If you’ve been following my blog for years, you would know that I was a solo female traveller, who occasionally travels with either a boyfriend or my brother. Most of the time, though, I travel alone. This all changed last year when I gave birth to the sweetest and cutest little bub. During the first year of his life, we’ve travelled four times! Our latest trip was to Chicago to celebrate his first birthday. This was also his first international trip. Here are some tips for flying with toddlers from a traveling mom.
With that said, this blog post is about my total expense for my trip to Chicago with my baby. Read on to find out how much I spent in total.
For reference, the conversion rate used was CAD$1.38 = US$1. Also, please take note that grand total will be calculated in Canadian Dollars and not US Dollars.
Table of Contents
Expenses prior to leaving Calgary:
There were three things I paid for before our departure date of Thursday, February 27, 2020. These are our roundtrip flights with United Airlines, our accommodations booked with Expedia, and pre-purchased tickets to Chicago Children’s Museum. I would have bought tickets in advance for the other museums we planned to visit but there’s a service charge so I opted to buy those tickets in person.
CAD$275.82 – Flight with United Airlines for Myles and me (CAD$22.41 Myles + CAD$253.41 me) The cost for Myles was only for taxes and fees. I also saw a flight deal for this trip so it was really cheap. This flight deal was also the reason why I decided to bring him to Chicago for his birthday.
CAD$645.12 – Five nights at Claridge House booked with Expedia. I used Expedia to book because I get points with my credit card by booking with them.
CAD$24.13/US$18 – One adult ticket to Chicago Children’s Museum, children under 1 year old is free. This is the non-resident price and this ticket expires March 31, 2021. Technically, though, Myles was a year old when we went to Chicago Children’s Museum and I should have paid for his ticket as well. I just said he was under a year old because I was trying to save money and if we went only a day earlier, he would have been free to enter.
Total expenses prior our departure: CAD$945.07
Expenses Day One:
Thursday, February 27, 2020
CAD$43.75 – Uber from home to YYC International Airport
CAD$3 – bottled water
CAD$15.78 – Thai fried rice for lunch
CAD$5.25 – chocolate from Rocky Mountain
CAD$6 – Starbucks cookies
CAD$75.90/US$55 – taxi from O’Hare airport to Claridge House
Total expenses on Day One: CAD149.68
Expenses Day Two:
Friday, February 28, 2020
CAD$33.12/US$24 – lobster benedict breakfast at our hotel lobby restaurant
CAD$45.55/US$33 – Ventra card 7-day pass. This wasn’t worth it for me as we did not use Chicago’s local trains and buses as much because their train stations are very dirty (one time there was poop in the elevator!) and dangerous (there was a shooting one day and a lot of druggies).
CAD$20.63/US$14.95 – white chocolate strawberry cheesecake and glitter gold latte from Goddess and the Baker
CAD$37.20/US$26.96 – two magnets, a book for Myles, and six postcards
CAD$24.84/US$18 – Navy Pier wheel ticket for one adult
CAD$4.31/US$3.12 – Stan’s red velvet doughnut
CAD$22.08/US$16 – Numero Uno pizza from Pizzeria Uno
Total expenses on Day Two: CAD$187.73
Expenses Day Three:
Saturday, February 29, 2020
CAD$41.40/US$30 – smoked pork belly french toast (brioche dipped in their signature batter, topped with diced pork belly and maple bourbon glaze, served with 100 per cent organic pure maple syrup), salted crunchy caramel latte (topped with thick caramel ribbons, crunchy caramelized kernels, and whipped cream) and sliced fruits for Myles for breakfast at Wildberry
CAD42.78/US$31 – iPhone charger, makeup remover, postcards, bottled water
CAD$11.04/US$8 – one Museum of Contemporary Art ticket for student, Myles was free
CAD$13.69/US$9.92 – egg shaker toy for Myles bought at the Museum of Contemporary Art gift shop
CAD$27.60/US$20 – burger, bacon and cheese fries, custard shake dinner at Shake Shack
Total expenses on Day Three: CAD$136.51
Expenses Day Four:
Sunday, March 1, 2020
CAD$15.16/US$10.98 – Uber from Lincoln Zoo to Adler Planetarium
CAD38.64/US$28 – one Adler Planetarium adult ticket with one show
CAD12.96/US$9.39 – roast beef melt sandwich at Adler Planetarium cafe
CAD$5.11/US$3.70 – bottle of coke
CAD$61.90/US$44.90 – one Shedd aquarium adult ticket with one 4D show
CAD$14.90/US$10.81 – Uber from Shedd Aquarium to Sushi-san
CAD$80.35/US$58.29 – eight pieces nigiri, five pieces maki san, and nama chocolate dinner at Sushi-san
Total expenses on Day Four: CAD$229.02
Expenses Day Five:
Monday, March 2, 2020
CAD$9.89/US$7.17 – bottled water and Krispy Kreme from Walgreens
CAD$26.72/US$19.36 – vietnamese cold brew and Bacado omelette (eggs cooked with bacon, avocado, and chihuahua cheese then topped with sour cream and served with pico de gallo and sourdough toast) breakfast at Goddess and the Baker
CAD$19.71/US$14.28 – Starbucks mug
CAD$26.22/US$19 – one Art Institute of Chicago student ticket, Myles was free
CAD$5.40/US$3.91 – cookie from Art Institute of Chicago cafe
CAD$28.98/US$21 – dinner at Hot Wok and Cold Sushi
CAD$15.65/US$11.34 – box of cookies and two jars of cookie butter from Trader Joe
Total expenses on Day Five: CAD$132.57
Expenses Day Six:
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
CAD$161.18/US$117.40 – hotel urban fee/resort fee of CAD$28.96/US$22.30 per night at Claridge House not included in my initial payment with Expedia
CAD$41.36/US$30 – one bag check-in with United Airlines
CAD$11.40/US$8.27 – bagel and iced grande caramel macchiato at Starbucks
CAD$48.80/US$38.40 – uber from Claridge House to O’Hare airport
CAD$43 – Uber from YYC airport to home
Total expenses on Day Six: CAD$305.74
Your baby is so cute and he is so lucky you are travelling together and learns all these travel bugs since an early age. Chicago looks pretty expensive for me (a Romanian) but if I better look at the price of the museums, it is pretty ok. It is the other expenses that add a lot to the final spending.
I’ve only been to Chicago once and we stayed for a day. Your total budget spent on your 6 days Chicago trip isn’t too bad with sightseeing and food. You saw quite a bit of the city with your time there. I would love to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art and go up
the Navy Pier Wheel on a return visit. I do miss eating Garrett’s popcorn.
The pictures of Myles are so sweet! Great that he is developing an appreciation for art so early in his life! Kudos to you for taking him on his first international trip for his birthday 🙂 Sounds like a great trip!
Looks like a great holiday experience! Thanks for sharing.
Amanda recently posted…Top 5 Must-See Family Shows in Pigeon Forge TN
This is such a lovely post. Chicago is a city I know well since I’ve family there. You’ve detailed a great budget for other families to know the costs of visiting. Myles is so cute!
Many great tips! I am visiting Chicago this year wit my daughter, these tips will come in handy! We will have to check out the children’s museum for sure! (P.S. I have told that little white lie about the age in the past as well-only a day or two off-close enough right?)
Many great tips here, I always love saving money! I am visiting Chicago this year with my daughter. We will have to check out the children’s museum for sure! (P.S. I have told that little white lie before about the age-only a day or to off-close enough right?)
Melissa recently posted…Hometown Series: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Haha I’m glad I’m not the only one who told that white lie. 🙂
I hope your daughter enjoys the Children’s Museum 🙂