US Issues Travel Warning For Cuba

Just this morning, the US is issuing travel warnings and pulling embassy staff out of Cuba. According to CNN this morning:

The US State Department is pulling out all families of employees and nonessential personnel from Cuba, after a string of mysterious attacks against US diplomats.

Several US officials tell CNN that 21 US diplomats and family members became ill after apparent sonic attacks.The American embassy will continue to operate with a 60% reduction in staff. The officials said the US will stop issuing visas in Cuba effective immediately because of the staff reductions and the decision is not described as a retaliatory measure. Officials say there will still be consular officials in the embassy available to assist US citizens in Cuba.

The State Department is also issuing a travel warning, urging Americans not to travel to Cuba because they could also be at risk as some of the attacks against diplomats have taken place at hotels where Americans stay, a senior State Department official told reporters Friday.

Stay tuned for how this news will affect travel plans to Cuba. 

Prague With Teens On A Budget

To be honest, I was concerned about our time in Prague. Everyone I asked said it's the most beautiful city in the world. But when I asked about things to do, everyone said you walk around. 

Walking around may be tops for adults, but it's not even in the top 10 for teens. 

But Prague lived up to its reputation and we found plenty to do. 

First of all, Prague was the only city in Europe that was not destroyed in World War 2. And to be honest, it kind of looks like Disneyland. 

We booked a private tour guide for the afternoon after we arrived. I am not big on tour guides, but my husband likes them and since I was kind of at a loss about how we would fill our time here, I went with it. And it was amazing. Our guide was Kristian from http://www.praguelocalfriends.com/en/

He was funny and engaging for the kids. We sat down with him before the tour began and he reviewed the history of the Czech Republic. Then we left for a 3 hour walking tour. Kristian did not show us the Charles Bridge, the castle or the astronomical clock. 

This was Kristian's off the beaten path tour. He took us to his favorite cafe for typical Czech sandwiches and desserts. He showed us the secret passage ways around the city. He showed us art and architecture, hidden messages in the sidewalk and walls, gardens and birds. 

Sandwiches and dessert at Kristian's favorite cafe

Kristian's favorite cafe inside a hidden passage

Hidden passageway in Prague

Dessert case at Kristian's favorite cafe, I can see why this is his favorite

Giant moving sculpture of Franz Kafka's head

 We stayed at the Ramada City Centre which must be the best deal around. Ramada is part of Wyndham. So every night is 15,000 points. My husband and I each opened a Wyndham credit card so we were awarded 45,000 points each. We used 30,000 points each to book 2 rooms for 2 nights. This Ramada includes a buffet breakfast. If you follow my blog at all, you know how much I love hotels that include breakfast. The rooms were clean, the staff was nice, the breakfast was yummy and the location is very central. Rooms run about 130 Euros per night so this was a huge savings.

Changing of the guard at the Castle

The next day, we walked around Prague. We toured the castle. You can take the tram #22 from the city centre to the castle and then walk down the other other side. Tip: if you want to buy tickets, look for ticket booths away from the entrance gate, the lines will be shorter. Second tip, you don't need tickets to tour the grounds and this might be enough for you. Check the trams for a pass which will be cheaper than paying for each ride.

Check out the architecture in the square across from the castle and check out the view from on top of the Starbucks. Then walk down the other side to check out more small streets. We ate lunch at a medieval cave restaurant which was just okay. There were tons of other restaurants though. 

Prague has one laundramat if you need do a load here. 

This is the turtle

Heading out the gate to walk across the Charles Bridge. Yes, it's crowded. Yes, it's still cool.

One of a million turtle dessert shops in Prague

 There are so many turtle dessert shops in Prague, you will be tempted many, many times to buy one. They sell it as a traditional Czech dessert. But guess what, it's not. And on top of that, it looks way better than it tastes. So consider yourself warned.

Awesome off the beaten path Pizzeria. 

 Besides pizza, we ate a lot of doner kebap. It's filling, yummy and cheap. For dessert, we probably visited Angelato Ice Cream Shop at least twice. You don't want to miss it!
No visit to Prague is complete without touring the Jewish Quarter. You can buy a ticket at the various synagogues and at the tourist office across from the synagogue. Buy the ticket that includes everything....the cemetery, the old synagogue and the spanish synagogue. You will need half a day to see everything and you will want to see it all.

