Travel Insurance and Canadians

When planning and budgeting for a trip many Canadians might assume that travel insurance is optional. But in order to properly protect your family, your belongings and the money invested into your trip, travel insurance is vital.

Why Is Travel Insurance Important?
Traveling can be like driving a car. You can make all of the right turns and practice safe, defensive driving techniques, but there are plenty of others on the road, and their actions and decisions are out of your control. Things like snow, ice and other environmental circumstances could also cause an accident.
When traveling, you also practice safety and street smarts. You pack well and try to plan for all eventualities. But there are factors beyond your control that may affect you during the trip, and the consequences of being unprepared for those type of happenings can be extremely damaging. You wouldn’t drive your car without car insurance, so why travel without proper coverage?
You might hear the term travel health insurance or travel medical insurance. You also may have considered trip cancellation or baggage insurance. These are all elements of a good travel insurance package.
A comprehensive travel insurance package should include:
• Out of country emergency medical coverage
• Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption
• Loss/Theft of Baggage and Valuables
• 24-hour Access to a Representative – this allows you to get the proper medical help when you need it and can eliminate communication difficulties

There are a few essential questions that will ensure your insurance purchase is a wise choice. Here is a summary of the answers you should expect to your questions about travel insurance coverage.
Always ask about exclusions, or those circumstances and instances that are not included in the policy. For cancellation coverage, your ticket may not be covered if a family member gets sick. Or only certain portions of the amount you prepaid may be covered (your airline ticket is included for instance, but not the hotel or charter that is booked at your destination).
Ask about pre-existing conditions too. If you have a chronic illness or have been diagnosed in the past, you may need written disclosure from your doctor beforehand to establish your state of health. This applies to both cancellation and travel health insurance. Get details and provide the insurance company with all of the relevant documents before you leave on the trip
If your trip involves the possibility of risky or dangerous sports or activities (mountain climbing or scuba diving for example), you will need to ask whether the policy will cover you in those instances. The insurance company may raise the rate or refuse to cover you because of the risk levels, but it’s important to disclose that information ahead of time.

What Can Happen If You Travel Without Coverage?
To once again compare traveling to driving a vehicle, there are many days when your trip in the car is uneventful. But your auto insurance is always actively protecting you and the other drivers around you. The same thing applies to travel insurance. If you don’t have coverage, any accidents, emergencies, losses and cancellation costs will come out of your pocket. With a good travel insurance policy you are protected at all times from the moment your trip is booked, to the moment you return home.

Summer Adventure Begins

On August 4, 2015 I woke up to a cloudy and misty day. This was not the weather I wanted to wake up to on the morning that would begin my summer adventure to Belgium. However the weather outside could not dampen my spirits, I was so excited that I would finally be going on my long planned trip to Europe - although it would be without my mom I knew she would be with me every step of the way in spirit.

After running a few errands in town, my dad and I were off to Toronto's Pearson International Airport where he would drop me off and I would of course wait anxiously to check in. After check in I made my way to terminal 3's premium lounge where I would be able to relax in big comfortable chairs that overlooked the runways. The plaza premium lounge also included free buffet drinks wonderful service, fellow travellers to converse with and free WiFi access so you could surf the net while you waited.   For more information on the Plaza Premium Lounge in Toronto click here. Using the services of the Plaza Premium Lounge helped make the time before boarding fly by and I would highly recommend this service to everyone who travels; I just wish  I had thought to take my camera out to take a few pictures to share with you.




Photo courtesy of Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto

The Midnight Museum

All photographs in this blog belong to Mary-Elizabeth McCarroll, Steve Santini and the Midnight Museum. Do not Copy, Duplicate or Alter photographs without written permission of the above mentioned.

First and foremost, I feel I must introduce you to Steve Santini because to know something of Steve, is to understand what the Midnight Museum is about.  When you first meet Steve, you feel slightly intimidated because his large size is almost scary, but his warm smile and firm handshake immediately put you at ease.  In fact Steve is one of the most sincere and genuine people I have ever met.

Steve Santini

Friday the 13^th has always been an infamous date throughout history, but there are some who believe that, Friday the 13, is lucky and historian Steve ‘Black Eagle’ Santini is one of them.  You may recognize Steve from his television show “Deals from the Dark Side” or as Canada’s death defying escape artist. What you may not know, is that Steve has been collecting rare artifacts since he was 14.

