Travel that digs deeper
Cooler temperatures and fewer crowds are just a few reasons why I think more visitors should come to Vancouver during the fall season. There are so many Vancouver fall season favourites listed in this post:
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Few things get me more excited about the long, hot days of summer more than the arrival of summer fruits at my local grocery stores and farmer’s markets. While I love buying fresh fruits from farmer’s markets a lot more than from big grocery stores, because I feel like I’m tasting all the love that went into growing the produce, there’s nothing quite like picking my own fruits from a farm.
I first experienced the joy of a U-Pick berry farm in London, Ontario while visiting a friend’s family. Everyone, including all the young children went out to pick strawberries. It was so much fun choosing each berry and placing it into my bucket. It was even more fun eating the freshly picked strawberries soon afterward — cut up and eaten with vegan vanilla ice cream.
The Cafe du Presbytere in the borough of Chicoutimi, Québec was an unexpected delight!
Who knew you could get such delicious vegan/vegetarian friendly food in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region in Québec? I didn’t! Actually, I purchased quite a lot of snacks for this leg of my Québec trip before I left home, because I thought I’d be out of luck in terms of food options!
Not only did the Tourisme Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean team make sure there were vegan options for me (and vegetarian options for another blogger), they took the whole press tour group to some amazing places to eat. I feel like we really experienced this region’s cuisine.
One of the clear highlights of my trip through the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region was a lunchtime stop at the Cafe du Presbytere in the borough of Chicoutimi, Québec.
This café takes pride in serving its own version of well-known dishes made from local products and ingredients found by its chef in the woods of the Saguenay region. In a warm and friendly ambiance, you’ll enjoy delicious cuisine while encouraging your hosts’ mission of socio-professional integration. – Québec Original website
Is it difficult to travel when you’re vegan? It doesn’t have to be! I’ve been vegan for over 17 years and have travelled throughout the world while maintaining a vegan diet. On a recent trip to Québec, I found numerous options for vegan food in Québec City. Actually, there were more places that I wanted to check out then the amount of time I had. Take a look at my recommendations and feel free to leave a comment to let me know if there are others I should check out the next time I’m in the city.
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If you’re out sightseeing in Old Québec, there are several options within walking distance of all the main sights.
My first time having a poké bowl was at Bols et Poké. Clearly marked on the menu, the Mahalo bowl is a solid vegan option. There are other vegetarian options, too.
With the Saguenay river, Lac Saint-Jean, and the Saguenay Fjord, staying the night at one of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean hotels on the waterfront seems like the right choice.
I had the pleasure of spending 3 nights in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region in waterfront hotels.
Thank you to Tourisme Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean for the trip! You will find affiliate links in this blog post. I’ve included helpful links for you and if you end up making a purchase on one of the sites I may earn money at no extra cost to you.
I’d never heard of it and it took me a long time to figure out how to pronounce it, but once I stepped foot in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, I knew I’d found a special destination.
Thank you to Tourisme Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean for the fantastic trip! There are affiliate links throughout this blog post. If you click on the links and make a purchase, I may earn some money. Your cost doesn’t change.
Depending on the activities you most enjoy, there really is no bad time of year to visit the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region! I visited this part of Québec in early May and there was still snow in certain areas and Lac-Saint-Jean was still covered with ice and snow. I didn’t find the weather very cold, though.
A few of the things I packed: jeans, comfortable walking shoes, a rain jacket (which I layered over a sweater or shirt/cardigan combo), and swimsuit. There were hot tubs at each of the hotels in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region where I stayed!
If you aren’t up for a long camping trip, car camping can be a great alternative. This type of camping is great for those with larger groups, children or elderly people—as well as for those that are either not physically fit enough or not interested in a grueling week of hiking 10 to 25km per day.
So, what do you need in order to have an enjoyable car-camping trip?
Because I believe that what we focus on grows, I know putting time and effort in to celebrating friendships (one of the most important things in my life) will bring me further happiness.
“It’s about taking those moments when things are fine and making them amazing, because those moments are what make us who we are, and they’re the same moments we take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our existence. It’s the difference between surviving life and living life.”
– Jenny Lawson in Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things
Living life to the full for me, is all about having adventures—big and small. While I could find joy having adventures by myself, I prefer to share the journey with those I love. My good friend Alex and I have talked about the importance of living an adventurous life. No, we’re not going to sell everything and backpack around Europe, or train for a year to hike in the Himalayas.
During this first year of our friendship, Alex and I had many adventures (near and far). Living in two different (and far apart) cities in the Lower Mainland (greater Vancouver area) has meant discovering new places and returning to familiar favourites each time we get together. And every time we get together we talk about other places we’d like to spend time together and travel to.
This anticipation in itself brings happiness. Anticipating adventures with my friend extends the joy of the actual adventure.
I’m attending the Women in Travel Summit (WITS) in Québec City! It’s taken me more time than I care to admit to pack my suitcase and carry-on back for the conference. I really wanted to pack light for a conference and travel carry-on only, but my personal item (a camera backpack) is too long, unfortunately.
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I’ve only been to one conference (Alt Summit during June in Salt Lake City, Utah) prior to going to WITS (Women in Travel Summit), so learning how to pack light for a conference will be a work in progress for a while.
For Alt Summit I didn’t have money to purchase items of clothing specifically for the conference and I also really don’t like wearing hot weather clothing (shorts, short skirts, tank tops). I feel like I have plenty of clothing options for WITS, but still feel unprepared.
There are a few pieces of luggage/accessories that I wish I owned. I keep hearing about packing cubes. Packing cubes are soft mesh cubes that hold and organize clothing. I have some mesh laundry-style cubes I’ll be using until I can get my hands on these:
I have a camera/laptop backpack but wish I had something else for my carry-on luggage, since the backpack doesn’t fit clothing or much else. There are SO MANY laptop backpacks out there and I have found so many on the eBags website. This Browning Jackson Carry-On Backpack below looks promising, though:
What do you pack when you’re going to a conference? Once I’ve been to a few more and feel more confident, I’ll share what I bring with me.
You can call it FOMO (fear of missing out), with a dash of “don’t tell me what to do” rebellion, but I like to have some say in how my time in spent when I travel. Spontaneous travel can work on its own or mixed in with activities you’ve planned.
I generally want to have some ideas for what to do and where to spend my time, but I don’t want to follow a rigid schedule. What if I’m checking out a cool museum, or heading to a restaurant and see an interesting looking street with lots of great-looking shops down it? I’d want to have the flexibility in my day to be able to wander around for a bit.
Even booked tours leave a little room for taking in other sites, or doing whatever you want. Yet, when I come across people who plan out every single thing they’re doing, they seem overwhelmed, exhausted, and generally seem like they’re not having any fun on their vacations.
I think there definitely has to be a balance when it comes to making travel plans. [Read more…]
Celebrate Life's Adventures is for environmentally and socially conscious travellers who enjoy diverse cultural experiences, being one with nature, and a slower pace of life.
Tazim has created a life full of adventures big and small. Having travelled to 14 countries and lived in four, she knows a thing or two about different cultures, food, and ways to experience and appreciate the world.
