, we will just have to go back again to get you those pictures – stay tuned!
Meanwhile, the public infrastructure has been sadly neglected leading to falling down buildings & insufficient sanitation.
Some buildings being held up by sticks while families still live in them (notice the laundry!).
Others collapsing completely.
How beautiful these buildings would be if they’d been properly maintained.
Here’s hoping one day they will be restored to their full glory.
Don’t Assume There Are Stores
OK I know I told you earlier that there are NO stores in Havana Cuba.
Actually, we saw 1 store.
This is a picture of their version of a CVS pharmacy.
This strange shop (likely owned & operated by the Cuban government) had no essentials.
If you forget to pack your toothpaste, you’ll have to find someone willing to share (lucky for us, the family staying in the other room of our apartment had some to spare!).
There is no CSV or Walgreens or Cuban version of a convenience store.
The locals have to wait for their rations, so they don’t have any left to sell or share with you.
Don’t Skip A Classic Cars Tour
It’s a fun way to see Havana Cuba & if your driver/tour guide is half as friendly as ours, you’ll be all set.
You can book them for short or long tours & have them drop you off somewhere convenient for you.
Don’t Pass Up A Drink In Each Famous Bar
Yes, they’re packed full of tourists, but they’re also full of great music & serious bartending.
La Bodeguita Del Medio – Havana, Cuba
The show & the prize!
El Floridita – Havana, Cuba
Crowds again, but so worth it!
Don’t Worry Be Happy
This seems to be the motto of the people in Havana Cuba.
One good thing about visiting a communist country is that there is virtually no crime, so we felt very safe walking everywhere at night.
It’s a massive cultural shock to American consumers used to having “stuff”.
But WOW were we impressed with the resilient Cuban spirit.
I went to Havana Cuba in 2017 and all of the pictures below are from that trip.
Havana is just 106 miles from Key West in the USA, but it feels like suddenly we’ve gone back in time.
Some things I expected to see – like the beautiful classic cars & building that have been perfectly maintained.
Other views are less stunning – like crumbling buildings & dirty city streets.
There is a constant pull between feelings of nostalgia & realization of oppression.
The purposeful & visible government displays of weapons & tanks are a jarring reminder that a communist government still controls its people.
It’s hard to say whether it’s despite of all of this or because of all of this, but the Cuban people have a quiet strength & pride that rises above the oppression.
As a tourist in Havana Cuba, don’t let the pictures fool you.
Such as, when our luggage didn’t arrive on the plane, we were 100% unable to buy basic necessities like deodorant & toothpaste because there are NO STORES!
Hint: don’t check your luggage when traveling to Cuba.
Then select 3 FastPasses, meaning you can skip the long line & get in the fast lane.
BUT, the real tip here is to select 3 MORNING FastPass tickets.
You want to use up your FastPasses as early in the day as possible.
Why?
Once you finish your 3 pre-booked FastPasses, you can keep rebooking FastPasses one at a time.
All. Day. Long.
You first have to finish your 3 initial FastPasses before you can start rebooking.
Make sure you don’t have a FastPass scheduled for later in the day or that’s it – you’ll be waiting in line all day for everything else.
Worst of all, don’t wait until the last minute to make your FastPass reservations.
Otherwise, there will be nothing left.
3. Keep Booking FastPass Tickets
This is the SECRET SAUCE to your magical day & a trick so many Disney World visitors don’t seem to know about yet.
Once you use up your 3 pre-booked FastPasses you can keep rebooking your FastPass one at a time.
Until recently, you had to walk around the park & then queue up for a FastPass Kiosk to rebook.
While these kiosks are still around, you can now book fast passes directly from your smart phone!
Literally, as soon as we enter a FastPass line, one of us is on the phone booking the next FastPass ride.
If the next ride is farther away or we have time to spare in between rides, we will line up to do something with a shorter wait time in between.
So, how do you book these FastPasses & check the most up-to-date wait times?
See #4 below – download the app!
4. Download the App
It’s 100% worth taking a minute to download the Disney app on your phone before going to Disney World.
Not only can you keep track of the FastPass tickets that you pre-booked (#2 above), you can book your next FastPass tickets directly from your phone too (#3 above).
You’ll get interactive park maps, and up-t0-date wait times on all the rides & attractions.
We still love using the Disney World paper maps, but the app is the perfect way to plan your day.
5. What To Do When You Need Break
You can & should be having breaks throughout the day – it will save your sanity.
There are plenty of easy ways to work this into your schedule… go to the shows!
Orlando is hot – shows offer air conditioning.
You’ll be on your feet most of the day – shows offer comfy seats.
If you time it right, you can eat & watch the parades go by.
There are SO MANY SHOWS.
6. Rider Swap
With a toddler and an older child, there will be rides your toddler won’t be tall enough to ride.
The first few times we went to Disney World, we thought one adult would have to sit out on every ride so the other adult could take the older child.
Yes & no.
Disney World makes it easy for adults to take turns riding while someone stays to watch the younger kid.
