Camping – Maps and Meanderings

Size Matters: Buying a Trailer Part 2

Published on November 10, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello Friends! I am back with part 2 of the considerations for buying a trailer series. If you are new here today, welcome! I would recommend starting with the introduction post here, as it will provide some context for what we’re talking about today. Last week, I encouraged you to consider why you are looking to buy a trailer and how you are planning to use it. This week we are talking about some considerations related to trailer size.

Once you’ve determined why you’re buying a trailer and what you hope to use it for, size is the next important question to consider. This is one of the most important, if not the most important questions to consider, as it will affect and influence almost every other decision you make about the trailer. Before we get to the considerations, let’s define a couple terms.

Dry Weight: This is the weight of your trailer with nothing else in it. When you consider whether your vehicle can tow the trailer of your choice, the vehicle tow capacity must exceed the dry weight of your trailer. Remember that your supplies and equipment will add to this weight.

Tow Capacity: This is the weight of trailer that your vehicle can pull. This weight includes anything that you pack into your trailer, so make sure that the tow capacity includes a cushion for all your supplies.

Tongue Weight: This is the weight that your trailer will put on the tongue. It is equally important to make sure that your vehicle and your trailer tongue weight are in the proper range.

What is your vehicle situation?

VW Bug pulling a small trailer — Wouldn’t it be nice if all trailes could be pulled with a VW Bug?
Image by junki72 from Pixabay

Before we consider the size of trailer that will work for you, we need to talk about vehicles. I think that this is something people often overlook when thinking about buying a trailer, especially in the early stages, but it is extremely important.

Unless you plan to park your trailer and then never move it, you need a vehicle that can pull it. I recently helped my parents research a new vehicle that would work for them daily, and also be able to pull the trailer. We are getting an extremely light trailer. It is lighter than most, if not all, other trailers I researched in it’s size category. Because of this, my parents were able to get a smaller/mid sized SUV with a tow package and not a truck.

Some smaller trailers can be pulled with smaller vehicles and vehicles with a lower tow capacity. But don’t assume that because you are getting a small trailer that it will also be light – do your research! This is especially important if you are specifically in the market for a light trailer. I discovered that many small trailers are still very heavy. Just because a trailer is labelled as “ultra light,” it might not mean the same think you think it means.

We wanted a trailer that was as light as possible. We didn’t want a large SUV or a truck, and we wanted a trailer that was as light as possible for driving. To that end, I was often disappointed when I looked at the dry weights on the “ultra light” trailers only to discover that they were still over 3,500 pounds to start. Because I knew the weight that we were looking for, I was able to eliminate many trailers right off the bat. This can be helpful when you’re in those initial stages, but it can also become discouraging.

I would highly recommend you look into the specs of your vehicle before you start researching trailers. Once you have figured out what your current vehicle can pull, you can figure out if the size of trailer you want will require a new vehicle. Even if you already plan on getting a new vehicle prior to buying your trailer, you’ll still need to know your trailer weight to ensure you pick out a vehicle with sufficient tow capacity.

And remember – at the end of the day it is better to have “too much” tow capacity than not enough. Pulling a trailer that is too heavy for your vehicle is not only extremely unsafe, but it will also destroy your transmission over time. And if you break your transmission because you towed over capacity, you better believe your warranty is not going to cover that. You are going to have your trailer and your vehicle for many years so do yourself a favour and make sure you consider everything related to the size and weight.

Are you looking to park it or travel with it?

I’m not going to spend too much time here since we discussed it last week. You should already have an idea about whether you want to park the trailer or travel with it, and you should have already considered some of the size implications related to both options.

If you are looking to park your trailer and then leave it, you may be able to go for a bigger trailer than if you were planning on travelling around with it. You may also want to go slightly bigger if you are going to spend more time there, or treat it like your cottage.

One thing to consider is that if you plan to park the trailer, you may be able to go with a bigger trailer without needing a bigger vehicle. You will need to find a bigger vehicle to tow the trailer to the place where you are going to park it, but you may be able to find a friend to assist with this.

If you plan to travel with your trailer, smaller can be a better option. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go for a tiny trailer. This could mean that you do a bit of extra research and pick the 18’ trailer instead of the 25’ trailer. You may be able to find all the features you want in a slightly smaller trailer, and that might make all of the difference in your enjoyment of towing.

How many people will you be travelling with?

This may seem like an obvious consideration, but make sure that it is something you think about early on. How many people will you be travelling with regularly? You may have more or less people that you travel with depending on the circumstances, but as a general rule, how many people will be the norm?

You want to make sure that you have enough space for all of you. This doesn’t mean you need a huge space, but you should make sure that at the very least you have enough space to comfortably sleep everyone.

Most trailers have at least one table that can turn into a bed if necessary. But before you count that as your primary bed for one of your travellers, consider whether you need it to be a table. If you are only going to use that table in the event of rain or inclement weather, then you might not mind putting the bed away in that instance. But if you are going to use the table every day, or even most days, are going to want to put that bed away every morning? This may not bother you at all, but make sure you have thought it through.

If all of you go camping, will your trailer work? Is there someone willing and able to sleep in a tent if necessary? Or does that defeat the purpose of getting a trailer for you. It’s better to think through all of the scenarios and possibilities (or as many as you can) now, instead of realizing a year after you purchase your trailer that it’s not enough space, too much space, or you strongly dislike putting away a bed every day.

Bigger isn’t always Better.

You may have gathered by now that I prefer smaller trailers. I have nothing against bigger trailers, but I am just not drawn to them, and they just don’t feel like camping to me. But this point is not about my personal preference for small trailers.

I want you to consider that bigger isn’t always better. If you are newer to trailers, you may think that the bigger the trailer the more features, or the better the experience that you will get. But this is not necessarily true. I have seen many big trailers that are laid out so poorly that you can actually get more usable space in a slightly smaller, better planned out, trailer.

Before you just jump into a bigger trailer, think about whether you actually need all of that extra space. Sure you may have cabinets coming out of your ears, and that may seem great at first, but do you need to bring all of that stuff with you while travelling? And remember, more stuff means more weight for you to tow. You may find that a smaller trailer, with well thought out storage solutions, and thoughtfully laid out, actually provides you with more than enough storage space for your needs and wants along with providing the right amount of living space.

Will you be happy in that size of trailer (Smaller isn’t always better)

Happy Camper image — This is a Happy Camper. A more modern trailer based on the original boler design
Image by Michelle Churchman from Pixabay

For most of this post, I have stressed the benefits of a smaller trailer, but I don’t want to neglect the important consideration that smaller also isn’t always better. Though I prefer a smaller trailer, this is still something that I fully believe. We are getting a 16’ trailer. This is smaller than many of the trailers out there, but it’s also not a “small” trailer by the definition of some.

