Travelbugs on hiatus but still traveling!

Sadly back in March and April when we were having an inccredible time traveling to Hong Kong, Australia, Fiji and LA, I came to the realization while we were so busy going from place to place, that my back injury was somehow improving?After much thought we figured out that the busier I was, the better I was! Although this is ideal for a frequent traveler and mom of a busy 3 year old, it is not ideal for a blogger, as when I sit at a computer I actually was causing myself greater pain, thus I had to put a quick stop to blogging all together.

I was sad to have to quit blogging cold turkey, but it was what was best for my health. Sorry to have left you so abruptly, but I had to do what I had to do! I have missed the online portion of my life (I also had to quit online groups and cutback on facebook and email time) but do not fret, the travelbugs are alive and traveling just as always! Actually, I am writing this post all the way from Kenya, Africa! Over the past 6 months, we have escaped almost weekly to our wee vacation spot on Rice Lake in Ontario and spent a wonderful week in the Dominican Republic when Sam's brother was married and he was the best man and Olivia a flower girl!

As mentioned above, Sam and I are currently in Africa! this trip would have been too difficult for the little one as many vaccinations are required, and Sam and I both felt that the realities of the children we visit while we are here doing our charity work would be far too difficult for a child now at the age of 4 to understand.

We are here again (as we traveled here in 2009) representing The Water School project that Sam has supported for quite a long time now. The 1st leg of our trip was working in hospitals and schools with children in Uganda, and now here we are in Kenya . We are only here for a few more days before heading to the Masai Mara for a wee safari before heading home to our precious girl.

Well, I have figured out that on my new cell phone Im able to be in any position to post thus perhaps I will be able to continue blogging! Fingers crossed, in the meantime to track us on this trip in hopes to provide clean disease-free water to the children of Africa, check out www.waterschool.com and go the the blog portion of the site.

Take care ans God bless!

Today we learned lots!

Hong Kong - Part 2!

We had an amazing time in Hong Kong. The weather wasn't great during our time in HK (unusually cool & windy) but there wasn't much rain either which is good.

We took the famous trip in the tram up to The Peak, which is the highest point on Hong Kong island. It was sooo steep and very tropical, a mountain loaded with tropical brush & trees - loads of bamboo and palms. We had no idea that HK was a lush and tropical island, we always imagined the city and buildings, but the natural beauty of the island is stunning. There are many bays and several beaches all around The Peak, with condo's built on the mountain that are sold to the tune of 20-30 million US dollars! Once we reached The Peak, we were surprised to find a huge shopping centre where we bought many souvenirs and ate an "All American" lunch with the incredible view of all of Hong Kong island at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. After taking in the view for a while, we decided to take a taxi down the other side of the mountain to Stanley Beach and Market area. This place was market shopping paradise & I'm pretty sure we will have to take out a loan from the bank to cover all the purchases we made! We bought everything from cushion covers and chop sticks, to Chinese embroidered pink slippers for Olivia. Everything was just so beautiful and cheap! The Chinese in all their infinite technological wisdom, decided that it would be both fun & exciting to arrange thousands of lasers and lights on hundreds of sky scrapers and structures in Hong Kong. They did this so that each night at precisely 8 pm the show will light up the night sky over the island and waters of the Hong Kong harbour. Not only is there lights and lasers of every colour and arrangement (some along the entire length of sky scrapers) traveling impressive distances across the city, but they are also coordinated to music which plays at countless viewing points throughout the city and on speakers along the harbour front. I never imagined anything like this would be even possible - honestly, I want to know which genius thought this up?!?! It was unlike anything we'd ever seen. After our delicious steak dinner at the restaurant overlooking the harbour and city, I sent Sammy out with the boys for some St. Patty's fun and I took the sleepy little princess home. Of course they managed to find an Irish pub and drank green beer all night, such great fun for the guys.

Today we went to Ocean Park here in HK. This was a huge and incredible amusement park and aquarium. We got to see pandas and animals, all sea creatures imaginable and take on the skies in the famous sky tram (gondola style) ride. This park is like nothing ever seen before as it is divided into 2 separate areas: 1 huge section at the bottom of the mountain with loads of smaller kids rides, shows and features and at the top of the mountain is the huge dolphin presentation shows and massive rides & roller coasters, some dangling off the mountain side. The only way between these 2 areas is via a 10 minute ride in the gondola - sky tram enclosed capsule thingy! it was frightening to say the least traveling so high above the jagged edges of cliffs and mountains but wow what a thrill! We had a fabulous day - one we won't soon forget! We will always remember our amazing time in Hong Kong. We had so many amazing experiences. This trip was the most authentic and cultural trip we have ever taken and I'm so glad we went. We will for sure go back to HK some day as there was still so much left to see and do. Hopefully next time we will have clear sunny days to enjoy! Thanks to our incredible friends and the company apartment for our stay. We look forward to traveling on to Australia to experience the beauty and excitement in the land of Oz! So the adventure continues...

The 3 Travelbugs take on Hong Kong!

