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For Canadians Living Near The U.S. border, It Can Take Less Than 5 Minutes To Cross Over Into A World of Hurt

©Audrey Durose – Fotolia

A recent poll conducted by BCAA (British Columbia Automobile Association) showed that the majority of B.C. travellers crossing the border for short trip take risks – insurance risks from unexpected medical emergencies.

In a recent cross-border travel poll it was revealed that 77% of British Columbians who have travelled to the U.S. without travel insurance, do so because they believe that short trips don’t justify getting insurance.

With many Canadians making travel plans to the U.S. for Black Friday shopping, travellers should consider the risks with leaving their province – even for a few hours, without adequate medical coverage.

“It’s a huge gamble to leave B.C. [Canada] for any length of time without any, or adequate, travel insurance,” says Hubert Rau, BCAA’s vice president of Insurance Marketing. “Learning from our survey that people are travelling unprotected is troubling. Even a minor, unexpected medical emergency, especially in the U.S., could cost thousands of dollars to treat, let alone all the other expenses associated with a medical incident.” Read More

Roam Mobility’s “Snowbird Plan” Gives Canadian Travellers Unlimited Talk, Text and 1GB of Data – only $39.95/month

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Though Roam Mobility recently slashed their daily U.S. rates, yesterday they announced a new “Snowbird Plan” that targets Canadians who travel south for the winter.

The Snowbird Plan is designed with the Canadian traveller in mind. Activate and schedule your plan before leaving for the USA. When you return, keep your SIM and top up for your next trip. It’s that easy!

What’s Included
Like all Roam Mobility plans, the Snowbird plan includes unlimited talk and text, free-long distance calls to Canada, voicemail and caller ID, plus all the convenience of a prepaid service designed just for Canadian travellers.

Keep Your Number.
When your plan is over and you return to Canada, it will go into a suspended state. Simply use the SIM again next year when you return to the USA, or top up with any one of our other daily plans. Keep the same SIM card and phone number.

The Best Deal. Period.
At $39.95 per month, our Snowbird Plan is the best value plan available in North America. And it’s available exclusively for Canadians on the Roam Mobility network.

Combining Plans
If you need more than 3 months of service with the Snowbird Plan, you can easily schedule multiple plans to start one after the other for service throughout the year.

Speed demon
Get blazing-fast data speeds of up to 21 Mbps

Easy top-ups
Top up anytime and anywhere by ordering online or sending a text

Snowbird Plan - Roam Mobility, TravelBloggers.ca

A Hearty Breakfast of Bacon, Eggs and…Giraffe at the Manor

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Giraffe Manor
A relative sent us some pictures of this unique property in Africa and we just had to do more research and share it with our readers. Although the chances of us ever getting to Kenya, or Africa for that matter are slim-to-none, we can certainly appreciate the beauty of Africa and especially the unique animals along with this one-of-a-kind hotel.

The Giraffe Manor is a unique property and boutique hotel located in the Lang’ata suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. The property is famous for its resident herd of endangered Rothschild giraffes that live on the extensive grounds.

Set on 12 acres of private land within 140 acres of indigenous forest, the hotel is only 20 kilometres from Nairobi city centre.

Giraffe Manor offers visitors an unparalleled experience with the giraffes. Guests can feed the giraffes from their breakfast table, photograph them and interact with them through open windows, at the front door and even at the second floor bedroom window! This is the only place in the world where one can share breakfast with the world’s tallest animal.

Every day shortly before 9 am, the mammoth beasts stroll up to the house and poke their heads through the windows and doors in search of morning treats.

History of Giraffe Manor
Giraffe Manor was originally built in 1932 by Sir David Duncan who was part of the British Mackintosh Toffee family and today the luxury boutique hotel has maintained all the charm of the era.

In the 1960’s the Manor was purchased by a local investor who leased it to a succession of people, including the late Dennis Lakin, before it fell into disrepair, unoccupied.

In 1974 the Manor was purchased by Betty Leslie-Melville – an American conservationist and her husband Jock. When Jock died, Betty decided to open her house, now called The Giraffe Manor, to visitors. Today, many tourist make The Giraffe Manor part of their East African Safari. Some spend a week here and The Giraffe Manor is reported to have many repeat guests who have become old friends with the hotel owners. In March 2009, the Manor was purchased by Mikey and Tanya Carr-Hartley and now forms part of the Tamimi group of lodges and hotels.

Giraffe Manor is also home to many other characters including: large families of warthogs, the elusive Bush Buck, Dik Dik and more than 180 species of birds, along with a striking view of the Ngong hills.

