Monthly Archives: August 2012

Put Travel On Your Back-to-School Shopping List

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Gift CertificatesYou’ve moved into the dorm, or your new off-campus apartment, or maybe you’re still at home and commuting to school. Friends and family are asking if there’s anything you need, any way they can help out. You have the essentials covered for now, but Thanksgiving break is coming up fast, and then Winter Break after that.

So you say, “Actually, I could use a little help with my _______.” And fill in the blank with “next flight home”, “holiday travel plans”, “trip to volunteer” or “upcoming Spring semester abroad”.

But Aunt Trixie isn’t able to pony up the $1,000 or so you need. She wants to give you $50 or maybe $100. No problem. Have her give it to you as a travel gift certificate so that you can put it toward the next thing you book (and you won’t be tempted to spend it at karaoke night or on something silly, like textbooks).

Visit TravelCUTS.com to learn more about travel gift certificates or buy one for a friend. After all, it’s just as good to give as to get.

All Aboard the Chocolate Train in Switzerland

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How did I not know about this before?

“Beautiful scenery and tasty, world-famous chocolate make for an unforgettable experience as you travel on the Swiss Chocolate Train. Your trip begins in Montreaux on the Swiss Riviera and then takes you by train to Gruyeres, home to the renowned Gruyeres cheese. While there you’ll visit a cheese-making factory and go to Gruyeres Castle. Then comes some free time to explore and have a delightful, local lunch on your own before proceeding to Broc. In Broc you’ll visit the Cailler-Nestle chocolate factory where you’ll nosh on delicious and delectable chocolate treats.”

Yes. Please.

The Chocolate train runs every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday in May, June, September and October and daily during July and August. The train departs Montreux at 9:12am.

New Zeland Goes 100% Middle-Earth. Interested?

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New Zealand is such a ridiculously gorgeous place, it would be almost impossible to make a commercial for it that doesn’t make you want to grab your backpack and run straight to the airport.

But now that the tourism board knows how huge “Lord of the Rings” was, they seem much more anxious to tie themselves to the upcoming “Hobbit” movie, as you can see by their new tourism campaign.

(I’ve been to those glow worm caves, and they’re incredible. Put them at the top of your Must See list.)

So what do you think? Does the ad make New Zealand seem even more magical to you? Or were you just as likely to visit it based on the posters in Murray’s office on “Flight of the Conchords”?

I love Murray.

Say Hello to the New HI-Prince Rupert Hostel

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If you’re nervous about staying in hostels, then the best thing to do is start with a brand spanking new one.

It’s clean, it smells fresh and painty, the mattresses aren’t all worn out in the middle yet, and the kitchen doesn’t have any weird smells yet. It’s the best first-hostel experience you can have.

I’m especially fond of this new hostel in downtown Prince Rupert – called Pioneer Backpackers Inn – because they painted it blue, which is the best possible color you can paint anything. (See my car, my laptop, my iPod and my camera for proof.)

It also has a fire pit (!), free wifi and free shuttles to the hostel from the BC ferry and Via Rail (between 9 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.).

So welcome, Pioneer, to the Hostelling International-Canada family. May you keep your new hostel smell for at least a few weeks.

 

Tour Haunted Savannah in a Hearse

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Last week I spent a couple of days sweating and shuffling around Savannah, Georgia. It’s a pretty town with lots of big, old houses and trees and a nice river walk, but mostly it was just hot and ridiculously humid.

So if you’re going to tour Savannah, you might want to skip the walking tour and opt for chauffeured sightseeing. Take the hearse.

As one of the most haunted cities in the States (or so people there kept telling me), there are a few different ghost tours available. But for just $15 you can ride in the back of a renovated hearse. And since it had rained on and off all day (which made it less hot, but definitely not cold), having a covered ride seemed like a great idea.

This house was the inspiration for the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Oooooh.

Our guide stopped in front of several locations where gruesome or unexplained murders had taken place. And while some buildings looked perfectly normal, at least a couple looked like there was something very wrong about them.

The Pirates House! Lots of bodies went missing here.

You’ll also see Jim Williams’ house from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. You can tour it during the day to see where the murder took place, or just to check out some good ol’ Southern architecture.

The Williams house. I just wish John Cusack had been hanging around outside.

After your tour, head to Leopold’s Ice Cream on E. Broughton Street and cool down with dessert, or stop by the Crystal Beer Parlor on West Jones Street for an old timey, speakeasy-style drink.

Time for Oktoberfest 2012!

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Although it’s called “Oktoberfest” the German festival of tents and beer and music and pretzels actually starts in September.

That gives you just a few more weeks to pull a trip together, and Busabout can help. They have 4, 5, 6 and 7-day tours with both hostel and camping options, and their guides know exactly where to go for the most fun.

Check out all the tour options here, and get your lederhosen ready!

