Tag: travel

Airport Security; 5 tips to make it more enjoyable!

I LOVE to travel, that’s pretty obvious. My least favourite part of traveling? Airport security! I’m impatient, and get hangry quite often (of course my hunger normally kicks in just as I arrive at the gate), and do not enjoy long line ups in sweaty crowds. Airport security doesn’t have to suck or ruin your trip, so here are my top 5 tips and tricks to make it less horrific!
Travel Tip Tuesday
Liquids

I can’t believe that travelers have still not received the memo that all liquids need to be 100 ml or smaller. Want to travel with your favourite shampoo that comes in a large container? Put some in a smaller container; I find the small containers from Goodfood (yup, the meal kits) are the perfect travel size and I can recycle them before our return trip to get more space in my bag for souvenirs. I would also recommend to label these smaller containers, as not to cause any suspicions, and to help keep track. And last, keep it all in a sealed, completely see-through, airport approved bag (I’ve only had issues with mine once, and I’m pretty sure it was so early that everyone was just lacking caffeine in their system).

Dress to Impress

Common sense says that if you don’t want to strip down, remove belts, etc, then just don’t wear them. You can still look great in a simpler style. Wear shoes that can slide off quickly and easily, minimal jewelry (if any), and keep your pockets empty! My husband wears the same belt on every trip, airport safe, it never beeps when going through the metal detector, and he is rarely asked to remove it. However, it all comes down to the airport staff and their discretion. Another trick if you are wearing a coat is to put everything from your pant pockets into your coat pockets that have zippers. The items won’t fall out into the bin and it will allow you to pick up your bag without having to stuff items back into your pant pockets at the crowded screening area – do this on your walk to the gate or at the gate itself once you have relaxed.

At an airportFollow the rules

The last thing you want to do is draw attention to yourself when you just want to start your vaycay. Follow the lines (keeping in mind that the shortest one, is not always the fastest option). Families will often take longer than individual travelers, Sorry y’all, it’s a fact.

Airplane
Pack accordingly

It’s no secret that you’ll need to remove liquids and laptops and show your paperwork. So why pack them at the bottom of your bag? I see this mistake every time without fail. Be prepared and pack them in an accessible location for quick removal. If you have other items that always get you pulled aside, then be proactive. I have a little bag where I keep my jewelry and change. It gets checked on practically all flights, so I leave it aside for easy inspection. Save us all the hassle. And if you are forgetful like my husband sometimes, do a quick eye scan of your bag before you leave your house. We once got pulled aside since he left a steak knife at the bottom of his bag (the same bag he brought to work daily, which held his lunch, and cutlery…)

Pack light
More bees with Honey

At the end of the day you are at the mercy of the airport staff. They are working, probably for hours on end, dealing with frustrated passengers all day long. So send some friendly niceties their way. Give them a smile, tell a joke, be nice and that may get you further ahead in the long run. MAY. No promises.

Just love this photo

Either way, embrace the long lines, be patient, don’t overdress if your body temperature rises quickly, make sure you are caffeinated, and always go to the bathroom before joining the line and enjoy your trip!

I hope these tips help! Let me know in the comments below if you have any to add!

Cheers,
Melissa

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Airplane Etiquette

Happy Travel Tip Tuesday! This month I want to touch base on basic airplane etiquette, drawing inspiration from the past week where I endured 4 flights, each with their own mix of excitement and frustration. When flying to and from your next bucket list location, remember that you are still in a public place – not your living room.
Travel Tip Tuesday - Flights
My most recent experience was the passenger in the middle row across from myself (it was a wide body plane) spread out over all the seats, shoes off, SOCKS off, and resting her bare feet on the pull-down tray. Gross! I’m never eating any crumbs off trays again. I know you want to relax and get some shut-eye on long flights, please spare us the sight of your feet! Airplanes are not as clean as you think. Carpets get spot cleaned, the windows are not regularly washed, and attendants only have 5 minutes to walk through and tidy the plane before the next batch of travelers load in, so really, do you want to walk around in bare feet collecting those germs and bringing them with you? There are better souvenirs in the airport gift shop.
Sleeping on flights
Make it a smoother ride for everyone by maintaining your personal space, and respecting those around you, especially if you like the same treatment back. Most people prefer the aisle or window, but quite often the only seat left is the middle. Let the middle seat passenger use both armrests (they are stuck in the middle, with no window to lean on, or aisle to escape down. It’s the right thing to do), keep your legs in front of you, and respect the bag rules for safety reasons.