We are about to embark on day 3 of our adventure! We arrived in the darkness the night before last to Hong Kong, and were escorted by our dear friend's son via train to our adorable little apartment here in the heart of the city in the fish market district. The sprawling city scape is incredible and reminded me very much of Manhattan NYC, as we too are on an island here in Hong Kong. I was stunned and amazed however, when the sun came up the next day to find that we are also surrounded by mountains beyond the buildings and that we are a block from the famous Hong Kong harbour. The view is breath-taking from our roof-top patio, the pictures posted above says it all!

On our 1st morning, we decided to explore the area to see if we could find a place to buy some groceries and drinks for our place. Within the very 1st 5 minutes on foot in HK, we stumbled upon a beautiful playground right on the harbour 1 block away, Olivia was thrilled. We were completely intrigued in finding countless Chinese doing tai-chi all over the place and in every direction! Some folks were even using the playground to stretch (hanging from the monkey bars) which gave us a little laugh. Only in Hong Kong do the children have to share the playground equipment with the grown-ups! It was completely inspiring to see the passion for good health and spirituality in this culture. Olivia tried a little tai-chi too! Adorable.

We spent the day yesterday i n different areas of the city and went shopping in Causeway Bay better known as "Time Square" as seen in the picture here. Now this area completely reminded me of NYC, except there were more people which I never imagined possible! The downtown is divided into several areas, each specializing in a different product. Thus, you could walk down a street that only sells dehydrated fruits or fish, a street that only sells fresh flowers, or a street that sells only bathroom fixtures! Ver y very cool. You can find all the typical big box stores as well - Ikea, Toys R Us and such. I loved buying all the beautiful fresh fruits and veggies. We were introduced to some very interesting Chinese traditional dishes including congee and tea-infused eggs - who would have thought!

Our friends have been taking wonderful care of us, and we are so grateful. We met the maid that takes care of our friends and their families (almost all families in HK have maids, it's tradition) and Olivia took an immediate liking to her. This allowed Sam & I to enjoy an amazing child-less night out with our dear friend in Soho, an area packed with expats and people from all around the world. The terrain in HK is very hilly, it almost looks like San Francisco in areas, with very steep hills and there are hidden stair cases on every block to take you up and down the hillsides. There were countless high-end restaurants and clubs, and the streets were completely packed, it was such an amazing site. A side to Hong Kong I never imagined to exist.

Sadly Olivia caught a terrible cold/cough and we are all rather jet-lagged, but we SO looking forward to another adventure-filled day. We have plans to take a gondola to "The Peak", check out some amazing shopping markets and hopefully take a harbour boat tour this evening and see a laser light show that is performed each night out over the water! Exciting stuff, I'll be sure to share it all with you! Please excuse the rather dodgy layout of my posts, I am on Sam's PC which seems impossible for blogging, but it will have to do!

Hong Kong!

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1 more SLEEP!!!

1 MORE SLEEP until we take off for the South Pacific and the land down under! I already checked-in online and got great seats for our 1st flight to HK! We are all getting very excited now. Suitcases are packed and last minute errands and planning are under way. Packing was very tricky since the crazy weather throughout our journey varies 20 C from place to place. As expected Olivia's was the easiest but now we have to choose some toys, and of course she wants to bring EVERYTHING and put it in her own little rolling carry-on (which she will be happy to pull for about 2 minutes before stacking in on top of the rest). Here are some fun things I have planned for her for the flight:

- Small crafts that I bought at the dollar store - there are now terrific little craft kits you can get for $2 at Dollarama and that will keep her busy for a bit on the airplane.

- 6 new DVD's I have collected over the past several months. Some little cheapies and then some great classics like Bambi and Annie which I'm certain she will love. Novelty is the HUGE key with kids in transit. Anything new is exciting.

- I bought all the Strawberry Shortcake figurines in a set (her favourite toys are figurines) with accessories at half price ($12.00) recently. I packed 2 girls and their items into separate ziploc bags. I will give her 2 at a time throughout the journey. She has to have 2 so they can talk to each other!! She will literally play with these toys for hours on end so although she gets a bit spoiled, we gain hours of sanity from this splurge on little toys.

- Colouring books and story books. The best books are the "search and find" books when traveling since children can spend many hours searching for stuff and somehow it never gets old. We also brought her phonics book from school so she can practice printing her letters and sounds as she's learning to read.

- New free downloads on our iPad for her to play. Disney and Barbie games that are simple and fun.

- Some yummy prepackaged little snacks and treats. Also some sugar and gluten free lollipops (she's on a GF diet) for moments of desperation standing in long customs/security line ups. Sugar-free gum for take-off and landing will thrill her to no end as well.

SO that is all the loot in the carry-on bag for Olivia. We also play lots of little games like "Eye Spy" and "Grandma's Trunk" and other fun travel games we played as kids. For Mommy there are new books and magazines (grown-ups like novel things too!) and some fun games on my iPhone. Speaking of the iPhone, I got a special travel pack of minutes for our international travel. I bought 15 phone minutes, 10 MG's of data and 50 texts. It wasn't cheap but I will want to post pics and updates on Facebook and also blog too! Also there will be many times during the 1st couple legs of our trip that Sam and I will be apart and this way we can communicate via texting.

