Fast 5: Spontaneous Adventures of 2015

You have today. Tomorrow is promised to no one. So I urge you to act now!

If you love someone... tell them.
If you want to ski...ski.
If you want learn to draw...take a class.
If you want to teach your children...participate.

I have an urge to live life and make memories. I am not a "someday" person. I'm a... "Sounds great! Let's do that" person.

With this in mind, I share my favourite 5 spontaneous adventures of 2015: 
(In no particular order)

1. The great camel ride of Palm Springs, California. My son and I were at the Living Desert Zoo and $5 camel rides were being offered. I asked my 9 year old son if he wanted to go. "No thanks, we'll do it another time" he said.  And that's when I erupted into my speech... "Are you kidding? In my 40 years on this earth, no one has ever offered me a camel ride. And frankly I'm not taking you to Egypt any time soon. And when you're 29, and I'm 60 are you getting on a camel with me? No? Now get on the camel!" 

We had a blast on the short camel ride and smiled the whole time! And when he got home to his school friends, you know he told everyone about his favourite part of the trip...the camel ride.

2. Our city's NHL hockey team made the playoffs for the first time in nearly 20 years. The city went wild! Tickets were impossible to get at home. So I decided to round up a group of friends and see the team on the road! Bought tickets in Anaheim California, caught a plane to Palm Springs at 6AM, drove 2 hours to Anaheim, partied all afternoon, then went to the game. Home the next day. One of the surprise highlights of that spontaneous trip was running into high school friends (who now reside in California) at the game. Simply awesome!

3. My hairdresser of 8 years lamented the fact she'd never been to Las Vegas. So I surprised her with a trip to Vegas that next week. We had a blast. Check that off her to-do list.

4. Halloween looked like it was going to be pretty quiet around my house this year. Thinking it might be the last year for my son to trick or treat, I proposed a spontaneous road trip 4.5 hours west to visit our cousins. A few quick texts and a stop at the costume store and we were on our way! We had a fantastic time with family and it certainly earned the honour of Best Halloween ever!

5. Skating at Clear Lake Manitoba was never on my radar until the Winnipeg Free Press posted photos of unbelievable ice, clear as glass. It was simply a weather phenomenon brought on by calm waters, cold nights and a lack of snow. Never in my life had I seen such a thing. And since a snowstorm was pending in about 48 hours, I checked my son out school for the day and raced up to the lake. We skated and played hockey all afternoon. Freezing rain and a storm started about 10 hours after we were safely home from our adventure. Photos of our adventures appeared on the Manitoba Tourism twitter feed and also on Winnipeg's CTV news.

Pack like a hockey mom

This is some pretty specialized travel knowledge I'm about to impart. But I expect there's a legion of similar minds out there. I know I can't be alone. I know I'm not the only mom who goes to hockey games, love Starbucks and travels often.

Did you know that a puck fits nicely in a coffee cup? Specifically, the Starbucks "You are here" series.

Did you know that baseballs and pucks almost always get a second look from security when they're in your carry on luggage? I've travelled enough to know that you should just place these items in the bin separately, like you would with your liquids. It's the density that shows up on the scanner and makes it noteworthy. I've also had the baseballs pulled out (for verification) because they looked like oranges. Yes, oranges.

If you are going to pack your pucks in the mug, for transport and space savings, just do it once you're through security. Saves you the hassle.

Why are pucks and baseballs great trip souvenirs? They are much cheaper than jerseys, much easier to pack than sticks and look great in your boys' (or girls') display case. If you plan on a lifetime of sports, travel and healthy living, you can assemble quite the collection.

Bet on World Series Baseball?

A few weeks ago I wrote of an amazing price to Los Angeles, California this fall.

Well, some of those bargain prices are still hanging around.  Currently, $337 includes taxes, return flight from Winnipeg airport. (Screenshot from October 2nd)

This is an amazing week to go if you are a baseball fan. If the LA Dodgers win the National League, their World Series home games would take place October 30-November 1st.  (click to see the whole post season schedule.)

Now, if you're a Blue Jay's fan, wouldn't it be AMAZING to see a Dodgers/Jays World Series?

But you also like hockey too? Well, the Staples Center is just down the road from Dodger's stadium. Perhaps you'd like to take in a Kings' game as well?  They host the Nashville Predators on Saturday Night, Oct 31st.

You can pair the flight with a hotel through Expedia.ca and save a few dollars there, booking together. Or, you might like to use Hotwire and book a hotel in the area using their blind purchase system.

