@Humber Radio – 2011
Music by Johnny Broadway -Creative Commons
Whenever I glance through my passport (which is fairly often as it is a daily requirement for my job), all the stamps I’ve collected over the years come with their own stories. Sometimes they’re exciting ones, as I head to a country for the first time. Other times they’re familiar, if I’m back in a country I’ve come to know and love. Others, at times, are frustrating, as I remember the lines at airports or the struggles to figure out where exactly I need to be while dealing with a language I don’t speak. These colourful stamps that I’ve accumulated all come with many stories and I wouldn’t change a single one. It’s true – the best stories in the world are definitely found on the pages of your passport. 
Every year on January 12th, I struggle a little (and sometimes more than a little…) with the fact that I’m getting another year older. I know the saying goes, “Do not regret growing older, it’s a privilege denied to many.” This I totally agree with. It’s not the getting older part that bothers me, it’s the fact that with every year that goes by I feel like I’m running out of time to do all the things I want to do. (This list is massive to begin with and seems to grow by the day….)
Most of the time, I can push this feeling away and just continue to cross things off my life “to-do” list. But then January comes around again- a new year and only 11 days until I get older. As that feeling becomes more overwhelming, I start looking for ways to slow the rising panic. Travel tends to be my remedy for all life’s stresses and birthday trips definitely ease the panicky state.
While any kind of trip is great, the beach always has a calming effect on me. So, I decided to take a short getaway to Montego Bay, Jamaica to spend my day on the beach with sun, sand and slushy drinks.
This year, I learned that birthdays are definitely better on the beach and when the sky paints you a stunningly colourful sunset, you can almost forget you are now a year older.
Setting new year’s resolutions has always been easy for me. It’s never been about getting in shape (although that would be nice) or striving for a better paying job (I happen to love the one I have) or even looking for love (although I now have this, those who know me know this isn’t something I was looking for!)
Each year, as I count down the hours until the new year begins my only goal for the upcoming year is to travel more than I did the year before. See more of the world, experience different cultures, set off on new adventures and never settle for simply staying in one place.
I hope 2016 brings you all health, happiness and lot’s of travel!
With everything that’s been going on in the world these days, I believe travel is as important as ever. When you immerse yourself in a new country with different customs and often other languages and cultures, you realize pretty quickly that while we may all have some differences, at the heart of it, where it counts the most, you realize we are all the same. ❤
My favourite time of year is upon us. Time for spooky decorations, pumpkin beer, carving pumpkins, gorging on candy and dressing up in fabulous costumes! The time of year when ghost stories come to life and witches take over the silver screen.
Over twenty years have gone by since one of the greatest Halloween movies, and my personal favourite, premiered. My yearly Halloween celebrations aren’t complete without watching Hocus Pocus at least once. This year, I decided to take this celebration one step further and set out for Salem, where the film is set.
If you haven’t seen this movie starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Nijimy, you should stop what you are doing and go watch it….immediately.
Hocus Pocus tells the story of the Sanderson sisters, three witches who are hanged during the Salem witch trials. After 300 years, the spell the witches cast the night they were hung resurrects them when Max decides Halloween is all a bunch of hocus pocus, and lights the black flame candle on Halloween night.
Now it’s up to Max, his sister Dani and his crush Allison, along with an immortal cat named Binx to put an end to the Sanderson sisters once and for all.
While most of the filming took place in Los Angeles, some sites in Salem and neighbouring towns made an appearance.
Being such a huge fan of both Halloween and this movie, there was no way I was leaving Salem without tracking down as many of the film sites as I could.
1. Max & Dani Dennison’s House– 8 Ocean Ave. In the film, the Dennisons recently moved to Salem from L.A. into this amazing house at the end of Ocean Ave overlooking the water. Today, it’s a private residence, but still looks exactly as it did in the movie when the witches burst out of the amazing rooftop tower.
2. Old Town Hall– 32 Derby Square- This is the spot where the Sanderson Sisters ‘put a spell on you’ as the adults spent the night dancing away at the town Halloween party. Today, the Salem Museum is located on the first floor of the building. It also hosts the plays Cry Innocent and History Alive.
