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Alysia & Baby David | Travel Family & NJ Fun

@thewanderlust_mama_

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👶🏽Chasing dreams & a toddler
✨Family trips & unique local fun
📍NJ, PA, NY & beyond 🌎
Honest reviews, budget guides & tips
💌[email protected]

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SAVE for your fall 🍂weekend family roadtrip planning! 🚗

✈️I used to think that a weekend getaway had to be a plane ride to another city 🏙️

🍂But now as a mom with kids, soccer practice, bills, and life I realize that’s not always possible!

🚗Here’s 8 of our favorite destinations for a weekend getaway or day trip with kids if you’re coming from NJ, NY, or PA.

And if you don’t have kids all of these are great for a romantic baecation getaway ❤️or fall girls trip 👯‍♀️!

💵Stay tuned as we break down how much it cost us for each of these getaways, because we believe travel is within everyone’s budget! It just sometimes takes getting a little creative.

Follow @thewanderlust_mama_ for more weekend trip inspo and guides for NJ families. Happy travels!

#travelfamily #travelwithkids #budgettravel #explorenj #weekendvibes taken in New Jersey, USA by @thewanderlust_mama_

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19 days ago

👋🏾Hey, yall! Theres so many new faces around these parts, let’s do a little reintroduction!

I’m Alysia! 🎉

Jersey girl 💅
Toddler boy mom👶🏽
Wifey of almost 2 years 👰🏽
Lake lover & waterfall chaser ⛵️
Spooky chica 🦂(iykyk)
Deal chaser 💸 (whether it’s a fire thrifted fit or vacay)
& travel addict! ✈️

🇵🇪✈️I began my travel adventures during Covid when I faced all my fears and booked a solo trip to Peru, hiked 🥾the Inca trail to Machu Picchu 🏔️and changed the course of my life!

✈️I started going on more solo trips & fast forward a year and my husband swiped right on a picture of me sweaty and exhausted at Machu Pichu ❤️

🥰And that’s all she wrote! 📝

✨From that point on we began to travel the world together during school breaks and summers ( hello teacher life ❤️✏️)

First comes 💕, then comes marriage 👰🏽, and then we had our boy! 👶🏽

✨Everyone said the baby would slow us down, but if anything it’s made us want to share and explore even more of the world with him 🌎. He’s gotten 5 passport stamps in his first year of life and we’re just getting started!

✨But you know as a teacher I’ve learned how to ball out on a budget through points, miles, travel deals, shoulder season travel, & more

So if affordable European summers 🏖️weekend adventures from NJ worth writing home about 🚗, multigenerational travel, and tips and tricks for navigating travel with a toddler or some kids in tow sounds like your version of a fun time, stick around!

#travelfamily #budgettravel #travelwithkids #toddlertravel #explorenj taken in New Jersey, USA by @thewanderlust_mama_

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a month ago

😘Save to make planning your next family trip easier.

🎉These 5 tips are non-negotiables and the answer to how everyone asks me how we travel so much.

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Because we don’t gatekeeper over here and I wanna see y’alls kids living their best lives all over the world.

☀️Let me know if you want any details and I’ll be happy to share! Stay tuned as we take on European summer in August! ☀️

#budgettravel #babytravel #family #budget #traveltips by @thewanderlust_mama_

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3 months ago

his is for all the moms that have a whole file of saved travel reels, but never book any trips. SAVE and send to your travel partner.

✨the two biggest expenses of any trip are ✈️flights and 🏨hotel. By learning how to find cheap flights and free hotel stays has allowed my family to do European summer, spring break adventures, and fall getaways within our budget.

✨Everyone thinks we’re rich, sike! We just follow these two simple rules, for max family fun and adventures at min cost.

🗣️📣I cannot say this loud enough DEALS OVER destinations!

✈️Using Google flights or Skyscanner put in your home airport, your date range if flying during a school break or a month and hit EXPLORE

✈️It will take you to a world map showing flight prices for that time period.

📣Play around with specific days and airports that are close to you for the best deals (ex: always search, PHL, EWR, & JFK) and it’s saved me thousands!

🏨Hotel stays can be a huge expense until you learn to game the system.