Our friends in Hong Kong and Melbourne are all ready for the Dennis' and have our itinerary. They have some very fun plans in store for us including the biggest casino area in the WORLD near Hong Kong! Mama loves her 3 card poker! Our friends have nannies to take care of the tots so that's going to be fun for all! Can ya tell I'm getting just a wee bit excited? LOL. Now we all just have to stay healthy so no one is sick on our trip, so we aren't going to any play centers this weekend, just in case. 1 more sleep and then we will be OFF and OUTTA HERE!

Time to start PACKING!!

We are T - 5 days and counting until our incredible trip to the South Pacific! The greatest struggle I'm challenged with is this...wait for it.... PACKING! Not only is this the longest trip at 3 full weeks that we have ever been on, but the weather varies significantly between countries. Here is the weather trend for our dates of travel to each country as seen on weatherunderground.com:

Hong Kong - Hot - Highs of 25 C , Lows of 18 C - some rain
Melbourne/Sydney Australia - Warm days/cool nights - Highs of 21 C, Lows of 13 C
Nadi, Fiji - HOT HOT - Highs of 30 C, Lows of 22 C - some rain
Santa Monica, California - Warm days cool nights - Highs 21 C, Lows 11 C

Thus, we have 3 weeks of travel with quite cool temps., very hot temps. and rainy times too! Also a 5 night beach vacation smack in the middle! What in the world to pack? We are each allotted 1 big suitcase and 1 carry on (as per our personal rules of management, but technically we are permitted to check 2 bags each) but we will see how that turns out! I'm thinking "layers" is the best approach. Clothing that is great for warmer days with plenty of options to layer over and under. Any of you who know my daughter knows she ONLY wears skirts and dresses so this suits her just fine! She can wear tights/leggings underneath dresses with a jacket/sweater over top for cooler weather, and take off the layers for warmer days - she's an easy solve!

I, on the other hand tend to get a little carried away when packing. There is nothing that makes me crazier during travel than to NOT have the exact right outfit at the exact right moment (with all proper accessories) so I attempt to pack everything - just in case! Clearly that is not going to happen on this trip, and I will have to reduce the quantity of shoes and hand bags too - which will certainly pain me but I will survive (I secretly know Hong Kong is the shopping capital of the world AND the 1st stop on our trip - hehe!). I will have to do the "pre-pack" which is when I lay all the outfits and clothes out on the bed, then force myself to "delete" at least 10 items from that group. This usually works, but then when I discover extra room in someone else's suitcase, I hoard in on them and jam those 10 items in somehow! Okay, I'm starting to sound a little psychotic re: the packing...I think I may even be frightening myself.

Sam's clothes are always the most inconvenient travelers. He requires the super annoying "coat bag" for most trips, which adds a piece of very awkward luggage to the pile but is essential since most of his shirts/jackets/pants are dry cleaned items and need to be kept proper (I also sneak nice dresses into this little nook too). After a few trips of noticing him in the same shirt/shorts for 3 days in a row - upon questioning him regarding this, he then revealed that was all he brought! Most men somehow just aren't quite as certain as females are regarding the essentials when traveling, thus I have him choose the clothes he wants to bring, and then I work my magic.

Luckily we have laundry available courtesy of our dear friends abroad, so we will do a wash before leaving Melboune on our way to Fiji. This we be of a great help for sure. Also shopping is available at any turn so we sometimes buy new and give away the old to homeless or local folks in need. That always makes everybody happy.

Clothes are the easy part to the packing, it's all the "other stuff" that makes it tricky i.e.: pharmaceuticals, sunblock, bug spray, rain gear, hair tools and products, toys & books, toiletries, accessories, etc.etc. The list goes on and on. Well, it's a dirty job to do the packing, but someone has to do it! As a treat to myself, I bought a nice new suitcase with some Christmas gift money, and can't wait to crack her open today! She's a beauty with 4 wheels for rolling and is purple!

Planes, trains and automobiles. Transit on our trip!

Traveling with tots in tow is never an easy feat! They have many needs to keep them safe and many pieces of "gear" which all seem to be massive and cumbersome!
Read all about "Planes, trains, and automobiles. Transit on our Trip" under the Asia and the South Pacific travel page!

A fun change of plans!

As expected, we have made some changes to our vacation down under! Instead of going to New Zealand, we have decided on Fiji! We booked the most amazing hotel with a 1 bedroom suite on the lagoon with ocean views for a foolish $77 a night. We will have to fly ourselves out to Fiji via Sydney after our stay in Melbourne since the flight isn't included in our circle pacific tickets because none of the airlines that fly with the "One World" alliance (who are the carriers for the Circle Pacific tickets) don't fly to Fiji. We were able to afford it since the hotel there is 1/3 the price of anywhere else! NOW we're getting excited - our biggest adventure begins in 11 days! Now to keep Olivia healthy for the big trip! So many of her little friends are down with cold flus, so fingers crossed we escape germ free!

The resort pool at dusk.

Choosing the perfect hotel!

The 2nd most difficult part about our travels, is choosing the perfect hotel for our family. It can be tricky, because we want to be near parks and open space for Olivia to run and play, but also be in a busy area with easy access to all the attractions and fun since we don't rent cars and rely on our feet or public transit. Sometimes these 2 things don't go well together in big cities, but if ye seek then ye shall find! It takes a lot of searching and seeking before finding what we hope is the perfect hotel for our familia, but it's worth it!

