Join us on our family adventures as we travel with our kids whether it’s a vacation trip to Thailand, a weekend trip to Destin, a family trip to Washington DC or a dream trip to Europe.

With so many cut back and changes in airlines industry, it’s safe to say that delay at the airport or for your flight is something we have to plan for. If your flight is on time and you don’t have any delay, consider it’s a blessing.

Our recent flight from Atlanta to San Diego was a blessing. We didn’t encounter any issues at all. Actually, I took it back. We did had an hour delay due to the glitch in the system. It was a blessing that we were able to arrive on time after all that delay.

However, the return trip was a total opposite. We had a connecting flight at Washington DC. After we landed and headed to our gate for our connection flight to Atlanta, we found out that there was a mechanical issue with our plane so we would have to wait 4 hours before the next flight. FOUR … FOUR hours!!! FOUR hours in the airport on Thanksgiving Day nonetheless!!!

So how did we survive 4 hours delay at the airport with 2 kids? Here are things we do to kill time without killing each other.

1. Explore

Airport is a big place. It’s like a city of its own. Since we just got off from the plane, it’s a great way to stretch out your legs as well. We walked around to check out the shops. But this could only last for so long. The little legs needed some rest. Plus we each had to carry our own carry-on so it was time for the next plan.

2. Stake your claim

Our next move was to find an empty and quiet area that we could sit back and relax. The area near our gate was too busy so we looked around a bit to find totally empty gate. We found our home away from home for the next 3.5 hours. A quick meal at the gate was all we did before the kids moved on to the next activity.

3. Play that game

This was the time to take out all those games and toys that we had been carrying around. We started from the card games which they really enjoyed. Then moved on to their personal Leapster games. Ah.. I couldn’t praise enough of how much I love Leapster. It’s a life saver to many of our trips.

4. TV online

By the 3rd hour, there were only so many games they could enjoy. So I moved on to our next action plan – TV shows. Ok.. so the cat is out of the bag, my kids watch TV a lot during the weekend. They are Star Wars the Clone War fanatic. Luckily, we were traveling during the FREE Wifi Week. I was able get the internet access and get a few new episodes from Hulu. We didn’t bring any of the movie DVDs with us this trip. So Hulu definitely saved the day for us.

5. Stretch and clean up

Finally, we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was time to pack up and get ready for our flight. We did another round of running and walking to stretch out our legs. We brushed teeth, washed our face and changed the kids into their PJs since the flight was now so late that we would arrive at around midnight. They were all ready and hopefully went to sleep on the plane.

I can safely say we survive and it wasn’t as bad as I imagine.

So how about you? Have you had any other experience with long delay during your trip? What other tips you can share?

On the last day in San Diego, after we made a quick stop at Cabrillo National Monument we made the trek up the highway to San Diego’s Zoo Wild Animal Park.

We should have arrived much earlier than we did. But after a grueling itinerary with non-stop visits to Legoland, San Diego zoo, Science museum and Sea World. I think it took a little toll on us. So we took it easy that day.

The Wild Animal Park is part of San Diego Zoo but is located in Escondido about 45 minutes from San Diego. So plan your trip accordingly. We chose to visit Wild Animal Park on the last day in San Diego so that we could continue our trip to Los Angeles from there.

The Kilimanjaro Safari Walk

When we first arrived at the park, I thought we were in Disney Animal Kingdom park. The park looks really clean with shaded path. After picked up the map, Miss J went into guide mode and studied the map.

Our first stop was the gift shop! Yeah.. Not such a good beginning but we forgot a hat for everyone. And we knew we would be doing a lot of walking in the Sun. So shopping it was.

With the size of the park and knowing my kids’ energy level, I knew we had to lower our expectation. We wouldn’t be able to explore the whole park so we settled to only a few spots. First of, I saw the schedule for Cheetah feeding so we marched down the path heading to Cheetah’s area by following the Kilimanjaro Safari Walk. But it was almost at the totally opposite side of the park. But that didn’t mean that we didn’t stop to enjoy feeding ducks near the Congo Fishing Village.

I have read many reviews about the walking concerns for family and I agree. Know thy children! For younger kids, I would suggest a jogging or umbrella stroller. It will be much more pleasant for the whole family. I saw several moms pushing strollers along the path. Looked like a great place for a workout.

So did we make it for the feeding? NO!