CLIMATE: Situated at high altitude (5,800 ft.), Nairobi has a moderate climate – ideal for a summer holiday. December through March the weather is sunny and warm, while from July to August the weather is mild and cool.
CUISINE: Giraffe Manor prepares exceptional meals such as: home-made Muesli, freshly baked muffins for breakfast, to three course meals for lunch and dinner, and of course Kenya’s finest tea or coffee.
ACCOMMODATIONS: There are ten elegant en suite rooms
SCHEDULE: Open throughout the year June through March (closed April and May)

CONTACTS:
Web Site
Tel: +254 (0)732 812 896; +254 (0)732 812 897; +254 (020) 231 6756

All images are copyright by their respective owners (unknown)

About TravelBloggers.ca
Iain Shankland & Gail Shankland started blogging in order to inspire and motivate people to travel the world from their perspective – specializing in having the most fun while using the least amount of money, travelling on the cheap without sacrificing comfort.

This original, copyrighted material may NOT be copied, used in whole or in part in any way, cut and pasted, published or otherwise reproduced in any form or in any medium – which means DO NOT POST THIS ON ANOTHER WEBSITE or BLOG. If you want somebody else to see this, please send them a link or post a link to this page.

Sunquest launches lower-cost vacation packages for Canadians from 5 U.S. border airports

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Three out of four US border city vacation packages are cheaper than the equivalent Canadian package
Average savings of $550 per couple for vacation packages to select US and sun destinations

TORONTO, Nov. 14, 2013 /CNW/ – Vacation travel has just become cheaper for millions of Canadians looking to travel to US, Caribbean or Mexican destinations. Sunquest, one of Canada’s most respected tour operators, is offering for the first time, packages from US border airports to allow Canadians to take advantage of the significant cost savings.

With US flights costing an estimated 30% less than comparable flights from Canada, Canadians are voicing their opinions through their wallets. An estimated 5 million Canadians drove across the US border last year to fly from US airports to various points south.

“As long as significantly cheaper flights are available from the US, Canadians will continue to fly from US border cities,” says Frank DeMarinis, President, Sunquest. “We are giving the customers what they clearly want, which is an option to save money on their vacation by booking cross-border packages with a reputable Canadian company and paying for it in Canadian dollars.” In addition to the security offered by booking with one of Canada’s largest travel companies, bookings are also protected by provincial consumer safeguards in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. Read More

TravelBloggers.ca, Maid Of The Mist, Niagara Falls

Three New Boats Ready to Showcase the Infamous Niagara Falls In 2014

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Last year (2012), Hornblower Niagara Cruises [NiagaraCruises.com], won the contract to operate cruises from the Canadian side of the Niagara Gorge to the base of the Horseshoe Falls. Maid of the Mist Steam Company has been operating the tours since 1854 (originally they were ferries between Canada and the U.S. as far back as 1846) – and will continue to offer tours from the U.S. side of the river.

For anyone familiar with the sights of the Maid of the Mist boats, it’s going to be quite a surprise to see the new catamarans running alongside the traditional-looking boats.

The catamarans’ features include: improved manoeuvrability in the water, enclosed viewing areas for those who don’t want to get wet, an outdoor deck with tiered viewing areas to provide maximum sightseeing and they’ll also have seating, on-board washrooms and licensed concessions for new evening and night time cruises.

The catamarans, (26 metres long and 10 metres wide), will arrive in Niagara Falls sometime in January 2014. One has already been built, with the second one soon to be completed. The boats are being built by Hike Metal in Wheatley, Ontario and will be constructed, disassembled into three sections and then shipped to Niagara Falls on six large transport trucks whereupon they’ll be re-assembled and tested prior to use.

A third boat, called “Guardian of the Gorge”, has already been built and the 150-passenger vessel will be used for rescue efforts as well as for private charters. The two un-named-for-now (see below for a unique competition) tour boats have a 700 passenger capacity compared to the present Maid of the Mist VI and VII boats that have a maximum of 600 passengers (Maid of the Mist IV and V have maximum capacities of 200 passengers)

Hornblower’s Senior Marketing Manager, Madalena Phillips said: “These boats will be unique to any other boat we operate, they are built to optimize our operations in the Niagara Gorge, and designed with special features which will hopefully allow us to start earlier (in the season) and finish later.”

A variety of tour options will be offered, including sunrise and sunset rides, fireworks cruises and more. Online ticketing with timed arrivals will be available to avoid long waits in line. “We’re creating a new experience for visitors to Niagara Falls,” said Phillips. “We’re reinventing the iconic boat tour.”

The California-based cruise boat company has more than 30 years of experience in countries around the world. They are scheduled to start operating on the Canadian side of the Niagara River – near the base of the Horseshoe Falls – in mid-April, weather permitting.

