The Talking Suitcase

Cruise & Curated Travel Specialist

Fun & Budget-Friendly Nags Head Vacations – Traveling to the Outer Banks, NC

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Nags Head Vacations

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My family has been taking Nags Head vacations for as long as I can remember.  We tend to take weekend trips since we only live a couple hours away, but you could easily spend an entire week relaxing by the beach and taking in the sights.

I’ve always said we are going to Nags Head, but it’s become more common to say you are going to the Outer Banks which consists of many cities; Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Corolla, and Hatteras Island, just to name a few. Each area offers beaches, restaurants and unique attractions.  They’ve even changed all the interstate signs in my area from “Nags Head” to “Outer Banks.”  Just an interesting little fact 🙂

Fun & Budget-Friendly Nags Head Vacations:

Lodging
I must confess that a family member owns a house in Kill Devil Hills, so I’ve never had to pay for accommodations. If you don’t know anyone you can beg for a place to stay, there are countless hotels and cottage rentals to suit every need and budget.

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Current London Pass Promo Code {Plus Why Buy the London Museum Pass}

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Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link & I may have been compensated for my time writing this article.

Looking to buy a London Pass online to save time and money?  We will continually update this page each time a new London Pass promo code is available.    We want to make it easy for you to save money while visiting one of our favorite cities.

This post is updated each time a new coupon is available.

London Pass Promo Code Offers:

Tower Bridge with Shard in the background

Why Buy the London Museum Pass:

The London Pass® is the ultimate sightseeing package that has been especially tailor-made for visitors to the city. It gives holders the ability to make the most out of their trip visiting top sights and attractions whilst saving time, money and stress.

There are 4 durations to choose from (2, 3, 5 or 7 credits package) and you have 60 days to use the credits. One attraction = 1 credit. The more you purchase, the more you save.

The key benefits of The London Pass are:

You’ll not only save up to 39% on attraction admission; you’ll also be able to skip-the-line at select attractions. All your entry tickets will be on one easy-to-download pass, making organizing your trip extra convenient.

Some of the included attractions:

  • Tower of London
  • Kensington Palace
  • London Zoo
  • Thames River Cruise
  • St. Pauls Cathedral
  • Tower Bridge Exhibition
  • Westminster Abbey
  • and more!

In addition to the attractions included in the pass, a great benefit of the London Pass is the Fast Track Entry privileges. This allows you to skip to the front of the queue at selected popular attractions to save hours standing in line!

Buy a London Pass online and save money and time!  Have your London Pass shipped to your home or choose to pick it up in London.

Looking for ideas during your visit?  See the top family attractions in London.   Many are even included in our London Pass.

Have you found another London Pass promo code we can add to the list?  Leave a comment.

The Basics of Exposure {Photography Tips From a Pro}

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The Basics of Exposure {Photography Tips From a Pro}
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With a lot of us not being able to travel – it’s the perfect time to perfect our photography!

As a Mom, traveler, and blogger;  I am constantly trying to learn the art of photography.  One thing I’ve learned over the years is that shooting on manual will create the best images, but requires a bit of skill to get that perfect shot.  I worked with Jennifer Carr to help take my photography to the next level.    She was patient with my extreme lack of knowledge and when my camera battery died just as we started the lesson *blush*.  She taught me a ton of tips that I put to use during our summer trip to France.   My husband even commented on how much better my photo’s looked! 

I asked Jennifer to share some basic tips to help you get off auto and start taking control of your camera.

The Basics of Exposure

Exposure is the single most important aspect of photography. It is defined as the amount of light that falls onto your digital camera’s sensor when capturing an image. Too much light and your image looks white. Too little light and your image looks dark. The goal of learning exposure is like to get just the right amount of light into your camera.

There are three factors that determine how much light enters your camera. ISO (pronounced I-S-O, not eye-so), Shutter Speed, and Aperture.

ISO

explaining ISO

ISO determines your camera’s sensitivity to light. If your scene has a lot of light (think at the beach at noon on a sunny day), you will use a low ISO number. If you are shooting indoors or in darker settings, you will use a high ISO. The downside of using a high ISO is that the picture quality decreases. The higher the ISO, the more noise or grain the image contains. In the above images, the image of the beach is crystal clear, the only grain is in the sand. The image of the right has lots of grain and demonstrates that noise doesn’t have to be a bad thing, if you use it properly.

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MSC Cruise Travel Secrets: 20 Tips & Tricks for Sailing with MSC

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Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link & I may have been compensated for my time writing this article.

