Destination Profile: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Toronto is the capital of Ontario, as well as the largest city in the country by population. The climate is not unlike that of the Midwestern United States, aside from being a bit colder during the winter months – likely due to its northern location relative to the Midwest, in addition to proximity to Lake Ontario.

So, why should you consider visiting Toronto?

Well…

1)      Niagara Falls (Do I really need to continue this list?!)

- Experience it the classic way: with The Maid of the Mist, or try it via helicopter for an aerial view. There’s also the whirlpool aerocar, just to mention a few options.

- There are fireworks at Niagara too from May 17th to September 1st every Friday, Sunday, and holiday at 10 pm. Waterfalls & fireworks combined make for quite the visual appeal.

2)      The CN Tower is quite the architectural feat

3)      The St. Lawrence Market – If you’re a foodie, don’t miss out on this!

4)      If the kids are joining this trip, Canada’s Wonderland will offer an amusement park fix.

5)      The museums of Toronto are of high quality. Pick one, any one.

6)      Take a stroll through the distillery district, and pick a couple spots to stop and see

 

I could continue, but why? These are our favorites – what are yours?

Respond here, or to our Twitter handle @MapYourTravels

Destination Profile: Chicago, IL, USA

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The Windy City (which does receive a good amount of wind from Lake Michigan, but was actually named this way because of political shifts) is a must-see for any traveler passing through the Midwest.

According to the official City of Chicago website, Chicago is home to:

  • 237 square miles of land
  • An estimated 2,695,598 residents
  • Dozens of cultural institutions, historical sites and museums
  • More than 200 theaters
  • Nearly 200 art galleries
  • More than 7,300 restaurants
  • 77 community areas containing more than 100 neighborhoods
  • 26 miles of lakefront
  • 15 miles of bathing beaches
  • 36 annual parades
  • 19 miles of lakefront bicycle paths
  • 552 parks
  • United States President Barack Obama

Needless to say, there’s plenty to do and see there. Millenium Park, Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo, Michigan Avenue, Lake Michigan, and some classic sports venues (Wrigley Field – home of the Chicago Cubs, U.S. Cellular Field – home of the Chicago White Sox, Soldier Field – home of the Chicago Bears, and the United Center – home to the Chicago Bulls) highlight the biggest attractions in the city. Of course, let’s not forget the Chicago Style Pizza.

The MapYourTravels Chicago native (Oh wait, that’s me!) recommends Lou Malnati’s or Gino’s East for a classic Chicago style pizza that will fill you up and won’t let you down. Head to Vienna Beef for a proper Chicago style hot dog. Try out Diversey River Bowl for a night of bowling with few tourists, many city natives, and a light show/sound system at night that rivals concerts. Willis Tower, while a busy tourist attraction, is absolutely worth your time. Finally, Navy Pier is a must. 

If you’ve been there and have anything you’d like to say about Chicago, or if you simply have any questions about the city, comment here or you can reach us via our twitter handle @MapYourTravels

Globetrotters Gotta Eat Too!

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If you can pack your luggage, you can pack a lunch.

When we’re on the go, regardless of the destination or means of transportation, people need to eat – and not just that, but people need to eat well.

There are two primary concerns here:

1) Eat good food that holds nutritional value.

2) Conserve spending.

These are most easily done with a very simple concept: preparation.

While it’s possible to find quality food on the go, its not always easy, and it’s almost never cheap. So, in order to overcome that, the best thing you can do is prepare yourself ahead of time. Remember: If you can pack your luggage, you can pack a lunch.

Ideal Foods:

Avoiding empty calories means avoiding most of the restaurants you pass, and about 95% of what’s found in vending machines. You can surely think of some of these yourself, but here are a few ideas just in case:

Dried Fruits, Firm Fruits (eat these before you pass customs), Nuts, Granola Bars, Trail Mix, Raw Vegetables (bag of carrots is a personal favorite), & PBJ sandwiches

Dried fruits travel very well, and firm fruits won’t easily be crushed during travel. Nuts, granola bars, trail mix, and raw vegetables can all be thrown into a ziploc bag or any other container in no time at all. Finally, a PBJ travels well and packs a protein punch in a quick, very inexpensive manner.

