The Talking Suitcase

Cruise & Curated Travel Specialist

How to Maximize Your Visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg

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How to Maximize Your Visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg
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Whether your visiting Busch Gardens Williamsburg for the first time or you’re a local, making the most out of your Busch Gardens trip will help you see and experience all the park has to offer.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is more than your typical amusement park. It has been voted the “World’s Most Beautiful Park” every year since 1990.   Take time to enjoy the landscape or you’ll miss out on what sets Busch Gardens apart from other theme parks in the US.

How to Maximize Your Visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Arrival:

First, don’t wait in line to purchase your tickets.  Buy your tickets online before you go, redeem at the kiosk (when required) and head right into the park.  Even better?  You can take advantage of Busch Gardens discount coupons to help you save more on your trip.

If you’re planning to visit for multiple days, you may want to consider a seasons pass, at least for one adult.  The hefty parking fee of $15 can add up quickly if you don’t have a seasons pass!

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Cyber Monday Travel Deals Round-Up

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

It’s Cyber Monday and there are so many deals available online that can help you save on holiday shopping AND travel.

I shared this in my weekly newsletter, but I wanted to put up a blog post as well.  I’ve also added in other offers that popped up today.

There are so many deals going on as extended Black Friday sales or for Cyber Monday, that I wanted to do a quick round-up.  These are mostly worldwide offers, so you don’t have to be in the USA.

1.  Amazon – It doesn’t matter which site you shop, you’ll find savings on Amazon.  I checked Amazon.co, Amazon.fr and amazon.com.au to confirm.  While the deals may be different, you can save on gifts and travel items.

2. The New York Pass – Save Up to 30% at The New York Pass (Nov 22-25) or Up to $110 at The New York Pass (Nov 26-30).

3. Royal Caribbean – Cyber exclusive weekend getaway from $131, 60% off the 2nd guest and kids sail free are some of the offers. If sailing from the UK, I’d appreciate you using this link.

4.  Sesame Place – Save on Seasons Passes and A Very Furry Christmas ticket (ends 11/26)

5.  Lonely Planet – Buy One, Get One Free!!!  This is the sale when I purchase our books 🙂

6.  Busch Gardens Williamsburg – 50% off a 2-park fun card plus 40% off Christmas Town tours and all-access passes

7.  Groupon Getaways – Lots of deals on hotels around the USA plus Groupon is in other countries such as France as well.

8.  Booking.com – save 40% on hotels, apartments and more

9.  NCL – Choose up to 6 free offers including airfare on select booking and cabins

10. Living Social – Use coupon code SAVE to get 20% off local deals and 10% off travel.

11.  Seaworld – Save up to 50% plus get lots of other deals for their Blue Friday sale.

12.  Skyscanner – There are a bunch of flight deals available today and Skyscanner has some great deals listed.  If you’re flying from the UK, I’d appreciate you checking from THIS link. Derrick is on the hunt for some deals for us right now 🙂

13. Vueling – Is offering thousands of seats for only 9.99€. Yes, this is a real deal! We’ve flown Vueling for this price around Europe.

14. Eagle Creek – Save 30% on select travel gear. We have luggage, packing cubes and other products from this company that we love.

15. Great Wolf Lodge – Save up to 48% during this sale! (must book by 11/27)

***  Cyber Monday sale on Passes.  Discount varies depending on pass but is 10%+ on Last Vegas Pass, The London Pass, Stockholm Pass, Paris Pass, Barcelona Pass, Berlin Pass, Cape Town Pass, Dublin Pass, Helsinki Pass, New Orlean Pass, Rome & Vatican Pass, Vienna Pass, Amsterdam Pass, Plus The Hong Kong Pass is up to 25% off! I’ve used many of these and can vouch for their awesomeness and savings potential.  These sales are valid tomorrow, 11/26.

Other cruise lines such as MSC and Holland America are also offering deals through Monday!

Many other stores have offers valid today, so make sure to check your favorite stores online.

Share your Cyber Monday finds with us in the comments.

15 Things To Know Before Visiting Rome

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Tips for Visiting Rome

Rome was once the largest, wealthiest, most powerful city in the Western world. It’s no wonder that today Rome is packed with countless historical landmarks, museums and over 900 churches.

While I loved the history and culture of Rome, I will admit that the city takes some getting used to.  Rome is loud, dirty and seems to be bursting at the seams with the mass of people living in and visiting the ancient city.

I needed a lot of downtime to adjust to the hustle and bustle.  We would venture out to see the fascinating historical sights then pull back to decompress in a quiet quieter spot like a small piazza, park or even back at our apartment.  I think I needed the breaks just as much as the kids did on this trip!

If you’re planning to visit the highly popular capital of Italy, I’ve put together a list of 15 things you should know before visiting.

Things To Know Before Visiting Rome:

Rooftops of Rome
Rooftops of Rome

1. Kids under the age of 10 ride the metro for FREE. If you’re traveling with children, you don’t need to pay for them to use public transportation!  This can add up to a nice savings when traveling with children.

2. Speaking of public transport, you need to purchase tickets prior to boarding.  Purchase from the tabacchi (tobacco shop), select supermarkets or kiosks at the metro and train stations. We purchased tickets at the same time we grabbed an Italian SIM card. You can’t purchase tickets while on the bus or metro.

Since tickets aren’t considered in use until validated, you can purchase tickets in advance, then validate them (in the yellow machines) when you need to use the transportation.  Tickets are valid for 75 minutes, so you can change buses within that time frame.  You can also use the same ticket for the metro and bus.

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Ultimate Gift Guide for Travelers

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Ultimate Gift Guide for Travelers
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If you need gift ideas for travelers, you’ve come to the right place!  I’ve put together a list of gifts to please every traveler and budget.

Gift Ideas for Travelers:

 

Push Pin Travel Map

::  Push Pin Travel Map –

  • Handmade item
  • Materials: laminated paper, scratch layer, push pins, cardboard tube
  • Ships worldwide from Kiev, Ukraine

Travel Scratch Map

:: Luckies of London Scratch Map Travel Edition (USLUKSTRA) –

  • Travel size world map
  • Proudly made in the UK
  • Scratch off top layer

Book Beautiful Ruins

:: Beautiful Ruins: A Novel by Jess Walter –

The acclaimed, award-winning author of the national bestseller The Financial Lives of the Poets returns with his funniest, most romantic, and most purely enjoyable novel yet. Hailed by critics and loved by readers of literary and historical fiction, Beautiful Ruins is the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962…and is rekindled in Hollywood fifty years later.

Travel journal

:: Travel journal –

  • Handmade item
  • Materials: thick card stock paper, acid free PVA glue, brown kraft card stock
  • Ships worldwide from Vancouver, Canada

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Sesame Place Tips & Tricks – What to Know Before You Go!

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Sesame Street Place

The family-focused amusement park, Sesame Place, is located just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The entire park is based on the popular Sesame Street television show (currently on season 47!)   Sesame Street Place is home to a variety of dry and water attractions, shows, food, character meetings and shopping.  It’s a hit with young fans of the lovable characters such as Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie Monster.

For those experiencing the joys of Sesame Street, come to life, for the first time, we’ve put together some Sesame Place tips & tricks to help make your trip a success.

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