Here's my formula to finding the PERFECT HOTEL:

Step 1 - Find the website for that city and a map with all the regions on it. All big cities are broken down into regions/vicinities (If you already have a region your are set on, skip to Step 3). Note where the attractions you want to be close to are.

Step 2 - Access the forums on www.lonelyplanet.com and ask other travellers which region do they think is best for your particular set of needs and desires.

Step 3 - I use www.expedia.ca to search hotels and pricing in the region suggested (expedia is always well priced and has great customer service support, plus you can pull up your account on your iPhone at any time) and pay careful attention to the reviews and review star rating from other travellers on this site.

Step 4 - Check with www.tripadvisor.com for the traveller reviews and rating. We never stay anywhere that doesn't have 4/5 or better on trip advisor. It's never led us astray. The review rating is not the star rating of the hotel, it's the rating of the quality/satisfaction of the hotel.

Step 5 - Access the hotel's personal website. Check out all the photos, amenities and styles of rooms to be sure it's what you want. Choose a style of room. Compare their online pricing to that of Expedia.ca and choose the cheapest!

Step 6 - BOOK IT! Paying careful to the cancellation policy. Many popular hotels have a no cancellation no refund rate which is cheaper pricing for the exact same room BUT you cannot cancel for any reason. We always pay the little bit extra to allow room for cancellation. We do this for obvious reasons of trip cancellation but also because if we stay the 1st night and hate it, we are not locked in to the 4 nights we booked! Clever eh? This way you secured yourself a place to stay but have flexibility to leave a crummy hotel after the 1st night! As long as you inform the hotel the day OF your original check-in by 6 pm (you've seen the place and hate it but are stuck for 1 night) that you will not be spending the next nights, you are good to cancel. Basically 24 hours notice of cancellation.

Phew, okay....after all that being said, here's where we are staying in the South Pacific at all our stops. Only the Great Barrier Island, NZ and L.A. on the way home are yet to be determined.

Hong Kong, China (4 nights) - Staying in an apartment owned by a friend! YAY!

Melbourne, Australia (5 nights) - Staying in the guest home of our friends in Melbourne - YAY AGAIN!

Auckland, New Zealand (2 nights) - Staying at the CityLife Hotel, Auckland. An apartment style room in great area near the harbour and shopping, attractions etc.

Great Barrier Island, New Zealand (3 nights) - T.B.A. A beautiful place on the beach I'm sure.

Sydney, Australia (4 nights) - Novotel Sydney Manly Pacific - on the beach!

Los Angeles, USA (2 nights) - T.B.A. Hopefully near Rodeo Dr. again!

So there you have it, the 3 Travel Bugs method to choosing the perfect hotel. We have never been to a place we chose and did not love it, so far so great!

We are getting VERY excited about our trip Asia & the South Pacific!

Read more by clicking on the page tab above titled "Travels - South Pacific". Hope you enjoy!

REVIEW - Couples Resort, Northern Ontario

You can find the full review for Couples Resort and Spa in Northern Ontario on the "Travel Reviews" page. Enjoy! We sure did!!

Just 2 travelbugs getaway!

So in order to maintain our sanity with all the upcoming "Around the World" travel plans, what do travelbugs do to relax? They leave the tiniest travelbug at Grandma's house while the 2 grown-up travelbugs escape for some "just us" time!
As pat of my Christmas gift from my awesome husband Sam, we are going away this Friday for 3 nights at The Couples Resort in northern Ontario, close to Algonquin park in Bancroft. We went there once before during the winter of 2007 when I was 6 months pregnant. Seeing a giant version of me on cross-country ski's and on skates attempting to play hockey was quite the frightful sight I'm sure!

The Couples Resort is an amazing place with SO many winter activities to do. It is set on Galeairy Lake in the Muskoka's, and is by far the most "fun" Canadian winter adventure that we've ever had. Each suite has it's own wood-burning fireplace and jacuzzi tub, and being in the "true north" amongst the incredible landscape and wildlife, you can't help yourself from feeling calm and relaxed. Oh, and the spa certainly helps too! All that being said, we have an action-adventure weekend planned!

Saturday we are signed up for an exciting activity that neither of us have ever tried before - DOG SLEDDING! We get to mush our own team of dogs through the woods and over the lake. I'm a bit nervous that standing on the sled will prove to be impossible for my gimpy legs but I guess we will have to wait and see! I am REALLY excited about this, because now I can tell all my Southern American friends that we Canadians really DO use dog-sleds to get around!


Sunday we are booked to go winter horse-back riding, a HUGE favourite past time of mine, but not so much for Sam. He's quite convinced that the entire sport of horseback riding was not designed with men in mind, claiming that it is not the most "comfortable" place to be sitting in a saddle atop a horse. I remind him about the cowboys, my aboriginal kin, and all the men who couldn't have survived without the beautiful beasts. For some unknown reason, this doesn't help make him feel any better when he's bouncing up and down in the saddle BEGGING for us to turn back to the barn. I think all he needs is a few lessons - LOL.

