Travelling to Toronto

     Brainstorming your next vacation? Start planning ahead to the warmer months and head north of the New Jersey border to Toronto.

     In the heart of Toronto are the CN Tower, the Hockey Hall of Fame and little gems like the St. Lawrence Market. With a great night life of bars and music venues at almost every corner, this is the perfect getaway for any college vagabond or foodie! What’s great about a trip to Toronto is that everything can be done during a long weekend. With the holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. and President’s Day approaching, take advantage of this affordable and doable vacation.

Tips for Planning:

     1.Bring 4-5 friends along. Most hotels in the middle of Toronto offer a suite style room with a king sized bed and a pull out couch. If you divide it up between all of you, the costs go down!

     a.Bond Place Hotel ranges to $85- 100 a night, depending on when you book the room. For a three night stay, that will add up to $60 for lodging and breakfast.

     b.Strathona Hotel ranges from $90-100 per night for a suite style room. That’s also about $60 a night!

     2.Drive to Toronto. Make it a road trip! Good music, good beer and good company. That’s all you need for a great trip. While you’re in Toronto you can stop by Niagara Falls.

     Do the math when it comes to car expenses. Whatever the total comes up to, take half of it and add it to the lump sum. So, if gas costs $300 add another $150 to make it a total of $450. It’s better to have more than not enough! $450 divided by 5 is $90 each for gas.

     3.Pocket money. The CN Tower and the Hockey Hall of Fame are rounded to $80 add another $200 for food and other expenses. 

The total would be $350 per person if you were travelling with five people. 

Let’s add another $75 for miscellaneous costs and that’s a total of $425.

This is what I did:

I stayed at the Fairmont Royal York with these lovely ladies!

We went to the CN Tower, which was just a 10 minute walk away from our hotel. 

We went to the Distillery District....

Stopped by the Hockey Hall of Fame and played games!

I answered a question right and got to pull the whistle lever!

Went to Steam Whistle Brewery for a tour, with complimentary beer!

Next to the brewery is the CN Tower, we took a picture with our five-minute friends.

Coincidentally the CNE fair was the same weekend...we ate a lot of poutine. 

If you go, you have to get it! #noragrets

Our last meal in Toronto was the Bison Burger, it was delicious!

Happy travels, vagabonds!

Get Lost to be Found

     Hello fellow vagabonds! Sorry I haven't posted in the past few weeks, the rush of midterms and the homestretch of the semester has gotten the best of me but no worries, I'm back in the swing of travel, leisure and things alike. I think many of you guys can relate to a mid-college crisis, so let's talk travel, life and getting lost.

      Lately, I've been thinking, is a mid-college crisis a thing? The answer is yes, or well, that's what I believe. 

     Throughout high school I was set on my life plan for the next 10 years. I took all of the classes I needed to, allied health, AP classes for biology and chemistry and I even volunteered at hospitals. Back then, I wanted to be a nurse. So as I sent all my of college applications, I would declare my major as nursing. I got accepted into the nursing program at William Paterson University and last minute, I switched to undeclared. My parents thought I was nuts and for a while, I thought I was too. After a semester, I declared myself as a public relations and journalism major. It was a total 180 turn. 

     All I knew was school and school was something I was good at. I was going through a self-epiphany phase and I still am! 

     So, I decided to look back to the last time I was happiest, no worries or deadlines. I reminisced the summer before junior year in high school when I went to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. At that time I was in my fourth year of taking German classes and so I packed my bags with a few classmates and Frau and boarded a plane to the first stop, Vienna!

    I learned a lot about myself, about the things that I enjoy, the things I don't but most importantly the things that I want to be a part of my life. That was the first time I put myself in a place outside my comfort zone. I was placed in a new culture and it brought a new insight to life. 

    You would think that by the time you reach your senior year in college, you would have things planned for your future, wrong! If only it was that easy. I still find myself doubting decisions, but everything happens for a reason and unexpectedly. Travelling is more than just sight-seeing or bragging rights. Travelling is about putting yourself out there in hopes to find another missing piece of yourself. That's why I love travelling. 

     Think of it as a life-long scavenger hunt. Each leads you to the next clue. 

     Sometimes the best way to figure out what you like and what you don't like is to just pack up your bags and go. Living a routine life gets stagnant, so, change the pace up and travel somewhere bold. 

     My advice if you're feeling a little lost? Get lost to be found.

     Experience different cultures, get lost in the moment and in the end find a little piece of yourself. 

     Coming up next on The College Vagabond, "Travelling in Toronto!"