# Checked Out To Check In


## Posts

- [The Perfect 1 Day Cape Town Itinerary](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/one-day-cape-town-itinerary/): Cape Town, South Africa is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. We’ve visited multiple times and spent more than two months exploring the city, but if you’re short on time, this is our perfect 1 day Cape Town itinerary. It’s a jam-packed day, but it covers all the highlights. Before You Go: Rent a Car First things first: you absolutely need a rental car for this loop. Relying on rideshares will cost you a fortune and can leave you stranded between stops. Renting a car in Cape Town is affordable. Just remember that they drive on the left […]
- [Sabi Sands vs Kruger National Park for South African Safari: Which Is Better?](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/sabi-sands-vs-kruger/): When planning your safari in South Africa (our favorite country for safari), one of the first questions that comes up is: where should I go? Talk to most people, and their first answer is Kruger National Park. Kruger is the most well-known game-viewing park in South Africa, and even the world. But if you’re looking for a more intimate experience where you can get much closer to the animals, we recommend Sabi Sands or one of the other private game reserves in the Greater Kruger area. Sabi Sands vs Kruger: Quick Comparison Kruger National Park Sabi Sands Game Reserve Cost per […]
- [The Best Safari Destinations in the World](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/best-safari-destinations/): We’ve been on more than 50 safari game drives across multiple continents. We’ve done everything from open-vehicle drives through African savanna, tiger tracking in Indian tiger reserves, leopard spotting in Sri Lankan scrub jungle, to island hopping by boat for Komodo Dragons in Indonesia. When people ask us for the best safari destinations, the honest answer is “it depends on what you want to see and how you want to see it.” So instead of one answer, here’s how we’d rank the best countries to go on safari, and which parks within each one are actually worth your time. This guide […]
- [How to Get to Mackinac Island: Ferry, Cost & Full Trip Guide](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/how-to-get-to-mackinac-island/): Getting to Mackinac Island requires a little extra planning, as it’s a car-free island only reachable by ferry, small plane, or private boat. We visited a few weeks ago as part of our Lake Michigan road trip and it was one of our absolute favorite stops. That said, the logistics can catch people off guard if you’re not prepared. Here’s our full guide on how to get to Mackinac Island, plus everything you need to know about what to do, where to stay, and where to eat once you’re there. How to Get to Mackinac Island The primary way to reach […]
- [Chicago Travel Guide: What to Do, Where to Eat & Stay](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/chicago-travel-guide/): Writing a Chicago Travel Guide came pretty easy to us after living downtown for 10 years! Many Chicago travel guides feature the same few tourist hot spots, but we want to feature a few things off the beaten path that are local favorites! Go To Where to Eat Here → Go To Where to Stay Here → Best Activities in Chicago Let’s start with some of our favorite activities to do in Chicago. Because of the size of Chicago, there are always so many things going on and so many things to do. This Chicago travel guide was written in late […]
- [Lake Michigan Road Trip: Our Full Loop Itinerary Around the Lake](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/lake-michigan-road-trip/): A Lake Michigan road trip is one of those things that has been on our bucket list for a while, but we never got the chance to do it until recently. We did the whole thing in about 11 days, starting and ending at our home base in Chicago, but you could honestly spend much longer or do it in maybe a week, depending on how fast or slow you want to move. Most of the stops we spent 1-2 nights and think it is a sweet spot if you’re doing the full Lake Michigan loop in 1-2 weeks. The Lake […]
- [New Buffalo, Michigan Travel Guide: Where to Stay, Eat & Drink](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/new-buffalo-michigan-travel-guide/): New Buffalo, Michigan is one of the most popular weekend getaways from Chicago, and for good reason. There are great restaurants, good beaches, and wineries close enough to make a real weekend out of it. It’s about 90 minutes from downtown Chicago and sits right at the Michigan–Indiana border, just off I-94. We recommend just taking I-94 instead of the Chicago Skyway, the Skyway toll costs $8.10 to save maybe 8 minutes, and once you factor in the tollbooth wait, you probably won’t save any time at all. We lived in Chicago for over 10 years before leaving on our world […]
