Top Spot Travel

November 28, 2016 by Jeremy

Top 8 things to do on a trip to Niagara Falls this Christmas

There are many things to do on a trip to Niagara Falls this Christmas

Photo by CC user Paolostefano1412 on Wikimedia Commons

If you’re planning on spending your winter break in the Niagara Falls region this year, here are just a few of the many events and activities waiting for you…

Take a Hornblower Cruise

No trip to Niagara would be complete without a catamaran cruise to all three waterfalls. No matter what time of year you go, this is always a thrilling experience, sailing up to the spray of the American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls.

Stay in a room with a view

If you stay in one of the best Niagara Falls hotels, you’ll be guaranteed to awaken every morning to the sight of the Horseshoe Falls from your bedroom. Imagine eating your breakfast as you look out onto this iconic natural phenomenon.

Go to the Winter Festival of Lights

From 19th November to 31st January next year, over one million people will be visiting the 8km of stunning landscape decked out in festive illuminations. From the Niagara Parks to Dufferin Islands and beyond, expect everything from Noah’s Ark to the world’s largest illuminated Canadian-American flag.

Try FlyBoarding

If you’re in the mood to try out a new water sport, you’ll find nothing more adventurous than FlyBoarding. You’ll be propelled up to 40ft in the air, as your very own “jetpack” uses traditional water-skiing technology with some added propulsion to send you skyward. Before you know it, you’ll be performing tricks just like the experts.

Visit Santa’s Grotto

If your little ones want to visit Santa, your best bet is to head for the Christmas Gift Show, on 3^rd and 4^th December at the Scotiabank Convention Centre. With over 100 stalls for you to explore, this festive-themed market will have tonnes of presents, sweet treats and demonstrations, with your very own Grotto for the kids to deliver their lists in person.

Walk through the botanical gardens

If you head towards the Niagara Parkway, there are a multitude of beautiful sights to greet you, the first of which is the famous floral clock. Right now, you’ll be able to see it with all 16,000 carpet bedding plants in their autumn/winter glory. Then, the 99 acres of perfectly manicured Botanical Gardens await you.

Take a zipline down the Falls

If you’re in the mood for something a little more adventurous, why not view the stunning scenery from above? WildPlay’s MistRider Zipline to the Falls is a brand new attraction for daredevils, and they’re located over Niagara Gorge and Niagara River, where you’ll sail past the American and Bridal Veil Falls before finishing at the Horseshoe Falls.

Enjoy festive fayre at McFarland House

For a touch of tradition during the Yuletide season, McFarland House will be decked out in Victorian splendour while you tour its hallways. This is a unique experience to see a restored period property, with a cup of mulled cider in one hand and a freshly-baked Christmas cookie in the other.

Where are you going for your Christmas getaway?

November 28, 2016 by Jeremy

Tips for Stress Free International Travel

Are you stressed about an upcoming vacation? While sometimes it sounds silly to be stressed about vacation, it is more common than you think. Traveling overseas can be stressful, especially for first time travelers. Here are some tips for stress free international travel.

Stay Healthy
Before, during, and after your trip pay more attention to your health than usual. Keep an active exercise routine so you will have plenty of energy on your trip, be sure you are eating right and getting plenty of vitamins as you may be facing new bacteria and viruses, you want your immune system working its best. Also, make sure you have the recommended pre-travel vaccines by visiting one of the best travel clinics. While on your trip be sure and try new foods and activities but make sure you are being safe about it. Remember a good rule of them is look at what the locals do, if the locals are swimming at a beach or eating a particular restaurant, chances are it is a safe bet.

Do Your Paperwork Early
One of the most stressful parts of international travel is going through customs and visas. A good way to ensure stress free international travel is to look up all visa rules and regulations before you board your plane. Also, print off visa forms and include any necessary fees and photos. If you have all this paperwork in order you can walk straight off the plane into the front of the customs lines, no need to fumble looking for a pencil or trying to find a pencil. Getting your visa paperwork done early can make international travel a breeze.

Don’t Over Plan
This may seem counter-intuitive but over planning can be the cause of massive stress. When traveling internationally especially to developing nations, things don’t always go as planned and that is fine. If you plan every minute of your vacation you may be miserable and biting your nails each delayed bus or oversold train. Allow for flexibility in your travel planes so you can make the most out of unexpected delays. Remember you are on vacation, so savor each moment! If you are stuck at a train station use it as opportunity to try a nearby restaurant or explore the neighborhood. If your tour is sold old, don’t stress instead rent a motorbike and give yourself a personal tour! Remember, it is your vacation and you can make the best out of any situation.

So we hope you are breathing easier already after reading our tips for stress free international travel. Remember you can prepare for the flight and customs early and once you get passed that part it should be easy sailing, just go with the flow and don’t over plan. So we hope your next trip is a relaxing and rewarding experience. Have fun, safe travels and don’t forget to send postcards!

November 27, 2016 by Jeremy

How to Make Your Vacation Memorable

Vacations are what we look forward to all year when sitting in our cubicle daydreaming. Sadly, our vacations don’t always live up to our expectations. Here are some tips on how to make your vacation memorable. Follow these tips and you will be ensure that your next big trip is like nothing you have every experienced.

Do Something Unexpected
If you want to make your vacation memorable you should do something unexpected, something you have never tried before. This could be taking a class to learn to scuba dive or volunteering working with stray animals in a developing country. While we all love to relax at the beach try to do something unusual or unexpected on your next vacation, not only will this make sure you never forget this trip but it will also allow to learn more about yourself, meet new and interesting people, and maybe develop a new passion. So take some risks and get out there!