*Another helpful tip in some travelers’ experiences is to bring an empty water bottle. Avoid a blatantly overpriced $4 bottle along the way, and fill your own up instead.*

…But what about saving money?

You already did! By preparing yourself before you leave, you’ll save money along the way. A homemade lunch (breakfast/dinner/snack/etc.) is cheaper than what you’ll get out in the world 9 times out of 10.

So, be sure to plan ahead, and keep on pinning!

Travel Flash Deals!

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In Minnesota today, we are experiencing the tail end of a snow storm that has brought us just over 9 inches of snow in the Minneapolis area on April 19th. That’s right – April. In response to this rare weather, many Minnesotans (as well as other citizens of the Midwest affected by this snow storm) are displeased with the situation outdoors. We love our snow here in the Midwest, but when we are expecting spring and experiencing winter, people tend to become unhappy. So, some of us have begun to wonder what it might be like elsewhere – a quick weekend getaway would be nice. It wouldn’t even matter where, as long as that place isn’t covered in nearly a foot of snow!

But, flights tickets purchased close to the takeoff date can be quite expensive. Unless of course, you don’t care about the destination and find a flash deal… But where are these flash deals? And are they really that great?

Well, you’re about to find out where! And we happen to think, yes – they are pretty great. Here is a handful of websites that might help you find what you’re looking for:

 

Groupon

Most of your minds likely went straight here. They offer flash deals for all kinds of products and services – it’s the entire business model!

TravelZoo

We recommend following them on twitter @TravelZoo. We do, and it has not been a disappointment.

Living Social

You can search for family travel deals if you’d like. Results include thing like zoos, museums, and parks that are family friendly.

JetSetter

These are generally going to be more upscale, luxury destinations – still with good quality and good savings.

SniqueAway

This is yet another standard flash deal travel site offering even more quality getaways up to 40% off.

 

These flash deal sites like Groupon seem to be no flash in the pan – so get on it and enjoy the deals! There’s nothing like a quick weekend getaway to take your mind off work – and perhaps the local weather conditions in your hometown.

 

Pick a deal and get going – enjoy a new place, and as always: please, travel safely.

Germs!

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           Nobody likes getting a cold – but it happens to everyone. We’re only humans! As far as colds go, the only thing worse than getting one is getting one when you’re away from home. You can drink your orange juice and sip your tea, but the time to get rid of a cold is before it even hits you. Even then, preventative measures can’t offer a 100% guarantee for safety from illness. But of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try! So, here are a few tips to keep you safe from germs when you’re out traveling:

1)      Vitamin C

We’ve all heard it before. Help your immune system out – it needs good stuff like this to keep running properly. Make sure you get some on a daily basis.

2)      Daily Multivitamin

Remember, while some of these are helpful after you’re sick, this is geared towards preventing the cold from happening in the first place. Zinc helps your immune system, and also helps your body heal. When you’re out in the world, it’d be wise to make sure you take a daily multivitamin to make sure that you get zinc, as well as all the other vitamins recommended by doctors. Many daily multivitamins have zinc because guess what – most people don’t get enough! Just ask your pharmacist!

3)      Rest

Be sure to get sufficient sleep. Your body needs rest (among other things) in order to function at maximum potential. You know the drill – get your 8 hours.

4)      Keep Clean

Keep disinfectant wipes or spray around – they’re incredibly handy. If you’re on a road trip, be sure to wipe the steering wheel. Did you wash your hands after you pumped that gas? Do you know how many people have used that gas pump and how recently it’s been cleaned? Sure, you washed your hands in the bathroom – and what’s the next thing you touched? The bathroom door handle! Some places have toe-openers so that you can open the bathroom door with your foot. Pretty neat if you ask me! The point is this – be mindful of what you put your hands on, and disinfect when you can.

Travel safer, travel smarter. Keep yourself healthy, and keep on pinning!

What Do They Eat Over There?