Last week my middle seat neighbor brought two bags with him; his so-called personal bag and a carry-on. The carry on tightly went in the overhead storage bin, no issues there. It was this so-called personal item that was so large, it could not fit under the seat in front of him, barricading myself, the window passenger, in my seat for the entire flight. When the flight attendant came by for pre-takeoff checks, he carefully angled his body and what appears to be Harry Potter’s cape to cover his enormous bag so the flight attendants did not notice. When disembarking the plane, he couldn’t get his bag out, as it got stuck, delaying many passengers from leaving the aircraft. Don’t be this person. If your bag is too big to fit, pay to get it checked or pack better for next time, do not inconvenience others just because you can’t pack accordingly.
Bags on flights
Disembarking – We all want to get off the plane. It’s hot, smelly, and we are excited to start our next adventure or return home. Don’t rush ahead (if you must to catch that connecting flight, do so kindly, you really do catch more bees with honey). But don’t push, shove and cut in line, just don’t.

Other things to consider when traveling, it’s kind to help those around you that are having a hard time with their bag. If a family asks you to swap a seat – consider it, one day that could be you asking to sit next to your sweetie pie (some low budget airlines *cough* Viva Air Peru *cough* world’s worst airline *cough* purposely don’t seat you together, so that you’ll pay extra fees to move. Instead, we sat 24 rows apart.).
Cheers!
Who doesn’t love free wine? But does that mean you should get drunk? NO. You are not at the bar. A rule of thumb is that 1 drink on a plane is equivalent to 2 drinks on the ground. Respect those around you and keep your drinking to a minimum. We don’t need to hear you shouting, or crying, while we are trying to eat our hospital food sized dinners. Don’t be that person. They also say to avoid coffee, tea, and sodas, but meh, go for it if you like, just be sure to stay hydrated. My drink of choice is a tomato juice, a special treat when among the clouds.
Mexico Flight
So there you have it, some of my tips to make the flight enjoyable for yourself, and others. Do you have any tips to add? Let me know in the comments below!

Cheers,
Melissa

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Things I wish I knew about Travel

Thank you for joining me for another monthly edition of ‘Travel Tip Tuesday’! For those that are reading this for the first time, I regularly post tips based on my personal travel experiences once a month! For the month of August we have decided not to travel anywhere but instead to enjoy the beautiful summer in Toronto, especially since the long sunny days and warm nights are limited in Ontario!

Let’s get to the good stuff. Today’s topic of discussion is a list of things I wish I knew about travelling before I got hooked on the travel bug!

Enjoying the summer in Ontario
With the rise of social media, travel blogging, and remote work, more and more historical places are becoming overcrowded with tourists and the infrastructures can not sustain the number of people. Example, every year Amsterdam holds a canal Pride parade. This past year, sections of the canal were blocked off to prevent so much foot traffic. Another Dutch fact: cities around the Netherlands sink at an average of 3 millimeters a year, and lately some cities, like Gouda, are sinking at an accelerated rate of 10 mm a year!
Gouda, The Netherlands
Which leads me to my next point, try to visit places now that will be difficult or even impossible to see in the future. With travel becoming more affordable, tourists are visiting popular sites well beyond it’s designed capacity (some ancient places have double the amount of visitors than what UNESCO has recommended), leading to damage, or over crowding. Venice (Italy), Santorini (Greece), Taj Mahal (India), Barcelona (Spain), Dubrovnik (Croatia) are just some of the cities that are now monitoring the entrance of crowds, restricting cruise ships, levying tourist taxes, or even have protesters in the streets picketing against extra visitors!
Santorini, Greece
There is such thing as an off Season. Yes, there will be cheaper prices and fewer tourists, however there is less opportunity to enter and enjoy some of the popular sites. Museums may be closed, undergoing renovations, or have off-season hours that you are not aware of. We experienced this downside while spending Christmas in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, read more here.
Empty streets in Spain at Christmas
There is a reason why nobody else has ventured to that particular destination you desire, during that time of year. More often then not it is due to the weather! Check out the temperature before you book your flight, it could be the opposite season of what you are expecting. There could be hurricanes, extreme heat warnings, or worst yet, SNOW. Ideally, travel in temperatures that you are most comfortable with. We LOVE the sun, so we know we are not going to enjoy a trip as much if we are landing smack dab in the middle of their winter. Read more about our trip to Copenhagen, Denmark in the winter months here.
Cold in Copenhagen
Unfortunately, political and civil unrest occurs throughout the world. Stay up to date on worldly conflicts, protests, travel warnings and restrictions as they will no doubt lead to a miserable experience if you end up travelling somewhere that is unsafe.