Unique Competition
Hornblower is launching a world-wide contest to name the two catamarans, starting Friday November 15th. The company is inviting members of the public to submit Read More

Take a road trip, take a picture, win a free road trip

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

SYLVANIA Canada is offering Canadians the opportunity to win a free road trip just by posting their photos on Instagram using the #SeeCanadaBetter hashtag.

TORONTO, Nov. 4, 2013 /CNW/ – SYLVANIA Canada is encouraging Canadians to share their views of the country through photos. Using Instagram, anyone across Canada can submit their photos of the way they’ve seen Canada.

“Canada has such a rich, beautiful landscape and while the seasons might be changing from surfing the coast to skating on backyard rinks, as proud Canadians we never let a cold front keep us indoors,” said Colleen Applebough, OSRAM SYLVANIA communications and marketing services manager. “For us Canadians, the difference between 20 degrees above or below zero is simply a matter of whether or not you’re boarding on the lake or on the slopes. We want you to show us the photos of your Canada.”

Now anyone can take in a virtual tour of the country through the cameras of Canadians everywhere. By checking out the #SeeCanadaBetter hashtag on Instagram, visitors can enjoy pictures from British Columbia to Newfoundland; Nunavut to Ontario.

“The great thing about making Canada the back drop to all your selfies”, said Applebaugh “is that your picture could turn into the free ticket to your next adventure.”

Sylvania Canada is offering Canadians the opportunity to take a three (3) day, three (3) night, road trip for two (2). They’re picking up the tab for a deluxe RV with a driver/tour guide, breakfasts and airfare, plus $500 in tourist attraction tickets.

The contest ends November 30,2013 and is already in full swing with weekly winners of SilverStar Ultra headlights being announced along the way. Our weekly winners will automatically be entered to win the grand prize.

Overview of the Contest:

Get on the road. No journey is too short or too long to make you eligible to win.
Capture your journey on your camera or cell phone.
Post the picture on your Instagram account using the #SeeCanadaBetter hashtag.
See what others are sharing @SylvaniaCanada.
Follow @SylvaniaCanada on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to see if you’re the weekly or grand prize winner.
Visit www.SeeCanadaBetter.ca for full contest details.

SOURCE Sylvania Canada

TravelBloggers.ca, Wolf Park, wolfpark.org, Battle Ground Indiana, Monty Sloan Seminar

November Desktop Calendar Now Available!

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

We’ve added November’s Desktop Calendar to our “Downloads” page.

This month it’s Wolf Park – Battle Ground, Indiana … we hope you like it!

Survey Shows That Canadians Have A Poor Understanding of Travel/Vacation Health Coverage

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Vacations aren’t always carefree – 21% have required medical attention and 6% don’t pack underwear

TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2013 /CNW/ – The Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THiA) conducted a national survey^* of Canadians about their travel habits and their understanding of provincial health coverage.

The survey revealed that 35% of Canadian travellers do not buy travel health insurance.

“Only six per cent of Canadians realize that provincial health plans cover approximately nine per cent of medical expenses when travelling outside of Canada,” said THiA President, John Thain. “Travel health insurance is designed to protect against unforeseen medical expenses.” Read More

Iconic Neuschwanstein Castle – An Inspiration For Fairy-Tales and Children’s Dreams

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

Touring one of the world’s most infamous castles
Walt Disney built his empire around a beautiful castle, that castle was inspired by the magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. Neuschwanstein Castle and the surrounding village of Schwangau are spectacular and quaint all at the same time. The splendour and grandeur of the castle paired with the rustic feel of the country-side with the distant sound of cow bells echoing through the valley – this truly is a place where fairy-tales are born.

Neuschwanstein Castle (pronounced: Noysh-vine-stine) is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe, seeing more than 1.4 million visitors annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer, so depending on when you visit and try to book a tour, your wish may or may not be granted – so plan ahead! Read More

Karlsruhe Zoo – Is It A Park With A Zoo Or A Zoo With A Park?

Published by TravelBloggers.ca

After driving around in circles for what seemed hours (but was only a few minutes), we found a parking garage and parked. Phew! Glad that was over..We’d been following our friend through the modern and very clean city of Karlsruhe – trying not to lose him, while at the same time making sure we were not running red lights or breaking the law! (Karlsruhe is located 50km south of Heidelberg)

For a city this large it was strange to see plenty of parked cars by the side of the road but few people actually walking about. Street after street of parked cars, but there was no inclination that there could possibly be a park – let alone a zoo in this neighbourhood. Once we’d parked the car, we came out of the underground garage into a large open plaza surrounded by buildings. On the far side were a few trees and off we went towards them – still wondering how they’ve managed to hide a zoo in the middle of the city. We got to the trees and there it was the entrance – to a park. Through the gates we could see people slowly walking about enjoying the beautiful autumn afternoon. Read More