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In the past, people made do with whatever they had available in their respective environments. As globalization continues, we have more available in the developed parts of the world than ever before – and at decent prices most of the time too! Yet, we stick to our traditions culturally for the most part. Though, this is slightly less true as countries become more developed. Regardless of all that, food is an integral part of an experience anywhere. So, wherever it may be that you’re headed next, discover what they eat over there. Are you excited to experience those things? Have you ever tried them before? If you answered “no” and “yes” respectively to those questions, it might be time to open up a little…

Holiday dishes around the world give some insight into what traditional meals are in a culture. Time Magazine’s “What the World Eats” gives amazing insight into the groceries that families in all different pats of the world eat in a week. If you’re unfamiliar with this, you’d be wise to familiarize yourself with it for a mini culture shock if nothing else. We even have our own little collection of cool food from around the world.

You might have some falafel in Israel, or pierogies in Poland. Baklava in Turkey is great, and we all know what Italy has to offer. Sashimi in Japan or a taco in Mexico would surely brighten my day. But, living in or near any large metropolis ensures that you aren’t too far away from any of these delicious dishes. Regardless of that, it’s absolutely better at the source. Go to the southern United States for a barbecue done right, or Wisconsin if you want cheese that means business, and Chicago if you want a hot dog the right way. Head to Jamaica for jerk chicken, or Germany for Spaetzle, wurst, and beer the way it was meant to be had. There’s so much to see, and so many things to try. Food is just one item on that list. You’ve seen a mountain before, but you haven’t seen Mount Everest. You’ve had fish before, but not fresh sushi in Japan. It’s different when it’s authentic. While the authentic restaurants in big cities do an excellent job, nothing matches the real thing in the real place. So, go to the real place and enjoy the real experience.

Where in the World is Everyone Going?

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World travel is a difficult thing to study largely due to the sheer volume of travelers and the incredibly wide variety of geographical locations. You could track flights, you could survey travelers, or you could follow the money. That’s what MasterCard has done while creating the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index (which you can see for yourself right here: http://bit.ly/WJfnMr).

Following the money is perhaps the most efficient way to measure international travel, but that still leaves out quite a few travelers (though the majority of the masses are likely included in these figures). Non Visa MasterCard users are dropped from the equation. The backpackers and couch surfers of the world are likely left out, though those numbers are low relatively speaking anyways.

So, what did the results say? Well, here’s the list:

1. London           2. Paris

3. Bangkok         4. Singapore

5. Istanbul          6. Hong Kong

7. Madrid           8. Dubai

9. Frankfurt       10. Kuala Lumpur

11. Seoul          12. Rome

13. New York    14. Shanghai

15. Barcelona   16. Milan

17. Amsterdam 18. Vienna

19. Beijing        20. Taipei

Any surprises? Well, I suppose that depends on who you are and where you’re from. But it seems fair to say that all of these are destinations that come to mind when most people think of popular destinations. 18 of these 20 destinations are located in Europe and East Asia. London led the pack with nearly 17 million visitors for the second consecutive year (keep in mind that MasterCard has only created this index for 2 years). The only U.S. location – New York – had 7.6 million visitors.

The list for North America looks like this:

1. New York              2. Los Angeles

3. Miami                   4. Chicago

5. San Francisco      6. Toronto

7. Atlanta                 8. Washington

9. Houston              10. Vancouver

Not too many surprises here either. New York, Chicago, and a couple of California cities must be expected. Miami and Atlanta are there to represent the southeastern United States. Toronto and Vancouver are the most likely to be present on this list in the name of Canada, and obviously they made the cut.

Does this have any effect on your choices for worldwide destinations? It’s fair to say that you’d rather see a place less often tromped by tourists. But, there must be a reason that so many people want to see these beautiful places. Whatever your choice may be, we here at Map Your Travels hope that you have an excellent time, and travel safely.

6 Ideas to Guide Every Trip

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On every trip that anyone takes, these are 6 things that you owe it to yourself to do. This isn’t to say that you can’t have fun without these guidelines, but you’ll very likely thank yourself later if you do.