Here’s how you do it.
When the first adult goes to ride with the older child, have them tell the ride worker that you would like a Rider Swap.
This frees up the second adult to take the younger kid on a smaller ride.
Once the adult & older kid return, just take the Rider Swap pass back to the entrance.
The other adult can go right in again… and the older kid can ride again!
The Rider Swap option is a fantastic option for parents.
If you’re on a “no expenses spared” trip to Disney World, I totally get that.
But you don’t have to spend $199 on the Disney Photo Pass if you don’t want to.
Whenever your kids are taking pictures with characters in the park, Disney World very kindly allows you to take your own photos too.
They will step aside give you a chance to quickly take a few of your own pictures.
It’s a great way to capture the moment without spending a fortune.
And they’re really nice about it, so you don’t feel like a cheapskate.
8. Dining In the Park – Pros & Cons
Here are my best Disney World tips about dining inside the park so far.
Believe it or not, there is definitely a learning curve when it comes to dining in Disney World.
Some restaurants are first-come, first-serve while others require reservations and get fully booked in advance.
We’ve eaten in Liberty Tree Tavern & Mama Melrose’s with a reservation and Harbour House without reservations.
This past visit we booked a table at the Magic Kingdom’s Crystal Palace to have the character dining experience.
There was plenty of choice in the Crystal Palace buffet, and the kids loved having Winnie The Pooh and friends visit our table during the meal.
We’ve found only two possible problems with dining in Disney World:
The price – make sure you review the menu before you book, so you realize what you will be spending.
The commitment – you can cancel up until 24 hours ahead of time without a penalty, but if you cancel on the day they will charge you per person.
We ended up leaving the park one day & returning a few hours later for our dinner reservations because the weather was bad & the kids were tired.
Upside: you won’t need to pay for parking again & the park at night is a totally different place!
9. Bringing Your Stroller – Pros & Cons
If you have kids under 7 years old, a stroller in Disney World is a must-have.
You have a few options here.
1. Bring your current stroller. This is ONLY an option if you have a stroller that is BOTH very compact and easy to quickly collapse! There are a few times during the day that you will have to quickly break that stroller down in order to keep moving.
2. Rent a stroller in Disney World. This is a nice option if you want to rent a double stroller or avoid the hassle of dragging a stroller on & off the tram just to get into the park. The downside of course is the price – you will have to rent for each day you are in the park.
After a long day at Disney World we returned to our hotel & another dad asked me in the elevator how our day was because he was bringing his kids the next day for their first visit.
I told him to bring lots of water & he was shocked that we could bring our own into the park!
YES, Disney World allows you to bring your own water & snacks with you.
We always bring 2 bags – one packed with water & snacks that we can leave tied to the stroller using this clip (it doesn’t lock, but the clip just adds a little security – although the park always feels VERY safe).
With traveling as much I do, I’ve learned how important it is to protect my own sensitive skin from the elements.
When traveling with my kids, it’s even more important to be prepared, as kids are so much more sensitive to these changes.
We’ve learned the hard way that we have to take care of our daughter’s sensitive skin whenever we are traveling.
We’ve come up with this list of five tips, and Baby Dove on the list as one of our must-haves.
Did you know a little one’s skin is 30% thinner than ours??
No wonder kids have extra sensitive skin!
One of our daughters has super sensitive skin & it seems like she always has skin problems when we travel.
We’ve come up with this list of five tips that help take care of our daughter’s sensitive skin whenever we are traveling.
If we forget on of these 5 things, she is pretty much guaranteed to have irritated skin when we travel.
Sensitive Skin Care: 5 Family Travel Tips
Here are five tips for caring for sensitive skin when traveling with kids.
Snacks
I don’t know about you but we tend to eat more junk food than usual when we travel.
Did you know eating certain foods can cause a flare up in those with sensitive skin?
We make sure we bring along snacks that are gentle on our kid’s tummy.
Having snacks kids are used to is a massive help in controlling sensitive skin issues.
Hand Wipes
Having Baby Dove Wipes handy will save lots of peace of mind, since kids touch EVERYTHING!
For those travel moments when it’s impossible to wash hand, it helps to at least be able to wipe down the kids hands & environment before eating.
This can massively help control sensitive skin issues by avoiding contact with problems altogether.
The Baby Dove Wipes are hypoallergenic, convenient & portable, so they’re perfect for travel.
Weather
Changes in the environment can be tough on sensitive skin.
Anything too hot or too cold can mean the skin needs extra moisture.
We love using skin care products specifically made to protect the moisture & combat the elements.
Comfortable Wear
Traveling is not the time to pack crazy uncomfortable clothes the kids never usually wear.
It’s important to keep kids comfortable while traveling to avoid things like pinched feet or fussy faces.
It definitely helps our daughter with her sensitivity to avoid irritations from the materials she isn’t used to wearing.
Baby Dove
Dove is our family’s trusted brand because it’s made with hypoallergenic-neutral formulas that don’t irritate sensitive skin.
