Travel

A Day in Dublin – Seeing the Best the City has to Offer in Less than 24 Hours

February 28, 2018 by Kathryn 11 Comments

When my husband and I flew into Dublin to spend ten blissful days exploring the country of Ireland, we knew we were in for an incredible experience. And I couldn’t have been happier that our journey started near the capitol, so that we would get the chance to spend a day in Dublin before we headed off across the country.

day-in-dublin-castle-hotel — Checking out the view from the balcony in our castle hotel room!

Our castle hotel was in the Dalkey region and on our first day, we napped to get over our jetlag and then spent the rest of the day wandering through the picturesque spot. The quaint shops, ocean view and towering Dalkey Castle had us falling in love with Ireland immediately. But we were even more excited to dive into the heart of Dublin the next day, and we planned our excursion carefully so that we’d be able to make the most of our visit.

Getting Around

Even though we had a rental car, we were informed at once that driving in downtown Dublin is not a great idea. The streets are just too crowded, and parking is minimal. Instead, we took the DART to the downtown station and then got passes for the Dublin Hop on Hop off Bus Tour. This tour travels to over twenty different spots, visiting all the most popular landmarks in the city. And, as an added bonus, the bus features a tour guide that shares facts about the city and its top attractions along the way. [Read more…]

Tips for Traveling with 2 Under 2

February 23, 2018 by Kathryn 2 Comments

Traveling with kids is a challenge, and that’s especially true with two kids. When both are also under two years old…well, let’s just say challenging probably isn’t a strong enough word! Today Katelynn from Hampers and Hiccups is sharing her tips and tricks for making traveling with 2 under 2 just a little bit easier!

When I was pregnant with our second baby, my husband and I were considering taking a trip over to Wales, UK to see my aunt and her family before Sweet Girl turns 2. This would put us in the air with 2 under 2 for, oh, about a million hours. It’s a long trip from our home in Saskatchewan to their doorstep in Wrexham.

While we were still chewing this over, my father-in-law brought up the idea of taking the entire family down to Maricopa, Arizona. The timeline was the same as our dream trip! All these conversations were taking place before we even had a second baby, but I was sure we’d be able to do some traveling with a rambunctious toddler and a 6-month-old. So, we agreed to the Arizona trip and decided to save Wales for another year. When we head off, Sweet Girl will be 23 months old, and Pip 6 months old.

Now that Pip is born, and Christmas is over with, I’ve started focusing on our April trip to Maricopa. I was half-planning the whole time, but just in my head. Now I’m actually making lists. And holy moly is there lots to consider!

This will be our first real trip with kids. No more carry-on luggage only. We’ll be waiting at the baggage carousal with the rest of heavy packers. [Read more…]

Sharing the Best of Edmonton on the Trivago Weekend Travelogue

December 14, 2017 by Kathryn 4 Comments

Living on the Prairies may seem a little limiting when it comes to looking for an exciting weekend road trip excursion, but there are actually quite a few action-packed cities to explore. And since moving to Saskatoon, one of our family’s favourite destinations is a weekend in Edmonton.

The city is bustling with exciting things to do and see, so finding the best of the best can be a challenge. That’s why I partnered with Trivago to showcase my perfect weekend itinerary for families that will let you see the most appealing attractions that Edmonton has to offer. Find the best places to stay, the most mouth-watering spots to eat and so much more! [Read more…]

5 Tips for Traveling with a Wheelchair

September 27, 2017 by Kathryn Leave a Comment

Traveling has plenty of perks, but it also requires a lot of preparation. And that’s all the more true if you are in a wheelchair. The unexpected can happen during trips, and some events you may not be prepared for. For wheelchair users, the challenge is even greater, so you always need to think ahead and anticipate.

You deserve to have a great time on your vacation! So, to make the trip more enjoyable for yourself and everyone else that’s coming along on your trip, check out some of the tips for traveling with a wheelchair.

[Read more…]

The Magic Experience of VOLTA by Cirque du Soleil

August 15, 2017 by Kathryn 3 Comments

I’ve seen Cirque du Soleil performances before, so I thought I had a pretty good idea about what I was getting from VOLTA. I was wrong. VOLTA is next level and I cannot tell you enough times to go see it.

Where do I start? The huge white big top itself is gorgeous, unusual, magical and set the right scene from the second we approached. I should have realised then that we were about to see something special.

We were lucky enough to get great seats and find ourselves really in the thick of the show. We were just a few rows back from the stage, and in the center, so we could look right into the eyes of the performers. Their spirit, skill and pure love of what they were doing was inspiring. And what they were doing absolutely blew my mind.

VOLTA has a real action-sports vibe in its production (I found out later that the directors have been collaborating with Red Bull extreme sports athletes), and the performance switched beautifully between high-voltage BMX bike-riding to graceful dance interludes to some truly incredible acrobatics. I found myself enjoying swings, spins and sensational entertainment right from the very beginning.

The BMX work was, for me, the highlight of the show – the performers flipped, whirled, rotated and pushed their bikes into positions that seemed to defy the laws of physics. It was amazing to watch! I think it was about more than just their skill, though – the staging was very creative. (The stage itself was dynamic so could lift, shift and move to push the athletes through their paces even harder.) I never felt like I really knew what was going to happen next.

I also appreciated that the spectacle of the show supported rather than overwhelmed the story, and the lead character’s journey of transformation was beautifully sketched. The bright and brilliant costumes helped track the rhythm of his changing persona and communicated a sense of high performance as well as thrills and spills.

You do need to know that the show itself is in French (as it’s staged in a majority French-speaking area), but you can still easily follow it if you’re not Francophone (acrobatics needs no translation). There are also a lot of dance elements which hold the entire production together, but, for me, they helped with the flow of the story.

What can I tell you about Cirque du Soliel VOLTA? I wasn’t expecting any of it. I thought we would have a good night, but it was incredible. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting that. It’s a fusion of dance, action sports, theatre and acrobatics. See it if you can.

The show can be seen in Gatineau, QC until the 27th of August and from the 7th to 29th of November in Toronto, ON. More information can be found at https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/volta.