When I first started looking into trailers, I was fascinated with Bolers and Trilliums. If you are not familiar, these are older, compact, fiberglass trailers. And they are small. They are about 13’ in length, and they are not overly tall. I love the look of these trailers, and if I were to suddenly find myself with gobs of extra money, I would love to own one. But after fully considering our options, we decided that this type of trailer wasn’t going to be practical for us.

They are just that wee bit too small. We didn’t want to run into a situation where our trailer was too small, or too claustrophobic. There were also a number of features that we wanted in our new trailer that would not have worked in a Boler, even if we fully renovated the interior. There is such a thing as too small for you.

It can be tempting to look at the tiny trailers and see nothing but the advantages. But if you are going with something small, you need to be fully committed to that size of trailer. If you are thinking that you can learn to live with the disadvantages, take some extra time to consider whether you want to learn to live with them. Do the positives that you associate with a smaller trailer outweigh the negatives? Because if they don’t, or if even one of those negatives has the potential to turn into a deal breaker, then you won’t be happy in the long run. Don’t regret your trailer choice because you decided to go with something too small for you.

Our new trailer is small, but it is laid out well and it has enough space for all of the features that we want. Many people will look at our trailer and think that it is too small, and I’m sure there are many that think it’s too big. But because we knew exactly what we wanted, and had a good idea of the general size and weight we wanted, we were able to find something that I think is going to work perfectly for us.

It can seem like there are endless options when it comes to trailer size. It can feel overwhelming to figure out the size of trailer that you need, especially in a time where people are buying giant luxury trailers. These size options have expanded the trailer world to include more people. Even though they might not be for me, these big, apartment style trailers, have opened the doors to people who may not have been interested in smaller options.

Now that you have considered these questions related to the size of your new trailer, where do you see yourself? Are you looking at a small trailer to fit your needs, or do you lean towards something bigger? Do you have any considerations related to size that you would like to add to this list? Which of the items on this list did you find the most helpful in your considerations for a trailer? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Next week we are getting into some of the fun elements of researching trailers – the features!

Until Next Time,

How Are You Going to Use it? Buying a Trailer Series Part 1

Published on November 3, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello and welcome back! If you missed last week’s post introducing this new series where I’m going to look at some of the things I think you should consider if you’re looking to purchase a trailer, you can check it out here. This week I want you to consider why you are buying a trailer and how you are going to use it. And I’m looking for more than “because I want one” or “to camp…” How you answer this question will greatly impact the type of trailer you decide to get, and many of the things we’re going to discuss in the next few weeks hinge on the answers you give to this question.

Question 1: What do you like and dislike about your current setup?

Woman enjoying a cup of coffee camping — Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

How you begin to answer this question will depend on whether or not you are currently a camper. Before you start looking into trailer options, I suggest that you think about the way you currently camp. If you haven’t camped for awhile then consider the way you have camped in the past. If you are not currently a camper, then I want you to think about why you would like to start camping, and why you want to start with trailer camping specifically.

If you are currently a camper, then I want you to think about and list the things that you love about your current setup and the way that you currently camp. Even if you want to change how you camp, you still want to pick out a trailer that fits your camping style. For example, if you love everything about tenting but are tired of sleeping in a tent, you may find that a 20’ luxury camper would be too drastic a change and would take all the joy out of camping. Your equipment shouldn’t take away from what you love about camping.

Once you have completed this list, think about all the things you don’t like about camping or your current setup. Is your current set up too big or too small for your needs or wants? Do you really wish that you didn’t need to walk to the washroom first thing every morning? Do you despise cooking in the rain? Write everything down.

In this stage you’re not considering features that you want in depth, that will come later. You just want to identify your likes and dislikes to give you a baseline for the type and size of trailer that you will be looking for. You don’t want your new trailer to ruin camping for you, but you also want to try and eliminate some of the things you don’t like about your current setup.

If you aren’t a camper, I still want you to go through this likes/dislikes exercise. I want you to consider what you think you will like and dislike about trailer camping. What are the things you look forward to and dream about when you picture yourself with your new trailer? What are the things that have kept you from camping up to this point?

There are many objections to camping that you can overcome by picking the right trailer. But there are many that you won’t be able to overcome. So pay attention to any of the “big things” that appear on this list. I don’t want to turn you away from camping, but I also don’t want you to buy a trailer on a whim and then regret it.

I don’t want to discourage you from taking up trailer camping, or suggest that you shouldn’t purchase a trailer. But I do want to make sure that you’ve thought it through. Trailer camping isn’t for everyone and it may be a good idea to dip your toes in the water of camping prior to making such a big purchase. Many parks have roofed accommodation options that fall somewhere between a tent or trailer and cabins, have you considered staying in one of these? Depending on where you go these accommodations provide more or less equipment, but there are options available to rent the necessary equipment so that you don’t need to purchase everything right away.

oTentik Picture — An oTentik at Thousand Islands National Park

These options aren’t going to give you the same experience as trailer camping, but I think they can help you get an idea of whether or not you will enjoy camping. Another option to consider would be renting a trailer for one or two trips, though I don’t know much about the logistics of this option.

Question 2: What is your time line?

This may seem like an odd consideration, but I have learned that it is a valuable one. Are you looking to purchase your new trailer immediately, or do you have some wiggle room? What would happen if you were told that you needed to wait 6 months? What about 1 year or 2 years? Would that turn you off the trailer completely?

You might be tempted to skip this question – because of course, you want the trailer as soon as possible. But I encourage you to take the time to think past that. I spent years thinking about and researching trailers to figure out what I wanted. I know that many people aren’t going to do this, but it’s important to note that I could take my time because I didn’t need the trailer right away.

We had a couple trips planned that we didn’t need a trailer for, so we could take things slow to get an idea of what we wanted. We also still owned our old trailer for most of that time so it was there if we needed it. Once we made the final decision to switch to a new trailer, we sold the old one in the spring, and then had picked out our new trailer by September of that same year.

And then we were told that there was a 2 year wait list for the trailer we wanted. Most trailers don’t have this length of wait list, but our trailer is being custom built at a small, family owned company and they can only produce so many trailers a year. We could have changed our minds and decided to look for something else similar, but we knew what we wanted, and we knew our time line. And because of that we were able to go ahead with it.