Eat Local
Whether you are traveling in America or backpacking around Eastern Europe what you eat can be a big part of your vacation experience. In today’s globalized world you can easily see the 7 wonders of the world and eating nothing but McDonald’s and KFC throughout your trip. But doing this would be a huge mistake! Some of the best ways to experience the culture of a city or country is through their cuisine. This usually means getting out of the hotel and venturing to where the locals eat. Pull up a plastic stool at a Vietnamese noodle shop (even Obama does it!) or grab some pub-grub in London, this is one of the best ways to get a feel for a place and meet some everyday people. Who knows you might just find your new favorite food.

Ditch the Group
While having a tour guide can really add to your experience at many sites, often large tour groups can make for lackluster travel experiences. If you wan to make sure that you have a memorable vacation, plan your own route. The internet is full on resources on what to see and how to get their safely, so you can plan your own trip. Though it may not always go quite as smooth as a group trip, chances are you will have an adventure and meet people that aren’t just tourists; this allows you to meet some locals and really soak in the culture. You can also save some money this may. A memorable vacation involves a bit of adventure and you rarely find this on big tourist groups.

We hope these tips will allow you to plan to make your next vacation memorable. Whether you want to plan your route, eat like a local, try something new and unexpected; your next trip is bound to be one like never before. Once you start traveling using our tips, you will never travel the way you did before. So get out there and start building memories!

November 13, 2016 by Jeremy

Fun places to travel on a private jet in America

Photo by CC user mmordfin on Flickr

Have you come into some money recently and want to check out an awesome bucket list item? Have you thought about chartering your own private jet?

Whether you’ll be shouldering the cost yourself, or getting several friends to pitch in for the experience of a lifetime, there is no better feeling than boarding, traveling to, and arriving in an amazing destination in your own private plane.

If you are thinking about doing this, here are some great places you can go in America.

1) Chicago

When a craving for deep dish pizza, soulful jazz and blues music, or iconic sports teams hits, organizing a jet charter to Chicago will satisfy all of these needs handily.

In addition to the above mentioned attractions, the Windy City also has one of America’s most iconic skylines, including the Willis Tower, which was once the tallest building in the country.

Be sure to also stroll the Magnificent Mile, as it is home to one of the greatest concentrations of luxury shops in the United States.

2) Miami

If chasing warm weather at this time of year sounds like a much better idea to you, then a jet charter to Miami is what you should be shooting for.

Located just north of the Tropic of Cancer, this cosmopolitan city is home to people from all over Latin America and the world.

This gives this town a flavor that will call you back more than the fantastic beaches found up and down its coast.

Throughout South Beach, you’ll also find a world-class nightlife scene that will prove to be the perfect way to end a day spent soaking up all that Florida sunshine.

3) New York City

When it comes to exciting places in America, none can trump the attractions that can be found in the Big Apple.

Also referred to as The Crossroads of the World, New York City has given the world countless dishes, some of its most daring skyscrapers, and it has served as the USA’s welcome mat during the early days of immigration to this country.

Be sure to check out Midtown’s many world class restaurants, which give priceless views of this city’s brilliantly-lit up buildings at night. The prices may be high, but the chefs here deliver value that exceeds what you’ll pay for the dishes you’ll order here.

4) Los Angeles

What could be more baller than flying into Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood glitz and glamor, on a private jet?

With all the trappings of this center of showbiz, plus surfing beaches where legions of well-toned locals turn out on a nice day to show off their bodies, there will be plenty to do during the course of your stay.

November 11, 2016 by Jeremy

Taking off on a great Canadian adventure: our top picks

Begin your great Canadian adventure in Vancouver

Photo by CC user Socceronly on Wikimedia Commons

Looking to plan a trip to Canada? In this post, we’ll profile several destinations that should feature on your travel itinerary while you are touring around up in the Great White North.

1) Vancouver

If you are entering the country from the west, make sure that you make Vancouver your first stop. While it is one of this nation’s youngest cities, it has come a long way in a short time, has it arguably has the greatest collection of cutting edge skyscrapers of any major center in Canada.

This density, along with the region’s mountainous terrain and ocean frontage has created the perfect intersection of urban amenities and natural attractions.

From the North Shore Mountains to Stanley Park, there are plenty of spots to get in touch with this region’s West Coast rainforest once you’ve had your fill of world-class restaurants and shopping as well.

Even if you don’t begin your journey here, make sure you make plenty of room in your itinerary for a visit of a few days before heading home.

2) Canadian Rockies

Western Canada has more than this nation’s share of mountain ranges, but if you only have time to enjoy one of them, focus your attention on the Canadian Rockies.

From the cute mountain town of Jasper to the timeless beauty of Lake Louise to the less-trafficked confines of Waterton Lakes, there is more to this region than Banff.

We don’t mean to slag its most popular destination though, as its gondola, accessible alpine hiking trails, and its proximity to two popular ski resorts makes spending time there a foregone conclusion for any visitor to the Canadian Rockies.

3) Niagara Falls

Out east, there is no natural sight that has captured the imagination of foreign visitors quite like Niagara Falls. Standing out brilliantly to the less-imposing American Falls, the Horseshoe Falls sit on the Canadian side of the border.

Louder, fuller and more photogenic, travelers can take the Maid of the Mist cruise right up to the edge of the gorge, or they walk in behind the flume (protect your electronics, as its gets wet in both spots).

With tons of restaurants, casinos, and other diversions, there are plenty of other things to do to round out your day at the Falls afterward.

4) Montreal

The largest French-speaking city in the world outside of France, Montreal has a cultural pedigree that is tough to find elsewhere in North America.

Its Old Town will make you feel like you’ve been transported to Europe, and Guy Laliberte’s Cirque du Soleil plays shows under a big tent on the waterfront all summer.

At night, St. Catherine’s Street and Rue Peel are the places to be, as both these spots have plenty of bars, pubs, and clubs to appeal to those of all interests.