To Travel is To Live

Well, 4 days ago the 4 month countdown to our wedding in Mexico began!  October still seems so far away but, looking through the checklist provided by the resort, I realized we are slightly behind a typical planning schedule. I don't have any exciting travel experiences to share today (we are, after all, having a wedding soon) but I hope that some our trials may be helpful to others.   Bryan and I are traveling to Puerto Morelos in October and we are getting married at the NOW Sapphire Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa.   The resort looks beautiful and belongs to the same family as chains like Dreams and Secrets, both of which are always gorgeous and well managed.  With decent reviews on Trip Advisor , including positive comments about food and wedding planning, the NOW seemed like a great choice (we shall see in October). Obviously, this is my first time planning a wedding, destination or domestic, so I was naturally quite uncertain about the whole process....

This spring contains a triad of vacation accommodations, and with the luxury of each occurring within weeks of the others, I have had time to reflect upon the pros and cons of each:  the all-inclusive resort; the vacation rental by owner (VRBO), and the upscale hotel.  As my interests start to lean more towards experiencing a place like a local, you can expect that the vrbo or hotel are becoming my preference. However, each definitely has their pluses.  First, the hotel.  This option usually includes amenities such as in-room fridges, coffee makers, private bathrooms, and on-site lounges or restaurants.  Not every hotel has these options, as it does definitely depend upon the price range and the star classification.  As I try to compare 'apples to apples', I am looking at hotels in areas wrought with tourists, sandy beaches, daily tours and excursions, and located in high-traffic, safe areas.   A hotel offers you freedom to search out you...

During my plans to visit Italy, I was emailed a Living Social travel deal for a resort hotel in Lucca, Italy.  This town was not on my original itinerary, but as it arrived before any hostels had been confirmed, I thought it wouldn't hurt to at least look at the deal.  For half the price of purchasing 3 nights in this hotel, the deal also included some meals and wine tastings.  Research into Lucca told me that it would be a nice diversion on our way from Florence to La Spezia, by was of Pisa.  After some deliberation, I held my breath, and hit "Buy". A few emails with the concierge, Vittoria, were exchanged prior to our arrival, with helpful tips on how to best find our way to the establishment.  Knowing I had 30 days to get a refund if I could not confirm a stay with them, I felt alright contacting the hotel and setting up our stay.  Upon arrival, we were so thoroughly impressed with the resort, its staff, and the view, that we believed the risk of tryin...

The words “Mardi Gras” exude images of bare-breasted women, elaborate costumes, and spectacular, fabulous floats, not to mention color beads flying through the air from all directions.  A visit to New Orleans for their annual celebration of life, love and freedom did not disappoint on any of these well-known ideas of what Mardi Gras entails.  The city is alive, day and night, for weeks leading up to the famed party, and the closer you can travel to Fat Tuesday, the better.  However, don’t forget that New Orleans schedules parties, parades, and events for at least six weeks prior to Mardi Gras, so you can always catch a krewe or a king cake, and beads, well before the true party starts.  Historical beauty is found everywhere in New Orleans, but nothing beats the walk through time that the French Quarter offers.  Wrought iron balconies adorn each three or four story building, once housing single families but now renovated as apartments, shop...

Choosing a vacation package from a reputable vacation company can be stressful if you're not sure about the resorts or areas you are interested in, but usually you can be assured that the accommodations have been reviewed by the organization for safety, health and comfort prior to issuing sales to the public. This is one of the reasons many people still opt for using travel agents to book their vacations.  I wonder if the travel agency field is starting to experience dramatic declines in their usage because there have been a lot of articles recently discussing the benefits to using them.  Hmmm.  I enjoy the hours I spend jumping between different travel companies and then comparing customer reviews on sites such as Trip Advisor .  I can be fairly certain that no one is being paid to provide their feedback so it's likely that what I read is generally the truth.  Of course, there are always those grumpy travellers who had nothing but bad luck, so use your judge...

When I first booked Lake Louise for my AGM, I thought it would be a nice, relaxing weekend of eating and the spa, similar to Banff last fall.  But then I started reading about what to do there and realized there was an abundance of train history right outside the doors of the Chateau.  In fact, the Chateau itself has a rich history involving CPR and Sir John A MacDonald is pictured arriving via the train (his only journey out West) with his wife to visit the beautiful hotel.   So, I did a bit of research and came up with an easy, yet busy, itinerary for checking out train paraphernalia. Saturday was filled with excitement, as I woke Bryan up way too early for his liking on a weekend, but he knew we were going to be doing something more than sitting around, so he did get up only slightly behind schedule.  We ate a lovely breakfast at the Poppy Brasserie, which serves an expensive, decadent brunch ($30 per person - yikes!), and followed this with a hike up to ...

Those of you who know me well know that I am infatuated with trains. A huge draw factor of my Inglewood condo was the train line right behind it. This, I quickly learned, was not everyone's feeling, but I loved sitting and watching the train roll slowly by - when it wasn't screeching, that is.  The Canadian Pacific Railway has contributed to Canada's history in many ways, both good and bad, from exploration of the West to immigration of foreign workers.  We drive by the train tracks every time we visit British Columbia and each time I am drawn the those two parallel lines of steel running straight into the horizon.  My instincts are to hop on the next rail car and find out just where all these tracks have been laid. It's that time of year again for my corporation's Annual General Meeting, and the idea of spending two nights in beautiful Lake Louise was considered.  Both Bryan and I agreed this would be a great getaway for us both.  Last year we drove our mot...