Tickets to the baseball games will be pricy. But wouldn't this once-in-a-lifetime California trip be one to remember?

Seriously!! What? YWG to LAX $314 includes tax.

Ok, I had to look at this three times and from three different sites, but it's true. A round trip ticket from Winnipeg, to Los Angeles for about the price of a night at the Jets' game.

$314

I'll say it again.... $314 Canadian dollars, including tax.

October 14-21, but many other great dates available through Air Canada.

You could take this flight from Vancouver for $256. So, Air Canada is willing to give you the round trip connection YWG to YVR for $60. Amazing.

I'm so excited by this find I think I smell burnt toast. Or perhaps I burnt my toast because I was so distracted by this deal.

I'll shut up now, so you can book this before it disappears.

Fast 5 Travel Tips: Your kid belongs in the club seats

There was a time that I chose my season tickets to our local WHL hockey team with only one thing in mind....the distance to the men's washroom.  So it should come as no surprise that I'm selective about where I sit with my kids in any arena or stadium.

If you're the mom or dad of young boys, I know I don't need to explain. For those non-parents of boys, I'll simply explain by saying, there is no such thing as advance warning. It's an emergency pretty much every single time.

Now, to get back to the topic at hand. Why on earth would anyone spend extra dough to have an 8 year old sit in one of the most expensive seats in the stadium/rink?

1) You minimize the disruption to other fans. There are more aisle seats, is more leg room, better sight lines and usually waitress service at the seats. No need to jump up and 'excuse me' every time your child wants popcorn, a coke, or a pretzel. You might actually see more of the game!

2) Security. There is no access to club level without a ticket. And with ushers at every entrance and less than 20% of total audience on club level, the risk of your child wandering off or getting lost in a huge crowd is minimized.

3) Washroom access. This alone is worth the extra $20. Club level has more washrooms, and they are better washrooms. And for me, the mom of a boy, I know that the longer he is out of my sight and waiting in a line, the more I stress.  And vice versa. He is more likely to panic if he is alone, waiting outside the ladies' room for more than 3 minutes. This really isn't a huge issue if you are travelling as a family, or with a same-sex child, BUT it is absolutely a HUGE issue when you are taking a youngster who is too old or is resistant to a family washroom. And no boy wants to be traumatized by his mother racing him into the ladies' room begging to cut in line because it's an 'emergency.'

4) Autographs and opportunities. At the recent Denver Broncos game that we attended, there were alumni players and current cheerleaders shaking hands and offering autographs.  There is always something extra taking place on the club level. You also have a very relaxed and comfortable area, with lots of seating where you can wait out a rain delay, or watch the other league games on TV. In Denver, my son wanted to sit by the fireplace and eat an ice cream sundae during half time. Not only was it possible, it's probably one of the things etched in his memory from the event.

5) Better food. At both the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos stadiums, I had a carved roast beef sandwich. Actual attendant, actually carving, actual roast beef. Not a hot dog off a roller! The roast beef sandwich and chips in Denver cost $10.  There was also a chef's corner with a menu inspired by the day's visiting team. $14 a plate. For dessert there were gourmet cupcakes for sale. I bought a mini-pack for $6. How could you not?

Before you condemn me for spoiling my son, know that he has had, and will have many more opportunities to sit on freezing metal benches, eating taco-in-a-bag from the canteen, in a community rink watching his brother play hockey, than anything else. But on the very rare occasion we get to see a professional league game, I want it to be a memorable and positive experience for both of us. The cost of 'A seat' versus the cost of 'a CLUB seat' is less than you think. I rationalize it by skipping the souvenir booth and taking photos instead.

• At Coors Field, we paid $40 per club ticket, rather than $29 for a regular first baseline ticket. 
• In Anaheim at the Ducks game, we paid $75 per club ticket, rather than $180 for rink side seats or $39 nosebleed seats. 
• In Denver (pre-season) we paid $100 for club seats, rather than $300 for sideline seats, or $69 for balcony level seats. 

Stubhub.com offers tickets to any game, and can offer savings over Ticketmaster. It all depends on how popular the game is, and when you buy the tickets. The price of the ticket is only one factor in your total event cost. When you look at the big picture and consider concessions, parking, travel, souvenirs and convenience, you might see things my way. And if, over a lifetime, you only get the chance to attend maybe 6 professional events with your child, isn't it truly a good time to splurge and really make the most of your time together?

C'mon kids... we're sitting in the club seats tonight!

