When people learn that I work in the travel industry, most of them ask me “where is the favourite place that you’ve ever been?”. It’s hard to narrow down an exact place that's my favourite (although Paris is up there), but the experiences themselves mean more to me than the exact place. To date, here are my top 5 travel experience, and hopefully they will inspire you to get out to roam + explore.
Hiking with Polar Bears in Churchill Wild I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and was asked to participate in an amazing fam trip with a company called Churchhill Wild. Churchill Wild is the next best safari. The lodge I went to is located 60km north of the already-far north Churchill, where you adventure daily out on the tundra to see POLAR BEARS! Yes, no tundra buggies here -- you are trekking by foot next to some of the most vicious creatures on Earth. What seems like a liability waiting to happen, is an incredibly safe experience. The highly skilled and trained guide takes you out and is well-equipped with safety tools (a rock, bear bangers, bear spray and a gun). Luckily our group only needed to use the rock. We had thought the bear left us, but surprise, it peeked back out behind a bush and we were probably 10 feet from the bear. The scary animal was scared off by the sound of the rock as we quickly formed a giant blob to intimidate it (or more like an efficient snack).
In addition to the bear safaris, we also snorkeled with beluga whales. It was a surreal experience, donning a dry suit, hopping in Hudson’s Bay and allowing the staff to tie a rope around both my feet. Then I was asked to swim underwater to attract the curious mammals. I thought I was clever and sang Raffi’s “Baby Beluga”, but it was “Moon River” that got around 7 of them swimming all around me. I hate snorkeling (it stresses me out), but that was pretty bizarre but awesome! We did lots of hiking, got to touch perma frost (grade 5 me was pretty excited about that), and spent too much time eating the gourmet meals that were prepared for us. They had everything from fresh soups to caribou meat and fresh-picked berries, we were totally spoiled. This was such a unique experience, probably best for the person who has done a lot of travel all over for the world, and is looking for a cool and unique experience, or a photographer keen to photograph polar bears and northern scenery.
Learn more about the Bears, Birds & Belugas Safari here.
Watching Fireworks off of the Disney Magic in the Mediterranean
One of the most incredible jobs I ever had was working for Disney Cruise Line. I worked as a Port Adventures Hostess, selling shore excursions and doing recreation on the ship and on the island, Castaway Cay. My first contract was based in the Bahamas, and although I had a blast, the job was very heavy on the rec side, and less on the tourism side. I was debating continuing on until a position opened up on the Disney Magic, just in time for summer in the Mediterranean. It was a dream come true. There was a lot to learn, a very different team and ship from what I was used to, but it was a welcome challenge. From hiking up Mt. Vesuvius to making pasta from scratch in the hills of Tuscany and tasting wine and cheese in Nice & Eze on the French Riviera, every week was a combination of working 70 hours and pinching myself from the opportunities and places I was seeing.
Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise line in the world that has fireworks off the side of their ships. They’re not just any fireworks, they are a firework extravaganza! Set to incredible music, they feature a show complete with the world-famous Disney characters. There was something hopeful about breathing in the fresh sea air, surrounded by thousands of people watching and believing in the power of magic.
Faith, trust and pixie dust… I am truly lucky to have been a part of the Disney organization, and I won't ever forget all of my treasured experiences.
As difficult as some days were working on ships, these are the memories that I will continue to hold on to!
Driving Route 66 with a bunch of Supermodels When I was younger, I was obsessed with watching Entertainment Tonight every night at 7:00PM. Every year, ET would show clips for the upcoming issue. I remember watching the glamorous and gorgeous models posing on exotic beaches around the world. Each year I would relive the past covers, and unconsciously catalog each new cover model. I even started buying the magazines for my boyfriend every February, and was dazzled by the travel destinations they would visit. When my former employer called me and told me that I would be having a call with an editor from the famed magazine, I was stunned. I put together an entire presentation about what we could do, and pitched our services to one of the most well-known publications in North America. And then nothing…we waited, and waited, and almost lost all hope till one of the editors reached out to us and told us – we got it! Then the fun part came along. Handling their account was a full-time job, but I already had a full-time job, helping run the rest of our business. Although it included many 14-15 hour work days (before the shoot), it was exhilarating.