Prague was definitely a highlight of the trip. It is beautiful and there is a lot to do here with teens. And you can definitely visit Prague on a budget.

Kids Fly FREE On SAS

It's back! SAS is offering their kids fly free promotion through October 5th. Here are the details from the airline's website: 

*KIDS CAMPAIGN: Children (2-11 years) and Infants (0-24 months) who are traveling with an adult pay only taxes and fees. Offer is valid for travel between November 1 – December 19, 2017 and  January 8 – May 31, 2018,  from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, San Francisco and Washington D.C. to Scandinavia and Finland. The offers does not apply for travels between 16/12 2017–8/1 2018 and 24/3–9/4 2018). Book by October 5.

If you have been thinking about flying to Scandinavia and/or Finland or you want to use this to hop over to Europe, now is the time to act. It won't help you for holiday travel, but if you have a flexible schedule, this may be a great deal for you. 
I entered dates from departing LAX on November 5th to Helsinki and returning November 19th. The cost of the flight would be $870 roundtrip. That includes the adult ticket with taxes and about $60 for taxes for the child. 
If this fills a need for you, the promotion ends October 5th. 
You could apply for a Barclays Arrival Plus card and buy your ticket on that card. It will help you reach the $3,000 minimum and then you can use the points to pay for the ticket. Now the two tickets cost you just $300. 
That's how we do almostfreefamilytravel! 

Riding The Rails In Europe!

There is really no better way to travel in Europe than to ride the rails. It's easy, convenient, affordable and beautiful. Plus you don't have to worry about parking, your car being stolen, damaged, parking tickets or getting lost.
My children are very comfortable riding and sleeping on trains. In fact, if you ask them, they will say they prefer the train over the bus. That's due to one horrible overnight bus ride in Thailand. If you are heading to Thailand, stick with the trains.
During our 3 week Europe trip, we travelled by train several times.

1. Berlin to Prague - 6 hours
2. Prague to Krakow, Poland - overnight
3. Krakow to Warsaw Poland - 1.5 hours

Here's how to manage it without stressing out. I follow seat61.com for all my train advice. This guy knows his trains. Trains open ticket reservations 60-90 days in advance and most trains never sell out. However, that being said if you don't have a reservation, you may end up sitting on the floor. Plus if you want an overnight sleeping car, you definitely need a reservation.
When you book your train, pay attention to whether you are booking a ticket or making a reservation. Some trains will have you pay for your overnight berth, but you still have to buy a train ticket when you arrive at the station.
That being said I was able to buy all of my train tickets or reservations online before we left the states. For a family of 5, that's one less headache.

Southwest Sale Is On!

Southwest.com has launched a Thanksgiving week sale! But here's the secret, I checked prices for flights through next summer and you can get the same low prices.
I just booked a trip for next May. Remember if you see a lower price, you can always cancel and rebook so there's no harm.
If you were waiting to book a flight for Thanksgiving, you definitely should jump on this sale. Prices will only go up from here.
Happy flying.

Save Money At Walmart With Chase Freedom!

One of the perks of the Chase Freedom Unlimited credit card is that every quarter there are bonus categories where you earn 5% cash back.
Categories include restaurants, movie theatres, Amazon, convenience stores, department stores, gas and more.
The categories rotate and you must register your card to qualify. But you can register up until the end of the quarter and get credit for anything you purchased that quarter.
Chase announced that the 4th quarter category will be Walmart and department stores. You can already register here. The quarter begins October 1st and ends December 31st. You max out the bonus categories at $1500 spend or 7,500 Chase Ultimate Reward Points or $75 cash back (5%). It's FREE money so why not?

Is Southwest Airlines Headed To Hawaii?

Beat of Hawaii is reporting that Southwest Airlines may be opening routes to Hawaii soon. For the first time, Southwest Airlines is sponsoring the Hawaii Global Tourism Summit which opened today. Southwest is scheduled to speak tomorrow on Wednesday September 20th so we could hear some news.
Beat of Hawaii says another clue is that Southwest added dozens of flights in California airports last month which could signal that they are taking on Alaska Airlines on their own turf. Alaska services Hawaii as well. The cities with added flights are San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento and Oakland.
In addition, Beat of Hawaii says Southwest is about to take delivery of 14 Hawaii capable aircraft. Plus Southwest pilots have just settled a four year dispute that paves the way for them to fly to Hawaii.
Stay tuned. If it's true, flights could start in Spring 2018. Woohoo!