Vancouver or Montreal for 1500 Air Miles

If you can travel in October, Air Miles has a heck of a deal for you! This week's discounted flights (for Gold and Onyx collectors) are to Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal or Vancouver.

Imagine, a direct, return Westjet flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver for $126 and 1500 Air Miles. Fabulous eh?

You will need to book on-line through the Air Miles site, or call their 1-888 to redeem.

Act quickly for best dates.  Offer expires September 13th.

If I had time, I would take a fall season dream trip! I would fly to Montreal, stay a night or two,  then catch the Via train to Moncton or Halifax and see the maritimes (Approx $260 round trip, or $500 in a sleeper car.) Would be amazing! (To learn more about the route click here.)

I would stay at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel (I've been there a few times) which is located at the train station and in the heart of Montreal. Gorgeous hotel and actually not very expensive.

Actually, I would time the trip so I could also see a hockey game at the Bell Centre, which is about 2 blocks from the train station/hotel. Oh how I would love to do this trip! And I bet I could do it at a bargain price! What fun that would be!!!

Sports Trips

If you love seeing your favourite team live, like I do, it's a perfect time of year to plan a fall sports trip.  It's easy to do. I love NFL football, and NHL hockey so we'll look at those. But you can easily add baseball to the mix. And there's about 3 weeks a year that you could possibly get all three.

1. Grab the schedule.  Don't just look at the home games. If you are travelling anyway, keep an open mind as to location.  It might be out of your price range to see the 49ers at home, but what if you travel and see them in Phoenix?

2. Identify the cities with easy access airports. Where can you get a direct flight from your own city?
Phoenix, Denver, Chicago are easy to get to from Winnipeg and reasonably priced. (under $500 is good, a great deal would be $360)

3. Now grab the hockey schedule for your preferred city and see if any dates line up. Think Saturday night hockey and Sunday afternoon for an unforgettable weekend. If you're lucky enough to go to Phoenix, the arena and stadium are on the same property and there are several hotels in the immediate area. Too easy.

4. Check out the flight prices. Do you have Air Miles or other means to get the flights at a reduced price?

5. Hotels can be found by looking at google maps of the stadium area, or there are usually local hotels listed (and sometimes discounted) on your team's website.

6. Tickets. You can grab those of Ticket Master. They offer a guaranteed ticket resale service with their Ticket Exchange. You can pick up both NHL or NFL tickets this way.  I personally have used Stubhub.com and have always been very very happy with my tickets and have never had any problems. Any time I've picked up NFL tickets, they have come by courier in 3 days or less.

7. The last step is the countdown! How many days before the epic sports weekend? There's an app for that.

See how easy that was!  You might even see history made. (I was lucky enough to see Peyton Manning throw career touchdown #509 and break Brett Favre's record)

I can't wait to do another football trip. So much fun!

Jets rematch in Nashville?

Our Winnipeg Jets lost a hard fought game to the Nashville Predators tonight. They played really well, but Rinne, the Preds' goaltender was amazing! He stole the game for them.

If you would like to take a little winter break from Manitoba and go catch a hockey game in Nashville, the Jets play there again on March 7th.

Right now there are good prices on flights from United Airlines from YWG to BNA.  You can pair it up with a hotel through Expedia and get a 5 night package, including flights and taxes for about $1000  (Canadian funds).

Tickets to the game (off Stubhub.com) start about $37. For $100 per ticket, you can sit in the Club Seats. Yes, those are the good seats!

While you're in Nashville, you should visit some of the other sights. Check here to start your research on Nashville.

Sample flight & hotel from Expedia

Hotels nearby the Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville

Montreal in March?

Lots of great dates and direct flights available. Have you been to Montreal? What a great place for a date! What a great couples' weekend destination.

What about a Montreal Canadiens' game?

Westjet and Air Canada are similarly priced right now for flights. (See the Westjet sample) Prices are as low as $405, tax in, return.

Wouldn't a little trip to Montreal be the best Valentine's gift? Write a note in the card and take the trip in a few weeks.

Fun Special From Air Canada

This is what the Internet & social media should be used for.... real time specials.  Great job Air Canada!

I'd love to see more of these current event tie ins.

Go Habs Go! 

Post Easter Arizona

Here's a decent bargain. Flight, 5 nights hotel and a hockey game for $600 per person. They are direct, Westjet flights.