Then the shoot came. Prior to this experience, I only knew I wanted to drive along Route 66, let alone document the journey with a crew of 20 and 4 supermodels. Having worked as a Tour Director, I understand logistics, timings, details and executing a smooth program. Adding in everyone’s needs, light, locations, paperwork – it was a whole other ballgame, but man was it fun. I loved learning about the production side of things, and seeing the photographers, models and videographers work, it was surreal. The best part about all of this? The fact that the magazine is run by three of the most badass women out there. My kind of ladies. #Bossgirls
The models we worked with for Route 66: Ariel Meredith, Ashley Smith, Hannah Ferguson, Sara Sampaio
The models we worked with for Natural Beauty: Jessica Gomes, Nina Agdal, Chanel Iman, Robyn Lawley
The models we worked with for West Coast: Lily Aldridge, Chrissy Teigen, Kelly Rohrbach, Samantha Hoopes
Another blog post about exploring Route 66 will be up soon!
Exploring India like a Princess with Young Travel Professionals
One of my friends from Disney Cruise Line recommended I join Young Travel Professionals (YTP), so I did this past January. They host monthly social/networking events and in their newsletter, I saw an opportunity to apply to attend a fam trip to India. As adventurous as I am, India was not high on my immediate-I-must-travel-to-destinations. But, if you know me, you will know that many experiences of mine have been because I said "hey, why not...". It turns out, I was approved and after visits to the travel clinic for all my shots and medications, frequent visits to "first time to India" blogs, and a few shopping trips to find appropriate clothing, I was ready.
It was a long journey to India, and I broke up the journey in one of my favourite airports, Amsterdam's Schipol (AMS). I landed in Delhi, and was met by one of Peirce & Leslie's team, and transported to the jaw-droppingly beautiful Leela Palace New Delhi. I wasn't expecting a welcome like that - the room was straight out of dream, filled with presents and goodies. After arriving at 2:00AM, and having hardly slept en route, I was dizzy with anticipation, jet-lag and wonder.
That sense of wonder and anticipation continued throughout my short 9 days in India. I visited Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur. It was a blur, but yet the destination I think I've seen the clearest. I wished we had a bit more freedom to explore outside of our small group, but we were well taken care of. I can still smell the rose incense when I walk past a store on Bloor Street, and it brings me right back.
Every little detail for us was taken care of, and we were treated to special experiences like a pool-side dinner at the Oberoi Amarvillas (the same hotel that has a view of the Taj Mahal from each room), a private boat tour on Lake Pichola in Udaipur, and a private dinner set up in the forest after an elephant ride (disclaimer: not my favourite thing, and I wouldn't recommend it because I love elephants). The food excited my taste buds even though I was afraid of how spicy it could be.
It was truly a dream that I never even knew I wanted come true. Even with 3 days of extreme Delhi-Belly.
Are you in the travel industry and a young professional? I highly recommend joining a networking group, like Young Travel Professionals.
Living in the South of France
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to do a study abroad semester. The ultimate location: Europe, and more specifically, France. I've always loved the French culture, and I wanted to improve my language skills.
I was supposed to attend the school with a friend of mine, but he dropped off pretty last minute. He had been my safety-net and I was nervous to go on my own. Not seeing any other option, I kept planning the trip with visions of wine, bread and cheese swirling in my mind. Boy, was it worth it.
The day before I was all set to leave, I hugged my mom and had a moment of realization "I am doing this to myself". Moving to a foreign place, where I barely spoke the language, where I knew no one and I was making life harder on myself, for no apparent reason. Little did I know that the biggest reason was growth in my sense of confidence, and security, because without risk there is NO reward.
I spent 4 short but full months in a small town called Juan-les-Pins, about 20 minutes by train from the populous city of Nice in Southern France. My apartment overlooked the Mediterranean, and I had a wonderful French roommate.
During my semester abroad, I explored France, Italy, England, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Monaco and Vatican City. I was pretty impressed with myself.
I credit this experience to the beginning of my love for travel, although my family and I were fortunate to travel often when I was a child. It was also the real start to me pushing my limits and learning how to roam + explore the world.
There is is! My top 5 travel experiences to date. What are yours?
