Susan Wildeboer

So many places to visit and so little time! Visit here to discover some of the trips other au pairs have taken and read their tips. Copy and paste the links below in your browser to get some ideas of places to go in California!

www.visitcalifornia.com
http://www.koa.com/vacationideas/highway101/northerncalifornia.htm
http://www.essortment.com/travel/traveldaytrips_sami.htm
www.parks.ca.gov Click on “visit a park”
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MY TRIP TO FLORIDA - Sofi, from Germany
I deceided to fly to Florida with a friend for 4 days. We arrived in Tampa, FL on a thursday picked up the rental car and so our roadtrip began. We drove from Tampa to Miami it takes about 8 hours with stopps. On Saturday morning we drove to Key West, it’s about 3 1/2 hours from Miami to Key West.

Even if it was just for 4 days and it really was a “power weekend” i think it was the most beautiful scene that I saw in the US. White beaches and the water was so clear and just fantastic. The nightlife in Miami was also amazing with all the bars, restaurants and clubs in Southbeach. 4 days are enough if you don’t have more vacation days left but i think if you want to enjoy everything you need about a week. The trip cost me about $400 with flight, rental car and hotel. The only thing I can say is, if you have the chance to fly to Florida even just for 4 days then -DO IT!!!

Miami - Famous Ocean Drive in the South Beach district

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THE TRIP OF MY LIFE - TO THE ISLAND OF OAHU, HAWAII

Livia and her Brazilian buddies in Hawaii!

I think many girls that come to the US dream with going to Hawaii…THE paradise. I did and I need to say I am in love for that island, for the beaches, the people, the Aloha!
So, fortunately, I and my friends had a long 10 day trip there so we had enough time to see everything we want.
First of all, If like me, you want to go to Hawaii and you are an au pair I bet you don’t to expend a lot of money so go with at least three more friends, find the cheapest flight on kayak, book your hotel on priceline (Waikiki is the best place to stay, since all the restaurants, bars, stores are there, but is not the best beach at all) and find a place to rent a car without paying the gigantic taxes for under 25.
Months of planning, booking flights and hotels, searching the hot places to go (I will help with that) you will get there…finally!
I got there on a Friday and my hotel was in Waikiki in front of the Duke Statue. There is a really nice area because you can just walk to: the International Market to shopping souvenirs, Duke’s Canoe for a nice (not cheap) dinner, Kuhio Avenue where you can find all the bars and clubs in the area that by the way are not good at all and, of course, the famous Duke Statue to take good pictures.

About the beaches the best ones, which you really find yourself in the paradise, are Kailua Beach, Hanauma Bay and Eternity Beach.
Kailua is a calm, warm water beach and nice spot for kayaking. I am Brazilian, so I have been in many amazing beaches in my life, but seriously, nothing looks like this one, the water color is just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Hanauma Bay is a famous spot for snorkeling and you need to pay $5 and watch a video to have access to the beach. I bought the equipment in one of the hundreds ABC stores that you will find there for $15 but you also can rent. The must in this beach is to have an underwater camera so you can have nice pictures.
Between Hanauma Bay and Eternity has an amazing lookout that is a must stop place for the wonderful nature beauty of the rocks with the ocean. Eternity is a really small and kind of hidden beach. So if you are in Hanauma bay just keep driving until the Halona Blow Hole where has a parking lot e people taking pictures. Stop there and like everybody else take pictures of the amazing beach under there. If like me, you really want to go and enjoy this paradise; walk down there (has an “access” right next to the road) and I promise will be worth it! If you are the adventure kind of person you will enjoy hiking on Diamond Head, if you are like me, you will go (almost dying) just for the amazing view after the 30 minute uphill walk.

Pearl Harbor is also a nice place to go, has nothing really amazing, but is a monument, is cultural, so this one is up to you. My only tip is get there are because the Arizona Memorial closes at 3 pm. Other must go places are located in the North Shore where you can snorkel in Sharks Cove, see the sunset in Sunset Beach, go to Mokuleia Beach to check where the airplane on Lost crash, go to the waterfall in Waimea Valley, go the famous Pipeline or just have a nice cultural day in the Polynesian Cultural Center.
So, enjoy your trip in that magic place, take lots of pictures, have a lot of fun and ,of course, don’t forget to always live the ALOHA! - Livia, from Brazil!

____________________________________________________________________________________ TRAVEL ACROSS THE US BY TRAIN in your 13th MONTH

Two au pairs in my group spent 3 weeks traveling down the coast of California by bus to Los Angelos and then across the US by Amtrak Train to Chicago and then New York. They prepared a summary of their travel itinerary and costs so that other au pairs could follow in their footsteps. The costs will may have increased with higher fuel prices, but it will give you an idea of what you could do too!!! You can view their travel itinerary here: Travel by Bus & Train across the US!