You may still think that this doesn’t apply to you because you aren’t looking to buy a custom trailer. But don’t brush it off. There are many smaller trailer companies that may also have waiting periods. Not to mention that many companies saw a surge in interest this year and sold through more inventory than in a typical year. In addition to high demand, there were closures that led to lumber and parts shortages. And these are sure to cause production schedule delays. If you find the perfect trailer but the supply is low and you need to wait for it, is that something you are willing to do? It’s okay if your answer is no, but you should know going in.

You should also know your time line if you are looking to buy used. The used trailer hunt can be short and sweet, or it can be tedious, time consuming and lengthy. There are often a lot of people selling trailers but they won’t necessarily meet your needs or you’ll find that the perfect ones seem to be scooped up before they even come across your screen. Even trailer companies that sell used trailers can only sell you what’s on the lot, and if none of those trailers match your needs, then you’ll need to keep looking, or change what you’re looking for.

Question 3: How do you plan to use it?

Yes, I know. You’re planning on using it for camping. What I mean is, in general, are you looking to park it our travel with it? Many trailers can be parked or traveled with, but there are some better suited to each type of use. This question will come up again next week when we talk about size, but it is useful to consider in this step as well. It also may not be something you have considered before this point.

There are many people who buy trailers to park and leave in one place. For people who can’t afford or don’t want the additional expenses and responsibilities of a cottage, a trailer in a nice park can be a great alternative. If this is how you intend to use your trailer, you might want to consider something a bit bigger and you also won’t need to be as concerned about the trailer weight. I’m not saying that you need to go crazy or that you can’t park a small trailer. But if you’re going to spend a lot of time at the trailer you may want a bit more space or a few more creature comforts. If this is your plan, it is also worth considering trailers that are already located at your chosen park.

On the other hand, it is easier to travel with a smaller trailer. It is possible to travel with a giant trailer, and I am sure you have seen any number of them traveling down the highway. But the bigger the trailer the more unwieldy it will become to drive and park. Not to mention you’ll use more gas, need a bigger vehicle, and put more wear and tear on that vehicle the bigger you go. I’m not saying that you need to buy one of those little tear drop trailers if you plan on taking road trips. But I am saying that you should take some time to think about what size of trailer will best meet your specific needs. Because, as we’re going to see next week, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better.

I hope that you have found these considerations helpful. There are so many different styles and sizes of trailers available in the market that it can be overwhelming if you don’t have some idea of what you are looking for and what you need. The more you can know about your wants and needs going into the search, the better prepared you will be to quickly eliminate the ones that don’t meet those needs. Do you know your camping style? Let me know one thing that you can’t live without from your current setup in the comments below!

Until Next Time,

Thinking About Buying a Trailer Series Introduction

Published on October 27, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth2 Comments

This year has seen an increase in people buying trailers and RV’s. The pandemic not only restricted travel options, but it also increased the necessity and desire to remain safe during travel. These factors encouraged many people to look into options such as renting or purchasing travel trailers of all types. People who never before considered buying a trailer now started to consider it. And I think that many more people who were already considering it moved up their purchase plans. Not only have people been buying trailers, but many have been buying very large trailers… in some cases ones that are essentially small apartments on wheels.

As someone who was already in the process of buying a trailer before the pandemic hit, I think that it’s great that more people will experience the joys of trailer camping. At the same time, I can’t help but wonder if some of these new owners are going to end up with serious buyers remorse in the next few months or years as they made this big purchase on a whim. Then again, that could just be because I’m the type of person who spends months considering and researching for a major purchase of this type.

With that in mind, I thought it would be a good time to post about the process that went into picking out our trailer, and some of the things that I think you should consider if you are looking to purchase a trailer. I intended to write this series earlier in the summer, and then I took my unplanned break. Though we’re no longer in trailer season, I think this series is still relevant at this time for a number of reasons.

I had planned on writing about our process of buying a trailer since I started this blog. Our trailer, and the camping that goes with it, is going to be featured in many posts once we get it, so I wanted to background that with posts about the process.
People aren’t done buying trailers in relation to the pandemic. Even as the world eventually starts going back to normal, I think there’s still going to be an inclination to maintain distance during travel.
Trailer purchases didn’t begin with the pandemic, and trailer camping is still something that will continue long after the pandemic is a thing of the past. The considerations I want to talk about are common regardless of whether you buy a trailer now or in the future.

Some Background

I have been camping with my family for my whole life. I was two weeks old the first time I went, and I’ve gone at least once per summer almost every summer since then. We have always been tent trailer campers. Our first trailer was an old canvas Canadian Tire camper, and it was small. It was essentially a box with fold out flaps for beds. I think the middle space had room for a playpen, and that was about the extent of it.

Our pictures of this trailer have gone temporarily MIA, but this is the first trailer we had

After that, we moved up to a slightly bigger canvas tent trailer. It was still essentially a box with fold out beds, but this one also had a space in the middle with benches and a table. I loved this trailer. Sure, it was small. But it was cozy (as long as you didn’t touch the canvas in the rain), and it had a lot of character. Eventually it was too small to actually sleep our entire family, but I am the sentimental type, and it was full of memories.

And then one year, the weekend before we were planning on getting it out of storage, we got a phone call. A phone call stating that the barn where we stored the trailer had burned down, along with our trailer and many of our camping supplies. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but we were so upset to lose our trailer so suddenly, and many of the things we lost had a great deal of sentimental attachment. With camping booked for the summer, my parents were now on the hunt for another trailer.

The trailer we got next was luxurious in comparison to what we were used to and it was much newer than our previous trailers. I’m not going to lie – I wasn’t a huge fan at the start. At the time, my opinion was that no self-respecting tent trailer would have electricity, a furnace and a refrigerator. What can I say, I was young and I didn’t like change. I also wasn’t the one responsible for the food for the trips, and had never experienced the struggle of keeping food fresh using only coolers and a Kool-a-tron. My opinion on this aspect has changed significantly over the years. Though I know there are also people who would still agree with my younger self.

Our Third, and most recent, tent trailer — Our Third and most recent trailer

This trailer served us well for years, and it was still functional and in good condition when we started to think about switching to something new. The problem was, it was no longer functional for us anymore. We found we were tent camping more often because the tent trailer was too big for the two of us, and took more setup than we often wanted to do on our trips. For the amount of time we traveled with more than 2 of us, it just wasn’t worth it. No to mention that the trailer was heavy to pull for what it was.

And so, despite how much we loved our trailer, and how well it had served us for years, we started to seriously consider getting something else. Our research and consideration process was actually quite lengthy from start to finish because it began with dreaming and “window shopping” long before we even started thinking about making the change. Even after we started to look in earnest, we took it slow and steady because we wanted to find something that would be perfect for our needs, or at least as close to it as we could get.