- [How We Handle Currency While Traveling](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/handle-currency-while-traveling/): Every time we land in a new country, we visit an ATM at the airport to get currency for that country. We start with $100 USD equivalent and go from there, unless we have specific tours or activities that we’re planning to go on that require more currency. Before we leave a country, we spend down or exchange whatever local currency we’ve got left, rather than carrying small leftover amounts from country to country.  That single habit is how we handle currency while traveling full time for the last 12+ months. This page is the breakdown of how we have handled […]
- [Diving Malapascua Island: Logistics, Cost & Tips](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/diving-malapascua-island/): If you want to dive with sharks in the wild, Malapascua Island in the Philippines is one of the only places in the world where you can do it reliably. Thresher sharks show up at a cleaning station just off the island almost every single morning. The catch is that Malapascua is genuinely not an easy place to get to, and once you’re there, the sharks live at exactly one dive site. So you end up with this weird contradiction: a remote, sleepy island that somehow still has a crowded dive site. That being said, diving malapascua island was one of […]
- [Credit Card Travel Hacking 102: Two-Player Mode, Card Sequencing, and the Rules You Have to Play By](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/credit-card-strategy-for-couples/): Here’s everything that we couldn’t fit in our credit card travel hacking 101 guide. This article is going to focus on some of the more advanced concepts: two-player mode (aka a great credit card strategy for couples), which card to get after your first one, and the issuer rules you have to play by. Using both articles together should give you a solid foundation for credit card travel hacking. Two-Player Mode: Why Traveling as a Couple Is a Cheat Code One of the advantages we have as a traveling couple is that we can double up on sign-up bonuses. Like we […]
- [Komodo Liveaboard Guide (Logistics, Cost, & Tips)](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/komodo-liveaboard-guide/): Seeing a Komodo dragon in the wild had been on our list for years. We’re the kind of people who plan trips around animals, so when we found out you could actually get on a boat and hike up to wild dragons, we knew we weren’t visiting Indonesia without doing it. The number one way to see the dragons is via a Komodo liveaboard boat. There are multiple different multi-day and night combinations but we ended up going with 3 days and 2 nights, which gave us a good amount of time on the water and ability to do some other […]
- [Kuta, Lombok: A Travel Guide (Beaches, Bars & Restaurants)](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/kuta-lombok-travel-guide/): We spent 11 days in Kuta, Lombok, and we used that time to get some relaxation in. We had a few beach days, a few pool days, and a lot of time just wandering the town’s little shops and restaurants. Everything in Kuta happens at a slower pace and we think that is the beauty of the place. There’s no pressure to cram in fifty activities or rush off to the next thing. We chose Kuta as our alternative to Bali after hearing that Bali’s traffic and crowds had gotten out of hand. Kuta gave us what we wanted instead, a […]
- [Sumatra Orangutan Trekking Guide (Lodge, Cost & Gear)](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/sumatra-orangutan-trek/): The first moment we spotted an orangutan, we were mesmerized. These animals look so similar to humans and have some very similar mannerisms that you can see how the theory of evolution started to connect those dots all those years ago. The magical part about this trek is that not only did we see five orangutans but two of them were within a few feet of us and did not seem bothered that we were there! This guide covers everything you need to plan a Sumatra orangutan trek: how to get there, what to expect on the trail, how to choose […]
- [The Beginner's Guide to Credit Card Travel Hacking](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/guide-to-credit-card-travel-hacking/): Most people think traveling in business class or staying in luxury hotels is reserved for rich people. We’ve done both many times without paying anywhere near the full price. The secret isn’t how much money you have; it’s understanding how credit card points actually work. Banks have the system put in place, you just need to understand the rules, and we’ve spent more than a decade playing this game so we’ve seen many different credit card travel hacking strategies and evolutions of how things work. What Are Credit Card Points? Credit card points are rewards programs that banks and travel companies […]