We’re avid cruisers and love traveling by sea.  We recently sailed onboard the MSC Magnifica and felt compelled to share some of our MSC cruise travel secrets with you!  MSC Cruises is completely different from the other cruise lines we’ve sailed – Royal Caribbean, Disney, Carnival, NCL and Virgin Voyages.  It’s a European cruise line and, as an American, that takes some getting used to. But that’s all part of the experience!

MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company and, just as the name implies, they were originally a container shipping company.   In 1988, the Aponte family got into the cruising business making MSC the largest privately owned cruise company in the world.   Today, MSC Cruises is the leading cruise company in the Mediterranean, South Africa and Brazil.

MSC Cruise Travel Secrets: Tips & Tricks for Sailing with MSC

Don’t over pay – The tips start even before you sail!  MSC is always offering some type of deal, so you should never pay full price for a cruise. During our recent sailing, they were offering kids sail free and two for one. We’ve found MSC to be competitively priced and a good value for the money. MSC has also been offering special rates with drinks and wifi included.

Sign up for the MSC newsletter, so you’re aware of new special offers.

Kids sail free – Look for kids sail free offers. Kids 11 and under sail free and special rates are given to kids aged 12 – 17.  You’ll only pay taxes and port charges!  This helped make sailing with MSC extremely affordable for families.  I couldn’t feed the kids for 11 nights at home for the amount we spent for their tickets. This is not offered on all sailings, so keep a look at current offers.

Choose your experience – MSC has several experiences you can purchase to enhance your cruise. Each experience provides different benefits and also dictates which staterooms are available for booking.

  • The “Bella” Experience is perfect for budget savvy travelers.
  • The “Fantastica” Experience offers more ideally located staterooms, free room service, and a discounted drink package.
  • The “Aurea” Experience offers access to the thermal area, access to the solarium, free room service and more. Read our review of the Aurea experience HERE.
  • The MSC Yacht Club offers all-inclusive amenities and is the top tier experience for cruisers.

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At Thornbury Castle England You Can Be a Princess for a Night (Stay in a Castle in England!)

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Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link & I may have been compensated for my time writing this article.

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Have you ever dreamed of staying in a real-life castle?

When planning our road trip through England, I made it my mission to include spending the night in a castle. What little girl wouldn’t want to be a Princess for a day? Okay, and maybe her mom too!  It’s like a fairytale come true! During an extensive search on where to stay in a castle in England, I stumbled upon the Thornbury Castle England Hotel and knew it was the perfect place for my family.  We chose to spend two nights here.  I wanted us to experience everything the castle had to offer without being rushed for time.

Driving up, the entire family was alive with nervous anticipation.  Even my moody preteen had a hard time containing his excitement.   Coming through the gates and around the bend, the imposing castle loomed into view. You can almost imagine what it was like for the noblemen and commoners of the 1500’s.   It’s astonishing to think that a Duke built this as his home.

 

 

In addition to checking the big castle box, Thornbury Castle is an ideal luxury hotel for families. It boasts 15 acres of grounds and gardens, perfect for kids to run around. Youngsters can even try their hand at archery or croquet. Mine had a blast with the bow and arrow in the company of two other kids also staying at the castle.  K had done a bit of archery in cub scouts, so he hit the mark every time, once he got warmed up. Simply ask at reception to have the games set up. The staff was more than happy to accommodate the kids needs.

K & Lucy loved running around and playing hide & seek in the walled garden. The Yew trees made ideal hiding places. Had it not been so chilly at the time of our visit, the gardens would have been the perfect place to have a picnic. While in the gardens, take a moment to look for the holes in the stone wall. Bees used to be kept here as honey was the main source of sugar.

 

Our guest room, the Portleathen, was a quintessential castle retreat. The bedchamber included a massive four-poster bed – fit for a queen.  I could have spent an entire day just lounging around in it. I almost did, until Derrick forced me to get up, so we could explore. The brute!  The bed enveloped you like a cocoon with a downy soft mattress and fluffy pillows. The master also included a flat-screen TV, plenty of closet space, and a dressing table. Our window looked right out to the incredible ORIGINAL Tudor chimneys.  They are over 12 ft high,  still in working order AND said to be the finest in the world.

 

The bathroom was large and included a great tub that Lucy took full advantage of both nights. The provided shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion were lovely.  I would have liked a bit more water pressure in the shower, but getting to look at the lovely old faucet made up for it.  The bathroom had an old-world feel with modern conveniences.

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