When Steve was a young child his parents took him to Ripley’s Believe it or Not, while they were vacationing in Florida. After seeing the interesting and bizarre artifacts there, Steve’s love of history, the strange and the bizarre was born. This set the future for a life filled with travel, searching for and collecting rare artifacts, as well as meeting people from all around the globe: professionals in science, history, archaeology, and many who shared the same interest.


As Steve grew, so did his passion for collecting dark and rare pieces from the past. His

The Pear of Anguish

pieces range from the macabre to Houdini and everything in between.  Pieces from the Viking period, the Titanic and the Middle Ages vie for space with pieces from histories darker side.Steve kept his pieces in his Museum in his home, but really wanted a space in order to share his treasures with others and that is why he has opened The Midnight Museum. It is a little spot on the main street in Sauble Beach, where Steve has managed to display, only some, of his vast collection.  Each artifact is well labeled, explaining valuable information about the piece and Steve himself wanders around and willing discusses the history behind them.

When you first enter the museum you will walk into a large room with a small gift shop in the corner. Waiting to welcome you is Steve and his family.  Steve is very knowledgeable about all periods in history and loves to share this knowledge with you and takes time to answer your questions, leaving you with a small glimpse of how passionate Steve is about collecting and how it drives him to seek out more items to add. He escorts you to the entrance of the museum and leaves you to wander as you please. The first thing I thing that caught my eye upon entering was the chair at the far end of the room. I was drawn to it almost like a moth to a flame.  As I started to walk toward it I couldn't help but look at the display cases on either side which contain Viking artifacts dating before the 10^th century.   I can’t help but mention the huge iron and bronze Viking padlock which was discovered on the Baltic Coast near Latvia but there was so much more, ax heads, tools, spears and rare bronze Viking offering bowl, and jewelry.  Most of all is Steve’s favorite piece a rare gold miniature Viking boat, which would have been buried with a very important person. 

Titanic Deck Chair

Still I continue to head towards “the chair”My parents, on the other hand gravitate to the left discovering artifacts that are from a later period and remind you of just how cruel and terrible life would have been for those that stepped on the wrong side of society.Slowly I make my way to the chair that I was so anxious to see and learn more about.   The chair that I speak about is an authentic deck chair that was on the RMS Titanic the night she sunk into the Atlantic Ocean. The deck chair is in remarkable condition for a 100 year old piece of debris, from one of the world’s most famous ship wrecks. On the deck chair is a life vest that was used during the early 19^th century. As I was reading about the deck chair and the life vest, I become aware that someone is standing next to me. Who was it you may ask? It was none other than….. My mom lol. She pointed out to me that people wearing the life vest were kept afloat by cork covered by canvas.  I never knew what was used in a life vest 100 years ago, but I didn't even think about cork. Guess you learn something new every day – that day I happened to learn about life vests and corks.

Jack the Ripper Knife

Steve is always close by, and willing to share his knowledge about his collection and how some of the pieces were used. For example the shin crushers were place over the victim’s shins and were slowly tightened until the victim confessed or passed out from pain. The reasoning why executioners wore masks, and the difference in using an axe and a sword when preforming an execution. There was so much to discover and see but I have to say that one of the most surprising pieces I saw was that of the knife that Jack the Ripper used in England.

After walking through the museum, not only did my love of history deepen but so did my thirst to learn more about these articles, so I decided to walk through it again with Steve to gain a little more insight, about his collection, what made him choose these pieces to place in the Midnight museum and where he hopes to go in the future. 

When looking for a new piece of history to add to his collection, Steve says the piece has to speak to him, needs to fit in with the theme “A Cautionary Tale”, and compliment the “family” of items that are already part of his collection.  What will we see the next time we visit the “Midnight Museum”?

If you would like to visit The Midnight Museum it is located at 307 Main Street, in Sauble Beach, Ontario Canada (Right beside the Dairy Queen). Hours of operation are 2:00 PM - 9:00 PM every Tuesday - Sunday. Admission $10.00 CAD per person - Visitors assume all responsibility for personal sensitivities  

Below are just a few of the artifacts you can see at the Midnight Museum.

