Croatia’s Istrian Riviera, with a brief interlude in Venice, Italy.
By: Paula Wallis If you’ve been considering a beach holiday along the Istrian Riviera, you’re not alone. If not, why not? Croatia’s Istrian Riviera is becoming an ever more popular sunny destination for holidaying European families. But there’s a slow influx of North Americans that have discovered the beauty of the Adriatic coast as well. My first impression upon arriving in Croatia was how clean and well maintained the highways and roads through the countryside were. All the buildings and homes alongside the roads were in good repair and the surrounding areas seemed immaculately landscaped. This held true for every area we passed through or visited for the duration of our time in Croatia. What a beautiful, green country. The town of Porec teems with...
Read MoreWeekend Summer Getaways in the Mount Baker, Washington Area
By: Paula Wallis Head south on the Trans Canada Highway from Vancouver, through the Fraser Valley, and you’ll be greeted by the impressive sight of Mount Baker on the horizon. Mount Baker offers spectacular skiing and snowboarding in a particularly scenic area of the Cascade Mountain Range, located in Washington State. The mountain itself is actually an active volcano; it is also the second most glaciated mountain in the Cascades. It is also, locals will proudly inform you, known as one of the snowiest place in the world. In 1990, Mount Baker set the world record for snowfall in a single season. All of these make for great reasons to throw your skis and snowboards on the roof-rack and head south of the border from Vancouver for some fun in the snow....
Read MoreOne Night in Bangkok
By: Paula Wallis Bangkok is a common stop-over for travelers to reconnect with the city vibe, stock up on travel supplies, and get a little hedonistic. After weeks and weeks of island life, sometimes one begins to crave the chaos of life in the city; the neon lights, the honking horns, the tuk-tuks puttering crazily by, piled high with rucksacks and crammed full of backpackers. One day (and night) of Bangkok madness is usually enough to cure you of this and send you back to the islands in a big hurry, though. I’ll admit, I’ve spent more than one night in Bangkok. But not much more than that. Not at one time, anyways. I think the most I managed there at one time was a week, which is actually pretty impressive. It’s just too much to drink in all at...
Read More5 Road Trips Within a Day’s Drive of Vancouver
By: Paula Wallis There’s nothing quite like loading up your iPod with some good road tripping tunes, gassing up the car, and hitting the open road on a sunny day. BC has some beautiful, well-maintained highways to do just that on. But if you only have a day or two to spare, or you just aren’t into hours and hours on the road, here are some easily accessible spots to check out – all within a day’s drive from Vancouver Manning Park Just three hours drive from the city of Vancouver, Manning Park is worth the journey in both the summer and winter months. If you head up in the winter, enjoy more than 140 acres of ski and snowboard terrain in an uncrowded setting with spectacular views. Summer months provide gorgeous hiking trails set amongst sub alpine...
Read MoreChristmas in New York City
By: Paula Wallis We’ve all seen Miracle on 34th Street. New York City lit up like a Christmas tree, good cheer everywhere, Macy’s window displays. What could be more Christmas than New York City on Christmas Eve? So, I decided, a couple of Christmases ago, to surprise my husband with a last minute getaway to the Big Apple. (Did I really just use the word Christmas four – no – five times?) We were scheduled to fly in on December 20th, leaving on Christmas Eve, just in time to arrive back home to spend the big day with family and friends. Didn’t quite work out that way; our flight was delayed by 8 hours, so we spent much of Christmas Eve at JFK airport, and then our connecting flight at Chicago O’Hare was canceled due to a white-out blizzard, so we...
Read More6 Islands You Should Visit in Thailand, and Why
By: Paula Wallis Thailand is home to some of the most beautiful islands in the world. Lush jungles, elephants roaming in their natural habitats, crystal clear waters with some of the best diving in Southeast Asia, they’re a tropical paradise in an exotic Asian setting. From the rustic and natural to the downright hedonistic, there’s an island for whatever kind of beach holiday you’re looking for. Here are just six islands I had the opportunity to visit while in Thailand, each one more different than the last, and, if you have the chance, I recommend you spend some time on each of these lovely island paradises. Ko Pha Ngan World renowned for it’s Full Moon Party (and Half-Moon, and Quarter Moon, and Day-After Full Moon, and so on), Ko Pha Ngan has...
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