In the end we settled on a small, custom made, fully enclosed trailer from a family owned Canadian company that is essentially “down the street” from us. We will transition from being tent trailer people into a trailer that has absolutely no canvas on it. It’s still relatively small as trailers go, and compared to those hotels on wheels, it could be considered basic. But it will be equipped with all of the creature comforts that we were looking for, plus a few that we’d never even considered before we came across this company. In short, after a ridiculous amount of research, we have chosen a trailer that will hopefully be as close to perfect for us as we can get.

Taylor Coach Sample Trailer Image — Picture taken from taylorcoach.com – Sample of the type of Trailer we’re purchasing

Along the way, through all the dreaming and research and talking to others we knew that had trailers, I’ve put together a list of some of the things I think are worth considering when you’re looking to upgrade or change your camping rig. I am certain there are aspects of trailer research and purchase that I haven’t included, but these are the ones I think were highest on our list of considerations. I am going to look at each of the following topics over the course of the next four weeks, and I’ll talk about our personal process and decision making as we go along.

Why are you buying a trailer and how are you going to use it?
Size Matters
Need, want, don’t want: Features to Consider
What’s Your Budget?

I hope that you will join me over the next month as we look at these considerations and the process of researching to buy a trailer. Do you own a trailer? If so, is it something that you’ve purchased recently, or have you had it for some time? Are there any major considerations that you think I’m missing from my list, or anything that you would like me to write about? Let me know in the comments!

Until Next Time,

Dreaming of Fall Camping

Published on October 20, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello Lovely Readers, and welcome back! It has been awhile.

If you’re someone who also reads my book posts, you may be thinking it hasn’t been all that long at all since my last post, and you would be correct. But I know there are some who come here primarily for the travel and adventure related posts. Even those of you who primarily read the book posts may be wondering where the travel posts have gone. Let me assure you, they have not gone away for good, they just went on a bit of a break.

I mentioned in my Summer Reading wrap up that I took an unplanned break from writing this summer. A number of life things came between me and writing over the summer months. Though I wish I could have continued without the break, I am learning to recognize and listen to my physical and emotional cues and take a break when needed. I’ve seen it said many times that it’s better to take a break, or rest than to quit. So that is what I did.

And then when I started back up again with writing in September I decided to spend a few weeks getting back in the swing of things by posting book-related posts only, thus limiting myself to one post a week. Not only did I want to ease back in, but I also didn’t want to burn out before I’d even really got started again. But I think I am ready now to jump back into the travel-related posts. I have the week off from work in an unprecedented fall vacation, and I am hoping to put together a few posts so that I can have the flexibility of working ahead instead of always running from week to week.

I had originally planned on jumping back in with a series about buying a trailer, but as I am sitting here today enjoying some beautifully crisp fall weather, I keep thinking about how much I’m looking forward to doing some fall camping next year, and so I decided to chat a bit about that. Don’t worry though, the trailer series is coming, so consider this a teaser for the upcoming weeks.

I have never gone fall camping. It’s just not something my family did when I was growing up. I don’t think it was something we ever considered since it’s more effort to heat a tent trailer than a fully enclosed trailer, and I just can’t imagine running to the washroom in the early hours of a fall morning. Now, I know that there are probably many out there telling me that they camp all the time in the fall or winter in tents without any heating. As much as I would love to try out that type of fall or winter camping someday, in general, we are wimps, and you are braver than us. So, other than the occasional youth group campout or a fall retreat in cabins, I have never really gone off-season camping.

As I have mentioned before (if you can remember that far back), we are buying a new trailer with a delivery date of June 2021. Our new trailer is a fully contained, aluminum travel trailer with a heater and an onboard washroom. As such, one of the things we are really looking forward to is the possibility of more offseason camping trips. It may sound strange, but a fall camping trip is one of the things that I am currently looking forward to the most in 2021.

Though October can be a hit or miss month in terms of the weather here in Southwestern Ontario, even cooler days can be beautiful and you can’t beat the changing leaves for scenery on fall walks. Sure, you’re not likely to have any beach days or sunbathing in October, but in my opinion, there’s so much to look forward to/dream about with regards to fall camping.

1. Long scenic walks in the woods

In some ways, the cooler fall days are nicer for long walks than hot summer days. When the days are hot and humid, it can quickly become “too hot” to enjoy a long walk. In the fall, the days are cooler so that you don’t overheat but aren’t typically cold enough that you need too many extra layers. Not to mention that the changing leaves make for a beautiful change to the scenery when walking in wooded areas. There is also something special and magical about walking over the soft padding of fallen leaves on the path. I am a big fan of fall walks, especially knowing there’s a cozy trailer and hot tea or chocolate waiting at the other end.

2. Coffee outdoors on Crisp Autumn mornings

Coffee enjoyed outdoors in nature is just better somehow. And it’s even better yet if the morning is just enough on the crisp side that you need a sweater or light jacket, but not too cold to keep you inside or make the coffee get cold too fast. I enjoy the odd day where I can enjoy a coffee, or tea, on my deck at this time of year, and I can’t wait to enjoy it outside of our trailer surrounded by the sounds of fall. When morning coffee is in charge of waking you up and warming you up, it is that much more lovely.

3. Cool morning lie-ins and slow starts

I don’t know about you, but I often find it more difficult to sleep in while camping in the summer, especially if I’m in a tent. The sun, combined with warmer temperatures, is just so insistent in saying that you should get up and start your day. Add to that the need to get up and walk to the washroom, and I just don’t find myself staying in bed too long. Now, I don’t actually know how it will be in practice waking up in our trailer on fall mornings, but I am envisioning the possibilities of lazier, more slow-moving mornings – especially since an on-board washroom and stove mean that we don’t actually need to leave the trailer first thing in the morning if the weather is less than pleasant or it’s raining. It will be so much easier to enjoy the rain on the aluminum roof if we’re not thinking about the upcoming mad dash to the washroom…

4. Cozy evening campfires

I love campfires in the evening while camping in the summer. Depending on the weather, however, summer nights can be too warm to fully enjoy a campfire. This is where fall campfires shine. And with fall you don’t even necessarily need to restrict the campfires to the evenings if the day is cooler. Fall campfires are something you can truly cozy up to, and they’re even better with hot beverages. Sure, depending on the evening, you might also need sweaters and blankets (and possibly hats), but that just adds to the mood and coziness. An added bonus is that, even if you have the temperature down low in the trailer, you won’t be leaving the coziness of the fire to go into a freezing cold tent.

