Live simply and give generously.
Wow have I really not posted since the first week of January?? This month flew by really fast. Chinese New Year came and went, and at work there have been three big events taking up my time. Today’s post will be all about charity, my charity to be specific! As you may know, I’m the Manager of Special Events at a Toronto charity called Yonge Street Mission. They have been working with people living with poverty since 1896 (115 years!) and they do great work in the city.
We had this really unique opportunity for 17 CEOs/execs to visit our charity and be called to action, initiated by Prince Charles himself, called the Seeing Is Believing tour. I helped with event logistics that day and managed the catering for breakfast. There is always so much pressure when VIPs are involved! Thankfully the event went without a glitch and it was really well received.
Two days after, it was prep time for the Longest Underground Clothing Drive and Sale, and all along, there has been promotion for the Coldest Night Of the Year walk in February. Oh, and did I mention I have 8+ weddings to plan??
Just this past week I’ve had two site visits (to two BEAUTIFUL O&B venues – Jump and Malaparte) and worked a week-long clothing drive along the PATH downtown Toronto. I am SO excited for both of these weddings.
The Longest Underground Clothing Drive and Sale is a week-long event that takes place all along the underground PATH in Toronto. You may have seen the signs if you work downtown! Each of the 14 locations had their own specifications for setup and loading, each requiring their own volunteers. It was quite an undertaking and I really wasn’t sure what to expect! The experience was tiring but quite rewarding overall. I met so many wonderful and committed volunteers, experienced the generosity of Torontonians first-hand and have memorized the PATH map like no tomorrow.
It reminded me that if we live simply, we can give more. If you are reading this on a computer in a home, you are well beyond blessed and have so much to give.
Today is actually the last day to donate along the PATH, so make sure to do so while you are downtown. If you want to donate any other time of the year, you can do so by contacting Double Take directly.
On February 25, I am coordinating the Coldest Night Of the Year walk. It is a 5k and 10k walk in Toronto in the frigid winter weather to experience a taste of living with poverty. It is a really fun fundraiser for teams and groups! Not to mention we have some awesome prizes to give away for top fundraisers. We have our friends at Starbucks sponsoring the event and you may have heard our promotion on Classical 96.3 FM or AM 740, our radio sponsors.
It is not too late to sign up so head on over to www.coldestnightoftheyear.org and sign up under Toronto. If you cannot come out, at least sponsor me!
That’s it for me folks. Come find me downtown today or even better, sign up for the CNOY walk! There is no better feeling than to be give back and be a part of life change. Give generously! I’d love to see you out.
Tips on planning an awesome road trip: Online tools
My last blog post before the holiday season was about planning an awesome road trip and finding unique (and affordable) accommodation. This post is about something that is equally important for planning, and that is using online tools at your disposal to make planning easier. I’ll use a trip I took to Montreal last year as an example.
1. Google Maps
Being a recent Android convert, it is suiting that the first two items on this list are Google related =) On short road trips, I like to make use of my visit so that I’m not wasting any time thinking of what to do next. “Winging it” has its place, but not when I am only spending a few days in a city. I start by creating a list of places I want to see, restaurants I want to eat at and routes to get there. I like using Google Maps and marking all of these plotted locations on a saved map. Saving the map allows you to go back to these plans at any time, and you can share it with those you are traveling with. I like to colour-coordinate and use different icons to differentiate the types of places they are. If I really have time on my hands, I might add the phone number, address and website into the plotted location’s details. I like to start with plotting the locations on the map, so I can plan my route accordingly based on where things are located. Also with Google Streetview you can practically visit the location you will travel to ahead of time to know what to expect.
2. Google Docs – Spreadsheet
While I am plotting my map locations, I am simultaneously making a spreadsheet of the places I want to go to. There is something really magical about columns and rows of neatly organized information! When planning a trip, you often are planning with other people, and here is where Google comes in handy with their Google Documents. You can create a spreadsheet (or word document, powerpoint, etc) and share it with other people. It gets updated live as you change it, and it centralizes all your planning efforts. This is the second place I would throw in all the details like phone number, address and website, in case I don’t have the Google Maps handy.
