Cheap California - Got a 4 year old?

It's like, Vegas cheap, but family friendly!! Take a look at these flight times even?  Fantastic!! This is the prefect quick vacation for a family with kids not yet in school.

The room alone is worth more than the whole package... so it's like getting a free flight. $525 per person, tax included.  Or, it's like getting a free 4 night hotel stay, with the cost of your Westjet flight.

And since school is just started up for the year, you would have the Disney Parks pretty much to yourself. The time to jump is now, this price won't last.  Book at www.westjetvacations.com

Under $1000 to Hawaii for a Week; From Brandon!

Perfect for a retired teacher, or anyone who doesn't want to deal with back to school!  Jump on a Westjet plane here in town and be on a beach in Hawaii by nightfall.

This price was current as of August 5th. Other hotels available at a slightly higher price.
This price includes flights and accommodations in Hawaii. You will need to add a hotel on Sept 7th in Calgary at an additional expense.

Prices from Winnipeg airport (YWG) are nearly the same. Perhaps $40 less, but certainly not less than a tank of gas.

It's prices like these that make me wish I could travel in September!

$25 To go from "are we there yet" to AMAZING

The only difference between another ho-hum road trip, and your own personal amazing adventure is about $25, a little research and some enthusiasm.

Seriously, $25 or less!

To turn my budget road trip into the "best trip ever" I bought:

1. Decorative paper and a sharpie marker  ($5 at Staples)
2. A $15 gift card as a prize (I chose iTunes, but anything will do)
3. A small IQ puzzle from a toy store. ($5)

To plan the trip, I studied the TV show The Amazing Race Canada.  I then copied their style of presenting instructions, challenges, roadblocks and awards in envelopes.

I decorated some basic envelopes with my own pattern and title. I numbered them 1-10. Several envelopes I prepared in advance of the trip, but some were done "on the fly" during the trip.

The first envelope my son received was from a friend of mine who works at Starbucks. I had given her the envelope in advance and requested that she hand it to my son with his drink when I returned with him later in the day. Upon receipt of this surprise envelope, our adventure began. The first envelope enclosure said, "you have one hour to pack.  Bring your sneakers and plan for 5 days. You are heading east. Your own amazing race adventure starts NOW!"

Instantly that message got his blood flowing and put this trip on the FUN map. My son instantly wanted to take a road trip with me. A road trip with no known agenda or destination!

Subsequent envelopes would reveal flight numbers, and landmarks to search for. The IQ puzzle, as mentioned above (and pictured at left) was used as a time waster on the plane. But it could easily be used the same way in a car. It's a tactile puzzle that's frustrating, yet straightforward. It gets the child to put their electronic device away and put their mind to use in another way.  When Ry solved the puzzle and separated the rings, he received a gift card as a reward.

Other envelopes contained trivia questions related to the destination. This could work for ANY destination. Even if the destination was simply Grandma's house.  You could even hand your child a tourist brochure and have them find the answer that way. Disguised learning!

Trivia questions and checkpoint envelopes are essentially free for the making but they are priceless in building anticipation and enthusiasm for your destination. How you deliver the envelopes is up to you. Be creative. Pace them, and place them as you see fit. (I would put one on the night stand to be found first thing in the morning. It would hold the day's destination or challenge.)

Engage others in delivering your envelopes or adding their own challenges. Like leave the envelope with the hotel front desk and have it sent up with your room service or extra towels. This little bit of extra planning can go a long way in making the child feel they are in their own reality TV show. So don't forget to take lots of pictures.

With a little planning and a bit of creativity, rather than hearing a pained "are we there yet?" you'll be receiving accolades and hugs for the best trip ever!

Our Amazing Adventure: Part 12 The Summary

My son and I raced from Manitoba to Quebec and back in four days just to challenge ourselves and have some fun.

I modelled this spontaneous trip after the Amazing Race TV show on CTV. We took planes, trains and automobile during this adventure. I helped my son discover parts of this great country he had never seen before. And in helping him experience things for the first time I, myself, saw Canada again with fresh eyes.

I also saw a different side of my own son. I have known him to be level headed, compassionate and eager to learn, but this time, I got to see those qualities in action in a new environment. Like the moment when he quietly asked me for change to give to a street person. He debated that action in his head and decided it was the right thing to do.  And then he did it.

My son capably guided us as we walked touring Old Quebec City. He patiently tried to speak and understand French in an everyday setting. And rather than wolfing down his food, for once he lingered and enjoyed the time that was our patio dinner on Rue Saint Jean.  These actions reflected qualities I knew he had in him but are sometimes hard to see in our daily lives rushing to school and hockey rinks.

We talked and we laughed. We had a great time! We took some fantastic photos and most of all, had shared experiences which will become shared memories. That is, of course, the part that will forever be "amazing" to me.






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I've done a trip recap highlighting the cities and adventures along the way. If you'd like to read them in sequence, here's the list.  Cheers!

• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 1 The Inspiration
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 2 The Surprise
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 3 Ottawa
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 4 Taking the Train
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 5 The Hotwire Hotel
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 6 Le Chateau Frontenac
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 7 Quebec City
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 8 The Food
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 9 A Whistle Stop in Montreal 
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 10 The Westin Ottawa
• Our Amazing Adventure: Part 11 Ottawa in Pictures

Our Amazing Adventure: Part 11 Ottawa in Pictures

We had a mere 7 hours to explore the city and we did it on foot, but we sure did have a fabulous time! In downtown Ottawa, there is so much to see and do. We managed to see the changing of the guard ceremony on parliament hill. We found the Terry Fox statue, the Supreme Court building and a Starbucks. We walked along side the Rideau Canal, saw great public art, and then had a leisurely lunch at Byward Market. We could have spent hours at Byward Market... there is so much to see! If I lived in Ottawa I would be living off the fresh fruit and vegetable stands. I'd be a gourmet vegetarian chef! What variety and bounty!