Do you consider any of these before booking your next adventure? Did I miss anything? What else do you wish you knew before booking your latest getaway? Let me know in the comments below!

Cheers,
Melissa

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Travel Taco Tuesday

Holy Guacamole! These last few weeks have flown by and it’s time for my monthly ‘Travel Tip Tuesday’ post. This month my focus is on food, more specifically, cheesy veggie goodness rolled into a soft (or for some, hard – I’m judging you btw) tortilla shell. I’m focusing on Tacos, lets tacobout it now!
Travel Tip Tuesday & Tacos
I just returned from Cancun, Mexico on a mission to sample all the best tacos that I could possibly fit into my stomach. For the full video, including my reactions to hot sauce and tequila (cause you have to in Mexico), check out my YouTube channel Mellie Telly for my latest video HERE!
Hello From Cancun
No time for a video? Then read on for my tips on finding, eating, and enjoying my favourite food. I mean, we had a wedding taco party, how much more dedicated can you get?!

The Taco Search

Finding tacos in Mexico is not difficult; the real 5-star challenge is finding a local business, not the restaurant chains geared towards sucking as much money as possible from tourists while providing practically tasteless food. I spent lots of time on Google searching “The best tacos in Cancun”, reading forums, searching “Local tacos” and looking up suggestions from expats and locals alike. To save you the time, here is my list of restaurants that I have personally tried or ambitiously wanted to make a stop at: Taco Factory, La Parrilla, Tacun, The Surfin Burritto, El Asador, El Poblano, Tacos Rigo, Los de Pescado, Taqueria Coapeñitos and Mextreme. Some are located in the Hotel Zone, and some downtown Cancun. Taco TimeIn the end, we could not possibly hit up every single place. In Mexico, portion sizes tend to be enormous and greasy and add in the intense summer heat, was way too much food. We ended up sticking to a few local places downtown (so local that not a single tourist was in sight, and no one understood English, PERFECT), with a few touristy spots for comparison. Can you guess which ones were best?
Build Your Own Taco at El Poblano
You’re right if you were thinking the handmade, under-priced, over-spiced deliciousness that the local shops offered up. Oddly enough, many places did not have vegetarian tacos on the menu, so after some hand gestures and awkward attempts at Spanish, they were willing to create something special. Often it would result in a ‘build your own’ taco, and gluten-free was not always possible. You win some, you lose some.

Eat It Hot

All meals are served with chips, dip and HOT sauce to start. I prefer that over bread and oil any day. The hotter the sauce, the better, provided I had a Corona or Sol (low gluten beer) to combat the burn. I suggest trying all the sauces on the table; you are in Mexico after all. The colour of the dip or salsa is not an indicator of spice, as in some restaurants the green one was the hell in the bottle and others the red one was the mouth scorcher. Not sampling all the flavours would be like flying to Amsterdam and not having a handful of cheese. No one does that.
Taco Factory Cancun
Most of the time the tacos were fresh off the grill, hot, spicy and ready to go. Have napkins nearby to soak up your sweat, a bottle of water and/or beer, and you are set to roast in the sun and eat tacos to your heart’s content. I always take a bite first to experience the original flavour the chef provided, and then add sauces and lime wedge squeezes if needed.

The Results Are In

More often than not, my stomach and taste buds were satisfied. There were some meat close calls (1 accidental consumption), too many intakes of gluten and some fun games of charades before ordering, but Cheese Louise, it’s worth it for tacos. Overall I was surprised by the lack of “street meat” taco stands that I had envisioned would fill the roads, perhaps we were not in the right city? Or it was tourist down season?  If you know, leave a message in the comments below.

To see which taco won my heart over in Cancun, be sure to watch my YouTube video on Mellie Telly!El PoblanoNo matter how tasty these Mexican meals were, I am still on the hunt for the PERFECT taco holy grail (and maybe one that won’t cause stomach pains hours later). So far the best have been the ones we’ve made, (with love) with our own hand-picked ingredients and extra flavours. Maybe it’s the control of portion sizes, adding specifically what I’m craving or the joys of building and plating my own. Now, let’s see if my saucy souvenirs will now only enhance what we already have, as my search continues.