- [Sri Lanka Safari: The Best Guide to Yala National Park (Lodge, Cost, & Gear)](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/sri-lanka-safari-yala-national-park/): Yala National Park: What You Need to Know Why Yala National Park? When we were visiting Sri Lanka and found out that one of their national parks has the highest density of leopards in the world, we had to check it out! That park is Yala National Park and it is one of the oldest and most visited national parks and the premier spot for a Sri Lanka Safari.  The park covers approximately 378 square miles (slightly larger than the size of our home city, Chicago) and is home to 172 leopards. It is divided into several blocks and different blocks […]
- [Everest Base Camp Trek: What The Tea Houses Actually Look Like (Night by Night)](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/everest-base-camp-tea-houses/): When you are planning your Everest Base Camp trek (EBC) in Nepal, the term “tea house” gets thrown around a lot. But if you’re currently researching or actively planning, you’re probably wondering: What do Everest Base Camp tea houses actually look like? Am I slumming it in a frozen shack, or is there a bit of mountain comfort? The truth is, the accommodation in the Khumbu region varies wildly from rustic to luxury depending on your altitude and budget!  We recently completed our private 11-day EBC trek with the trekking company Adventure Mountain Treks, and our tea house stays were included […]
- [How Much Does a 30-Day India Trip Cost? (Our $10,000+ Budget Breakdown)](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/india-travel-budget-30-day-cost-breakdown/): We spent 30 incredible days traveling through 13 cities in India, completely focusing our itinerary on comfort, local immersion, and checking off bucket-list experiences we’ve dreamed about for years! The cost of travel in India was honestly higher than we expected! Bouncing between regions, booking an all-inclusive tiger safari, choosing quality local restaurants, and opting for boutique stays adds up quickly. This definitely wasn’t a bare-bones backpacking itinerary, but it was worth every penny. We tracked every single dollar of our India travel budget during our journey so we could share what a couples trip here actually costs! All costs below […]
- [Tiger Safari in India: The Best Guide to Pench (Lodge, Cost & Gear)](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/tiger-safari-in-india-pench-lodge-price/): Pench Tiger Reserve: What You Need to Know Go To Where to Stay Here → Go To Packing Guide Here → Why Pench? When we were researching which park to visit for a tiger safari in India, we admittedly had a tough time deciding. We saw a lot of resources on Ranthambore National Park, but it didn’t quite give us that “deep jungle” vibe we were looking for. Then we discovered that Pench Tiger Reserve was the real-life inspiration behind the movie The Jungle Book. That was it for us, Pench was the winner! The park is about 300 square miles […]

## Pages

- [Philippines](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/philippines/)
- [Travel Insurance](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/travel-resources/genki-travel-insurance-review/): It took a long time for us to nail down our travel insurance provider. Every option we looked at seemed designed for someone taking a 10-day cruise or someone living full time in one country, not two people that sold most of their stuff and would be covering many different countries and had an indefinite return date. We’re now 17 countries in to our adventure and have been insured by Genki since we started our trip. Read our Genki travel insurance review below to see if it’s the right choice for you too. Why Most Travel Insurance Doesn’t Work for This […]
- [Indonesia](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/destinations/asia-travel-guide/indonesia-travel-guide/): Check out our Indonesia travel guides below that cover Komodo liveaboards, Kuta Lombok travel guide, and orangutan trekking on Sumatra!
- [United States](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/destinations/north-america-travel-guide/united-states/)
- [U.A.E](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/u-a-e/): Coming Soon
- [South Africa](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/south-africa/): Coming Soon
- [Sri Lanka](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/sri-lanka/): Our Sri Lanka travel guide starts with what brought us there in the first place: leopard and elephant safaris through Yala National Park. Below you’ll find our full breakdown of costs, timing, and what to expect.