1)   Walk

Taxis and rental cars and buses are all fine and dandy. But walk through your destination at least once. Some destinations will require that, but some other places might not. Walk to an attraction, or just to get a cup of coffee from a local café. It doesn’t matter where or when. But if you walk through a place, you’ll get a better feel for it. You tend to notice things that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise. You come just a little closer to immersing yourself into the culture.

2)   Make a Friend

Make a new friend. You don’t have to add each other on Facebook in order to be friends, regardless of what your teenager says. Have a conversation. Do something nice for a stranger, try to get to know them a little. What makes a place unique is the people. So if you don’t get to know at least one person, how will you ever really know the place?

3)   Shut it All Down

You saw this one coming, be honest. Turn your phone off, close the laptop, put the tablet in your bag, and leave the GPS alone. The most useful utilities you have are distracting you. Turn it all off and let it be. You have to close yourself off from the rest of the world so that you can open yourself up to the place you’re trying to see.

4)   Plan Some Things

Very rarely do people go to a new place with no plan whatsoever. That’s a fun way to travel (for some of us), but it runs the risk of missing some things you may have loved. Do a little research and see what’s there. Lay some things out so that you don’t miss the stuff that really gets you excited.

5)   Plan Nothing

Wait, what? That can’t be right. Didn’t I just say the opposite of this? Well, yes, that’s correct. You should do both. Plan some things – just some. Leave some empty space, and keep it empty so that you can fill it with whatever you happen to run into. Look around, and go somewhere on a whim just to check it out. Surprise yourself.

6)   Make Yourself Uncomfortable

A wise man once said “There’s no growth in the comfort zone, and no comfort in the growth zone.” Be uncomfortable. Enter the growth zone and experience something new. You might hate it in the moment, but you’ll grow from it – and if you’re lucky you’ll get a great story out of the deal. Try salsa dancing, go ziplining, eat some squid – it doesn’t matter. Get uncomfortable and enter your growth zone, wherever that may be.

Enjoy the place you visit. That’s why you decided to go there in the first place! You owe it to yourself to enjoy the destination to the fullest extent. You just have to allow yourself to do so. So get going, and have a good time – and don’t forget to get a little uncomfortable.

The Value of Travel

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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

 

Avid travelers seem to believe that there is an intrinsic value in the process. Of course, anyone that genuinely enjoys a hobby will find that to be true. But, travel is different. Not better, just different from the other hobbies of the world. Rick Steves speaks in a Ted-x talk about the value of travel for him, and he provides some insightful examples of why travel can open our minds and allow us to learn more about the world, our own countries, and ourselves. This post on The Red Pin will not summarize his Ted talk, but rather elaborate on the lessons from what Mr. Steves says. It is an excellent 21 minute video. If you value the concept of understanding and learning, (and of course the value of travel) then you must watch this video. This isn’t intended to put words in his mouth, but merely an interpretation.

 

He brings up some personal stories of his experiences and explains how and why there can be confusion between people from different areas of the world. If you want to know what makes people from another place tick, you need to go there and find out for yourself by interacting with those individuals.

A new perspective is realized when interacting with new people as long as you are willing to visit them with an open mind. People in other parts of the world are handling the same situations that we deal with here in the United States, but in a different manner. Some are less successful, but some are more successful – far more successful. Anything from teenage drinking to drug use to tax levels and government spending can be thoroughly understood from an entirely different perspective. Some things will work in certain parts of the world and some things won’t. But, it’s important to try to learn these new perspectives. By understanding them, we can become more well-rounded, and perhaps a bit more like Rick Steves who considers himself “a better citizen of this planet” thanks to his travels.

 

In order to learn these lessons to the fullest extent, one must travel honestly according to Steves. That means that you aren’t going to any luxury resorts. You’re in the cities and towns, you’re speaking with the people there. You aren’t surrounded by hotel staff and other tourists – you’re surrounded by the integral people that make that place what it is.