They also have snowmobiles that we are thinking about renting for an hour, apparently there are moose everywhere in that area, and how amazing would it be to be riding along and meet up with a real Canadian moose! However, I have what you could call a "strong preservation of life" (basically I'm afraid of everything and anything) and I can envision him zooming off into the horizon on his machine leaving me in his snow dust. That certainly won't be the most romantic moment of the weekend, but it could be a lot of fun just the same!We went ice-fishing at night last time we were there and LOVED IT! It was so amazing walking out on the ice to our little hut in the dark (we had flashlights) and making a wee fire to keep ourselves warm while waiting to catch a fish. If only we knew the fish were at the BOTTOM of the lake and not at the top where we had our lines cast, we might have caught something! Clearly there was no "test" portion that accompanied my Metis Nations Aboriginal status card that I received from the government many years ago....LOL. Perhaps I should pow wow with one of my relatives before trying such things as ice-fishing in the future.


I'll be sure to write a full review on the "reviews" page of this blog next week! Wish us luck in the great white north, and don't worry - we won't forget to pack our woolies! If I do see a moose, I will certainly invite him to come back to Toronto, where I will paint a maple leaf on his bum, tie a scarf around his neck and stand him up in front of Union Station as one of the "Toronto Moose" art collection!

Our exciting world adventure intinerary!

So we are definitely going to Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and now PANAMA in March/April! We have sat down and created a 1st draft travel itinerary. We are going to spend anywhere from 4-7 nights at each stop along the way.

March 14th - Fly from Toronto directly to Hong Kong. This is a 15 hour flight + a day in time change. We will spend 4 nights in an apartment in Hong Kong, generously offered to us from friends that have a place there.
March 17th - Fly from Hong Kong to Melbourne, Australia. This is only a 5-6 hour flight which will be a nice easy flight compared to our flight to Hong Kong! Again, we have been offered an in-law suite at our friends Beth & Gregg's lovely home, which again we so very much appreciate! We will spend 4-5 nights in Melbourne before continuing on our journey!
March 21st - Fly from Melbourne to New Zealand. We chose to go to New Zealand before Sydney, because it is not possible to do it the other way around as there is not a flight out of New Zealand that will take us to Panama which is our final destination, so we would have to go back to Sydney to fly anyways. We plan on spending at least 6 nights in New Zealand so we can really take in the beautiful sights and really experience this small but incredible country. We will be staying in Auchland at a hotel.
March 27th- Fly from New Zealand back to Sydney, Australia. We will spend 6-7 nights here as there is so much to see and do, including an outback adventure we hope to take for a couple of nights! We will be staying at a hotel here as well, any suggestions on places to stay are welcomed!
April 2nd - Fly from Sydney to Panama. This flight will have to be via Miami as that is the only way to fly into Panama from the other side of the world! We will be spending 1 week with the in-laws on Bocas Del Torro, a small beautiful island where they have built a few amazing houses right on the ocean. A little piece of paradise! We have been to visit them a couple times in the past, and always enjoy our time in the jungle with family.
April 10th - Fly home just in time for my birthday on the 11th!

So there we have it, there is tons of room for flexibility since we could always choose to stay an extra night if we want or leave a day sooner, which is very nice to be able to do. Again, we are so very grateful for the wonderful friends and family that will be hosting us at some of our stops to 4 different amazing continents in this big huge world just waiting to be explored by the 3 travelbugs!

Prepping For Overseas Travel

So for our upcoming international travels to China, Australia and New Zealand, there is paper work that goes along with it. 1st off, since Olivia got her 1st passport at 6 months old, it expired last week so we need a new one. A baby's passport will last 3 years but you can renew within the 1st 364 days of life for FREE. Canada allows this due to the rapid changes in appearance of the littlest babes. We never bothered renewing her passport and never had any troubles, since technically it didn't expire until now and there is nowhere written that this is mandatory. In her passport picture used 2 weeks ago for our cruise, she is bald and toothless! They judge by head shape & colouring I guess since that is all that has remained somewhat the same! If we had gone anywhere in the past year that was overseas, we would have updated just to avoid any risky hassles, but since we only traveled to the US or Caribbean, we didn't bother. We also brought her original long form birth certificate on all trips, just in case. This is a great document to have as a back-up, because if you lose a child's passport while on holidays, it is very hard to deal with this crisis without any identification at all. The long form birth certificate has all the parents information on it as well.

OH the joys of the passport! I hope to avoid the office line-up by doing all by mail/online. You can get passport photos practically anywhere these days. Then there is the the Visa's. Both Australia and New Zealand require Visa's to enter, even if we only intend on visiting a short time. Sam and I needed one last year for Africa as well. Each country is very different regarding Visas and requirements, so it's important to talk to a travel agent ahead of time to be sure you have everything you need.


Once the paperwork is sorted, then there is the different vaccines and other medications that may be needed in different countries. This can be extensive and tricky, so we pay the extra $50 to see the travel doctor here at home, who can tell you everything you need to know regarding medications/vaccines for your exact destination, if there are any recent outbreaks of viruses or communicable diseases etc. in that area. He can also prescribe and administer any medications & needles during our visit, as there is a pharmacy attached to his office. We then submit those costs to our benefits carrier for a refund. A family doctor just doesn't have the knowledge that a travel doctor has regarding worldly diseases and outbreaks, since that is ALL a travel doc does! Thus, we fell that paying that little extra bit is worth it.