5. The freedom to just relax and enjoy

Now, I try to do this on all of my camping trips, or at least on the ones that aren’t incorporated into other travels, but I think the options are a bit different on a fall camping trip. Sometimes, on summer trips, there can be more pressure to get out and do something to enjoy warm days we know won’t last. Whatever that looks like, it doesn’t always feel right to just hang around all day (though we have been incorporating more of this in our summer camping). Regardless of whether it’s the same activities or different, I think fall days lend themselves so much better to snuggling up and reading or writing all day, or spending the entire day listening to music and playing board games. I’m not sure I’m explaining this point all that well, but I am looking forward to the extra coziness that comes from a lazy fall day indoors surrounded by nature and peppered with the occasional trek outside for fresh air.

These are just some of the things I am dreaming about when I think of fall camping. I’m sure what I enjoy about it, and what I look forward to with regards to it, will change once I’ve actually gone fall camping, but for now these are the things I am picturing while sitting on my deck wishing I was elsewhere.

Have you ever been fall camping? Do you go in a tent or in a trailer? What is the thing you enjoy most about fall camping as opposed to summer camping? Leave me a comment below and don’t forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this post!

Until Next time,

10 Novels that Feature Camping

Published on July 2, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

When I set out to put together this list of books that feature camping, I was confident that it wouldn’t be all that difficult. Though putting together these types of lists is typically time consuming, I normally have a good basis of posts and lists to start from. Both Google and Goodreads have always been good friends in helping me sift through books to come up with a list. It turns out that this was not the case when it came to books that feature camping.

I soon discovered that there are not many existing lists to peruse. Though I am certain that there are many books that include some form of camping, they don’t seem to be grouped together or easily identifiable. Camping doesn’t seem to be a common keyword tag for novels. There are at least 2 books on this list that I only found because I spent time scrolling through my Goodreads “Read” and “Want to Read” lists, and I remembered enough about them to click through to the description.

Many of the lists that do exist are short and contain the same small handful of books, or they list books that contain some wilderness aspects and/or hiking but not camping. There are lists of books set at summer camp, but that was not what I wanted. It turned out to be very difficult to find fictional books that include camping. But I have succeed in putting together a list!

The books listed here feature camping to different extents, but I think they all feature it in some way or another. I have not read them all, but I have read a number of them and hope to add the others to my TBR for the future.

1. Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries by Tonya Kappes
This was the book that inspired me to write this list, and somehow made me believe that it would be easy to put together. If there’s one book, there must be more, right? This is the first in the Camper & Criminals cozy mystery series that is set in a campground in Kentucky. With campground politics to traverse and a murder to solve, this is a fun entry into the series and I look forward to reading the later books.

2. The Wild Inside by Christine Carbo
This is the first in the Glacier Park Mystery series. From the description, this might not be one to take along on your next camping trip unless you are okay with being scared of every thing that goes bump in the night. This mystery deals with grizzly bear attacks that appear to be instigated by a very human killer. As intriguing as this one sounds, I don’t think I’ll be too keen on sleeping in a tent too soon after reading it.

3. Hatchet by Gary Paulson
I read this book years ago while in elementary school. This is again the first in a series, though I think I only ever read the first book. The series follows a boy who is forced to survive in the Canadian wilderness after the plane he was in crash lands in a lake. All he has is the clothing on his back and a small hatchet.

4. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
I came across this one multiple times before I added it to the list, because I was convinced that it was a non-fiction/memoir/self-help type book. But I was wrong. This is a contemporary novel about a recently divorced woman who lets her younger brother convince her to sign up for a wilderness survival course where she will spend three weeks in a remote area of Wyoming.

5. The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson
This book has quite possibly one of the cutest covers ever, but it might be stretching the topic a tad, because I’m not sure how much camping it includes. This is a contemporary romance novel that follows a woman who moves back home to help out her grieving and aging grandfather only to find that her mother has already taken over her old room. Things start to turn around when her grandfather gifts her an old run-down vintage camper that she resolves to restore with the help of a certain handsome gentleman from town.

6. Flamingo Fatale by Jimmie Ruth Evans
This is the first in the Trailer Park Mystery series, and from the description, it probably falls right on the edge of the camping category. When Wanda’s husband is found murdered with her favourite pink flamingo yard ornament, she quickly becomes not only the prime suspect but a target for the real killers. Wanda and her best friend need to catch the real killers before they get her.

7. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
This is the first book in the fantasy series The Queen’s Thief. While camping isn’t a main feature point in the book, and certainly not the rest of the series to my knowledge, the characters do spend a fair amount of time camping and hiking through the woods as they set out on a quest in search of a treasure. There are even stories at night by the campfire! This is a series that I quickly fell in love with, and I would highly recommend checking out.

8. Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
This is a young adult contemporary romance that features a group camping trip that goes south leaving the two main characters – best friends turned enemies – alone in the wilderness. Can the two stop fighting long enough to get out of the woods in one piece? And what will happen as their hidden feelings start to surface? This is one that I have had on my list for a while after reading, and loving, another book by the same author.

9. The Distance Between Lost & Found by Kathryn Holmes
I read this book quite sometime ago, and from my Goodreads review it seems that I had mixed feelings about it at the time, despite giving it 3 stars. I don’t remember it enough to say why I felt this way, so it might be worth a re-read. This story features a group of characters with a complicated history, that set out on a youth group camping trip. The three main characters become separated from the group and they need to overcome their history to survive and escape the wilderness.

10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Okay… so this one is really stretching it, but I didn’t love some of my other options so I decided to just go with it. This is a book that features the type of camping you might enjoy if you like your vacations with a touch of danger. And of course, by a touch of danger, I mean that chances are you won’t survive. This book gives new meaning to the theme of escaping the wilderness alive. Beware of changing landscapes and unpredictable killer creatures. “May the odds be ever in your favour.”

There you have it. 10 books that I was able to find that feature camping to some degree or another. I am certain that there are more books that I have read or heard about that include camping, but they were playing hard to get. Hopefully going forward, this topic will be something that I can keep in mind while reading, and maybe somewhere in the future I’ll be able to write an updated list with more titles.

Have you read any books that feature or include a type of camping that I have missed? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Camping while Travelling

Published on June 30, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

In my post about Catching the Travel Bug, I wrote a bit about my relationship with camping. I love camping for it’s own sake, and I also love being able to incorporate it into other trips. Our trip to Nova Scotia included camping and, whenever we get to take our trip to Newfoundland, it will include a form of camping as well.

We include camping not only because we enjoy it, but also because it can help to bring down accommodation costs. Of course, the accommodation savings probably won’t draw you if you dislike camping, but there may be different types of camping, or camping type accommodations that you can consider.