 

Whether you’re a seasoned globe trotter, a traveler of the future, or neither of those things – we should all be open to new perspectives grown from far away places. Learning is key to survival, and we can all help each other learn in this world. Leave your preconceived notions at the door, and enter the world with an open mind if you truly wish to learn what it has to offer.

 

 

Much Ado About Lost Luggage

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If you’ve ever had an airline lose your luggage, you know the frustration that it can cause. If you’ve never lost your luggage…well, imagine that you did – bad time, right? Here are some guidelines to getting back your lost luggage. But before we get into that, why not talk about preventing the issue in the first place? Even the very best at luggage security (Virgin Airlines) loses track of 0.87 bags per 1000 passengers. So, go the extra mile and keep your things coming back to you.

If possible, don’t even check a bag. You’ll have to lug an extra bag on and off the plane, but there’s no time spent waiting at the luggage carousel, and more importantly – 0% chance of the airline losing your luggage.

 

Now, if that’s not an option, there are still a number of steps that can be taken to help thwart mistakes.

 

1)      Remove any old luggage tags from previous flights. This is an easy one. Airline employees are far less likely to send your luggage to the wrong place if there’s only one tag on the bag.

2)      Label it! Put your name and phone number on the inside and outside of your bag.

3)      Try to fly nonstop, and try to avoid smaller regional airlines. Less transfers means less chances for mistakes. Some of the worst offenders of lost luggage have been small, regional airlines in recent history.

4)      Keep your bag check. This is another easy one that you should be doing already anyways. Don’t lose that little slip of paper. Take a picture of it on that smart phone of yours too, just in case.

5)      Consider insurance. Some credit card companies offer luggage insurance when you buy a plane ticket, and some home owners insurance will help out with luggage too. Check your policy and read the fine print.

6)      Carry a set of necessities. Bring some underwear and socks in your carry on. Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. More than one bag being checked? You’d be wise to pack half of each type of item in each bag.

7)      Ship it! UPS or Fedex can take care of it if you need to move something that can’t be carried onto a plane.

8) When in doubt, take a picture. A black suitcase looks a whole lot like every other black suitcase. A few pictures can come in handy. You’ll only have lost the 30 seconds it took to snap some photos.

 

Well, look at that. You took all the necessary precautions and the airline still lost your luggage. What do you do now?!

 

1)      Stop right there. Even if you’re tired after a long flight and frustrated with the situation, don’t leave the airport and just deal with it in the morning. First, get a claim number from an airline representative. Some carriers will allow you to make the claim within 24 hours, but is it worth the dreaded automated customer service system?

2)      Keep your cool. While an upset customer might get his or her way in other circumstances, this isn’t the time for that. The person you’re talking to didn’t lose your bag. Remain calm, and that person will be more likely to want to help you.

3)      Know what’s in your bag. This means having a list of what’s in there. If you’re a frequent flyer, you probably pack the same things for the most part every time. If you’re not, write out a list before you even pack. That way you’ll be sure to have everything you need, and you’ll be able to tell the airline exactly what was in there.

4)      Get copies of everything. When you get the lost baggage claim at the airport, get a paper copy. Get receipts when you buy toiletries and other necessities while waiting for your bag to arrive. The airline may reimburse you for these items. Keep flight ticket receipts too. When you file the reimbursement claim, you’ll want that information.

 

If you’re one of the unlucky souls that has a bag that’s lost indefinitely…

 

1)      Find copies of receipts for valuables that were in your bag. You probably don’t have those, so check your credit card bills. The airlines will only pay you for the depreciated value of those items though – so maybe you should leave that  computer at home if you don’t want to carry it on the flight.

2)      The department of transportation limits maximum claims to $3,300 per passenger. Keep that in mind when you’re packing. (Who’s packing over $3K worth of luggage anyways?!)

3)      Depending on the airline you fly with, there will be a specific time frame within which you may file a claim for reimbursement of lost/damaged items. Check your airline’s website, and file it on time.

Hopefully you never lose a bag. If you do, hopefully you remember these guidelines and use them to your advantage. Good luck, safe travels, and keep on pinning!