Victim's skull of a 16th century Execution

Executioner's Sword

Iron Torture Crown

Inquisition Holy Water Holder

Scottish Hangman's Hood

Kapala Skull Cap

Demon Dagger

Crucifixion Nail 

Executioner Cloak

Mask of Shame

Gold Viking Burial Boat

Osprey Museum and The Great War Exhibit

Locals fishing

Located approx. 30 minutes south of Collingwood, just off of County Road 2, is the tiny hamlet of Feversham. On weekends you will find locals fishing off the bridge in the center of town, or hiking on the trails in the nearby conservation area. First of all you may be asking yourselves "What has brought me to this small town?"

Osprey Museum

Feversham has a temporary museum, that is dedicated to the the history of Osprey township, though special exhibits. This past week, the museum is holding its first exhibit of the year, commemorating the 100 anniversary of the Great War - known as World War I. The Great War started on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918 and was fought mainly in Europe. The underlying reason for the Great War, was the resurgence of imperialism, but the main trigger for the war was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austin-Hungary and his wife HRH Sophie Duchess of Hohenberg.

Click here for more information about WW I
Click here for more information about Archduke Ferdinand

Interior of the Museum

When I walked in the side door of the church, I was greet by 3 volunteers, Denise, Jill and Ruth, who run the part time museum. The women are also responsible for putting together the special exhibit. I came to the museum with the intent on writing about the displays. That soon changed after learning about 2 very special exhibits.

Denise, who is the shorter of the women, greeted me with a warm smile and a welcome to the museum. Giving a brief history about the museum, and a quick tour showing some of the more interesting exhibits that I might have otherwise missed (articles that were too heavy to have on a table were propped up against a wall or a table).

Rob "Brownie" Brown

Jill welcomed me and made me feel at ease allowed to take all the pictures I wanted, and offered to answer any questions I had about the museum, its history and the exhibit.

Ruth, seemed to be the quieter of the 3 ladies, she was quite content to stay in the background - that is, until I came to two different displays.   The exhibits about Rob Brown and the Parliament brothers. The first exhibit was that of Feversham's own hero Rob Brown, also known as "Brownie" to his friends. Rob Brown was credited with shooting down the Red Baron (Manfred von Richthofen), on April 21, 1918. What is an even more interesting fact about Captain Brown, is that he never lost a pilot in flight while in combat. Click here for more information about Rob Brown.

Stanley Parliament

Ruth was then very keen on showing me the exhibit about the Parliament brothers, Stanley and Earl. Although I was unable to find any information about them on line in Wikipedia  - the following is the information I was able to gather about the brothers, from the museum and the descendants of Parliament family. Stanley and Earl were born into a large family in the 1800's.The family moved to the Osprey area shortly after Earl was born. When war was officially declared in 1914, the Parliament brothers signed up. By the summer of 1917 Stanley went missing in action and was officially declared dead on November 6, 1917. Being officially declared dead, the Canadian Government sent the Parliament family a Memorial Penny, thanking Stanley for his sacrifice.The body of Stanley Parliament was never been found. Earl was shot and killed in action on Sept. 15, 1917 and is buried in the Vimy Memorial cemetery in Pas De Calais, France. 

Earl Parliament

The great great nephew of Earl and Stanley was building a family tree and contacted the Canadian military requesting Stanley's service documents. When the documents arrived, he was surprised to learn that Stanley had been awarded 4 medals. Stanley was awarded the GRV Memorial Cross, 1914-1915 star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal

Click here for more information about WW1 medals

Click here for more information about the GVR Memorial Cross  

The 5X's great niece of Earl and Stanley Parliament had the opportunity to visit the Vimy Ridge Memoral with her grade 12 class, a few years ago. The grade 12 class made and took with them a memorial quilt to the Vimy Memorial, honoring those that gave their lives in service, at the battle of Vimy Ridge. In the top left hand corner of the quilt there is a patch, with her name and her family's name where it remains at the memorial.

Click here for more information about the Vimy Memorial.

While I was at the museum, people came and went, caught up with old friends, made new friends while sharing stories from the past. When I was about to leave a father came in with is son and daughter, and I was surprised at how eager the children were to learn about the history of the soldiers, their families and about the Great War - a war that was meant to end all wars, affected not only the men on the battlefield, but those here at home.

The museum is small and the exhibit is only temporary, but if you have a chance I recommend you come to Feversham and see it. After the exhibit is finished, the museum will only be opening for small special exhibits. If you would like to learn more about the Feversham area, its residence and history, there is a permanent museum that is opened seasonally in the hamlet of Rob Roy.

