Autumn Afar

The blog is currently undergoing a transformation, please stay tuned for updates!

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OSHEAGA 2022 Review

Got back into my blog after... lets not talk about how long. I wrote a review of my Osheaga experience!

I went to Osheaga for the first time, and I have a few notes. https://www.instagram.com/p/ChF70_3uh4v/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= If you haven’t heard of it before, Osheaga is the biggest indie music festival in Canada, and was recently voted 22nd in the world by Billboard magazine. As a born and raised Montrealer, Osheaga is kind of  just another festival. It happens at the end of July or start of…

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Famous Cemeteries That Draw Tourists

My Latest: My Famous Cemeteries That Draw Tourists I'm someone who really enjoys art and architecture, so strolling through cemeteries is usually planned into my excursions. Here are a few of the most popular with tourists!

Would you rather listen to this? Find a video link to the YouTube video at the bottom of this post!

Europe

Cimetière du Père Lachaise (France)

Named after King Louis XIV’ s(14) confessor, Father François d’Aix de La Chaise, this cemetery first opened over 220 years ago in 1804. It’s home to over 70,000 ornate tombs across more than 100 acres, including those of Jim Morrison and Oscar…

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Review of My GoPro Hero 5

My latest: Review of My GoPro Hero 5. While this camera is now considered old by many, I wanted to write about it so I compare one day when I upgrade!

Specs + Price

My particular model is the GoPro Hero 5 Black. The going rate is approximately the same as what I paid at around 400$ Canadian, plus the gear you can buy for it, which is extensive.

Its waterproof up to 10m (33 feet), takes 4K Video and 12MP Photo and has a few cool add-ons like the ability to start and stop recording using the shoot button, which came in handy more than once.

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Where to buy gear and how to assess your needs

My latest: Where to buy gear and how to assess your needs

Before any adventure can begin, you need to pack your stuff, and to do that, you need gear. But where do you get it, what do you even need? This is how I go about getting my stuff.

What do you already have?

The first thing I always do before I even look at what I could buy is look at what I already own.

I take into consideration its age, what shape’  sit’s in, and if it could be repaired…

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My Favourite Experiences

My latest: My Favourite Experiences

There are so many incredible things you can do when you travel. However, what everyone hopes to do can differ, and not everyone is interested in the same activities.

When I plan a trip, I like to look at what activities I can do, and in no particular order, here are a few of the things I look for.

Theme parks

Disney, Universal &Six Flags are among many theme parks that appear around the…

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What I wish someone had told me about cruising

Check out my latest blog post: What I wish someone had told me about cruising

Photo by myself, taken on The Isle of Pines, New Caledonia.

Cruising is a great option for people who want to travel to different places in a short amount of time and without having to do much work as far as getting between destinations goes.

But there are a few things I wish I had known before I started, because it’s not always pretty.

Packing Most tend to overpack for a cruise. I know I…

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Travelling Safely

Check out my latest blog post: Travelling Safely

This post is something I took a long time to write. So many people who try to persuade me not to travel, saying that “it’s dangerous”, that terrible thing will happen to me, and to be honest, the news and social media don’t help. All too often people, at least in most cases publicized, Women, are beaten, robbed and sadly killed in countries around the world. There are also places where police and…

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Travel Hacks for at location and on trips

Check out my latest blog post: Travel Hacks for at location and on trips

Power bar

This one can be difficult at times, when I went to Australia, I brought one, plugged it in, popped a breaker, and it went unused the rest of my trip. I’ve even had it temporarily confiscated on a cruise ship because they didn’t want us to use them to avoid power surges, because no one would be happy if you caused a fuse to blow in the middle of the ocean. The one I brought had a…

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How to Keep Yourself Regular When You Travel

Check out my latest blog post: How to Keep Yourself Regular When You Travel

***This is in no way medical advice, so please be sure to talk to your medical provider about your concerns or questions, should you have any.***

One of the most important things we do daily is going to the bathroom. When travelling this can become a bit difficult, not only if you have to find a washroom, but if you have trouble going once you get there.

So why do we have shy bowels…

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Tools for Travel – App Edition

Check out my latest blog Post: Tools for Travel – App Edition

Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash

This list is not every single resource, but it includes some of the resources I use personally & ones I recommended while I was a travel agent.

Hopper

Hopper is becoming a significant player in booking flights. Like google flights, Hopper allows you to see various flight options, and to check different dates.

Where Hopper is ahead of google…

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Evolve Travel Goods Towel Review

Evolve Travel Goods Towel Review

Before we get started, I want you to know I am not sponsored by this company, this is an honest review of a product I actually use, so our first review is of the Evolve Adventure Towel.

I’m not someone who needs to have the newest, cutting edge products, but when I saw this on my timeline on Facebook, I knew I had to order it. The Evolve Adventure Towel is made of 20 Recycled Plastic Bottles…

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Choosing Gear

Photo by S&B Vonlanthen on Unsplash

Packing cubes & dry bags, pillows & neck-rests, Hydration packs & water bottles, Backpacks & luggage. There are SO many options out there, so how exactly do you choose what you need and cut through everything else?

This is a really quick, compacted informational video on various types of gear. If you’re looking for more information, I have my sources…

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Do You REALLY Need a Travel Agent?

Do You REALLY Need a Travel Agent?

A former Travel Agent’s take

Photo by Ashim D’Silva on Unsplash

Now, this post will not be talking about my time as a TA, rather it will focus on if I think you, as a consumer need to use a TA to book travel.

So, here’s my answer: Maybe.

Ok so maybe that’s not what you expected to hear, and you’re probably going to want more information than that. Here is the argument for using a…

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The Problem with "Voluntourism"

The Problem with “Voluntourism”

Photo by  Capturing the human heart.  on  Unsplash

Now usually I try to be impartial, but I can’t do this here. There are so many great organizations out there, who help so many people, but these are not those organizations. These ones, they’re the liars, the cheats and abusers of people’s kindness and generosity. If you are anything like me, you have probably spent a sizable amount of time…

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Unique Travel Experiences|Part Two

My Latest Blog Post: Unique Travel Experiences|Part Two

This is part two of my series on Unique Travel Experiences. Some of these are beautiful, others strange, and some might find some of them kinda gross, including this first one.

Sour toe cocktail

I’m sure a few of you remember last year when a small town in the Yukon, a Territory in Northern Canada, uhm…. lost an important relic? Let me take you back a bit, it’s the 1920’s and brothers Louie…

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Haunted destinations I’ve Visited

My Latest Blog Post: Haunted destinations I’ve Visited

A photo from the bridge leading to the entrance of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial I took during my visit.

Some people believe in supernatural occurrences, and some don’t. However, what many agree on is that terrible, often traumatic events can leave remnants of the past behind like a scar most can’t see, we can still feel that something is not quite right at these sights.

If you’re…

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Tools for Travel – Web Edition

My Latest Blog Post: Tools for Travel – Web Edition

The internet is a treasure trove of information and resources, many of which you may not know about.

While this list may not be every single resource, it includes some of the resources I use both personally and from while I was a travel agent. All the sites will be linked down below, none of them are affiliated, and I am not getting any money to promote these sites or companies, and this video…

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