Off to see the “Big Girl” again this year! It’s been a while for sure… Since 2011. Some of our first travel experiences as a family were set amid the high rise and din of NYC’s Times Square. Whether in the shadows of Liberty, the heights of ESB, or the countless attractions… There is something for everyone. So this Christmas holiday we headed back… Not in search of the “must do” attractions but to explore pieces we haven’t yet experienced. We were looking for places to be outside, be it city block, market, square, or park, and planned on laying down a few miles on foot this time around. Most of all, however, just excited to be back!
Every November (probably a lot to do with both Janie and I just finishing our first school based reporting periods) we start visiting sites and looking for attractions for Christmas Break. It’s generally a two week span that we can use to carve some time away with the family. Most often it resembles a road trip to the US for a few nights to explore a city, do some shopping, catch a pro-game and a museum or two.
Liberty Island Visit – 2011
Our sinking dollar has to be considered, but so does the chance to get away and be distracted! And what says distraction like a quick trip to the lights and glitter of “New York”! We are peeking at events and researching accommodations… Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates and we can assemble the puzzle for a few days away prior to Christmas. Never a shortage of things to do in “le grand pomme” but we may want to go to Pinterest to explore the many “10 things to do for Free in NYC”. We’ll post the trip if we manage to pull it off! Cheers…
Each year at work I get 5 Admin Days for my own use during the academic year. Each year I use at least one in the 1st month of school to spend a quiet, late summer day at the camp. Under no uncertain terms should anyone be allowed to leave the Province of NS in September to travel. There really is no place like home!
Favorite earthly haunt…
Passed down through family, this little camp in Guysborough County is fixed at the end of a mid-sized lake with several other buildings. We enjoy cooking indoors and outside, watching the critters of the lake (loons, muskrat, osprey, Whiskey Jacks, etc.), afternoon coffee, crazy eights and craft beer. September is perfect… No bugs, warm lake water, and cool evenings just right for sleeping. Paddling, guitar sessions, and crackling fires make chores like splitting wood, trekking in supplies, cutting back brush and painting seem like fun!
And of course, this is all best enjoyed with family and friends. This year I got several fall trips in… It never grows old! Come spring, after a winter hiatus, the trip back gets all consuming. The more we travel, the more I appreciate our own little slice of this tiny world. Cheers…
Excel is my travel friend… the host for all the research I do! Every one of my trips has a corresponding spreadsheet file that has a clearly outlined itinerary, budget sheet, confirmation numbers for travel tickets, specific attractions and accommodations. Itineraries include, in a chronological day by day fashion, any costs, hours of operation, plan for commute, links to websites for quick reference and any special notes that should be retained. I take a print copy as well as a PDF on the iPad! I carry it each day and continually refer to the contents.
Pan of Camp Lumsden… Sponsored by Weber BBQ’s & Gahan’s PEI Craft Beer!
Okay… So this year I chose not to attend the formal reunion at Mt A. I guess I struggle somewhat with the traditional style of gathering. However, getting together with friends from those days is an entirely different thing. There are times when you turn around and say it’s been too long (and it really has). Nostalgia aside, it is important and healthy to reconnect, reconvene (re-everything) and step back to grab the bigger picture!
This year found me 25 years past my departure from Mt A and friends that formed the foundation of four years of life together sharing the university experience. As with life, contact with friends became sporadic as lives changed and we all followed the pulls and pushes of family and career that created new paths.
From the wilderness, however, comes a “call to action”! Formulated by our Irish band leader two years prior, the appeal was made to gather on the gentle island, PEI, in July of 2015 to reacquaint. The e-mail stream got busier as the weekend approached and preparations came together.
All hands in attendance for group photo (by CBMackay)
When all was said and done, three days later, the weekend seems a blur after a heartfelt sharing of food, story, drink and song. In retrospect, I’m so glad our family was afforded the opportunity… Nothing but a pleasure from start to finish!
I’ve taken the liberty of chronicling our days with word and image as a keepsake for ourselves and our children in the hopes that we can keep memories of our good fortune in the present…
I would suggest that coming up with a place to visit is the easy part… Especially today, with the proliferation of internet sites, social media influence and guidebooks. Making the trip leap to reality beyond the pages and websites, however, is the bigger challenge.
The way I research may not be isolated to one idea. In fact, I would most likely be collecting data for one or several potential destination plans at once, bookmarking tidbits online, grabbing a video/guide book with focused on the ground information, or even reviewing travel tweets from those that have gone before. Eventually, one trip takes hold, but I maintain multiple research files that I can go back to. Our last trip to Spain/Portugal was 5 years in the making.
Atlas from US Road Trip…
I benefit greatly from seeing a route and taking time to understand a basic physical look. Yes… my first research “stop” is to find a detailed map! When I plan, I think in travel loops. Maps help me do this quickly. It could be a small, one day circuit in a city or a broad circle afforded by an open jawed set of arrival and departure flights. We value travel time, so revisiting a space or backtracking is a real pet peeve of mine. These loops support best use of time and resources.