Plus, it’s dermatologist and pediatrician-tested, so we feel good about using it on our little one.
Our kids love how soft & protected their skin feels with Baby Dove.
They’re very sensitive to smell too & Baby Dove leaves them smelling fresh & clean.
I’m crazy about sharing my love of travel with my growing kids, but the reality is that travel can be tough on them.
In order to make the all our travel memories as positive as possible, we try to keep everyone comfortable despite the disruption from our routine at home.
Baby Dove is one of those little comforts from home that make traveling with kids much easier.
If you’re new to international travel with baby in tow, it’s easier than you probably think.
Our daughter’s first overseas trip was from our home in Paris, France to my visit my wife’s family in Dallas, Texas.
She was just 4 months old.
I know it’s annoying when people tell you how easy it is to have international travel with baby, but once your baby turns in to a toddler, you will realize it’s true.
Follow these 5 simple tips to make your international travel with baby a more comfortable experience for you, your baby & everyone else traveling around you.
5 Travel Hacks For International Travel With Baby
Here are the best 5 hacks I have found that have made international travel with baby a piece of cake.
Leave Early
As a corporate traveler, I know exactly when I need to leave to get to the airport at just the right time.
As a dad, I’ve learned it’s important to head to the airport much earlier because if something can go wrong – it will go wrong.
More than once, we’ve had major diaper blowouts while waiting in line to go through security.
Give yourself that extra time, so your stress level stays low & your baby can feel relaxed.
Carry On Comfort
Speaking of major diaper blowouts, plan to bring at least 2 changes of clothes in your carry on & more diapers than you think you will need.
Pack them in a ziplock back that you can re-use to seal up the dirty clothes.
Forget fancy baby clothes, make your baby as comfortable as possible – even bring along pajamas.
Baby clothes are tiny, and you could really regret it if you don’t have a clean change of clothes handy.
Prevention Is Key
International travel with baby means less time available to change & clean baby exactly when you would like to.
It’s much harder to change diapers during travel, but there’s an easy way to avoid irritating baby’s skin & mood!
To baby comfortable & clean throughout your trip, just pack Desitin Maximum Strength cream in your carry on.
My wife loves that Liberté is an organic snack & I love the adventurous flavors!
I always pickup the coconut flavor for myself, but we usually grab a few of the mango flavors too.
We settled back into our hotel to watch the storm from a video camera in front of our house.
The power stayed on almost all of the time, so we were able to see the wind & the rain.
Once the worst was over, I attempted to catch up on a few work emails missed during the last few days…. which wasn’t easy to do with the kids going stir-crazy!
We needed to get outside ASAP!
Luckily there was a park right next to our hurrication hotel, so we spent a few hours exploring Alabama’s great outdoors.
FINALLY, after a week, it was safe to drive through Florida & go back home.
We drove to Georgia in heavy traffic & spent the night.
The plan was to sleep early & wake up early to hit the road & beat traffic.
Believe it or not, the highways were packed ALL NIGHT.
This is a picture we took at 4am!
Our 6 hour drive turned into an 11.5 hour drive, but the kids were fantastic.
While the hurrication itself was stressful, it was replaced by the RELIEF to be back home to a house fully intact with AC, water & electricity.
Our only “damage” was a blown-over fence.
WE WERE LUCKY & grateful to be home.
Thank you to Liberté for sponsoring this post & helping cover some of our hurrication costs.
We live in South Florida, so when Hurricane Irma rolled in, we rolled out… all the way to Alabama where we will spend the weekend at the Ross Bridge Resort Marriott Birmingham.
Now, Alabama wasn’t on my bucket list, but the Ross Bridge Resort more than exceeded my expectations.
It took 45 minutes to travel the last 15 miles of our journey (3 out of 4 license plates were Florida tags), but this Marriott Birmingham hotel rose up to meet us.
Helloooooo curb appeal!
We did look like a bunch of evacuees as we piled out of the mini-van with our kids – their toys & snacks literally falling out of the door when it slid open.
As always, Marriott’s friendly, professional staff makes us feel right at home.
I used my Marriott points to book the room, which came with a big balcony & this stunning view.
It’s a relief to have plenty of entertainment here for the kids – restless after spending 3 days in the car.
Once the golf course closed, the kids loved walking the paths, collecting pine cones, and chasing birds.
The hotel grounds are stunning in every direction.
I expect we will do the same every night, as it’s a great way to end the day… the sunset walk is beautiful, yes, but mostly we go to wear the kids out!!!
In the mornings we stuffed our faces with a ridiculously delicious breakfast – biscuits & gravy, mountains of fresh fruit & a honey-baked ham.
Then we hit the pool, where the kids spent the day going down the waterslide.
We aren’t sure yet how long we will need to stay at this Marriott Birmingham hotel – we’re watching to see where Hurricane Irma is headed.
Even though we don’t yet know where we will go next, the Ross Bridge Resort has provided a welcome sanctuary as a home away from home…