3. Allison’s Mansion – 318 Essex St – The gorgeous house where Max’s crush, Allison, lives is the historic Ropes Mansion, which was built in the 1720s. Today, the mansion is operated by the Peabody Essex Museum and is open to the public. (The film only used the exterior of the house.)
4. Sanderson Sister’s Cottage/ Thackery Binx’s home – Salem Pioneer Village/ Salem Forest River Park- The pioneer village is the first living history museum. The “1630 Pioneer Village’ is open to the public from from mid-April to September 30th – just watch out for black flame candles!
5. Jacob Bailey High School – Salem Commons- The school Max Dennison attends with Allison. The exterior of the former Phillips Elementary School made an appearance in the movie when Max, Dani and Allison trick the witches into the furnace to burn them.
6. Park outside the school – Salem Common- the scene where Max tries to trick Allison into taking his phone number after school takes place here. Like most New England settlements, Salem had a plot of land where residents could graze their livestock. In 1850, the city enclosed the Common with the wrought iron fence and renovated its structures.
7. The Graveyard-Old Burial Hill, Marblehead– The daytime shots of the graveyard, where Max is bullied by Jay and Ernie and where Max, Dani, Allison and Binx, hide from the Sanderson Sisters, is located in neighbouring Marblehead. The Old Burial Hill cemetery was established in 1638 and is one of the oldest cemeteries in New England. (Night filming took place in Los Angeles.) Sadly, we didn’t make it out to this one…guess I’ll just have to make another trip!
So next Halloween season, if you’re looking to chase down some fun and celebrate one of the greatest Halloween films ever, sail into the Sanderson Sisters’ witching ground and take your own walking tour of these Hocus Pocus filming locations!
Beautiful Cozumel is the largest island in Mexico and a major cruise port. While it’s easy to explore the only town on the island, San Miguel de Cozumel on foot, to get around the rest of the island, measuring 53km by 14km, you’re going to require some wheels.
Taxis here can be expensive, but jeeps, cars, golf carts and scooters are available to rent all over the island for reasonable daily rates.
For larger groups, you’re going to need a car, but for one or two people a scooter is the easiest (and most fun!) way to get around. Here, scooters cost around 250 Mexican pesos to rent for the day.
The western shoreline, where most of the rental places are located, has the ferry dock and the cruise ship ports as well as most of the island’s hotels and dive sites. This side of the island is a bustling port town, filled with souvenir and duty-free shops, traffic and tourists everywhere you look. To escape the crowds and constant requests to visit each shop, drive your scooter across the island to the eastern shoreline.
Here, you’ll find beautiful seascapes and nature reserves, broken up periodically by a beach bar.
With a day to use your scooter, a drive around the entire island is possible. It also gives you the freedom to check out some tourist spots along the way, like the Mayan Ruins of San Gervasio. You can park your scooter and hop in for a refreshing swim along the rocky western shore with the locals, or stop for lunch on the Eastern side at one of the funky beach bars – like “Coconuts.”
Just keep in mind that while scooters are a great way to get around the island, they can also be dangerous. With lots of traffic, tourists and huge speed bumps to dodge, be sure to don a helmet for your adventure. Make sure the scooter is in good condition before setting out, and obey all traffic signs and keep your eyes open while on the road.
Next time you’re in Cozumel, grab a scooter, put your helmet on, and head out to explore all the island has to offer.
I recently entered a writing piece about a time I felt immersed in a place. This was a tough choice, as on most trips I try to learn as much about the place I’m in and the local culture as I can. There was one time though, standing high on a platform, kissing giraffes in Kenya that I felt completely at home.
Here’s that story (If you like it, please click the “Thumbs Up” and help me win a trip!)
http://realtravelstories.com/kissing-in-kenya/
Take a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando. Travel between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley on the magical Hogwarts Express. Step inside Gringotts bank and take the thrilling new ride “Harry Pottter and the Escape from Gringotts.” Watch the wand choose the wizard at Ollivanders and take a flight on a Hippogriff by Hagrid’s Hut. Then, head into Hogwarts Castle and jump on a broom with Harry for a “Forbidden Journey” before strolling through the shops of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, sipping a delicious Butterbeer!
Tales of a Travel Addict 
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