Cheers,
Melissa

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Whimsical Winchester & Virginia

When you travel, you open yourself up to new food discoveries, learning a different culture, exploring an unfamiliar landscape and making new friends. To do this, you can prep, map out and plan until you are blue in the face, but things do not always go accordingly. You can not control traffic, border crossings, accidents, weather or restroom locations (don’t ask). Regardless if things go according to your itinerary or not, you need to remain flexible, adapt and overcome to get the maximum out of your trip. Pleasant surprises are often what makes a good trip great. Virginia was one of those trips!
Blue Ridge Parkway
We recently traveled to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and on the way made stops along the Shenandoah Valley, which borders the Blue Ridge Mountains. My time and experience there was short but sweet. The charming area left an impact on us as it was magical in every possible way (Are you a maple tree? Cause fawk that was sappy).
DInosaur Land
The Southern hospitality lived up to its reputation as we were greeted so generously by the locals at every stop. The scenery was gorgeous, the weather perfect, and the activities endless. To learn more about my must-see things to do while passing by Virginia, please check out my latest article at Master Travellr. There I provide insights into our short visit, along with a list of places that I personally recommend seeing. Let me know what you think!
Luray Caverns
I have also posted a video of our visit to Dinosaur Land (located in Virginia) on my YouTube channel, Mellie Telly. Watch it HERE!

Special thanks to the following for the generous hospitality and incredible resources:

Do you have any questions about Virginia? Planning a trip there soon? Have you been there before? Let me know in the comments below!

Cheers,
Melissa

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Road Trip Tips

Another month means another travel tip – this month let’s talk road trips. I find this very fitting as I have just journeyed to the States via car twice in the past month, accumulating over 5000 km! If you follow my socials then you’ll know that we spent the May long weekend in Allegheny National Forest (in Pennsylvania and New York), and have just returned from a beautiful drive to the Blue Ridge Mountains (spread between Virginia and North Carolina). So here are some tips that we learned along the way…
Travel Trip Tuesday
Bring a cooler
A cooler is a great way to save money by purchasing groceries and limiting the number of times you eat out at restaurants. We also find that pulling over for a scenic picnic is much quicker than stopping at a restaurant and ordering a meal. One caveat is that import laws forbid from bringing in our go-to nutritional snacks through the border. Instead, recommend to stock up on vegetable chips, chocolate, and cold refreshing drinks. Then once you make it past border control, stop for groceries and ice and voila you have meals for the next few days. Having a cooler allows to save on time and money and enables to be more efficient to see more attractions and purchase more fridge magnets!
GPS
Buy a GPS
Everyone has a phone with Google maps, though a good quality GPS unit is a godsend for traveling. I’ll admit, at times we used our phones to find the address of the location to type it into the GPS, as the GUI is not as clean as Google Maps and it had difficulty finding desired locations. A GPS screen is much larger than most cell phones (our GPS has a 7” screen), does not have distracting pop-ups of incoming messages, does not burn through your data (which is important to note when traveling abroad) and does not lose signal as frequently as cell phones in the mountains. Our GPS allows changing the notification defaults, such as when you are speeding. Example, it is possible to set the limit to only provide an audible alert when you are 9% over the speed limit. This is helpful if you have a lead foot or if you are traveling in an area where the speed limit is better reported as the speed minimum and you do not want the GPS reminding you every 30 seconds that you are speeding. After using the GPS for the last two trips, I do not know how we traveled without it before. I like knowing what percent of the trip we are at, estimated arrival time, the speed limit on the road and our real-time speed – this helps me with being the Nav-o to make recommendations to speed up or slow down to avoid those marked speed trap cameras.