My first tip for anyone interested in travel is get a travel credit card and put EVERYTHING on it, bills, insurance, groceries whatever you would normally spend. Pay it off every month and you’ll never worry about interest. Those credit card points are GOLD. 🏆

🏨Because Im lazy and easily overwhelmed I always use world of @hyatt for points redemptions. This has allowed us to stay in beautiful 4 ⭐️ hotels in Paris, Amsterdam, NYC, Pittsburgh, or make roadtrips with a baby much more bareable for FREE and breakfast is included.

Next month we’re staying at my dream hotel in Chicago for my birthday! 🎉

✨If you’re interested in my FREE stress free mom’s trip planning travel guide or card recommendation comment GUIDE and I’ll send it right over. Happy travels! by @thewanderlust_mama_

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17 hours ago

✨SAVE if you’re a mom looking for an easy, no fuss, weekend outing with the kids where you can yap & also do a little antiquing or grab a snack without emptying your wallet.

✨SEND to that mom friend you’ve been playing phone tag with.

🍂 I can’t believe I’ve never been here and it’s 5 minutes from my house!

🍂My husband and I love antiquing but with a toddler it can be a lot and no one has time to be driving all over the place!

🍂This charming, walkable village features antiques, artisans, specialty shops 🛍️, and little nature trails 🥾that was the perfect mix of browsing, burning some energy, and cute aesthetic fall village vibes.

The best part was the snack break at @fourgreencatscafe_ we’re still talking about those Johnny biscuits 🤤

Also be sure to check out their FREE yoga classes & farmers market on Sunday mornings.

📍Rancocas Woods
208 Creek Rd, Mt Laurel

If no fuss kid & grown up friendly weekend outings are your jam, be sure to follow along @thewanderlust_mama_

#antiques #njweekend #njthingstodo taken in Mt Laurel, NJ by @thewanderlust_mama_

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19 hours ago

SAVE for your Not so spooky Halloween plans i& SEND to the mom group chat!

🎃I love Halloween! But now that I’m a toddler mom I want to make sure that anything I spend money on is appropriate, worth the cost, and going to be fun for everyone in the family.

👻My son is obsessed with Elmo and using these tips my family is able to visit @sesameplace Spooktacular for a price that’s within our budget.

If you’re always looking for toddler friendly family fun without breaking the bank in NJ, NY, & PA stick around! 👋🏾 taken in Sesame Place by @thewanderlust_mama_

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9 days ago

✨SAVE for your NJ fall weekend bucket list and send to someone you’d go with 🚗

🍁When considering the perfect towns for a weekend fall visit I think of two things 🤔

1. Is there a little bit of something for everyone? Families? couples? girls’ day out? ❤️

2. Is it accessible to those looking for a budget day trip or luxury filled weekend? ✨

📍Cape May, NJ checks off both of those boxes!

At the most Southern tip of NJ this gorgeous coastal town serving classic NorthEast Americana has got it all!

✨Here’s some of the places I recommend:

🍽️ @madbatterrestaurant
🍽️ @shamonetapas
🍽️ @grana_byob
☕️ @thebuoycoffeeshop
☕️ @ostarascoffeehouse
🍕 Mario’s of Cape May
🍰 @theoriginalfudgekitchen

Shopping
🛍️ Washington Street Mall
🛍️ @westendgarage

Things to do
🦓 Cape May Zoo
🌊Cape May Lighthouse
🌳Garrett Family Preserve
🚋Trolley tour
🏘️Harriet Tubman Museum

If you’re looking for more NJ Fall weekend stick around! @thewanderlust_mama_
#njweekend #travelfamily #visitcapemay #discovernj #thingstodowithkids taken in Cape May, New Jersey by @thewanderlust_mama_

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14 days ago

✨Because if there’s not a treat in it for me I might just scream!

Being a toddler parent doesn’t mean losing your spark! ⚡️

If you need ideas for family date days with a little something something for mom and dad in South Jersey/Philly make sure to follow @thewanderlust_mama_

#travelfamily #toddlerparents #familydate #thingstodoinnj #explorenj by @thewanderlust_mama_

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a month ago

🍁Fall is my favorite season!🍁

🍂Shorter days, crisper nights, and cozy blanket snuggling. Yes please! 🧡

🍁I know it can feel overwhelming and expensive to pack in all the October magic into a few short weekends with all of the fall festivals, spooky attractions, and sports events. 🏈

🍁Especially with littles it’s hard to determine what events or activities are even worth it.