3. Gas Calculator
If you notice on my spreadsheet, I also like to monitor how much I am expected to spend on the trip in a separate column. Online gas calculators are handy to let you know how much gas money you will be spending if going on a road trip. This will be good to know if you are splitting it between passengers. This image above was pulled from www.ontariogasprices.com.
4. TripAdvisor
Finally (sometimes I do this first), before I make final decisions on where I will be spending my time on a trip, I like to double check what other travelers have to say about it on www.tripadvisor.com. Hearing someone else’s good or bad experience firsthand is a great way to tell if a place will be worth visiting or not, especially if it is a big ticket item like accommodations. This is also a great place to start if you don’t know where to go or what to eat, since you can look up the top rated things to do and places to eat.
Tips on planning an awesome road trip: Accommodations
Preface
As the winter rolls in, I start to feel my itch for travelling again. I love taking mini trips to quaint destinations, whether it is warm or cold outside. In the last two years I’ve enjoyed short trips to Port Colbourne, Niagara-On-The-Lake, St. Jacobs, Collingwood, Montreal and Wasaga Beach to name a few!
I obviously find a lot of pleasure in planning anything… and trips are at the top of the list! I’m starting a new mini series for how to plan an awesome trip, walking through the steps I would take to plan on my own trips. Note that when I travel, I consider myself more of a budget/local/experiential traveller than someone who seeks luxury experiences, so know that this will taint the kind of tips I will give.
Getting a good deal on accommodations
Anyone can book a simple hotel room at regular rates, but did you know there are other options? These are some of my favourites when I am looking to travel to a nearby destination:
Bed and Breakfasts:
Emerald Falls B&B in Niagara Falls. My friends and I booked the whole place for a bachelorette and it was like having our own private house! Best part was the great breakfast we woke up to.
B&B’s usually involve booking a room within the building/house and having a host who serves you a scrumptious homemade breakfast. A unique part of this is that if there are other travellers staying at the same place, you will likely eat together. It is a much more personal experience, allowing you to interact with others in a home setting. Sometimes if you are travelling in a group you may find a B&B that has enough rooms to accommodate everyone in the group, so you all stay in the same house (like the photo above).
My favourite place to check out B&B listings is www.bedandbreakfast.com as I like to take advantage of their “hot deals” and discounts throughout the year.
AirBnB:
Rented this entire apartment in Montreal from Airbnb for $70 a night!
Newer to the accommodations scene is a site called www.airbnb.com. It is a site that helps you find vacation rentals, private rooms and sublets in the city you are travelling to. You can even find a couch to sleep on if you wanted something real cheap. You don’t have to be an established bed and breakfast or hotel to rent your space out, so you can find some really interest and unique spaces.
This year, they implemented a number of great safety and security features for both hosts and guests, showing their commitment to what they do. For example, money is transferred through the airbnb site, and the host receives payment only after a successful stay.
On my second trip to Montreal last winter, I stayed at a private apartment suite (kitchen, living room, 2BR!) for just $70 a night! It was like I had my own place, it was really awesome. This is a very economical option if you are travelling with a few people and looking for a place where everyone can live together. Also it is a great way to find a home-away-from-home, allowing you to cook your own meals if you wanted to and go in and out as you please.
Priceline
One of my successful bids from “Name Your Own Price” on Priceline on another trip to Montreal. It was likely $50-60 a night, which is pretty sweet!
If you opt for a hotel, consider using www.priceline.com to find a hotel at a discounted rate. With the “Name Your Own Price” feature, you get a chance to bid on hotel rooms usually with 40-60% off the regular price. Similar to Hotwire, hotels stay anonymous until you successfully bid and buy it, so there is a bit of risk in that you don’t know exactly what you will get.
However you choose the general area it is located in, the star rating and how much you are willing to pay. Also www.betterbidding.com will give you a glimpse of successful bids in the same city/area from other users, so you can get an idea of what hotels are available for the bidding and what they paid for successful bids. If you aren’t too picky about the hotel specifics, this is a great way to get a deal on a room.