Make sure you give yourself plenty of time ahead of your travels as some vaccines require 2 needles months apart ie. Hep A/B (Twinrix). Since we are known travelers, Olivia got her Hep A/B already, and many doctors recommend all children to have it, even if not planning travels just to keep them safe here in Canada. I will have to wait and see what other medications might be needed for Olivia, as I am hesitant to give her strange and unusual medications (obviously) but also want to be sure to keep her safe and healthy. Lots of research may be needed! Here is the gov't. of Canada site for travel vaccines: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/travelvaccines-eng.php

So along with renewing Olivia's passport, contacting our travel agent for help with flights & planning, and booking our travel doctor appointment, we have our list of things to do! Hopefully everything goes nice and smoothly, but we have 6-8 weeks until we leave so we should be fine :) That is a big SHOULD, but ya never know what could go wrong at the last moment, so we

ALWAYS BUY TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE!

Happy travels everyone!

We're off to OZ this spring!

Could it be? Yes it could! Something's coming, something good! So there is a very good chance that we are going to be taking a trip of a life time this March! It's something I've been working on for years, and I still can't believe we're actually going! 1st, I'll tell you how it all began.

Sam has a work partner in Australia and he was chatting with Sam the other night as per usual. I got on the phone with the GGG (his nickname) and said jokingly, "Okay Gregg, we'll be see ya in a couple months down under!" He replied, "well actually, I have this important meeting in Hong Kong on March 16th I would love Sam to be at. Then you guys could fly back to Melbourne with me and spend a few nights at our humble home, then fly on to Sydney from there". I was speechless, he wasn't kidding! I said, "oh my goodness, PLEASE tell Sam all of this, he will never go for it if it's me asking, but YOU on the other hand..."

SAMMY AGREED!

SO, here is our potential plan! Mind you, I haven't checked on flight pricing which is really going to play a big role in our decisions as it's quite pricy to fly that distance. It's very preliminary right now, but a good start!

March 14th - Fly from Toronto to Hong Kong, China
March 15th - Arrive in Hong Kong. Spend 3-4 nights.
March 19th - Fly from Hong Kong to Melbourne, Australia. Spend nights in Melbourne.
March 21st - Fly or train from Melbourne to Sydney for 10 nights.
March 26th - Fly from Sydney to New Zealand for 5 nights.
April 2nd/3rd - Arrive Home!

I am SO beyond excited, ecstatic is more likely the correct word. Now to get cracking on the planning! We would love to do a 3 day outback jeep adventure from Sydney, but other than that, no big ideas yet what else to see and do - although I'm sure there is plenty! Olivia needs a new passport and we all require visas for this trip. Lots of paperwork, booking, reserving etc. but so much fun! If anyone reading this blog who has visited any of the above countries, please do post a comment with any suggestions or ideas for us! That would be greatly appreciated :) I was hoping to get 1 last incredible trip in before Olivia grows out of her stroller! Keep you posted on all the fun planning!

Dreams really can come true!

Friends along the way...

With each trip we take, we come home with wonderful memories and new friends! When you have a spirited little girl like our Olivia, it takes her all of 2 minutes to meet and make new friends. Along with each new friend she finds, often comes a Mommy & a Daddy that we soon call friends too! Sometimes these friends are just "holiday friends" but many stay in touch with us over the years and miles.


In 2010 at Beaches in Negril Jamaica, we met 2 wonderful families with of course: small children. The kids hunted each other down daily and enjoyed many fun times playing together on the beach or at the kids club. In the evening, they would boogie all night while the grown-ups sipped tasty drinks. The Moms of both these families are on my Facebook and we keep in touch and hope to meet again on holidays with our children. Sadly, these friends are very far away (down in the states) but we imagine that some day we will meet again! Thanks travel friends for making our trip extra fun!

We recently met a very special family again, this time on our Disney Cruise! Sam had returned to our room after fetching some grub at the snack bar and said, "I just met this really fantastic family! Guess what! They are here on their "Make a Wish" trip as their little girl is in remission from cancer". Of course, having been a child that had cancer and the wish trip to Disney, I was so excited to meet them. The girls were ages 5 and 7, and fast FAST friends with Olivia on the high seas. We spent every day for the rest of our holiday with our new wonderful friends, and are making plans to have them up for a visit in 1 month! When looking back at all the the highlights of our trip, their faces come shining through with each wonderful memory.
We look forward to all the future travels and future "new friends" we will meet along the way. From our special friends in the UK, to our many American friends, the Swedish little boy playing with Olivia during our flight to Paris and the sweet Chinese baby girl in the airport Olivia called her, "baby sister" after teaching her a thing or two...there are special people we will always remember all over the world that make our travels even more memorable. Some friends are in our lives for only a moment, others, for a lifetime. The world really is filled with beautiful people.

For the love of our stroller...

