Travel

• Air Transat Pt. 2: Jamaican Me Happy

  

  I’ve been on my fair share of resort vacations now and after being back to Jamaica for the second time, I can safely say some of the best adventures are to be had there. The first time, I was in Ocho Rios and visiting Blue Hole is still a highlight I talk about to this day. Although I also went to Dunn’s River…and as someone with a rebellious streak, that excursion was not for me. But I have nothing — absolutely nothing — negative to say about any of the experiences we had off Transat’s Luxury Collection resorts in Montego Bay. Continue reading

• Air Transat Pt.1: The Luxury Collection

  

  I’m looking out the window of my home, watching light flurries of snow fall from the sky. This is the gentlest winter has looked since I landed back in Toronto after enjoying a slice of paradise in Montego Bay. I can’t remember the last time we’ve had a true Canadian winter with its biting winds and piled snow banks. As much as I’ve missed it (yes, I’m a proud Canadian and lover of all seasons), I was excited for a week escape to stock up on some much-needed vitamin D that would carry me through the worst of it. And so far it has. Continue reading

• Shell x Freshii: Health On-the-Go

  

  I just wrapped up a short Arizona road trip, so I know full well how hard it can be to stay healthy while on-the-go. Yes, we packed a lot of healthy snacks, but there’s this thing that often happens when travelling that makes the time move strangely so that all of a sudden you realize you’re starving and haven’t kept an eye out for an ideal food option. Before you know it, you’re at a random restaurant or fast food joint wolfing down whatever comes out the quickest, hottest and most satisfying. Continue reading

• Test Drive: 2018 Ford Fusion Energi

  

  I’ve only driven one electric car before this, and while I fully appreciate the crucial environmental element to its evolution, I did walk away with some minor concerns — mostly my inexperience with recharging and therefore precariously relying on a small gas tank to get me to the nearest outlet.  With this is mind, the 2018 Ford Fusion Energi is the perfect transition car for someone like me. Who is that? A traditional and infrequent driver who wants to move forward with the times, but needs to do so slowly. Yes, I suffer from what the auto industry has termed “range anxiety.” Continue reading

• Air Transat x SOS Children’s Villages

  

  It’s incredible what a person can see and do in three short days. Of course, all it takes is a moment to change a person’s life. That’s exactly how I would describe my recent trip to the Dominican Republic with Air Transat and SOS Children’s Villages Canada: life-changing. Moment after moment, I felt something shift inside me as I saw the good both of these organizations were doing. The three days touring Santo Domingo and the villages felt like so many more as we got a crash course in exactly what SOS was and how Air Transat was supporting its mission. Although there are so many facets to explore, here are the not-so-basic basics: Continue reading

• International Volunteerism vs Charitable Tourism

  

  Photo by Carolane Stratis

  At the beginning of 2017, I had set a few big goals to get myself out of the depressing divorce hole I’d dug for myself in 2016. One of the biggest ones I’d set my heart on since my teens was to volunteer abroad. Before I knew it, I became a walking cliche as I started researching organizations in Africa — not to throw shade on anyone who has or is planning to help out any African country in need. Yet in my research I stumbled upon an article that urged potential volunteers to ask themselves four simple questions before making any moves: Continue reading

• Running Routes with Views

  

  For those who tuned in on Saturday morning for my local long run, here’s the map of the route. I’m currently training for my second half marathon and know how many people love to travel to Toronto around this time — perhaps to participate in the Scotiabank Marathon themselves. So in addition to the five scenic routes I already created for Tourism Toronto, I decided to create a longer bonus route for those in training mode. Continue reading

• Test Drive: BMW X5 PHEV

  

  Photos by Eric Black

  We’re in the midst of a second summer and the good weather is giving me all the #FallbackFriday feels for my last cottage getaway in Muskoka. BMW Canada pulled all the stops for our city escape, setting my friends and I up in an incredible townhouse at Muskoka Bay Resort. So maybe it wasn’t a typical cottage experience with its infinity pool, light switch fireplace and insane golf course backdrop, but it definitely was in line with the drive up in the new BMW X5 PHEV. Continue reading

• 5 Must-Visit Destinations in Canada

  

  By now it’s clear that I love to travel. I’ve made a priority of it since my first big trip away to Cyprus and Egypt when I was 20. I’ve gone on tangents explaining why it’s important to expand your four walls beyond the city — the country —  you live in, yet one of the things I’m most proud of is the fact that I’ve managed to explore a good chunk of Canada. Once you get a taste for travel, it’s easy to get caught up in the allure of the exotic. Yet appreciating where you’re from beyond your own immediate surroundings is just as fulfilling. Especially if you call Canada home.

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• MEC Must-Haves for Packing Light

  

  I knew I wanted 2017 to be my big year of travel. Not to say that I don’t make travel a priority every year — because it is; but I wanted to check off some big ticket dream destinations I’ve had on my bucket list for ages. Top of that list: Korea, Africa and New Zealand…in that order. I was leaning heavily towards South Korea since I’ve never been. I visited my dad’s homeland, Sri Lanka, seven years ago and had yet to visit my mom’s. Yet when my good friend, Amelia, told me she was planning a trip to Kenya and Ethiopia, I had to tag along. Continue reading