Travel: We needed [MORE] Sun

Although we had just returned from Jamaica, I found myself searching for airfare on a daily basis. It was almost constant. I felt a need to have a trip for the upcoming mid-winter break—and so I succeeded. Frontier airlines did this beautiful thing where Kids Fly Free if they are under 15 years old and here we are.

Our Flight: I booked us a flight on Frontier airlines leaving from Trenton-Mercer airport for $29 coming down (Aiden was free) and $69 return each. For 2 traveling down to Orlando, Florida, I didn’t think it was too bad. It was a non-stop flight that was less than 3 hours. We typically are early flyers (first flight out); however, a lot of moms had been sharing about taking the last flight out and sometimes redeyes, so I figured I would give a late flight a try. Unfortunately, this will be my last time doing the late flight thing. The flight was full, too many people had complaints (although we were good). It was just a hassle. Not so much about the flight, but upon our arrival to Orlando.

Our Stay & Travel: I initially had plans for us to stay in Orlando at one of the hotels (resorts, so they call them), but realized that the price tag was beginning to seem like that of an international all-inclusive trip and decided against it. My grandmother lives about 30-40 minutes east of Orlando, so it was a great alternative that also included meals. And when I say meals, I mean my favorites—ackee and saltfish, fritters, oxtail, etc. Best believed, my grandma also baked a cake for me to bring home to New Jersey.

Back to the initial arrival into Orlando International Airport: I used PlumBenefits, an engine offered by my previous jobs that provides discounted pricing on various things, like Broadway tickets, theme parks and rental cars. I was able to rent a car for the duration of our trip to allow for ease of movement throughout the sunshine state at a discounted rate. We felt free and were mobile. Rather than travel with Aiden’s huge convertible car seat, my mom convinced me to add one to the rental (which ended up being free—the carseat that is).

Upon our arrival to the rental counter, there were about 2 people before me. Unfortunately, our wait, along with everyone else’s stemmed over an hour to hour and a half. For whatever reason, all of the rental companies were short on staff to bring the cars down to the customers. This left the staff at the desks having to leave their posts in assisting customers and go retrieve the cars themselves. It was ridiculous. We rented from Budget, but the issue was present across all car rental companies, including Hertz, Avis and Payless (Enterprise was actually closed at this midnight hour). After the hour and a half it took to finally get our Hyundai Elantra, we hit the road and made our 50-minute ride from the airport to my Grandma’s house.

Our Itinerary: Using Groupon, PlumBenefits and Working Advantage, I had planned out our 3-day trip (essentially) with time for the Crayola Experience, SeaWorld and LegoLand.

Crayola Experience was cute and fun for the rainy day that we were getting. It was located at the Florida Mall, so we paired that with a lunch date and enjoyed the play, crafts and fun.

SeaWorld wasn’t what I remembered, but it was a lot of walking. Aiden enjoyed seeing the sea animals. Unfortunately, I didn’t plan properly so we missed all of the shows. Without the shows, it kind of just felt like you were at a lowkey aquarium. Next time, I’ll do better.

LegoLand was AMAZING. We had a BALL. It was worth the near 2-hour drive it took to get there (I hadn’t realized the distance prior to making the plans, but this was the real reason we were in Florida). LegoLand has 2 amusement park locations—1 in Florida and 1 in San Diego. This park is created for children ages 3-12and was absolutely everything for us. 

I might have a been a little overzealous in planning all of these activities in such a short timeframe (literally back to back), but I’d like to think it was worth it for the memories Aiden will have (or won’t) and the fun that he had. With the late flight and jumping right into activities the next day, it was rough on sleep.

My plan for this year and all the years to come is to JUST TRAVEL. Travel, travel, travel. If I see airfare priced below $50, it's likely I'm going to book the ticket and plan the trip later--which is exactly what I did for this trip. 

Aiden has come to love airplanes and it warms my heart! I cannot wait to continue experiencing different US cities and countries with my little one. An educational experience like this is invaluable. 

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