Who knew one could love an umbrella stroller so much?? We have this Rock Star Baby stroller that is now 2 years old, covered in airline tags & stickers, has a wonky wheel and is filthy, but we couldn't travel without it! This stroller has seen the heart of the jungle, the Eiffel tour and many stops in between. Because it's an umbrella stroller, we can check it plane side, and is less than 7 lbs to haul here, there and literally everywhere! Why do we love this stroller you ask? Well, at the time is was purchased it was the only umbrella stroller on the market that could lie absolutely flat, so it is perfect for sleeping. The back lies all the way down and there is a little leg lift thingy so more of her body fits in the stroller. The awning closes over her and has a back flat so she's well hidden under there ;) Did I mention it doesn't tip and fall down when she stands up if there are bags hanging on the handle bars? Somehow our magic stroller is tip-resistant, so it can handle and hold quite a bit of weight on the handles without tipping! Perfect for those carry-on bags!

Now she is 3 1/2 and we are STILL using this stroller for all our trips and travels. Recently on our Disney Cruise she slept several evenings/nights in her stroller until the grown-ups were ready for bed. We walk the halls with her until she falls asleep, then lie her flat, throw on a blanket and she doesn't move an inch. On New Years Eve, Olivia tried hard to stay awake but just couldn't, so we checked her into kids club on the ship sleeping in her stroller so we could go ring in 2011! It worked out perfectly for everyone.
In all fairness, she is one of a very few children that can sleep so solidly, and never wake up. I guess it makes sense when you have a SPIRITED child all day who does not have a stop or slow down button. In her stroller, she doesn't even wake when we move her in and out for bed, etc. Since she has been traveling all her life, she learned to adapt to sleeping in the stroller surrounded by lots of noise and chaos, and remains asleep, dreaming beautiful little kid dreams. Those of you with new babes and wanting to travel, start them at a very young age - sleeping in the stroller!

We now have 1 GIANT worry...what do we do when she no longer fits???? She is very tall for her age and now her legs dangle out over the edge when she's in there. We use it often even at home, when Sam & I want to go for a nice dinner together. We drive until she falls asleep, then pop her in and off to the restaurant we go! People come up to us often and say, "awwweee, a sweet little baby, how old is she?" We giggle and reply, "she's 3 1/2 years old and not even close to a baby anymore!"

I have no idea how one would take on international airports without a stroller!! All those line-ups, and distant walks - my eyes tear up with the mere thought of her on FOOT! How would we be able to go out at night when traveling? Does anyone out there have a solution to this huge dilemma just waiting around the corner for us? Travel life as we know it will be over, AHHHhh!!! I'm thinking in 1 year she won't FIT!
Perhaps we will have to take advantage of her still fitting in there and do some FABULOUS trip this spring! Here's hoping!! Oh, and WHO KNEW Bon Jovi could design strollers? Way to go Johnny boy, we love our Rock Star Baby!

Taking on the Big Apple with our Little Princess

So we don't have any particular dates set to hit up the Big Apple with Olivia anytime soon, but it always seems to be one of those trips that happens last minute, since it is business for Sam 90% of the time, and we girls tag along for the fun! Usually it's spring and/or fall. Olivia has been to New York City 3 times since she was born, and loves it so much there. Sam and I are both very familiar with Manhattan, which helps when taking our little girl along. As long as you have a trusty map in your bag, it's easy to get around the city as it's a straight grid. Here's some tidbits and info. about how we take on NYC with a 3 year old - in style ;) I hope you enjoy some of our "Before & After Pics" - pictures of Olivia on her 1st trip in 2008 and her most recent trip in fall 2010.

Luggage - CARRY ON!
Since NYC is always a 3 night excursion at the most, we CARRY ON! Yes, this is all very tricky for me since I always take along 10 pairs of shoes on every trip, but with NYC we seem to pull it off! I was in shock a few months ago when we arrived in T.O. airport at 8 am, and were on the streets of New York enjoying the sun by 12 noon! Carrying on allows us to check in at the machine kiosk (or even better - online and print tickets at home) then walk right off the plane in JFK airport since we do customs on the Canadian side before leaving! How and what do we pack you ask? We each take a full regulation size carry-on, plus another large hand-bag each - one being a back pack so we can handle all bags at once. The stroller often ends up looking like a luggage cart.

Clothing for day 1 is almost the same as what we wear home - jeans, shirt, sweater/coat and VERY practical shoes/boots. Then we pack a full 2nd & 3rd outfits that can be changed up from day to night, i.e. nice top that can switch from jeans to skirt with shoes/boots & accessories to change the look. If we run into a dressing dilemma (which does happen) we SHOP! If there is no room to take new things home, we donate old things!

Transportation - the trickiest part!

The question most Moms ask me is: how do you travel without a car seat? Well, I will create a page called "Automobiles" which will be all about getting around in cars, but for NYC it is definitely SAFETY 1st (if you've been to New York, you will understand that every driver on the road is completely insane, especially those yellow cabbies) so we always strap her into a car seat (not her own) in NYC. How? We have a list of airport limo companies that we worked from that provide car service from JFK airport to our hotel WITH an installed car seat included in the fare. Yes this is expensive (approx. $115.00 minimum each way) and a 30 minute ride without traffic, but it is the 1 most important thing for us in New York to splurge on to, keep her safe.The same car will drive us back to the airport after the trip is complete. Since the flights are so cheap, the money we save there goes towards transportation. Another way to get back and forth would be a bus transfer that arrives in Grand Central Station, but then we'd have to find ways to get from Grand Central to the hotel, & subways are our least favourite method when carrying all the bags.