I also managed to detour my son into the brand new Fluevog shoe store at Byward Market. They opened just weeks ago and are such a fun place to shop. The shoes are by an eclectic Canadian designer, who has been making shoes since the 1970s. Fluevog boutiques have been popping up in major urban centres in recent years, finally bringing these funky and fabulous shoes to the main stream soccer moms like myself.  Indeed, I bought a pair. I couldn't resist!

I will let the photos speak for themselves! If this is what we saw in 7 hours, can you imagine a weekend?

Our Amazing Adventure: Part 10 The Westin Ottawa

I really can't say enough about the Westin Hotel, Ottawa! They were fabulous to us. Beyond fabulous! The location of this hotel is ideal if you are visiting Ottawa for the first time. You are within blocks of Parliament Hill, Byward Market and the Rideau Canal. There are enough activities and tourist destinations to keep you busy for a week. Sadly, we were just there for a mere 18 hours.

Of those 18 hours, we spent about 3 hours eating, 8 sleeping and primping, and about 7 exploring the city. Pretty intense agenda, don't you think?  Well, it wasn't called our "amazing race birthday adventure" for nothing!

The view from our room. Absolutely stunning!

The hotel itself has a beautiful view of the Parliament Buildings. We were blessed with an upgrade and a nice high floor so that Riley could see the night skyline, and the sunrise as well.

When I was booking this trip, I booked a night at the Westin using my SPG (Starwood... aka Sheraton/Westin Preferred Guest) ID. Using this, I received the best rate, and unmatched service. Before our stay the hotel concierge, Andrew, sent me a note asking if he could arrange tickets or a special dinner or anything for our upcoming stay. I politely declined, saying that we were just there one night and it was my son and I on a "backpack" and "whistle stop" type trip.  To my surprise, Andrew replied and asked if there was anything he could do to make the visit more memorable for my son. I was taken aback by this second offer. This was over and above any service I've ever received at a hotel or resort. I was especially impressed seeing as though it was merely a 1 night stay. (I could see a hotel making this effort if you were checking into a suite for a week, but this was simply not the case.)

With that open invitation, I replied with details of our adventure. I said I would be ever so grateful if they would simply prepare an envelope for Riley with a trivia question and/or something we could search for in the area. They obliged and an envelope was waiting for us at check-in.

Riley was floored. "Even the hotel is in on our amazing race? Awesome!"

Later, he would reveal to me that having outsiders and friends participate in the surprises and challenges were his favourite moments in the journey.

I was very impressed with the trivia question from Team Westin and we tackled the search first thing in the morning. The answer, Terry Fox, was fairly straight forward. Every Canadian student should know of Terry Fox and the Terry Fox Run from school. So, Ry was delighted to have the answer and was determined to find the statue. That part was more challenging, but we surely did it. It was right across the street from the Parliament building and along our previously planned tour of Ottawa.

Team Westin set up the perfect challenge! We stopped by the concierge desk with our photo and were heartily congratulated by Andrew. I think he was pleased as well to be in on our amazing race style holiday.

There are a few more things worth mentioning.... the Heavenly Beds. That's their trademarked name, "Heavenly Beds" and I agree whole heartedly. There is nothing that compares to a Westin bed. Seriously wonderful. If I had the money, or had sleep problems, I would invest in one of these beds. Damn they are wonderful! I honestly could have slept 15 hours in that bed, but I would have missed our whole day in Ottawa. Couldn't do that!

And although we did not get the chance to experience the Westin dining or Shore Club in this trip, the room service was worth raving about. We checked in after 10pm and Ry wanted just a simple sandwich before going to bed. Exhausted from the day's travels I decided just to call room service. They made his simple sandwich look extraordinary, didn't they? I hope he doesn't expect this kind of presentation and service at home now!

All in all, the Westin Ottawa was outstanding. I simply do NOT gush like this over ordinary experience. This was by far the best hotel experience I've had in a very long time. Considering the budget-friendly rate, and the proximity to the tourist hot spots in Ottawa, I give it a 10 out of 10 for value and service. I would definitely recommend it if you are visiting our nation's capital.

Fast Five: Things I learnt travelling with a pre-teen

I recently took my son on an adventure across three Canadian provinces in four days. We took a plane, a train and an automobile! We also walked at least 20 kms seeing the city sights.

I didn't yell once.

Things I learnt on this amazing adventure.

1. He does listen in school. There were Canadian facts about war and politics (grade 6 history stuff) that he brought up in conversation when we were in Ottawa. Wow.

2. He's well mannered.  He can charm a front desk clerk and make friends with a concierge. I think he's more of a preferred guest than I am! LOL

3. He understands the value and place of a gratuity. "Mom, do you have a $5? It's ok, I do. I'll get this one." (Tips hotel shuttle driver.)

4. He's not big on taking photos. Making memories... yes. Actually taking the photo? No. Taking a photo of mom out in public? Heck no. Ok, maybe one. But it's going to be quick and blurry and I'm definitely not waiting for you to smile or put your purse down.  I think this is why selfies came to be.

5. Feed him regularly! Again, I fall back on my best travel advice... have a fruit bar or granola bar in your purse. They come in handy on every vacation & keep the good times rolling.

Would I take him on a solo trip again? YES!!! Again and again and again. I had such a great time and had the chance to appreciate what a capable human he is. Made me feel like a capable parent too. I must be doing something right.

Picture of me on vacation. Taken by you-know-who.

And back to the selfies. LOL