Win a Trip to Jordan with G Adventures!

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G Adventures wants to take you here!

G Adventures wants to take you here!

No money for a tour? No money for airfare? Then keep your eyes on the G Adventures blog next week as they run a contest for a free trip to Jordan, including your flight.

They’ve hit 300,000 Likes on Facebook and they’re so excited about it they just had to celebrate with a free giveaway.

The basic rules:

“Check out this blog during Jordan Week (August 13-17). Each day we’ll post a new article about Jordan and ask a trivia question at the end. Simply provide the correct answer and you are entered. Pretty simple huh? Come back each day that week, because you can enter up to five times to increase your odds of winning the adventure of a lifetime to Jordan!”

I’d love a trip that let me feel like Indiana Jones! I’ll even bring my own fedora!

Start reading and entering next week.

Obsessed With Scotland?

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Yeah, I might be, a little bit. But how can you not be with those adorable accents and kilts and shortbread and hairy coos?

I tried to fight the call of the highlands, but it was no use. And now I’m headed back to Scotland in a few weeks where I’m going to try some slow travel. That is, instead of packing my bag every morning to hop the awesome Haggis Adventures bus to a new town, I’m just going to stay in one place. And take… it all… in.

That’s right, I’m doing a week in Edinburgh and the more I look into it the more I think that even a week might not be enough time to absorb all that the city has to offer. I may sneak away for a day to Glasgow, but otherwise I’m going to do my best to just wander the streets, see the sights, and not be in a rush to get anywhere.

I think it will be nice for a change.

But I didn’t want to get so focused on planning that trip that I missed out on other travel stories and news, so I hopped over to National Geographic to read about the Mars landing – because I don’t think travel gets any more exciting than exploring a new planet – and what’s their Traveler Magazine cover story this month? Scottish Island Obsession.

I guess I just have to give in to fate.  Scotland, here I come.

The Canada You Haven’t Seen… Yet

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Can’t afford a flight to Australia? Or a Eurail pass? Or maybe even a passport?

Well then maybe it’s time to see a little more of Canada. There are dozens of adventures to be had without ever leaving the country, and all within just a few hours of where you are right now.

Have a look at Matador’s photo gallery of Nahanni National Park, located in the Northwest Territory. Who needs Austria or New Zealand or Japan when you can get views like this at home?

Visit Matadornetwork.com for more photos

Contiki Rock Around The World

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 Most people get the post-vacation blues… when you’re back to work and the routine of ‘real life’ settles back in after a whirlwind trip. However, having an amazing new group of friends around the globe to message and post pictures of makes a world of difference! When you share a life-changing experience and form lasting bonds with your fellow travelers, it only makes you excited for your next adventure. I had a massive case of post-trip blues after my recent Contiki Rock Around the World trip, and I wouldn’t trade my epic experience for anything!

 I had such a blast in California and Nevada, that after returning home, reflecting on the whole experience has elevated it to a higher level. I’ve been asked a few times to pinpoint my favourite part, which is so difficult to choose considering the vast number of activities we were treated to! In Los Angeles we had free time to shop, took a driving tour of Rodeo Drive “Pretty Woman” style, enjoyed a clear view of the Hollywood sign and saw Beverly Hills and strolled down the Walk of Fame

In Palm Springs we soaked up three long days of beautiful sun and rocked out to incredible music at the famous Coachella Festival, with excellent accommodation and invaluable transportation to and from the festival grounds.

In Paso Robles wine country, we sampled delicious local fare at an art gallery wine tasting before a scenic drive to majestic Lake Tahoe and our unforgettable American-themed costume/karaoke party!

I’ve wanted to revisit San Francisco for years, and enjoying fresh seafood, a tour of Alcatraz and a private breakfast cruise on San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge, this stop was even better than I remember.

Las Vegas was the last stop, and no city is better to go out with a bang. A flight over the Grand Canyon, VIP treatment to Vegas nightlife, time to shop and hit the casinos – I definitely felt like a rock star!

Nothing can replace the Contiki road team – our tour leader Andy and driver Ray were excellent hosts – talented, reliable and fun. They gave life to each city and neighborhood we visited, and shared a drink with us at night only to work tirelessly the next day while we all napped on the coach. You can’t help but bond with your fellow travelers, becoming a new family on the road, sharing laughs and making memories along the way. 

This life-changing adventure completely surpassed my expectations, and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. After all the fanfare and excitement, I think one of the best sentiments to sum up my Coachella Contiki trip actually came from my mom. She’s been picking me up from the airport since I was 8 years old, and she said this was the first time I stepped off the plane looking like a million bucks!

Contributed by Renee Langevin from our Adventure Travel Company Calgary office formerly of Travel CUTS University of Calgary email Renee to find out more at RLangevin@atcadventure.com