solo travel Archives • Page 5 of 6 • The Bliss Movement

Personal Development, Self-Care, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

Are You Breathing Just a Little and Calling it a Life?

“Listen—are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?” –Mary Oliver If you live in any of the Western countries you will know all too well the typical route that a life is supposed to take. Graduate, go to college, get a job, get married, buy a house, start a family… not necessarily in that order. But what happens when the idea of all of these things that equal a “successful” life fills you with dread and makes you want to run in the opposite direction? What happens when a university degree is not going to give you what you always wanted? W[...]

Alberta, Canada

Brunch At The Coup and Meet, Calgary

As is typical for the middle of winter, this last week in Calgary has been bitterly cold with temperatures dropping below -30 C. A summer girl through and through, winter time makes me want to hibernate in my cozy home with the tea flowing, heat up, and a devilishly handsome cat to snuggle with beneath my pile of blankets. With my mom in town for a much needed mother-daughter visit this simply couldn't happen and in our best efforts to make the most of our weekend together, we braved the cold. Only so long as to get from one building to the next, of course. After[...]

Alberta, Canada

Edmonton’s Harry Potter Exhibition

"There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words." -- J.K. Rowling I read each of the books at least five times, growing up with The Boy Who Lived and all of his magical friends. I waited eagerly outside of a packed theater on opening night of the movies. I participated in a Harry Potter book club in the fifth grade, proudly dressing up as Hermione Granger. I cried when Sirius, Dobby, Aragog, Dumbledore, Severus, and Fred died. *spoiler alert: if you want to attend the exhibit yourself, read this afte[...]

Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

6 Ways To Enhance Your Airport Experience

I love airports. I mean I really, truly, love them. My longest time in an airport was ten hours but I'm certain I could spend an entire day in one and never get bored of it. Airports are a beautiful place, they're filled with some of my favorite things. Some people are departing on an exciting adventure and I am always curious as to where they're heading and why. Others are returning from a place just as mysterious with a look of mixed feelings -- happy to be home and in the presence of their loved ones, yet sad that their time away is over. Emotions run high no m[...]

Europe, France

Exploring The Notre Dame In Paris

When, after long gropings up the dark perpendicular stair-case which pierces the thick walls of the steeple towers, one emerged at last unexpectedly on to one of the two high platforms inundated with light and air, it was in truth a marvellous picture spread out before you on every side; - Victor Hugo Once upon a time, I stepped into the life of Esmeralda and danced around the towers of the Notre Dame, shaking my tambourine. Just kidding. Nobody can shake a tambourine like Esmeralda, but I did get to wander around the towers of the Notre Dame on a crisp Pari[...]

Asia, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel, Vietnam

Traveller’s Diarrhea 101: What Is It, How To Prevent It, What To Do When You Get It

You’re walking through a crowded market that lines either side of a narrow street. It’s 40 degrees, hotter than the hottest day back home and vehicles, motorbikes, and humans all weave in and out of one another. And then it hits you. You start sweating, more than you already are, your stomach begins to flip and make the most animalistic noises, and you find yourself clenching your butt cheeks together. You need a bathroom, and you need it NOW. Traveler’s diarrhea (TD); a backpacker’s worst nightmare. My second time back to Southeast Asia, I was hesitant[...]

San Francisco, United States

Baker Beach, San Francisco: A Photo Montage.

"There is magic in the ocean. Be free and dive in." A collection of photos from Baker Beach, San Francisco.[...]

San Francisco, United States

Baker Beach, San Francisco

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea" -Isak Dinesen Soft sand hits your feet, sun caresses your shoulders, and the salty scent of the ocean breeze fills your nose. It is one of my very favorite moments, that moment when you step onto the beach and walk towards the sea. Isak Dinesen was correct when he said that the sea can cure anything. All of my day-to-day worries melt away the instant I see the ocean before me. Foamy white waves crash into the shoreline and the sparkling blue water of the Pacific Ocean goes as far as the eye can see[...]

Asia, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

What Type of Transportation Should You Take?

Buses, planes, trains, oh my! These days there is every possible form of transportation available to the world traveler. Planes tend to be a popular (and necessary) choice for long, overseas flights. But once you've landed on your desired continent or country you have a few other choices jumping into the mix. Two of the most popular methods of transportation are buses and trains. Other options are boat, car, hitch-hiking, motorcycle, or simply trekking long distances, just to name a few. Now in my perfect world people would still ride horses everywhere... but si[...]

Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel, United States

City Bus Tours: Are They Worth It?

As a traveler and a travel blogger, I’ve come across a million biased opinions on what might make a person a “tourist” and what might make another person a “traveler.” Honestly, I think it’s all a load of bullshit. If we are going to start classifying “travelers” as a notch higher than “tourists” then I think the whole travel society is going in a strange direction. People are seeing the world and I think we should let people see it however they so choose. Take Hop-On, Hop-Off buses, for example. From the streets, you see these double decker b[...]

Italy

Casa di Giulietta, Verona

My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.” -- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Although it was four summers ago now, I remember Verona like it was just yesterday. Everyone knows the famous Shakespeare story of Romeo and Juliet. It has been told and re-told, played and re-played time and again and is considered to be one of the most famous love stories of all time. Traveling with two girlfriends from the North to South of Italy, our main decision for stopping in Verona was to see[...]

Alberta, Canada

Whitewater Rafting in Jasper, Alberta

The musty smell of a boys' locker room greeted us as soon as we stepped onto the big yellow school bus. It's a smell that brings back childhood memories of spending the majority of my days in a hockey rink, whether for my ringette practices and games or for my brother and his hockey. But this wasn't a rink, it was a yellow school bus in a parking lot surrounded by the mountains of Jasper National Park. The back was stocked with wet suits and water booties of all sizes and everyone had eager looks on their face. After spending the previous day lounging at Lake Anne[...]