tvor's VirtualTourist Home Page

I am unapologetically a tourist. I love to see and do the sights when i travel to a new place. I like bus tours, city tours, walking tours. I like to go up high to get a bird's eye view of a place when i can. If i've visited a place a few times then i will tend to just "be" there, walk, meet up with friends if i can, explore parts of the location that might be off the beaten track but most places i don't know that well yet and there's always a gallery or museum to find somewhere :o)

I got a taste for travel in high school on a trip to France and Italy. I have always been fond of history, especially UK history and always wanted to go there. Many years passed between high school and the day i was finally able to afford to travel again. When that day came, the only logical choice was the U.K. In 1993, I booked a bus tour through Cosmos and have been traveling as much and when i could ever since!

Since that trip, in August 1993, i've returned to the U.K. many times, with another trip always in the planning stage. The main attraction these days are my fiance and lots of internet friends that live there, people to visit, places to stay (for free sometimes!) and lots of things to do and new places to see.

In addition, i've been to Italy, Ireland, Boston, New York City, and a few places across Canada from Newfoundland to British Columbia.

I love seeing different places, i love researching a destination.. the history, the sights, figuring out the things i'll want to see and do. I love different cultures. I love cities and small towns, local shops and restaurants, small unique museums and museums that feature the local history especially. I love art and seeing how the local culture and history is reflected in the art.

When I'm researching a new place to go, I use a variety of sources. I usually buy a guidebook with really nice photos and maps, sometimes more than one. City guides are good and they usually fit in your backpack or handbag. Online, there are so many resources including our own VT. IgoUgo is a new kid on the block and isn't too bad. TripAdvisor is a good way to research hotel ratings from people that have stayed there.

Find the official tourist website for your location and have a good look around there. Official tourism sites often have good links for accomodations and they always have maps, too. Haunt your local travel agent who has lots of material too. Borrow more guide books, travel video and travel writing from the library.

Make lots of lists. Put the "must see" stuff at the top and the rest of the "wish list" after that and don't expect to do and see it all. Don't schedule yourself too tightly, and allow for changes of itineraries. Weather, transportation or just spotting an ad for a new attraction might divert you and it could be very well worth the change of plans.

There are so many places i would love to go. Currently most of my travel budget is earmarked to seeing my fiance in the UK and we can plan day and short trips in the UK as there is always something new to see there. We have also travelled further afield to Continental Europe (France, Netherlands, Belgium) with plans to continue that as and when.

There are more places in Canada that i want to see and revisit as well. I am lucky to live in a wide and diverse country with relatives and friends from coast to coast.
Wish List for repeat visits: Venice, Florence, Rome, Scotland, Ireland, Vancouver and Van. Island, New York City, Boston, and of course London.
Wish List for new destinations: Austria, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, China, Lisbon, Duoro Valley Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic

Canadian destinations: Montreal and Quebec City. We have lots of friends in Toronto, Ottawa and in the Edmonton area too so it's always nice to try to touch base there when we can.

Some people don't like bus tours but I've taken a few and I quite like them. Sure, they have their drawbacks but they also have the advantage of having someone else do all the arrangements for you. I like getting a bit of an overview to a place with the assistance of an informative guide.

Most large tour companies are reliable and you don't have to pay for optional extras if you don't want to. Take a guide book and do stuff on your own instead of paying for that walking tour or find an interesting cafe or restaurant instead of the high price you pay for the dinner with entertainment. Do it if you want to, they do good shows for the tourists if your budget allows. Some of the optionals I find are worth it and some are not.

Use a company that's going to give you plenty of time on your own. I've had good luck with Globus (Cosmos is their budget section). and Trafalgar is pretty much their equal. Insight is a bit more expensive. The budget tours tend to have your hotel outside of the city center or even outside of a city itself to save a bit of money. Public transport is usually available but it's worth the extra if you can afford it to have the better class tour with central hotels. Drawbacks of tours include not having enough or having too much time in a place.

Lastly, to avoid that 15 countries in 21 days burnout, take shorter tours, take tours that focus on one or two countries, a particular region. 7-10 days is plenty. The longest i've taken was 2 weeks in Italy and i was getting pretty burned out by the end. Shorter week long tours of Ireland and Scotland and of the UK were just about right. I'd do it again if the opportunity and budget allowed.

Tour companies are also experts in doing day tours outside of a city centre or in the general area. These are great if you are in a city and want to get out of the hustle and bustle or want an escorted tour to somewhere special rather than have the hassle of getting there yourself if it's a bit out of the way. The cost usually covers any entrance fees for attractions that you are scheduled to see and they give you enough time to see the main attraction.

Most cities have walking tour companies with expert guides. I highly reccommend these. Pretty much all of the major companies are going to be a good choice. Check their itineraries online and choose one or two tours. They generally last an hour and a half to two hours. Some offer day tours though you will pay a little more for them plus entrance and transportation costs but you have the guide with you all day, too.

And more importantly...

Don't forget to tip the guide and driver!

The word "souvenir" is French for "memory" or "to remember". Everyone has something different in mind as a keepsake to remember a trip. Some people only buy local crafts and art. Some love the kitchy and tatty items. Lots of people keep receipts, postcards, brochures, ticket stubs and event programs. Some people take hundreds of photos and some take none or very few. There are movies and video, books, tapes and dvds, local music.

For me, photos are an important part of my trip. I try not to go overboard because you can make the mistake of spending all your time behind a viewfinder and not really seeing a place. Even in this digital age, i still get prints done of my trips though i try to pick just my favourites. Even then, I can easily have 200 - 300 prints for a trip, even a short one, if it's somewhere new to me with lots to see. I love to take pictures of architecture, doors, windows, and i like to get up closer and get details. A decoration over a door or sculpture on a high corner will draw my eye. I may take a photo of a fountain or statue and then get a close up detail of it. Walking down a street, the displays in a window or market stall may attract my attention. It all contributes to what i did and saw and brings back the memories, for me. Organizing the photos afterwards is the last part of the trip for me, adding descriptions and little historical details.

Other souvenirs i may pick up are prints, tea towels, ceramic houses/cottages (something that represents a typical building or house from the area), an ornament for the Christmas tree and postcards. Sometimes i will buy clothing, jewellry, socks, and there's always tempting treats like chocolate or a local liqueur.

2009: Just got back from the UK. Graham and i had five or six days away and we visited Amsterdam, Brussels and Bruges.
Brugge
Brussels
Amsterdam
Arnhem

2008: Mom and I went to London for her first visit and my tenth. It was a cold, damp week and we only saw the sun on a couple of days but we had a great time! We did day trips to Brighton and to Canterbury/Leeds Castle and we shopped and did lots of sight seeing. The travelogue and photo links are here

In September 2008, Graham and I visited the spectacular Cape Breton Island.
Full travelogue and photo links are here

Graham arrives on October 29 and stays for a couple of weeks. We are flying to Montreal on Nov. 2 for five nights and hope to get a day trip to Ottawa while there.

2010: Tentatively a few days in Copenhagen. Possibly somewhere else, not sure yet.

I have a personal web site, This part of it features my travelogues and there's a link on that page for my travel photo albums. VT will be for highlights, favourite memories, "best" photos, and tips.