Category: Travel

#TravelTuesday – Muskoka

Travel

#TravelTuesday – Muskoka

Muskoka

I know, Muskoka isn’t that far away. It’s really just three hours north of my home in Toronto, Ontario! But have you ever really explored Muskoka? I go all the time but when I head up to Muskoka, it’s usually for a calm weekend of tanning on the dock with my friends and family. Last summer, I decided to explore Muskoka. After everything I discovered – I can’t wait to do it again this summer!

Here are my highlights of places I discovered this summer!

Arrowhead

ArrowHead Provincial Park

The provincial park, just outside Huntsville, is host to some of the coolest outdoor acitivites. In the winter, they have a skate track complete with a bonfire that loops through the beautiful wilderness.In the summer, they have miles and miles of magical hiking trails.

BoatWerks

The idea to stop by BoatWerks came by when I was having a bit of an adrenaline rush. My brother and I decided we wanted to do something exciting, and tubing just wasn’t cutting it! So we called up BoatWerks, a white-water kayak school in Minden, Ontario. The next day we drove down, put on a wetsuit, and hopped in the river! It wasn’t as scary as you’d think – there were little boys doing lapped around my kayak! The instructor was awesome – I felt super safe in his well-trained care and I was doing flips in my kayak in no time!

The Farmer’s Daughter

The cottage doesn’t have to be just about junk food anymore. The Farmer’s Daughter brings together some of the tastiest purveyors of food from across the country. Local cheeses, hand made hot foods, and freshly picked veggies are in stock here, as well as prepared foods to fool your family into thinking you made them yourself!

Bigwin Island Golf

Are you a golfer? Then one of the most jaw-dropping courses in the world is right in your backyard! Although the Bigwin Island Golf Club is a private club, you can book your own tee time by just picking up the phone. Located on an island in Lake of Bays (that’s right, it’s only accessible by boat), the course is surrounded by blue waters and evergreen trees. Don’t believe me? Just check out these photos!

 

 

Do you have any suggestions as to what I should discover this summer? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me at @ShesInfluential

It’s #TravelTuesday – This Week, I’m Talking About #India

Travel

It’s #TravelTuesday – This Week, I’m Talking About #India

India

Recently, I was whisked off to India on a whirlwind trip. Although I didn’t get to head down to the coastal region (an excuse to come back, right?) I did get to explore the magical Northern regions. Mainly, I spent my time in Rajasthan – also known as the Land of Kings because how many gorgeous, magical palaces there are.

One of my first stops? Udaipur! It’s called the city of lakes because of all the small lakes that make up the city scape – like Venice of the East! A few years back, Shakira performed on one of the islands in the lake and the entire city gathered on the shores and on boats to watch!

Jaipur was the next stop on our tour. It’s called the pink city, but I didn’t realize how literal that title was until I got there. Every single building in the city was a lovely shade of coral! The entire city was painted this color to welcome the British royals on a visit.

Look how delicate all the detailings on the royal palace in Jaipur is – and all in this sumptuous shade!

After Jaipur, it was off to Jodhpur. Like Jaipur, Jodhpur is painted an entire shade. I think Jodhpur may have been my favorite, but I’m biased – blue is my favorite color! In Jodhpur I made my way through the local street markets, picking up some saffron to bring home (so I can try my hand at cooking Indian dishes), and some incredible silk blankets.

 

I think my favorite part of the entire trip was the food. Even though I’m not the best with spice, everything was so flavourful. Even though I’m always keen on Indian food back in Toronto, there were so many incredibly dishes I’ve never even heard of. Naan, chapati, channa masala and lamb biryani were all part of my daily diet. Sweet paranthas were probably my favorite – they’re thin wheat pancakes with sugar inside.

Here’s a secret – one day I thought I was eating a green pea but it turned out to be a chilli! It wasn’t that fun for me at the time, but everyone got such a good laugh out of watching me squirm!

While I was in the country, I got to celebrate Holi! Holi is a big festival that takes place at the end of March, where everyone throws colored powder (like the ones above!) at each other to rid of us evil spirits. It’s so messy, but SO much fun!

Have you been to India? If so, where did you go? How did you like it? If you haven’t been to India – how amazing does it look? Let me know your thoughts and feedback by commenting below or tweeting me at @ShesInfluential

Have You Checked Out PMLotto Vacation Giveaways Yet? If You Haven’t, They’re Amazing!

Giving Lifestyle Travel

Have You Checked Out PMLotto Vacation Giveaways Yet? If You Haven’t, They’re Amazing!

PMCC-lotto-image-v2 (1)

There’s a huge buzz about The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Welcome Home Sweepstakes online, and its understandable considering the amazing prizes they’re giving away this year. Not only is this an amazing charity lottery to raise funds for Cancer research and care, the sweepstakes offer its participants incredible giveaways that are unparalleled to other lottery prizes in Canada!

This year, among million dollar prizes, PM Lotto is offering 10 vacation packages. From serene Ontario getaway in the picturesque Mukoka county to the dazzling sunny beaches of Mexico and Cuba, there is an entire line up of exotic and cultural destinations waiting to be claimed.

What are some vacation packages being offered?

12 Days Italy Tour

vacations-italy

11 Days Germany Rhine Cruise

vacations-germany

10 Nashville to New Orleans, Musical Heritage Tour

vacations-music

8 Days Scottsdale to Las Vegas, Canyon Country Adventure

vacations-canyon

7 Days in Bahamas

Q8Bahamas

7 Days in Cuba  (2 Adults, 2 Children)

Q8Cuba

7 Nights in Las Vegas

Q8LasVegas

3 Nights, Severn Lodge, Muskoka (2 Adults, 2 Children)

Q8Muskoka

7 Days: Mexico (2 Adults, 2 Children)

Q8Mexico

2 Nights The Lodge at Pine Cove, French River, ON

Q8TheLodge

By ordering your tickets, not only do you have a chance to win one of these fantastic vacations but you know that you are contributing to a great cause! #SupportPrincessMargaret by ordering your tickets Early Bird Tickets before the deadline on November 5th, midnight.

Want to find out more? Make sure to catch special guest Brian Glucskstein tonight at the Twitter Party and join in the conversation about beautiful homes, finding cures, and how we can all win The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

Here are the details to the party. Make sure to use #SupportPrincessMargaret:

Monday November 2, 2015
7:00pm ET
Hosts: @PMLotto @HouseandHome
Guest: @GlucksteinHome
Moderators: @thePMCF @ChristineLasky
NO RSVP
Prizing:10 x $100 each in @HudsonsBay Gift Cards

Canada Only

For those of you who are new to Twitter parties, use the Twubs platform to join in on the conversation. You just need to login with your twitter account: http://twubs.com/SupportPrincessMargaret.