Based on the name of this site, you’d assume that camping wasn’t my thing. And… well… you’re not entirely wrong. But I decided to put that to the test with a friend recently backcountry camping in Terra Nova National Park. What could possibly go wrong? We’d commune with nature, spend a night in the fresh air, and wake up to birds chirping next to a pond. What could go wrong?
Geri Coady is a freelance illustrator and designer based in Nottingham, England. She’s also an expert on colour accessibility who has previously written a pocket guide on the topic with a new book in the works. We recently caught up with Geri after a whirlwind trip to Japan and got the low down on her travel style.
With her signature glasses and passion for pink, Kim Paddon operates Whink with sense and style. We caught up with her in St. John’s, NL to find out more about her travel style.
Kelly Lawson is the #girlboss behind Saint John, NB start-up, Ella – an app to let women post and sell fashion items that they no longer wear. Think fashion swap meet for the iPhone age. I caught up with Kelly in between business trips to find out more about her travel style.
It’s that time year again. There’s just one more day left in 2016 and I thought I’d take a bit of time to look back on where I’ve been this year. In every year, there are ups and downs so I thought I’d share a few of my memorable ones with you.
Leading the Pack features travelling women doing cool and interesting things. Today we caught up with Melanie Caines, owner/operator of Nova Yoga, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, to get the low down on her travel style.
Going from AirBnB guest to AirBnB host was a big step. Would it be weird having strangers in my home? What would they think of the place? This May, I decided to take the plunge and find out exactly what it’s like to become a first-time AirBnB host.
The city’s lights came into view as we descended from 35,000 feet on a hot March night. The lower we got, the clammier my hands, and the more active the butterflies in my stomach. I glanced at my FitBit. Resting heart rate of 104. Nope, not anxious at all. “What am I doing? Maybe I should’ve stayed in Houston.”
Have you ever been bumped off a flight? If you’re in the US, it doesn’t have to be so bad. Recently I was bumped off a United flight from Newark to Newfoundland and it actually turned out to be a pretty great thing.
Maybe I’m a hotel snob. Maybe I’ve become spoiled. I used to think a Holiday Inn was fancy. These days though, when I check into a nice hotel I’m always a bit disappointed when there’s no robe waiting for me in the closet. To me, it’s a symbol for the hotel experience and the pampering feeling I’m hoping to get out of it.
I felt like I was slowly spinning and tumbling through space, but I knew that I wasn’t actually moving. I had lost track of where my hands and feet were. Was I high? Nope. I was floating.
So there I was, crouched on the sidewalk outside a Rite Aid on West 12th St in New York City with a handful of tourists huddled around me. I was trying to simultaneously dress a wound and keep my shit together. I was only moderately successful on both fronts. So what happened?
Every now and then a new activity will emerge and become really popular. It seems like everyone and their dog is doing it, so you’d best try it too. That was my thought on stand up paddle boarding (SUP) when I went to Puerto Rico. It seemed like fun, based on previous articles I’d read. So how did it go? Read on…
It’s no secret that Valentine’s Day and I don’t get along. We started off ok, then hit some major bumpy spots. We mostly just exist separately these days. But this year I thought I would make the world my Valentine and write some love letters to all the places I’ve loved before.
You’d think after all the trouble I had getting home for Christmas – delay after delay and then lost luggage – that the travel gods would smile down on me when it was time to return to Newfoundland. You’d think that…and you’d be wrong…
35 years old and I’d never stayed in a hostel before but with recent house renovation bills coming in and two weeks in Europe already booked I was feeling poor and hostels were cheap. “It’ll be an adventure!” I told myself though I wasn’t sure I really believed it. Wasn’t I too old to be getting on with this foolishness? “You’re booked into a four star hotel in Paris and now you’re looking at a hostel in Barcelona? And a dorm room no less! Foolish.” But you know, curiosity (and my wallet) got to me in the end and that’s how I became a first time hostel guest – booking myself into an 8-bed female dorm at the St. Christopher’s Inn in Barcelona for two nights. I researched hostels carefully and shuddered when I’d see photos of open bunk beds in a room. The thought of sleeping in an open…
I’d never flown on Christmas Eve before but if all went well I’d be home in Saint John, New Brunswick in time for some visiting, Midnight Mass, and a drink or two while wrapping gifts. If there were no delays that is…
Over the last four years, I’ve seen butterflies every time I travel. From Chicago to Tokyo, Costa Rica to Spain. They’ve been red, yellow, brown, and orange. They’re a beautiful reminder that I’m not alone and someone is watching out for me.
It’s currently snowing the first real, stick to the ground snow of the year here in St. John’s as I write this. Since it’s new and I have yet to have to shovel it I’m going to revel in it’s prettiness and break out the Christmas tunes and egg nog. It also means it’s time to get my mittens out.
There’s nothing like a little nostalgia of the year gone by. I’ve always loved looking back at old photos and reliving the memories. It’s almost like you get to experience them all over again. I know I’ve already told you my top travel moments of 2013 but since I’m such a sucker for visuals I want to share some with you some photos that may not have made it to this site or Facebook.
This year felt like it was full of travel but when I got down to details I hadn’t visited a single new country. All the same I had lots of great new experiences. Just proves that it’s not all about ticking off countries on a list. This year seemed to be about basking in nature and also facing some fears.