You'll even stay on site at the Hampton Inn Glendale/Westgate. It's a really great hotel, right next to the Jobing.com arena. It's literally a hop, skip & a jump from the arena, bars, restaurants and shops of fabulous Westgate! From Jimmy Buffets to Hell's Half Acre, there are good times.

I highly recommend this hotel when going to Phoenix specifically for Cardinals football or Coyotes hockey.

The dates of this bargain are April 4-9th. You can grab the Avalance/Coyotes game on Saturday night the 6th.

Escape this weather. Treat yourself to a genuine desert delight.

Up Close with Teemu in Anaheim

Following the 2012/13 NHL hockey strike/lockout, some teams made special efforts to get fans back in the rink. The Anaheim Ducks were one of those teams.

For their home opener, the Ducks planned a fan event where folks could interact with the team pre-game. Even though there was a light rain, the event went forward.

We found out about the event through Twitter. Right winger, Bobby Ryan (@b_ryan9) tweeted an invitation to the event that morning. (Thank you Bobby Ryan!)

Matt Belesky #39

It sounded like fun and we had game tickets already, so we made our way to the Honda Centre for 4PM.

Players were meeting a VIP group of sponsors in the event tent, then they made their way across a red carpet to the arena. There were about 75-100 fans gathered for the red carpet autograph session.

Players and fans were cheerful and both sides seemed to really enjoy the interactions. This was a first for this type of thing for my son & I. Since we were simply visiting California and had not anticipated this type of thing, we did not have an autograph book or anything. Players each had sharpies for signing, so that was a non-issue.

I thought we were clever and resourceful in asking the players to sign my son's hockey jacket.

It was really a highlight to see Teemu Selanne, a former resident of the 204. Though he was being rushed by security and was the most sought after autograph, he was amazing and took time with everyone. We chatted briefly about Winnipeg and told him we were thrilled to see him play as it had been impossible to get a ticket to last year's Ducks vs. Jets game in Winnipeg.  He thanked us for coming, asked if my son played hockey and signed CJ's hockey card. (I cleverly packed 5 Ducks hockey cards in my wallet that I had found in CJ's room before we left.)

Teemu Selanne #8

Other players who made an impression on us were Matt Belesky, Bobby Ryan, Cam Fowler, Luca Sbisa, Ryan Getzlaf and of course, Sheldon Souray. The two goalies, Hiller and Fasth were there too. Fasth is a pretty serious guy (see photo) but after seeing him in net and knowing that he's 8-0 for the season so far... wow. Seriously good!!!

Ryan Getzlaf signs a fan's jersey

Lastly I want to note that at the start of the game Ryan Getzlaf called upon his team mates and the Canucks (the opponent that evening) to centre ice and he spoke on their collective behalf. He simply thanked the fans for returning and believing in hockey and he vowed that they would do their best to earn the fan support this season and in the future.

Yep.... you had me at "Thank you." So, though I'm a huge Jets' fan, I'm ALSO a huge Ducks fan now. I love what they did for the fans that day and I love how my son's eyes sparkled when meeting his hockey heroes.

Goalie Viktor Fasth

Sharp dressed defenseman, Sheldon Souray

Club Seats

When we went to the Anaheim Ducks game in January, the cost of club seats, purchased off Stubhub.com were $78. That's the same cost of a cheap seat at a Winnipeg Jets game.

Sure, you could grab a ticket to the Ducks game for $29, but why? If I am travelling to attend a game, I would prefer to sit in good seats. This is just how I like to travel. And the view is always good, great even!

There are some very practical advantages to sitting in the Club Seats. First off, they generally allow you access to the arena or stadium an hour before general admission. This was great when we were going to an NFL football game. We got to see the teams warm up on the field, plus we got to watch the other televised games from the lounge and "pre-game" a bit.

Washroom ratio is way better too. This is great if you are travelling with kids. It's a 2 minute wait for the washroom instead of the typical 15 minute lineup downstairs.  This is also great if you plan to indulge in a number of over-priced beverages.

Club seats are also great for acquiring those over-priced beverages. The waitstaff will bring them right to your seats. So that's good. You won't miss the game in the beer line.

Food is better in club level too. You could have a prime rib sandwich rather than a salty concession hot dog. I actually enjoy a Jack & Coke with that sandwich.  In fact, the Honda Centre (Anaheim Ducks' arena) has a whole Jack Daniels lounge on the Club Level.  Nice eh?

So, if you are planning to watch hockey in the sunshine states like Florida, California or Arizona, I say "go for the good seats." They're a bargain. Great bang for your Canadian buck!