🍁As a South Jersey toddler mom and teacher here and my tried and true ways for making October magical for your family without tapping into their college funds! 😅

🍁 SAVE this and send to your mom group chat for your fall bucket list!

🎃I don’t care what anyone says, I love going to the pumpkin patch! It’s also a great place for diy fall pics. Here’s my list of my faves to checkout for toddler fun

@terhuneorchards 📍Princeton
@johnsonscornerfarm 📍Medford
@indianacrestreefarm 📍Medford
@duffieldsfarm 📍Sewell
@muddypawsfarmrescue 📍Southampton
@fox_run_acres 📍Sewell

📚Themed and seasonal books are great to build excitement for the season and encourage language development📚

📚Your local library is your best friend! So many wonderful books, resources, and events for FREE! Dont sleep on free museum passes!
📚A thrift store book scavenger hunt is also perfect for finding those hidden treasures to add to your collection.

🐈‍⬛I love dressing up for Halloween and now it’s a yearly tradition! I’m so excited for this year’s costume and soaking up these memories before he gets bigger and wants to do his own thing. 😫

🐈‍⬛If you’re on a budget check out these spots for gently used costumes to buy or trade:

👻fb marketplace
👻once upon a child
👻local mom group swaps in person or online
👻thrift stores

🏈Fall is for football!🏈

🏈While pro games can be expensive and too noisy for littles, be sure to check out college and local high school games for a taste of Friday night lights.

🏈Our favorite cheat code is going to a @temple_fb game! They play at @lincolnfinancialfield! Amazing marching band, reasonable concessions, and you can get sideline seats 🎫 for as little as $12 pp.

Happy fun making core fall memories! 🎃
#familyfunday #thingstodonj #weekendfun #fallvibes taken in New Jersey, USA by @thewanderlust_mama_

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15 days ago

SAVE for your next fall adventure 🍂🍁 and SHARE with the mom group chat

🚜If you’re a family with a toddler in NJ you cannot miss this amazing fall festival that’s perfect for littles.

🍁In our ‘Ber month family date diaries we’re sharing the best fall family outings that are fun for not only toddlers but parents too!

❤️because being parents doesn’t mean losing your spark! ⚡️

In NJ we’re so lucky to have many farms and fall festivals, but it can be a challenge to decide which ones to go to, especially if you have a baby or toddler.

🚜touching trucks and tractors
🐤racing duckies
🛝wooden playgrounds
🐓calm animal encounters
🎃you pick pumpkins, apples, veggies, & wildflowers
🌾mini hay maze
🍷wine tasting
🚜 wagon rides
🎶live music
And so much more!

Saturdays and Sundays ➡️ Nov. 1st
10am - 6pm

$19.95 pp in advance
Kids 3 and under FREE

Just the apple cider donuts alone are worth the drive!

If this sounds like you’re kind of vibe, make sure to stop on by❤️

📍330 Cole Soil Road Princeton, NJ 08540

Hi! 👋🏾 we’re Alysia, David, & D3 and if you’re looking for family fall date ideas with toddlers in New Jersey & PA be sure to stick around! ❤️

#travelfamily #toddlerplayideas #fallvibes #njfamilyfun #weekendplans by @thewanderlust_mama_

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25 days ago

💋 Ladies, Send this to that special someone who owes you a fall festival, apple picking, hayride, or pumpkin patch date!

NJ fellas 👀, follow along for recs on the best farms and orchards for your ‘ber month dates. My husband ate with this one! 🎃🍎

📍Terhune orchards

🍷wine flights
🎃pumpkin patch
🍎Apple picking
🎶live music
🚜ponies
📸 photo op spots
🌾farm store

Do yourself a favor and plan a date for the family or just the two of you 😘

#njfarm #applepicking🍎 #falldates #familydaysout #autumn taken in Terhune Orchards by @thewanderlust_mama_

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a month ago

✨May this be your sign to grab a blanket, some mums, and pumpkins 🎃and do you’re own low cost fall photo shoot.

✨Because he’ll never be this small again, but this moment will forever live in my heart.

#fallphotoshoot #momlife #budgetphotographer #fallvibes #babyboy taken in New Jersey, USA by @thewanderlust_mama_

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a month ago