Admittedly, I’m quite linear in my travel planning process. Winging it never seems to go so well. To me, being unprepared, lost or spending hours in a line up while in Rome, Paris or New York City is a waste of our vacation time. No better example was ever presented than our visit to the Vatican Museum in Rome. We literally walked past a sheer km of line and entered ahead of schedule because we pre-purchased tix for an extra pair of Euro! Can you imagine being in Rome and spending hours of your time stopped in a queue? Not me… do some research and find your way through! In fact, I probably over plan. It’s a solid backup for us when we travel. Essentially a built in, ready made option should something be unavailable or if a day gets done much more quickly than expected.
What is it that I research? Everything from the weather to grocery stores. However, the focal points are easy to sum up. The big items include cost/dates/hours of operation for the following; transportation, accommodation, attraction.
Transport includes the to and fro (be it car, plane, train, ferry, etc) and commuting during visit. Tickets, times, transfers, tips are all worth keeping. Having a superior handle on transportation is essential… It allows one to maximize time at attractions / sightseeing and make all necessary connections. Guessing and hurrying cause mistakes.
Accommodation planning is equally important. For example, while in Europe we rarely drive (actually never). Thus, lodging must be central to public transit. We rely heavily on Internet, so wifi access is a must. And, if at all possible, we look for included breakfast. When with the kids, we add “pool” and “parking” to that mix. Expedia and other online agencies are great for research, but I rarely book through them, preferring personal contact with the chosen accommodation.
Attractions are all about the detail. Location, hours, cost, promotions (discount cards/passes), tour details and information… The more you know upfront, the more relaxing the visit. I like to purchase as many of the attraction items as possible prior to visit. It often avoids queues, supports planning and lessens cash flow issues.
So I have a couple of “next trip” ideas rolling around in the hopper! Normally, our potential destinations have a hook… that other “real” reason to make it happen. When we went to Cuba we were looking for somewhere warm, but knew we’d be surrounded by a big hunk of Cold War history, a passion of ours. Munich is absolutely gorgeous, but there may have been no more influential moments in our travel experiences than a powerful Third Reich Tour or the deafening quiet of a morning at Dachau. Gettysburg, Shiloh, Appomattox, Petersburg, Antietam, Richmond, Andersonville… the sheer solemnity of a walk in these fields of the Civil War that swallowed men by the tens of thousand were “hooks” for us!
I’m presently focusing on three potential visits… firstly I’ve long coveted a tour of countries/cities in the British Isles. The connections here are numerous. Janie and I are both of Scottish/Irish heritage. Sitting in a pub in Dublin, sipping Guinness and listening to session is only a dream. Couple that with a dram somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, marching to the drone of pipes, and we move from dream to heaven. I like this option a lot! It holds many advantages and has many personal links.
More exotic is the lure to explore Athens and Istanbul. Janie and I are, in no small way, history buffs. To visit the heights of the Acropolis and Parthenon, or explore the markets and mosques of old Constantinople, would be a walk in the past. What better way to experience history than to bucket list this cradle of civilization? Tempting the farthest reaches of Europe and brushing the tip of Asia is so enticing.
Lastly, I’m a student of European history, a focus of my undergrad studies at the university level. I intend, whenever I can piece it together, to prepare a focused examination of World War I & II sites and attractions in Europe. Normandy’s D-Day beaches, Canadian battle sites in Dieppe and Vimy, and the surrounded Bastogne will be essential stops. The fascination with these wars and the veterans who fought in them has been lifelong for me, and to experience them on foot and in person is a must do excursion!
Arlington Cemetery
In reality, however, options for travel may only be limited by your imagination (and pocket book). I guess these descriptions are meant to indicate that we select trip ideas that have a personal attachment. We seriously consider our destinations and we take great care to be educated prior to arrival.
Time, interests, family, safety, bucks… There are no shortage of things to consider when you commit to planning a new trip. Where? Who will be going? How to get there? What to do? Where to stay? How much can we afford? These are up front questions that need to be answered before you swipe the card!
Right now I’m trip free! Nothing scheduled, booked… Reservation-less! However, I do have a couple of seeds for trips that I’d like to begin planning.
So… I’m going to try and chronicle my next planning effort, from start to finish, and somehow give word to the process I use for trip creation from the first inklings to Day 1. My thinking is that this sort of examination might support my understanding of organizing a trip and isolate efficiencies to be used in the future! The nature of this warrants a “work in progress” status, so I expect lots of posts. Here we go!
Waterfront view of Boston downtown from the Harbour Shuttle.
So… this one is a bit tardy folks! Playing some catch up in our travel updates after the recent technical switch to new web services. Over the 2014 Christmas holiday we spent our vacation in New England, primarily visiting in Boston. Traveling via car, we covered the bases in regards to events, shopping and attractions, but also wedged in a family visit to Connecticut on New Year’s Day. If you’re interested you can follow the yellow line as we navigate this road trip again online!
Jamon Iberica and a robust tinto at Mercado San Miguel
We’re just putting the finishing touches on details from our latest vacation, Madrid and Lisbon ’15. It was a “handsome” getaway! The warmth of Mediterranean spring afternoons, mouth watering tapas and refreshment in the evenings, masterpieces in stone, tile and on canvas from Europe’s finest everywhere, the anticipation on the pitch of a Real Madrid try… All with the friendly assistance of those who helped along the way. We’ve articled some of the places we saw, things we did and people we met. Perhaps you’ll find a tidbit here that will help if you’re planning a visit to these city’s someday soon!