Play Music
You can only play ‘guess the license plates’ for sooo long (turns out I don’t even know the game I am playing, it’s counting not guessing). After a while, you will need some tunes as caffeine for the mood. So have a pre-set playlist, such as THIS ONE from Spotify. You can rely on the radio (so many rental cars have nowhere to insert a CD anymore), but you may end up with less than ideal stations. Our options were country, religious, or static. At times there was only one station and it seemed like the DJ was juggling plastic bags as he was playing music.
Navigator or Photographer?
Know your Role
Before heading out into the sunset, make sure everyone in the car has been assigned a role and knows what it is. That way there is no confusion with navigation, arguments over who is DJ, snacks captain, or knowing who is going to keep the driver entertained while the rest of the car is napping. The whole part of a road trip is enjoying the journey, so do so without conflicting ideas or expectations of what is to come.
Washroom Break & Photo Op
Pit Breaks Rules
We have an unwritten rule (well until now I guess), that we fill up the gas when the tank is ¼ full (or empty, depends on which way you look at the glass). I digress, the reason we do this is incase we end up going off the beaten path unexpectedly, or go longer than anticipated. It has come in hand a few times when we had no cell service and the GPS was no help in finding the next available gas station. Since we are on the topic of stops, always use the washroom when you can. You never know when the next stop will be. Don’t have to go? I don’t care, force it! Multiple bathroom breaks are annoying and frustrating. It takes so much longer to reach your destination, and you have to re-pass all the traffic you just passed. In our car, if one person goes, we all go, and it reduces the number of breaks.

Emergencies
I know, I know, I constantly preach about packing light. But don’t skimp on the necessary precautions that could save you in unpleasant situations. If you are road tripping always be sure to have a first aid kit, flashlights, a warm jacket, a snack, some cash, a car charger for electronics and lots of water. Not to sound like a negative Nancy, but you really never know.

Do you have any road trips in your near future? Agree with my tips or have your own to contribute? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Do you want to watch some of our road trips? Check out these new videos on my YouTube channel, Mellie Telly:

Cheers,
Melissa

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Sweet Dreams

Travel tip Tuesday - Getting Good Sleep
Happy Travel Tip Tuesday! This month’s tip is nothing to lose sleep over. I want to help you feel well rested after your free walking tour in your city of choice. I know it can be quite difficult to catch some Z’s when you are traveling in an unfamiliar setting, flying in and out of different time zones, getting stuck with pancake pillows (the worst), a lumpy mattress, or itchy sheets. Add in some AirBnB roomies and a new environment filled with creepy sounds, and you have a recipe for disaster for your sleeping schedule. So here are some tips to try on your next trip!

Get Active
First, I try to stay active all day long (8am-10pm), which is not very hard to do in a new place. If you spend all day exploring, going on adventures, hiking, climbing to the tops of cathedrals or walking around endlessly in museums, you will naturally be pooped at the end of the day. Trust me. If you are more of a vacation lounger, this may be a bit more difficult unless you are soaking up a lot of the suns rays all day – that alone can make you a bit sleepy. However, try not to nap while resting on that beach, as tempting as it is, as that can affect your sheep counting ability in the PM.
Pink PJs
Cut the Caffeine
I need a coffee IV to function in the morning, ask my husband. It is NOT a pretty sight until I’ve had my caffeine fill. But when traveling I cut myself off by mid-afternoon, as caffeine can stay in your blood for 6 to 8 hours! This is to ensure I’m not all hyped up on my second wind when I should be dreaming of my early morning excursion. (Find out why getting up early is essential when traveling HERE).
Morning Java
Just Ask
Whether you are in a hotel, motel, AirBnB, bed and breakfast, whatever, don’t be afraid to just ask for what you need! Prefer having 3 pillows? More blankets? A fan on (whether for just the white noise or the gentle breeze), ask the host/concierge. It doesn’t hurt to inquire about what will help you reach your sleep goals. Worst case – it’s a no. I find I sleep best when there is a window cracked open, as often it’s hard to get comfortable when the room is too hot and stuffy. If you know you may need certain items in your room beforehand, make a special request so you don’t have to ask after check-in when you just want to hit the hay and put your head down.
Good Night
Other Options
When in doubt, put your phone down and your screen away, pick up a book, relax, have a glass of warm milk (not wine – that can affect your hormones and disrupt your sleep) and pop some melatonin. This is a non-prescription drug that aids in rising your melatonin hormone levels and gives you a little nudge towards sweet dreams. However before taking any drugs or sleep aids, I highly suggest consulting with a physician or doing your own extensive research, I’m not a doctor, clearly!

Do you have issues sleeping when you travel? What do you do to aid it? Any questions for my next monthly travel tip? Let me know in the comments below!

Cheers,
Melissa

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Why you should travel with a Backpack!