In light of trying to get it there, I actually missed the Cheetah area and kept on walking. By the time, I turned around the feeding was done.

Now, on to plan B.. A quick ice cream stop was in order. We stopped by in front of the entrance to Journey Into Africa and sat down to enjoy our ice cream before got in line for a ride.

Journey Into Africa

If you have limited time and can only do a couple things, THIS is the one I would highly recommend. It’s a no gimmick safari ride that takes you to habitats where animals live together just like in the wild. There is no fancy story of chasing a poacher.

The ride was really educational and informative. I really love our driver who gave us great information. Now I know what make Wild Animal Park different from other typical zoos. The park is big on animal conservation and strives to provide a safe habitat for wild animals.

We rode on a tram along the fence-in area. It’s not really safari experience but hey.. we are in California so what do you expect. Even so, I still think it’s one of the closest experience we can get here and provide us with more understanding on what they are doing in the park.

Little Break for Little Ones

By the time, we were done with the ride, it was late in the afternoon. We decided to hike back to the entrance. It was quite a walk. Then we stumbled upon a staff who provided a much-needed distraction for kids of all ages with the bubble station. He was creating a huge bubble using special solution and allowed kids to forget about that long walk. This shows how family-friendly this park is. I love all this little details that they think of for family with kids.

Not Your Typical Petting Zoo – Petting Kraal

We have been to many petting zoos in the past but definitely not this type of petting zoo. Most petting zoo you will meet goat, chicken, rabbit and other smaller creatures. But here you meet Kraal. Kids were nervous at first to get up-close and personal with big deers. But they were all very tame. Plus we read them the rules before we got in. Definitely, one of unique experience we had!

Our last stop of the day was the Conservation Carousel. This African theme carousel was a great fun to end our day!

So I have been wondering before visiting the Wild Animal Park as to what is the different between the Wild Animal Park and San Diego Zoo and whether it’s worth a trip.

My verdict

For family with younger kids, they might enjoy San Diego Zoo more. But for family with older kids, it’s SO WORTH it!! My kids absolutely loved the safari ride experience. They also begged us to get on the balloon ride but we stood ground on that request. :)

I just wish we had more time to spend and explore. It’s definitely worth extra money to buy the Journey Into Africa ride. There are so many other parts of the park that I wish we had time to explore.

Family Tips:

• Arrive early because this park is huge. You will be able to explore more.
• Bring stroller for younger kids.
• Stop for frequent break with bigger kids. This will allow them to enjoy walking a bit more. There are many interesting things to see and check out along the path so the walk wasn’t that bad.
• Go on Journey Into Africa!

Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets from San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. However, this post is based solely on my experience and my opinion without any outside influence.

I haven’t participated in Mondays are for Dreaming at Mara’s Mother of All Trips for a while. But it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been dreaming of places I want to visit with my kids.

My current obsession with K-dram (aka Korean Drama) has sprung a new destination for my Dreaming of Series – Seoul, South Korea.

Seoul is probably one of the destination that is not on the top list of many travelers. If you look at most of itineraries to Asia, you probably see Japan, China, Thailand, and India in most of those list. However, South Korea seems to be at the bottom of the list. I’m guilty of that as well. Until now..

After watching many series of K-Drama and starting to know more about Korean’s culture. I’m dreaming of a visit to check out many sights I have seen from my shows.

N Seoul Tower and Namsan Cable Car

It seems to be a very popular destination. A trip on the Namsan Cable car will take you up to N Seoul Tower where on a good day you will  enjoy a view of Seoul’s skyline. Kids will love the ride up the cable car for sure. But they will also enjoy a hike and play at the surrounding park.

COEX Mall and Aquarium

COEX Mall is an underground mall in Seoul and is one of the largest shopping center in Seoul and one of the largest underground mall in Asia. This mega shopping center reminds me of Siam Discovery in Bangkok. It consists of hundreds of shops, COEX aquarium, Mega movie theatre and Kimchi Field Museum. Talking about all-in-on stop for the whole family.

The Palaces (Goong)

The Joseon dynasty built ‘Five Grand Palaces’ in Seoul. The main palace – Changdeokgung – will be one of my top destination to visit. Kids will probably enjoy the changing of the guard ceremony at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. The other 4 palaces are Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeongbokgung and Gyeonghuigung.

