This week’s Candid Canuck is Sara from The Travel Presse. Check out our interview with her…
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| Sara with her two brothers in New Zealand. |
Tough question! I have favourites for different reasons. I visited Guatemala for the first time in February and fell in love with the colonial surroundings of Antigua, and the serenity of week spent at Casa del Mundo on Lake Atitlan.
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| Ruins in Antigua |
Israel was a whirlwind tour last November and I was in complete awe…especially appreciated Jerusalem. Go for the history, the people, and the food!
The Singapore Zoo is incredible. The best.
Last, but not least…My immediate family live in the south island of New Zealand so I absolutely recommend putting that destination on your bucket list. Outstanding, epic scenery at every turn.
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| Vines at Chard Farm, New Zealand |
What are your must have travel items?
#1 is Pure filtered H20 – essential for short- or long-haul flights. #2 is a good moisturizer – the aforementioned flights can really dry out skin. I like the Avocado Eye Cream from Kiehl’s. Cake Beauty also has an amazing Heavy Cream that saturates the rest of the body. #3 – Lara bars…the best snack to have on hand if there is a flight delay. #4 Mila… this is my latest and greatest addition. It’s a blend of chia seed that keeps my energy up.
What is the craziest thing that has happened on your travels?
I could get into some insanely surreal stories that happened during my university semester in the south of France, when I’d jump on the Eurorail with a few friends at the weekends. Like bumping into Pavarotti on a ferry to Capri. But that feels like an age ago. The main takeaway is that trip really opened my eyes to what the world has to offer. An essential life experience.
More recent stories involve a monkey and white water rafting. Totally separate, of course. When I was on a safari in Kenya, I was taking a nap in my tent when the unzipping of the front “door” woke me. I looked up and this huge monkey was inside the tent and staring at me. It seemed like forever before he cut and run..scary and hilarious!
The rafting took place on the Shotover River near Queenstown, New Zealand. It was my nephew’s 13th birthday and I’ll never forget it. Our raft’s captain was super chummy one minute and screaming at us the next. The water was so wild and, at one point, we had to duck or lose our heads going through a tunnel. It was intense to say the least. I should also mention that the road to reach the launch point is billed as the third most dangerous in the world.
Where would you recommend travelers visit when coming to Canada?
My partner and I went to Montreal last summer for Osheaga and it reminded me how amazing that city is; especially the old section. We got an apartment via Airbnb.com and walked all over the place. I’d love to stay at Hotel Nelligan next time.
Quebec City is gorgeous in the winter…also numbingly cold, but worth it!
Nova Scotia holds a special place in my heart as I have great memories of spending summers there, as well as PEI. I think I’ve been to that Anne of Green Gables house 300 times!
And because I live in Toronto, I have to say the city has so much to offer. Fantastic food scene and the summer festivals are worth traveling in for as there is something for everyone.
The customized cheat sheet you offer on your blog is really a great idea. What destination is most asked for?
Thanks so much! I’ve been asked for intel on Barcelona, NYC, LA, Buenos Aires, Guatemala, Montreal and Toronto, of course. Requests vary and there is not one destination that stands out.
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| View from Casa del Mundo, Guatemala |
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