- [Nepal](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/destinations/asia-travel-guide/nepal/)
- [Activities & Tours](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/travel-resources/activities-tours/): The Best India Tours There was so much to do in this country and these are some of the tours that we personally went on and loved! The Best Thailand Tours Bangkok and Phuket were vastly different places but we felt that these tours helped us get a feeling of both places The Best Chicago Tours We lived in Chicago for 10 years and these are some of our favorite activities to do with people when they visit! The Best Cape Town Tours Cape Town is one of our favorite cities in the world and we’ve spent months there and there […]
- [Gear](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/travel-resources/gear/): Our Amazon store houses all of our technology, gadgets, travel books, camping gear, and anything else that helps us on the road Our LTK store houses travel outfits, accessories, and swimwear that we have with us on the road! If you have any questions about any of the gear, feel free to send us a message on social media and we can help you out. We’ll be publishing a blog post talking more about our gear in the future. If you make a purchase through the links above, we earn a small commission that helps keep our travels going, we really […]
- [Credit Cards](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/travel-resources/best-travel-credit-cards/): Chase Sapphire Preferred Reasonable $95 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, flexible points, this is our daily driver on the road. We earn 3x points on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, and these points are able to be transferred to hotel and airline partners, or used for cash back. American Express Platinum Don’t be shocked by the $895 annual fee. You get $600 in hotel credits, $200 in flight credits, and $300 in streaming credits, in addition to airport lounge access and other credits that are much more easily used in the US. We use this to book […]
- [Home](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/): We checked out of our 9-5’s so that we could check in to the rest of our lives. We’re Alex & Amelia, a couple who traded the corporate world in Chicago for full time travel. We made this page to share the knowledge we’ve gathered traveling to 25+ countries and getting off the beaten path! 34 U.S. States Visited 31 Countries Visited 398 Days on the Road
- [North America](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/destinations/north-america-travel-guide/): Our North America travel guides include guides to everywhere we’ve been across the continent. These guides include real costs logistics and our thoughts on each destination. We are still building this section out but plan on adding destinations across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Pick an article below to dig into the full guides.
- [Africa](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/destinations/africa-travel-guide/): Our Africa travel guides include guides to everywhere we’ve been across the continent. These guides include real costs, logistics, and our thoughts on each destination. We are still building this section out but plan on adding destinations across South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, and others. Pick an article below to dig into the full guides.
- [India](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/destinations/asia-travel-guide/india/): See our India travel guides below, our budget breakdown from a 30 day trip and our detailed guide to tiger safari in Pench national park.
- [Asia](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/destinations/asia-travel-guide/): Our Asia travel guides include guides to everywhere we’ve been across the continent. We had many animal adventures, including tiger safaris in India, leopard tracking in Sri Lanka, Komodo dragons in Indonesia, and diving with thresher sharks in the Philippines. We even climbed to Everest base camp, travelled one month through India, and relaxed on a small beach town in Indonesia. These guides include real costs logistics and our thoughts on each destination. Pick an article below to dig into the full guides.
- [Work With Us](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/work-with-us/)
- [About Us](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/about-us/): We’re Alex and Amelia. A couple who worked in the corporate world in Chicago before leaving it all to travel the world. Our dog passed away (RIP Bobby) and we realized that life is short and we should be doing something that we love, which is travelling. We had saved $100k to buy our first home, but we decided to take that money, sell most of our things and are now traveling the world! We started our journey in August 2025 with a 2.5 month road trip around the western United States before heading overseas to travel through Africa, the Middle […]
- [Travel Resources](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/travel-resources/): We get asked constantly what travel resources we actually use to book flights, find gear, and keep this whole trip funded. So here it is, everything in one place. We hope these resources can be as helpful for you as they have been for us. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us @CheckedOutToCheckIn and we’ll be happy to answer them! Credit Cards & Points Credit card points have been one of the best travel resources we’ve used to save money and travel in business class for free! Below is our guides on which cards […]
- [Destinations](https://checkedouttocheckin.com/destinations/): Where We’ve Been Destinations Africa Botswana · Kenya · South Africa · Tanzania · Read Guides Asia India · Indonesia · Nepal · Philippines · Sri Lanka Read Guides Middle East Guides Coming Soon! North America United States Read Guides Follow along on Instagram for real-time updates from the road

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