Click here for Rob Roy location

Click here for more information about the permanent Osprey Museum in Rob Roy.

Prussian Guards Helmet

WWI 2nd Battalion Jacket & Cap, Regulation Issued Army Jacket and Helmet

WWI Nursing smock of the British Red Cross & Regulation Parade Uniform Dress 1914 -1917

Postcards and Memorial Penny

 

WWI Bugle used throughout various battles in France and Belgium 1915 -1918  

Image of Rob Brown fight the Red Baron

Trench Shovel and Artillery Shell era 1914 -1915

Flying Gloves used by flying ace Rob Brown

Poppy from Flanders Field near Ypres, France

Great Canadian Bus Tour April 23, 2014

On April 23 I woke up full of excitement. I was about to begin my first adventure for the 2014 season, and what better way then to go a one day bus tour to Toronto with my parents!

On Wednesday April 23 we arrived at the Dundalk arena at 7:45 am to catch the Great Canadian Bus that would take us to Toronto; We would be making 2 stops with a dinner stop on the way home.  The Bus was to depart at 8:00 am sharp but a few people were late, and that is to be expected in a farming community and we ending up leaving at 8:23 am.

 

The Bus we were on, held 56 passengers plus the bus driver. It had large picture windows that are tinted and UV protected, you could look out and see the passing scenery without having the glaring sun in your eyes. The bus is equipped with individual air fans so passengers can keep cool on hot days, and a small light for reading. There is plenty of leg room between the seats and there is a small foot rest behind each seat, but the seats are small and larger people will feel confined, the aisle is very small and tight and many people needed to turn sideways in order to walk to their seats. The washroom is compact almost to the point where it felt claustrophobic.  Our Driver was Louis, he was fantastic - very friendly and cordial towards everyone.

Click here for more information about Great Canadian Tours

The first stop for the day was at the St. Lawrence Market located at 92 Front Street in downtown Toronto. The St. Lawrence Market has been the culinary focal point in Toronto since it opened in 1803. The St Lawrence has seen and experienced its fair share of History. In the 1830's the local civic government used the market for its temporary office. In 1845 city council moved in and used the 2nd floor of the market to meet for council meetings. 1849 saw the great fire which destroyed most of Toronto along with the St. Lawrence Market, later that year the market was rebuilt which would include a new hall, known as the St. Lawrence Hall.  The St. Lawrence Market's basement was used as a prison after it was rebuilt. The interior of the Market was used for social meetings, lectures and exhibits. Between 1850 and 1920 William Davies invented peameal bacon in the St. Lawrence Market. Peameal Bacon quickly became world famous and the peameal bacon sandwich is known as Toronto's signature dish. For the members of the neighborhood the St. Lawrence Market has been a place to connect, share stories and of course discover new food. Click here for more information about St. Lawrence Market

Vegetable Stall

The Fish Stalls

The Bakery

Making a new friend

 The next stop was Ripley's Aquarium located at 288 Bremner Boulevard in Toronto. Located at the base of the CN Tower and beside the Rogers Center, Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto is Canada's largest indoor aquarium and is the most anticipated attraction that opened in Toronto's Downtown area.  I have to admit this was going to be the highlight of my day. Ever since I heard that Ripley's was opening an aquarium in Toronto I couldn't wait to go.

Octopus

The aquarium has 9 different galleries which includes the touch tank and the life support system.The Galleries all flow nicely into each other.  After purchasing your tickets you start your tour in the Canadian Waters Gallery. In this gallery you will see 17 different species that are from the Great Lakes and from the seas that surround Canada. Some of the highlights include the Lumpfish, Black Eels and a Giant Pacific Octopus. 

Blue fish in the Indo-Pacific Gallery 

After the Canadian Waters you will find yourself heading into the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, where you will be greeted by bright colored fish and corals. Every other hour there is an interactive dive show, where divers communicate with guests via a special under water microphone. Then step on the the moving platform that will take you into a tunnel that goes through the Dangerous Lagoon where you will see some of the worlds most dangerous under water species, and a few green turtles up close. 

                               Green Sawfish                                                     The Reef in the Dangerous Lagoon

In the discovery center you have an opportunity to go into the under water viewing bubbles. Guests will also see and have the opportunity touch the living fossil that is known as the Horseshoe Crab. Instead of going in the viewing bubbles I choose to just hang out with the Horseshoe Crabs and touch them! This living fossil has not evolved much in the last 250 million years and to look at these creatures who have survived an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs and an ice age, makes me think that I can get through whatever life has to throw my way.