Travel Tip Tuesday
Happy Travel Tip Tuesday! After a 2 month hiatus to return to life back in Toronto, from Amsterdam, I am back with more monthly tips and tricks for your next travel adventure! After binge-watching Marie Kondo on Netflix, purging through our stuff to move back, and sifting through any unnecessary belongings that had accumulated over time, I want to take a moment to focus on the effectiveness of packing light.

I love having wardrobe options with matching jewelry, day and night shoes, and numerous hat options; but after spending many weekends living out of a backpack, I’ve learned how unnecessary it can be. I’m not saying to wear the same outfit all weekend (you do want some variety in your Instagram photos, and need to be prepared for all weather types), just find articles of clothing that can be mixed, matched and layered (if necessary). Pairing this plan with different accessories each day can refresh your look, but more importantly, leave more room in your backpack or reduce weight – your back will thank you.
Wearing a backpack in South Africa
Traveling with just a backpack means that you don’t have to wait for checked luggage and won’t have to stress about lugging around a bag with wheels up long staircases, or wish you had additional arms to carry more stuff. This is ideal if you have an early or late flight (as you can stroll in a bit closer to your flight, and not waste time in a line to get your luggage weighed and tagged). It also means that you can walk a bit faster with just what you need on your back, and cover more ground seeing more landmarks on your trip. Perhaps the most important of all, with a well-balanced bag that fits you properly, it greatly reduces the strain on your body and you may even forget you have a bag on at all! – great for stairs, terrible in antique shops.
Wearing a backpack in Bordeaux
When packing your knapsack, I find it’s ideal to roll up your clothes. I’ll pre-steam the wrinkles out, and then neatly and tightly roll everything so I can pack more. That also leaves space for your toiletries, makeup, an empty water bottle, socks, undergarments, accessories, etc. Always leave a tinnnny bit of room for any souvenirs you may pick up along the way, optional if that’s not your jam. Also, a hot tip, since this is your carryon item on flights (so you don’t need to be separated from your belongings), you usually also get a personal item. For us, that usually means my purse, my husband’s prized procession (his camera) or a fragile purchase from an antique market.
Travel with a Backpack
So next time you are luggage shopping at The Bay or Bently, don’t forget to consider a nice sturdy backpack. For ample back support get one with straps that clip along the chest, they don’t look nerdy or touristy at all, says my husband. Or go for the Eddie Bauer stowaway packable backpack. I love that you can use it all day and then fold it up into a tiny bag and store it when you don’t need it! For more tips on how to make the most out of the space in your knapsack, check out my tips on travel makeup options HERE, or learn how to cut down on hair appliances HERE.

Do you travel with a backpack? Do you have any travel questions that you want me to cover in my next monthly post? Let me know in the comments below!

Cheers,
Melissa

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To travel, or to vacation? That is the question!

Do you enjoy travel? Or would you rather go on a vacation? Confused? Well, I truly believe there are fundamental differences between both, making it a relevant topic for this month’s Travel Tip Tuesday!
Travel Tip Tuesday
The great thing is that both options are fun in their own way, and each has its time and place. It really just depends on how much you like to relax and explore. So let’s compare!

What vacation means
A vacation typically includes room service, an all you can eat buffet or menu designed specifically for tourists, access to an open bar, and multiple bikini options packed in your suitcase. Your vacation may include soaking up the sun on a beach, relaxing in the spa, and a never-ending drink at your side. This could be on a large ship or on an all-inclusive resort, with not a worry in the world. It is a huge battery charge for yourself, a well-deserved treat away from your busy demanding life. Simply, vacationing is spending a lot of money to do nothing, typically in warmth.
Cuba
Vacationing means leaving your stress at home, relaxing, indulging, maybe finally catching up on some reading and enjoying the luxuries in life! It consists of eating as much as you’d like, and maybe even turning off your cell phone for a bit! This can be costly but often you can find great getaways that do not break the bank.
Relaxing in Santorini
There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, from time to time we all need this. Not just for the ample amounts of vitamin D, but for our cortisone levels, the bags under our eyes, and our overall health. Studies have proven that those that take the time to vacation have a better outlook on life, more motivation to achieve their goals, and less risk of heart disease! Put that in your next vacation submission. This is will actually benefit your workplace!