Shopping Markets

Shopping and Asian culture is like a pair of chopsticks. It goes together and can’t live without one another. Seoul is no different than other major cities in Asia like Bangkok, Tokyo or Beijing. Shopping is a big part of the city. There are several notable markets that I will definitely have to check them out.

Dongdaemun Market is probably one of my favorite to check out. What with opening from 10:30 am to 5:00 am.. This non-stop shopping area will be my best friend on a sleepless night.

And if you are looking for more high priced retail with brand name attached then Myeongdong will suit your need. It’s located at the financial district and is popular among young people so you can expect a great fun nightlife.

Insadong market will be perfect if you look for more arts and antique products. This market is where traditional and modern Korean artworks are sold. It’s also a great place to sightseeing and enjoy a leisure walk

Banpo Bridge

This might not be on many of Must-See list from major travel sites. But this one is purely for my own indulgence. Any fan of the popular K-Drama, F4 will remember this scene very well. I am determined to check them out when I visit Seoul. Plus I think my kids will get a kick out of a fabulous Rainbow Bridge fountain show as well.

Most of all, I’m dreaming of many great meals there. The Korean food has become my new obsession so I can’t wait to try them all out in Seoul.

Check out other travelers’ dream at Mother of All Trips.

Photo Credits: yeowatzup, hyku, ysjjhfox, jaytong

Sunset photography is probably one of the hardest thing I have tried so far. During our West Coast trip, I had only 2 chances to capture the Sunset.

Our first Sunset was in Hollywood at Griffith Park Observatory. It was such a great place to visit with amazing view of the City of Angels.

The sunset view became more special when you share with someone you love.

The next day we went to Santa Monica in the afternoon. The Santa Monica beach was a great place to spend a day with kids. There are lot of fun things to do. The view of the Sunset was also amazing.

As we were leaving, we turned around and found this view of the Santa Monica ferris wheel during the Sunset. The lights were on and the fun had just begun.

Check out other travelers Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Food is one of the 3 main component in our travel – what to do, where to eat and where to stay. I think we have covered a lot of what to do in San Diego in the past few weeks.

But it’s so typical of us that we didn’t get to taste as many great places as we would love to. Spending a whole day in a park certainly cut our chances to taste out many restaurants on our list.

Nevertheless, we were able to finish off a couple and would love to share with you.

Covette Diner – Family Fun Food

On our first night, we made a plan to meet up with my lovely blogger friend, Coleen from Travel Mamas. Coleen is a San Diego resident so I trust her in guiding us to a great place to eat. And she didn’t disappoint.

We met up at the Covette Diner in Liberty Station. It’s their new location in a revitalize History Navy Training Center. The place is a giant fun house for kids and ahem.. adults too.

As soon as you stepped in, you knew this is a place where kids can enjoy and adults don’t have to worry about melt down. The staffs are friendly and very well into the character of the 50s theme.

There was a dance break for all of us to enjoy and join in if you dare. :)

The food was also pretty good.. Ok.. I didn’t pay that much attention to the food to be honest because I was already full from the huge appetizer plate and milkshake.. Ah.. The milkshake is what they are famous for. You can order it so many ways that I think Starbucks will not want to compete with their combination. And if they don’t have it in the menu, you can even create your own creation!

While you wait for the table, or the food or after the food, little ones can enjoy the arcade type area with fun games.

Overall, it was a great fun experience especially sharing with good friends. Thank you Colleen for the recommendation.

The In-N-Out Experience

In-N-Out Burger joint is the local fast food joint that I have heard so much about. Whenever I talk to my neighbor who moved from Southern CA, they always talk about how much they miss In-N-Out. So we just have to give it a try.

The place reminds me a little bit of Krystal burger but with more clients and better burger. We went there during dinner time and the place was packed.

The menu is very simple but we learned after the fact that there is a secret menu! Hmm.. Next time, we might have to try that out. The price is very affordable for everyone. But burger is burger. Don’t expect that this will be a healthy choice for the whole family.

The burger itself is ok but I guess for the price it makes a better alternative than McD. The burger does taste better and seems with better ingredient than your typical fast food burger joint.

But don’t take my word for it. I’m not a big fan of any burger by nature. I still don’t get why the Varsity is so popular in Atlanta. It’s a good stop when you look for a quick meal that don’t break the bank. Another big plus is you don’t have to worry about if your kids will behave here. It’s a burger joint after all.