Incorporating camping into a trip creates an experience different than you get staying in hotel type accommodations. And, though I would encourage everyone to consider it, I know that camping on trips is not going to be for everyone. For those of you who are interested in working camping into your trips, here are some of my thoughts on the benefits of camping as part of travel and some general things to consider when you’re planning this type of trip.

5 Benefits of Camping while Travelling

1. Reduced Accommodation Costs

It costs less to camp than it does to stay in a hotel. Especially if you’re staying in a tent. There are more up front costs, that can vary depending on your budget, and how you want to spend, but the per night cost is lower to camp. In some cases camping can significantly lower your accommodation costs on a trip. Even if you choose to stay in a park accommodation or cabin, which cost more than a typical site, they still generally cost less than a hotel type room.

For many of our trips, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in particular, we plan a mix of accommodations. Sometimes we stay in hotels, but the option to camp at least some of the time does wonders for a budget. I wish we were going to be able to take our camping gear with us to Newfoundland!

2. Reduced Food Costs

There is not much better than a camping breakfast.

This benefit depends a lot on what gear you own, but when you can prepare some of your own means you can significantly reduce your food costs. This is something you can sometimes do when staying in hotels type accomodations, but it’s more difficult to find hotels with meal preparation capabilities. Especially if you want more than microwaveable dishes. We love to plan fun places to eat into our trips. Eating out at new places is part of the fun of travel for us. But we try to lower our food budget by only eating out for some meals. You can reduce your budget significantly if you grab food at a grocery store for a few meals and prepare it yourself.

3. Increased Social Distancing

This isn’t something I would have included in this list before this year, even though I’ve always appreciated the way camping can let you retreat a bit from being around too many people. But this year, social distancing has become something to consider in trip planning. Not only are you able to keep distance from others on your own campsite, when you’re camping, most of the things you touch are only being touched by you and your family. You also know exactly when things were last cleaned.

Depending on whether you camp in a tent or trailer, and what type of trailer you have, you can increase your social distancing even more. Camping also has the added bonus of being outdoors (I know, I know, shocker). And being outdoors brings it’s own benefits along with reducing potential spread of illnesses.

4. A Variety of Accommodation Types

So, you hate sleeping a tent or don’t want to spend the money on equipment for something you’ll only do occasionally? That doesn’t mean that camping is off the table for you if you are wanting to try it out, or dip your toes in. There are many different types of camping accommodations available in many parks across Canada. And I believe that is the case in other areas as well, though I haven’t done much research into this.

Some parks have Yurts or oTentiks (exclusive to Canadian national parks), which are a cross between tents and cabins. Some camp grounds offer small trailers or cabins that you can stay in. These types of accommodations are more expensive than regular campsites, but they are often still less expensive than hotels, and they bring all the other benefits of camping. There are even places where, for an extra cost, you can rent camping equipment. This is especially good if you’re testing out camping and not sure you want to commit.

5. The Experience Itself

In my opinion, camping is its own benefit. There is something special about waking up while camping and enjoying a coffee while fully immersed in the beauty of the park or campground. You also can’t enjoy a campfire in a hotel. I know that not everyone will agree with me, and many just don’t enjoy the experience of camping, but I think it’s definitely something to try at least once. And that doesn’t mean you need to sleep in a tent.

I have also found that staying at a park allows you the opportunity to explore it more, or in a different way. You may be able to spend more time exploring the park if you’re not needing to leave to get to your accommodations. I love adding camping into my travels, it has always added something to the experience for us.

5 Considerations when Adding Camping into your Trips

1. What type of trip are you planning

Though I would like to say that camping can or should be worked into any trip, that’s not actually the case. Some trips aren’t ideal to add camping into. Obviously, camping doesn’t go fit into a resort based tropical vacation – but there are also other trips where it doesn’t work, or at least doesn’t work as well.

If your trip is going to be focused on big cities, camping may not be the best fit. You can make it work by staying on the outskirts of town and driving in, but there are times when staying within the city brings it’s own advantages, which make it more than worth it to spend a bit more to stay in a hotel type accommodation.

2. How are you travelling?

Depending on how you’re travelling on your trip, or travelling to get there, camping may be more or less feasible. When we drove out to Nova Scotia, we were able to plan for tent camping because we had the space to pack all our necessary camping gear. Road trips lend themselves well to camping for this very reason.

Because we are flying into Newfoundland, and then renting a car, our camping options are more limited. We aren’t taking our camping gear with us on the flight. Though it is theoretically possible, it was not something we wanted to do. We are still planning park accommodation type camping, however, which requires much less equipment. The feasibility of camping with your travel method is an important consideration.

3. Are you camping the whole trip?

The type of trip you’re taking, and how often you will be moving from one place to another, will help you decide how much of your trip can be camping. Sometimes it makes sense to spend the night in a hotel type accommodation. Maybe you are just stopping to sleep after a long day of driving or travelling, and setting up camp, especially with a tent, will be too much added effort. Or perhaps you’re spending a day or two exploring a city and it makes sense to stay within the city as your home base. There’s nothing to stay you need to camp the whole time, and there’s nothing to say you can’t camp the whole time either. We’ve certainly done both types of trips. Figure out what works best for you trip.

4. Where are you going to camp?

Sometimes camping can be part of the experience – take these adorable camping caravans I stayed in just outside of Amsterdam. Camping Zeeburg was the perfect spot for exploring Amsterdam and the experience was one I will never forget!

This consideration may seem obvious, but there are many parts to this question. What are you looking for from the campground? Some campgrounds are best for short stays or certain types of camping but don’t offer much in terms of sightseeing. Others are good for the hikes and the sites as well as the camping. Both types serve a purpose on a trip. If you were already planning on visiting provincial or national parks as part of your trip, it might be worth it considering camping there for a night or two (or more depending on your trip). This would give you so much more opportunity to explore the park and soak up the experience.

5. What Type of Camping are you going to do?

This point ties in with what I talked about in the ‘how are you travelling’ consideration. You need to decide whether you want to camp in a tent, a trailer, or in park accommodations. Now, some of this will depend on what equipment you own and your budget. You can rent a trailer or RV, but this will add expenses that you need to consider. Not to mention, most trailers and RV’s come with a learning curve that you should be aware of.

Each of these types of camping have different advantages and disadvantages. And some will work better for some people more than others. I know plenty of people who strongly dislike tent camping but they love trailers or other park accommodations. I’ve done plenty of tent camping, because it can be easier than a tent trailer depending on your trip. But I’m looking forward to when we get our new trailer, because the easy set up will be great for road trip stops.