Underwater viewing bubbles

Just outside the discovery center there is a little family friendly cafe where you can relax and have snack before continuing on to the remaining galleries, where you will see jelly fish, sea horses, electric eels, sting rays etc. There is also a touch center where you may have the opportunity to touch the white spotted bamboo sharks, southern stingrays among other creatures from our planets oceans.

If you are planning a trip to Toronto, I would highly recommend visiting Ripley's Aquarium and prepare to spend at least half a day exploring.

Click here   for more information about Ripley's Aquarium.

Boarding the bus for our home journey we stopped at the Mandarin for our dinner. It was the perfect conclusion for the first adventure of 2014!

2014

When I first started my adventures in travel blog in 2012 I thought it would encourage me to get out and explore more of what my province had to offer. I had originally planned to post a new blog at least once a month. Due to a lot of personal issues that had happened in 2012 I wasn't able to get out as much. In 2013, I had actually gone to a few festivals - but alas by the time I was ready to blog about where I had gone, the festivals were already over, and it didn't make sense to write about a festival when my followers couldn't attend. I had even thought about posting blogs regarding what to consider when planning a vacation. In fairness I actually did post 1 blog about how to choose the right tour company for you. I then had planned to compare three different tour company's and how each company was different  and what they offered their passengers. But I realized I had never been on tour with any of the companies I was going to write about. To me that seems a bit hypocritical , to inform people about a company(s) when you haven't actually used them. 

2014 is shaping up to be a good season. This past week I have already been on 2 different adventures. The first one I went on was a bus tour with Great Canadian Tours. The other was to a small local museum. Both of which I will write about in 2 separate entries. 

With that being said it is only fair to mention that I am now working in one of my dream jobs - which is to be a travel advisor. The other dream jobs that I am working towards is becoming a professional travel blogger/writer and photographer; Which I have started working towards. I would also like to host tours - don't confuse that with a tour guide they are completely different. A tour guide leads passengers on tours that can range from a couple of days to multiple days. The tour guide is also in-charge of making sure that all land arrangements, tours, sightseeing and accommodations are provided and the tour stays on schedule. Being a tour host is well simply a host, and make sure that everyone in the group is having a good time.

Let the adventures of 2014 begin!!!!

Thinking of going away

             Your thinking of going away for vacation and you want something different besides lying on a beach, you want to get out and explore what the world has to offer. Do you know where to start? This month I am going talk to you about 4 different tour operators that you can choose from. I will tell you about Trafalgar Tours, Collette Vacations, Transat Holidays and, Contiki*. What questions you should ask yourself before choosing a tour, what you need to know about choosing a tour operator, the different tours they offer how they differ from each other. When you go away on vacation it is an investment of your hard earned money, and let’s face it with so many tour operators out there, you want to make sure that you get what you paid for. You can’t hold it see it or take it for a test drive before making the purchase. Being well informed, asking the right questions, knowing your budget and what you want to see and do  will help make choosing the right tour operator that much easier.

              Where to begin:

              Make a list and ask yourself a few important questions

 

  Where do we want to go – research different places that interest you and your travel companions: Google, travel magazines, and travel agents, friends and family.  They all hold a wealth of information

       

              What is my price range – tours can vary in price, so having a set budget per person is a great way to narrow things down.

                       

  When do we want to go away - things to consider are: will the schools be on break ie reading week, march break, Easter break, Christmas break etc. Remember each country has holidays at different times of the year. What will the weather be like in the country that I choose to visit

 

              What do we want to do and see – there are many options to choose from, do you want an educational vacation, wine and food tours, cruise, a historical vacation, an adventure tour, an eco-friendly tour, a slower relaxed pace vacation, local national or international tours.

 

              Who will be coming with me - is it just you, you and a friend, a group of friends  or do you have a family with children what are their interests.

                     

       What documents do I need – when traveling to different countries you need to have a valid passport and or visa, some places even might require you to get vaccinations.  Will I need a letter of consent (required with children and parents are separated or children are traveling with someone other than legal guardians)

 

        These are just some of the questions that you should ask yourself when choosing a vacation.

Please note that I do not work for any tour company nor do I recommend one over the other.