Travel
From girl's getaways to couples weekends away and family travel too. Find everything you need here on Thrifty Mommas Tips to make planning your next big adventure a breeze. Travel confidently with all of these tips and ideas for what, when and where to go. Learn to ski, go sledding on a dog sled near Tremblant, zip lining over the tree tops or snorkelling with mosquito jellyfish in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Most of this travel content has one common theme - it's all about traveling affordably for your family. If you haven't traveled, you haven't lived. Travel can be one of the greatest educational experiences undertaken in a lifetime. Seeing new areas of the world is extremely rewarding no matter how you travel or where you go. Whether you are a backpacking millennial or a cruising retiree, enjoy the content on Thrifty Mommas Tips and learn before you go, so that you can make the best of your time away. The family cruise content is comprehensive and an excellent tool if you are planning or dreaming of cruising in future. Read my in depth series that ties child sponsorship in Colombia together with travel to the South American country and then don't forget to peruse the Zambian fellowship series too. Impactful and meaningful, voluntourism serves a different purpose than a recreational family trip. But, there's quite a lot of both sustainable travel and impactful travel adventures coupled with family travel opportunities to make memories that last for years. Where will you go next and who will you take with you?
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Aboard a Shrimp Boat in Coastal Mississippi – All About Shrimping
I am feeling completely Forrest Gump as we board a shrimp boat on a sparkling sunny day in Romantic Coastal Mississippi. “There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That — that’s about it,” Bubba (Forrest Gump) We were guests of Visit Coastal Mississippi on a media trip while in the state and received food, accommodations and excursions in exchange for story consideration here. Fresh Seafood Shrimp is my favourite fruit of the sea. There’s nothing quite like fresh seafood and the Gulf Coast has some of the freshest in the world. Gulf Coast shrimp is…
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New Orleans Beignets Three Different Ways
New Orleans beignets are legendary. They are synonymous with the destination and just one of those things you need to sample when in NOLA. The city of New Orleans is known for its spirited nightlife, raucous bachelorette parties, and an abundance of internationally inspired foods. Perhaps nothing is more synonymous with NOLA though than beignets. Everyone makes them and has their own slightly unique take on the fluffy doughy sweets. New Orleans Beignets Recently, I went in search of New Orleans best beignets and what I found might surprise you. So, what’s all the fuss? And more importantly, what are beignets anyways? To be completely transparent, before we visited Louisiana…
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Iconic Things to See and Do in Southwestern Ontario
Not surprisingly, this entire year we have spent more time close to home in Southwestern Ontario. Small adventures in a controlled manner close to home are the name of the game. On a recent day off, my daughter Payton and I drove to Port Stanley after visiting a park in Aylmer. That got us talking about what the iconic tourist attractions are in each city nearby us in Southwestern Ontario. Why Southwestern Ontario? Southwestern Ontario is where I have lived my entire life to date. While I have considered moving to B.C. or the USA, I am so glad we never left. At different times I have called Kitchener, Guelph…
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Tent Camping – Sometimes All You Need is a Tent and a Campfire
Sometimes all you need is a tent and a campfire. And maybe throw in a bag of marshmallows to boot. We just returned from a weekend in Port Burwell Provincial Park on what was our first ever tent camping trip. I mean if ever there was a year for embracing tent camping, this was the one. Sleeping in a Tent? So, big deal, you might be thinking. Many people the world over go tent camping all the time. But, for us, it is a big deal. I am over 50 and have managed to succeed traveling many different ways. Budget travel, luxury travel, beach vacations, girl’s getaways, family ski trips…
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Do the Brews Cruise – Three Creative Durham Region Breweries
In early 2020, I visited Durham Region as a guest. We stayed at The Hive and did the Durham Region Brews Cruise, sampling beers at three stellar Durham Region Breweries. This is all about that stay. Reminder – please drink responsibly. I am not the world’s biggest beer connoisseur by any stretch. In fact, pretty sure my shoulders will never support that title. But, I know what I like and I love adventuresome and creative breweries. Beers that make use of fruit, coffee, earthy flavours of nuts, rich kicks of coffee and sweet notes of peanut butter, rock my tastebuds. So, when I found out there was a brews cruise…
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Top Ice Cream Shops to Visit in Southwestern Ontario Right Now!
I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream shops. Well, you will ALL be screaming for ice cream and a trip through southwestern Ontario once you read about the delicious ice cream shops we have discovered here while day tripping safely during the Pandemic. Celebrating Ice Cream Parlours Is there anything that goes together better than summer and ice cream? Maybe, peanut butter and jelly might rival that partnership but summer was made for ice cream. Also, nobody screams for peanut butter and jelly, well nobody over the age of 5. This month, I wanted to share the love with some area businesses. After all it has been…
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Top Rainy Day Cottage Activities: What to do When Weather is Poor
Almost every year of my life I’ve spent at least a week at the cottage. Typically, we visit in the summer, and sometimes in the fall too. It’s a Canadian tradition. Camping and cottages and long summer nights and wildlife. Bad weather can also be a Canadian tradition. Don’t let your cottage vacation be a rainy disappointment. Plan ahead for some Rainy Day Cottage Activities and keep everyone happy for the week, or weeks ahead. This Rainy Day Cottage Activities Post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive s all commission on qualifying purchases. There’s no end to the fun that can be had when the…
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Our Six Favourite Trips for Teens and Families
This trips for teens post was written by my daughter, Ainsley, 16. Together, we visited many of these destinations while on hosted media trips. Post contains affiliate links to tours and destinations we recommend. Over the past few months, during the pandemic, I can’t help but dwell upon how much I enjoy travelling. Travelling is one of my favourite things to do, and I know not every individual my age gets that opportunity. I know that I am lucky, because my mom’s job is one of the coolest jobs around. My mom is a travel writer, so her life is packed with fun, joy, extraordinary memories, and so much…
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Healthy Satisfying Train Ride or Road Trip Snacks
When taking long trips, either by road or by train, it can be challenging to keep everyone nourished and rested. Most forms of public transportation, including trains, offer high calorie, heavily processed foods. And as for road trip snacks, even when you take a long ride by car together, you need to plan your stops and road trip snacks or you end up eating poorly and wasting a lot of money. Why Do Healthy Road Trip Snacks Matter? Without a stable arsenal of healthy and hearty options, your family can quickly find themselves tired, hungry, stressed, and lacking money. We take an annual drive to Vermont for a ski break…
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Ultimate Tips for Your First Yellowstone Visit
With parks cautiously opening up again in various US states and Canadian provinces, I thought it seemed like a great time to share some tips for your first Yellowstone visit. Planning is important to get the most out of your Yellowstone trip, so take the time now to read up on where to stay and what to see and get it right, whether you are visiting this season or next. I visited Yellowstone and Cody, Wyoming with Austin Adventures in 2019. Here, I gathered my research, personal experiences and reached out to some contacts and friends who are National Parks experts in the US. First and Foremost Did you know…