Once in the city, we ensure our hotel is within walking distance to almost anything we want or need. We stay on 60th street, right on the park. More about that under accommodations. If we want to scoot down to Time Square, we walk or take a Rickshaw (those dudes on bikes pulling people) for fun. TO get through Central Park we take a horse & carriage ride. It's all part of the adventure! Taxi's are definitely not an option without a car seat, so we find other ways!

2008 - Olivia riding the carousel

2010 - Olivia riding the carousel all by herself!

Accommodations

As most of your know, NYC is crazy pricey, especially at the times when we travel it seems, but since flights can be purchased VERY cheap ($100 + taxes usually) we can spend more on the hotel too. Close to the Central Park (on 60th/Central Park Ave) is critical for our busy little monkey, so anywhere from 50th street and up would work (hotels get a little cheaper outside of the Broadway zone if you're up for the walk) as long as it's central and not on the east/west sides, up or down town. There are countless hotels that accommodate families and small children. We always stay at the same hotel - The Essex House. They know us well there and discount our stay because we are there so often. We have a view of the park from there and we are a 2 minute walk to amazing playgrounds and all kinds of cool stuff in Central Park, where we spend at least 50% of our time. There are plenty of hotels in walking distance with more reasonable pricing as well. Again, with little kids, for us - CENTRAL PARK area is the way to go! I will explain why :)

2008 - Olivia playing in Central Park

2008 - Olivia swinging in Central Park!

What to do with small children in the Big Apple
THE PARK - Obviously, Central Park is our #1 destination for many great reasons. There are huge and beautiful playgrounds in the park (close to Central Park Ave) that we play in for many hours. Just beyond the playground is the beloved carousel. We ride that thing many times while on our stay. Central Park also has the Central Park Zoo, skating and activities, venders and rentals, horse-drawn carriage rides, all kinds of entertaining people and the beautiful walks.

2008 - Olivia meets the NYPD in Time Square

SHOPPING - Since Daddy is often gone to work and I'm alone in the big apple with Liv (which I don't mind at all since I know the town) I have shopping down to a science, I "bribe" her! I tell her if she stays in her stroller - which is a MUST on the bustling streets of NYC or she would be lost in a "New York Minute" - while Mommy checks out this shop and (usually on 5th Ave that we walk to from hotel) that we will then go to the American Girl store! She has 1 doll from a previous trip, and that store in itself is something to see! I won't ruin the surprise, but it's unlike any other store in NYC for little kids, even boys. We end up spending at least 1 hour in there and it's little girl heaven (and big girls too). OH and there's still F.A.O. Schwartz, it's not what it used to be before bankruptcy but still fun! If it's raining we head to Macy's or the mall in Columbus circle.2008 - Olivia enjoying the bright lights of Time Square

2010 - Olivia & I in Time Square

THE SIGHTS - Time Square of course is always fun to see, so we meander down that way passing Rockefeller, NBC and Radio City Music Hall after our walk down 5th. The lights are incredible there, a must see on every trip. While there we pass hours in the Disney and Toys R Us stores in Time Square, they has a HUGE Ferris Wheel that we ride at least twice. Lots of toys on demo to play with too!
2010 - Olivia & Daddy on the Ferris Wheel at TRU

THE ARTS - There are plenty of live shows for little ones, especially good ones at Radio City Music Hall. Other small "off broadway" kid shows are appropriate for 5 and under, but I don't recommend spending hundreds of dollars on the Lion King unless the child is over 5, will stay awake and sitting for hours and not be frightened! There is also the Children' Museum of Manhattan that we can't wait to check out on our next trip, it looks amazing and I hear it's fabulous for ALL children. here's the link: http://www.cmom.org/

THE FOOD - We love to dine with Olivia at our very favourite place on Broadway called, "Ellen's Stardust Diner" at Broadway and 50th. There are singing waiters/waitresses (that have incredible voices) all 50's style diner booths with incredible grub and we have yet to wait for a table. Last time there a waitress invited Olivia to sing Hannah Montana's "Best of Both Worlds" on the mike with her, she was in heaven! There are plenty of little grocers on side streets, where we love to load up salads, hot dishes, and other yummies to picnic in the park. At night, we often wait until Olivia falls asleep, then put her in her stroller all covered up, and go out for a nice, romantic, quiet dinner at 1 of our various favourite restaurants. She has yet to wake up in any country while in her stroller at night. She's miracle sleeper that kid!

So there you have it, a wee run down of all our NYC favourites with the little princess! As soon as she hears we are going to New York City, she runs for her carry-on bag & gets so excited as she love the Big Apple just as much as I do!

2008 - There is nothing like enjoying a nice warm bottle while taking a horse and carriage ride through Central Park listening to the sound of the rain gently falling.