These are just some of the benefits and considerations for working camping into your travels and trips. Camping is great as a trip in and of itself, but it’s also great as part of other travels. Since camping is such a big part of my adventure and travel experience, I am probably going to write quite a lot about camping. Let me know if there’s anything you would be interested to hear about!

What about you? Do you enjoy camping either on it’s own or part of other trips? Is there anything you would add to this list of benefits and considerations?

Until next time,

10 Trips I’m Dreaming of Right Now

Published on June 23, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello Friends! Today we are dreaming about travel!

Since I don’t have infinite time or money for travel, I spend a great deal more time dreaming about trips than I do actually travelling. I also know that many of the trips that I would like to take will never happen. Because of that, I try to keep a balance in my dreaming between trips that I might reasonably be able to take at some point, and the ones that are mostly, or all, fantasy.

The list below contains a mixture of both types of trips. Some of them are currently in the “short term” dreaming stage – meaning that I consider these trips as not only possible, but probable. One of them may even become my next “big” trip, after Newfoundland. The first part of the list is comprised of these types of trips. The second part of the list is comprised of trips that are more long term or less likely to actually happen.

1. Fall and/or Winter Camping in our Trailer

Next June, if all goes as planned, we are getting a new travel trailer. There are many things that I am looking forward to with this new trailer, and one of the things is the possibility for an extended camping season. The trailer we are getting has a heater, and because it is fully enclosed with a hard top, it can easily be used in Fall and even Winter. I am hoping next fall to be able to take advantage of that for at least a weekend trip.

2. VIA Rail Train trip from Toronto to Vancouver

While I was procrastinating researching our Newfoundland trip, I stumbled upon the idea of taking a train trip across the country. This is something I have thought about for years, but I only recently started thinking about more seriously. I discovered that VIA rail has a route that is specifically designed for this type of trip – a trip where it’s more about the journey and less about the destination. It’s not inexpensive to take a train across the country, but based on what is included in the cost, it’s also not as costly as I was expecting it to be. This is the trip that I am currently considering as our next “big” trip.

3. Road Trip out west – Toronto to Vancouver

This trip is another that has been on my list for years, but we decided to focus on out East first. I have always intended that camping would be a big part of this trip, and now that we are getting a trailer with minimal setup, it will be that much easier to incorporate. I’ll get into it more in an upcoming post, but one of the big changes we were looking for in a new trailer was the ease of setup to assist on those nights where the only reason you’re stopping for the night is to sleep, so you don’t want to spend all your time setting up camp.

4. Lake Superior and Camping in Northern Ontario

This is a trip that will probably be done on a year when we’re not planning a big trip. The trip is big in terms of distance, but we will mostly camp in a couple locations, so we can do it on a much smaller budget than many of the other trips. We have done a lot of camping and travel more in southern Ontario, or North towards Ottawa/Quebec, and less towards Thunder Bay and the North West, so this is definitely an area that we would like to explore more. I think this would be a good trip to test out long distance driving with the trailer prior to committing to go out West.

5. Long Weekend in a tiny Cabin

This is another trip that will hopefully be possible in the relatively short term – if not this year, then maybe the next. I discovered Cabinscape through instagram and have wanted to stay in one of their cabins ever since. They are all relatively remote, off grid tiny cabins located in the general direction of Ottawa for the most part. They are beautiful cabins with beautiful views and locations for exploring in the woods. If this sounds intriguing to you, you should definitely check out their website and instagram feed.

6. A Resort Beach Vacation – Unknown Location

Sandy Beach with bright water
Image by かねのり三浦 from Pixabay

I have never been on a winter vacation to a warm destination, other than a trip to Florida one year with a friend when I was young. I typically like to plan other types of trips for the summer, so it’s just something that has never made the short list. I still don’t know when it might happen, but as I get older, this type of vacation at the beach gains more and more appeal. I just want to see some beautiful bright blue oceans and sandy beaches, is that too much to ask?

7. Hawaii

Hawaii has been a dream destination for me for years. But this is one of those trips where I don’t know if it will ever actually happen. I haven’t gone deep enough yet to work out the details or draw up a potential budget, but I know that this is a more expensive trip and would be at the far outreaches of our budget. Especially since while there, I would want to make sure to see as much a possible, knowing that it would probably be a one time trip. This is one of those trips that will always fall into the “maybe someday” category.

8. Back to the UK (England and Scotland)

This is one of those trips that I don’t know when it will happen, but I also can’t drop it from the list. There are so many new places that I want to visit that, that it can be hard to justify planning to go back somewhere I’ve already been. But I love London, and I often find myself missing it, and wishing to go back. I also didn’t get to spend nearly enough time in Scotland while I was living in London. So I will keep on dreaming of a time when I can go back and visit the UK. Someday… Someday maybe.

9. Return to Nova Scotia – Kejimkujik National Park

A view from one of the trails in Keji National Park

This is another that falls into the category of, “returning to a place we’ve already been” trips. When we went to Nova Scotia a few years ago, we spent one night in Kejimkujik, or Keji as it is more commonly called. And it was not nearly enough time there. I would love to drive our trailer out to spend a week just in Keji. The only problems are that a) it’s a pretty long drive to go camping for a week, and b) there is one part of the drive that I know I would not love to do with a trailer behind me.

Maybe one day, when I am more comfortable driving with the trailer, we’ll be able to consider it. But I know that I will find myself dreaming of Keji frequently between now and then. If you are planning a trip to Nova Scotia, and you have not checked this park out, then you definitely should.

10. Russia

This is my big trip dream that is probably never going to happen. There are so many barriers to a trip to Russia, and cost is only one of them. But I have dreamt of visiting Russia for years, and I will keep on dreaming of it, no matter how improbable it might be.

So that is my list of trips that I am currently dreaming of. Don’t be fooled by how short it is, as this list is in no way exhaustive. There are many, many other places on my travel dream list. I had a hard time limiting this list to just 10. But if I were to list every place that I might want to visit someday, this post would be much longer than anyone wants to read. And certainly longer than I want to write. These are the trips that float around in my mind the most often – even if some of them may never happen.

What about you? Do you have a list of trips that you are either actively planning or dreaming about? Does your list include trips that you know are unrealistic, but you just can’t stop yourself from dreaming about? Have you been to any of the destinations or taken any of the trips on this list? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Catching the Travel Bug: My Travel Story

Published on May 19, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

A few weeks ago, I wrote about starting a travel blog in the time of a Pandemic. In that post, I talked a bit about why I wanted to start a travel blog, but didn’t really talk about how I discovered my love for travel. In my post about the connection between books and travel, I touched a bit more on why I chose those two topics. But how did I realize I loved travel? I figured that this was a good time to share with you my travel story – how I got into travel, and why I keep travelling and exploring.

