Ahhh, fall. For Canadians, those brisk mornings, falling leaves and fleeing geese scream… wait for me! If you’re planning a trip, follow my packing checklist for (almost) stress-free preparations:

SECURE THE ESSENTIALS

• Passport, visas, birth certificate, ID cards, drivers license, insurance papers
• Vaccination certificate, health insurance and social insurance cards
• Cash, credit/ATM cards, cheques
• Tickets, reservation confirmations

ROUND UP PERSONAL ITEMS

• Glasses, sunglasses, contacts (plus cases and solution)
• Prescription meds (keep in original containers)
• Toiletries bag (sunscreen, toothbrush/paste, shampoo, deodorant, razors, etc)
• Hair care (brush or comb, products, accessories, hair dryer)

GATHER ELECTRONICS

• Laptop
• Camera equipment
• Cell phone
• Music player, headphones
• Chargers, cables and extra batteries

EVERYTHING ELSE!

• Keys
• Pens
• Earplugs
• Books and magazines

Hope this helps you out on your next trip! And really, don’t forget your sunglasses…

Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/algy_3289/ for more snaps.

Before surrendering to winter, take one last trip to the Thousand Islands. Why? This “scenic archipelago of almost 1,800 islands” offers limitless opportunities for just switching off your brain and enjoying the beauty of the thing.

These are my top five activities for chasers of beauty:

• Cruise. There’s even a romantic evening cruise with dinner and dancing for you and your honey. Tours run until mid-October.

• Boldt Castle. Imagined by George C. Boldt, millionaire proprietor of the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC, Boldt Castle is a six-story, 200-room valentine built in honour of Boldt’s wife Louise (aww!). This early-20th-century babe still turns heads.

• Camp in the St. Lawrence Islands National Park. Some grounds are only accessible by boat, so you can play Gilligan… bring a skipper!

• Boating. For those of you with sea legs.

• Shopping. As the train arrives in – and departs from – downtown Brockville, enjoy one last afternoon of browsing the many antique shops and boutiques that line the main street. Nothing says mini-vacation like *souvenirs*.

Visit my Flickr account for more pictures, or visit my Facebook fan page to add your own photos of merrymaking.

À l’occasion de la journée En ville sans ma voiture, le lundi 22 septembre, allez-vous poser un geste spécial pour l’environnement?

De mon côté, c’est clair que j’utiliserai mon vélo! Et vous, irez-vous au travail à pied, en métro, en vélo? Si vous prenez tout de même la voiture (grr!), poserez-vous un geste à saveur environnementale pour contrer les émissions de GES pendant la journée?

De son côté, VIA Rail accorde une réduction de 50 % sur un voyage à l’automne. Pas mal, non?  L’offre est valable pour les destinations au sud du Québec et du sud de l’Ontario.

Bon week-end!
À la semaine prochaine!

How will you make your environmentally-friendly statement this September 22?

• Leave your car at home!
• Walk or cycle!
• Carpool!
• Take public transit!
• Work from home!

Whatever you do, VIA wants to reward you for being green with a 50% discount on fall travel. Pretty cool, eh? It’s for Comfort class travel between any two stations in southern Ontario and southern Québec. There are some other conditions involved (naturally), but you can read them thoroughly – and at your leisure – on the landing page.

In the meanwhile, I’ll be greasing up my bike chains and getting new laces for my walking shoes!

For more information about Car Free Day, visit the official site.

Due to technical difficulties, my Facebook profile was lost

But that won’t keep a virtual girl like me down

Visit my new Facebook page and become a fan! It’s a great way to keep up to date with new offers and contests from VIA – and to share your thoughts with other fans of train travel.

I just love bringing people together

VIA Rail has just launched a contest for a chance to win a $2,000 travel voucher.

If you win the voucher for travel anywhere in Canada, where will you go? Vancouver? Halifax? Montréal? Churchill?

Leave me a comment to share your dream Canada Vacation!

———

VIA Rail lance un concours qui pourrait vous faire gagner un crédit-voyage de 2 000 $!

Quel endroit aimeriez-vous visiter si vous aviez la chance de gagner ce prix? Vancouver? Halifax? Montréal? Churchill?

Dites-moi quelle destination vous rêvez de découvrir au Canada! Laissez-moi un commentaire!

I travel. A lot. Between work and play I’m hitting the rails so often that “home” needs to fit in 2 bags! Years of forehead-smacking moments (Jan ‘06’s exploding sunscreen!) have taught me how to pack fast and famously ready for anything. Here’s how:

• List. Save hours of “where can I buy X?” regrets by categorizing all clothes, beauty, electronics, etc, you might need, and check them off as items are weighed and packed away.

• Match. Nix this basic clothing advice. Bungee-cording 4 pairs of shoes to the outside of your bag is not check-in friendly…

• Bundle. Take your cue from every kid who’s ever run away from home, and pack clothes for maximum space – and wrinkle-saving. Visit One Bag for tips on becoming a bundle-packing guru.

• Prep. Keep a fully-stocked toiletries bag at hand, and important travel papers in a safe travel pouch.

• Buy forever. Luggage, if done right, is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. Spend the time, and money, making sure you buy quality.

Hope this makes your next trip a little easier!

My two best friends are in TO next week, and I came up with these Toronto must-sees to keep them entertained morning, noon, and night.

And now for something completely… Toronto!

• I promised to make my world-famous ratatouille over crispy polenta w/ goat cheese (yum) so Saturday is… St. Lawrence Market! Can’t wait for those buck-a-basket harvest deals on veggies, and a walking tour of Old Town should get us hungry!
• After our feast, the bright lights of the Chinese Lantern Fest at the waterfront beckon…
• Sunday, nooobody expects… Spamalot! I scored surprise matinee seats
• Tuesday, it’s kicking back as the Blue Jays (hopefully) kick some Orioles butt.
• And our last Saturday – we’ll be an “electrified audience”, peddling madly to power up generators for Mr Something Someting (on stage at the Small World Music Fest).

Are you packing for Toronto this fall too? Then check these out and let me know what you loved!