So what is the difference?
Travel is not always about the relaxing, it can even be stressful! Travelling is about integrating yourself into the new culture. Often we will fit in as many churches, museums, or palaces as we possibly can in one day. If we are not tired by the end of the day, we haven’t seen enough and will work harder to ensure we try more traditional food and drinks, talk to the locals, walk around and go off the beaten path. It can be less focused on regenerating yourself and more on pushing yourself to make new discoveries both personal and trip-related. Encompassing a “travel trip” means less time on a beach or ship, and more time, well, traveling. Although you may actually sleep less, and eat less than you would at the buffet, it can be incredibly transforming. You get to learn all about new cultures and can develop new friendships that last a lifetime.
Exploring in Trinidad and TobagoOur choice
Over the last 2 years, we have traveled all around Europe and have been on at least 30 trips in that time. But we have yet to vacation since visiting the Caribbean prior to moving to Europe. I prefer it that way. I love creating a jam-packed, colour coordinated itinerary and experiencing new places to the fullest. I get enjoyment out of guessing a new transit system, finding a new favourite food spot and learning about the history of that region. Don’t get me wrong though, I am always up for lying at the beach with a margarita by my side! We find that on a 4-day trip, we like to have 3 of those days itemized to the half hour, and one day more at leisure to slow down or revisit areas that we thought were special.
Travel or Vacation? Palma De Mallorca
So what do you prefer? What is your trip style? Let me know in the comments below!

Cheers,
Melissa

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5 Things You Didn’t Know about Frankfurt!

Frankfurt, Germany
Before we left Europe to return back to life in the Six, we enjoyed one last weekend of traveling. We made a final stop in the financial capital of Germany, and arguably Europe, Frankfurt. This charismatic city is the 5th largest in Germany, and a global hub for tourism, education, and transportation. Frankfurt was so surprising, that I want to share with you all the interesting finds we made on our trip!
Frankfurt At Night
1) It is tall! Like really tall – 14 out of the 15 tallest skyscrapers in Germany reside in Frankfurt. After being surrounded by so many flat buildings in Amsterdam, it was a nice treat to visit a city filled with high rise beauties, similar to what we are used to in Toronto. Though Commerzbank Tower is the tallest at 259 m, Main Tower (200 m) was my fave because of the 360 panoramic views! Highly recommended. Since Frankfurt is often referred to as Main-Hattan because of its rockin’ skyline resemblance, there are 7 Spiderman hidden all over the city. An artist set them up randomly to ensure that Frankfurt gets its fair share of comic book characters as well. We could only find two. How many have you found?
Spiderman
2) Red lights are not just in Amsterdam. That’s right, you can stroll the red light district in Frankfurt as well. Reminder to tourists, no photos are allowed to protect the privacy of the workers. Don’t stray too far at night, it’s pretty close to the train station where the safety levels are in line with Chicago at night (it was really sketch – times 10). They are making efforts to clean up the drugs and crime, though it is recommended to just stay clear of the area.
Red Light District
3) Fake it until you make it. The famous Instagram spot, Römerberg, is picture perfect with its old row houses (now converted into shops and restaurants). Going to burst your bubble here, these are not actually authentic; they were reconstructed after being destroyed in WW2, to bring in more tourists. You can find this charming area in Altstadt (old town).
Römerberg
4) When life gives you apples, make apple wine! In Frankfurt, you can find lots of German beer and unlimited sausage, but don’t forget to sample some authentic apple wine (apfelwein)! Yup, that’s a thing. I wasn’t a big fan of it; it tastes just like cold apple cider vinegar to be honest.
Apple Wine
5) When we travel around Europe there are usually numerous amounts of tourists on the weekends. Frankfurt was not the usual. Most people drive into work during the week; therefore on weekends, the streets are pretty empty. Comparable to the financial district in Toronto. I’m not complaining. It was a nice change to stroll and window shop without feeling overcrowded! On the other hand, that meant lots of buildings were closed.
Flea Market Finds!
Apart from all these cool facts, there are more than enough activities in Frankfurt to keep you occupied for a weekend. They have ample museums (most closed on Monday’s, so watch out), free churches, The Eschenheim Tower (the oldest and most unaltered building in the city center, from the 15th century, and you can go to the top for free!), archaeological finds, shopping malls and an awesome flea market on Saturdays along the Main river!

Have you been to Frankfurt? What did you think? Let me know of your German travels in the comments below! Auf Wiedersehen!

Cheers,
Melissa

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