Phase One: Camping

Two tents on a campsite — A camping trip Summer 2019

I love camping. I love both trips that are mainly about camping, as well as being able to camp as part of other travel. I grew up camping with my family every summer. My parents first took me when I was two weeks old, and I have loved camping ever since. We’ve mostly done tent trailer camping, though we’ve also done some tent camping, especially in recent years. Sometimes a tent is easier for a road trip when you’re staying at a site for only one night.

Incorporating camping into trips can be a great way to bring down accommodation costs. Camp sites are generally very reasonably priced, especially as compared to hotel rooms. I think that no matter what I do, camping will always be part of my life. We recently began the process of purchasing a new trailer. We’re transitioning into something that’s still small and relatively simple, but fully contained. I can’t wait to start planning close to home camping trips and longer road trips once we get our new trailer next summer.

Phase Two: Exploring Canada

In addition to camping trips, my family also went on various other trips. Mostly we stayed in Ontario, but we also went out to Eastern Canada, and even to Washington DC on year. Each of these trips helped spark my love of travel, but I think the most influential trip of this phase was our trip to Prince Edward Island. In my books and travel post, I talked about how our PEI trip was an example of how reading and travel overlapped for me.

I loved that trip. I loved seeing the places that inspired one of my favourite book series’ and I loved experiencing the beauty of Eastern Canada. The East Coast will always have a special place in my heart. I also learned through this trip that even if things don’t go exactly as planned, it can still be amazing and memorable. We had a few twists and turns that meant we had to adapt and modify our plans, but it worked out.

These trips showed me how wonderful travel can be, but they didn’t fully ignite my love of travel.

Phase Three: Finding the Working Holiday Visa

I have mentioned before that I lived in England for a year, but I haven’t talked about how that came about. I first got the idea to live in England while I was in grad school. I might have thought about living abroad before that, but never seriously enough to look into it all that deeply. And the idea always faded one in favour of other things. Until that one night in grad school.

I’m not entirely sure what led me down the rabbit trail of researching living abroad. I’m fairly certain it was extremely late at night (me and 2 a.m. were intimately acquainted during grad school) and I was almost certainly procrastinating whatever it was that I was supposed to be working on. In grad school it’s always a good bet that there’s something you should be working on at all times.

I think it’s also necessary to note that I was watching A LOT of British television that year. I had just gotten into Doctor Who, and BBC Sherlock was in it’s prime. So England was on my mind fairly regularly. Whatever the reason, I got the idea “what if I lived in England?” And that sparked a dive into Google to see if it was even possible outside of a study abroad plan.

During this research, I stumbled across the concept of a Working Holiday Visa, or Youth Mobility Visa as it is sometimes called. If you’ve never heard of this, as I hadn’t at that point, I’ll give a quick explanation. Essentially, these are Visas that exist through partnerships between various countries that allow young people to get short term work Visas. The age limit for qualifying depends on both the country you’re from and the one you’re looking to move to, as does the length of the Visa you can get. At the time, to get a one time, 2-year Visa as a Canadian to work in the United Kingdom, you had to be under 30 at the time of application. Which I was.

Since I met the age qualification, I started looking into it more. And before I knew it, this passing idea had become something that I really wanted to do. I started thinking about it more seriously, and it soon became clear that this wasn’t an idea that was going to fade away. I was going to move to England.

Before I knew it, I was planning, picking out dates, and filling out application forms. There was a lot of research and planning. I research and plan because I love it, but also because it lets me feel, accurately or not, like I have a handle on something that’s not only new, but as terrifying as it is exciting. Before England, I had never lived further than a short car ride from my family. And I’d never been on a plane before. Not only was my first airplane trip going to be across an ocean, but it would take me to live an ocean away from my family and friends. Exciting? Yes. Terrifying? Definitely.

Phase Four – England

London Parliament buildings as seen from the London Eye

It was the fall of 2014. All the planning was done. My bags were packed and I was ready to board a plane to London. I was doing it! I had accommodation planned for the first few week or so, and an interview lined up at Windsor Castle (more about that in a future post). I had a list of a million places that I wanted to visit or travel to, and I also had the idea firmly in mind that if it was terrible I could book the next flight home.

I ended up living in London for about 13 months. It was a long time and not enough time all at once. It was a long time away from my friends and family, but not enough time in the city I love. Even living right in London, there’s so much of that city that I didn’t get to see. Not to mention all the other places I didn’t have the time or opportunity to travel to within the UK and Europe. A part of my heart will always live in London, and I hope I will get to go back. It is the far off future trip I am always looking forward to.

This trip, and all of the smaller trips that were part of that year, fanned the travel flame for me. I learned that I loved travelling and planning trips. And I knew that I was going to keep doing it. Whether it was big trips, or small trips, I knew that I wanted to keep exploring. I learned that there’s so much more to travel than just the big experiences, and I was excited to take that understanding home with me.

Beyond London to the Present

It’s been 5.5 years since I got on the plane that took me to London. To this point, I have not travelled as much in one year as I was able to do during that year, but I have kept travelling and planning trips. Due to size and distance, it’s not as easy to do long weekend trips within Canada, but I’ve tried to maintain the principle through planning a mix of small, medium and big trips as time and budget permits.

Some years we focus our trips within a relatively short distance around Ontario. There is so much to explore within Ontario, and even within a couple hours drive from home. We’ve done camping trips and weekend trips to places we’ve been before and new places. We’ve discovered a few new favourite places in Ontario that we plan on going back to many times in the future. And there are still so many places on the list to still explore within this province.

We’ve only done one bigger trip so far, but the plan is to do a bigger trip every few years where possible. The first trip of this type was a couple years ago when my mom and I took a road trip East to Nova Scotia. Even in working to keep expenses down, these types of trips are always bigger budget – either in time or money. Which is why they happen less frequently.

This year was supposed to be a bigger trip year. My mom I and had our trip to Newfoundland almost completely planned… but it’s looking like that’s going to be postponed until next year. It’ll cause a bit of a shuffle to our longer term travel plans, since next year was going to be devoted to exploring with our new trailer, but I’m sure we’ll figure out how to balance the two.

At this point in my life, travel and exploration consists of fitting it around a full time job and “normal” life. Though this sometimes means planning smaller trips, it also means finding ways to explore close to home. I love discovering new restaurants and new places to visit in my city, and exploring your own city can be a form of travel when you can’t actually get away. I wish that I had the time (and money) to fit more trips in, but I’ll continue to work with what I have, and appreciate the travel that I am able to do.

How did you get started with travel? Do you prefer big trips or smaller, closer to home trips? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,