Celebrate Winter at Ottawa's Family-Friendly Winterlude Festival

The annual Winterlude festival in Ottawa, Canada, is a celebration of all things cold, icy, and distinctly Canadian. With ice sculpting contests, snow slides, and of course, skating on the famous Rideau Canal, it’s a chilly way to embrace the coldest month of the year—a time when most of us would rather be bundled up indoors. The main hubs of the Winterlude festival are Confederation Park, Jacques-Cartier Park, and the Rideau Canal, all of which have tons of family-oriented activities. Confederation Park, at the head of the Rideau Canal, is home to the Crystal Garden, where an international ice-sculpting contest takes place. Throughout the Winterlude festival, incredible feats of ice sculpting are on display, and guests can even try their own skills with hands-on demonstrations. ...

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Go whale watching in the whale-watching capital of Europe, Husavik, Iceland

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Bathe in a hot river in Hveragerdi, Iceland

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Climb the Sleeping Giant, Thunder Bay

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Shoot a machine gun at The Gun Store, Las Vegas

There are a few activities that automatically spring to mind when you think of Las Vegas: gambling, nightclubbing, getting married by Elvis, screaming yourself silly at the Stratosphere, and… shooting guns? Yes, one of Vegas’ most popular tourist attractions is a shooting range called The Gun Store, located just a short drive off the strip, on Tropicana Avenue. The Gun Store has been featured in episodes of CSI and Pawn Stars, and has been reviewed on the Travel Channel, the History Channel, the BBC, and CNN. Shooting ranges aren’t that uncommon throughout North America, however, what makes this one so interesting is the sheer variety of guns on offer. When you arrive at The Gun Store, the first thing to catch your eye is the ...

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Historic Agawa Pictographs at Lake Superior

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The Headline-Grabbing Power of Iceland's Erupting Eyjafjallajökull Volcano

The first thing you notice when standing in front of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, is the sound. It lets out a steady low rumble like thunder rolling, and every now and then, releases a loud roar that sends shock waves bouncing up through the smoke above it. Standing there, listening to its groans and watching the smoke pour into the sky, it’s a constant reminder of just how small you are when compared to the power that lies beneath the earth. Despite its name, the land in Iceland is hot. The country has over 200 active volcanoes, fields of still-smoking lava, and endless hot springs. There’s so much geothermal power that the entire country can rely on all-natural heating systems, and instead of having to heat ...

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Ski, Skate and Sleigh in Stunning Lake Louise

Picture-perfect Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada, is one of the country’s most famous images. Nestled between towering, snow-capped mountains, with the gleaming Victoria glacier in the background, Lake Louise is a place too perfect to be real. First, spend the day tackling the slopes of Lake Louise Ski Area, which has been called the most scenic ski resort in North America. Then, when your legs are burning and your fingers are numb, strap on some skates and venture onto the lake’s frozen waters. One glide across the smooth surface, and you’ll be hypnotized by the mountains around you and forget all about your exhaustion. Warm up at a bonfire on the edge of the lake, then skate around the crystal walls of an ice castle ...

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Spend the Night in a Hotel Made of Ice

The first thing they tell you at the Ice Hotel is not to put your head inside your sleeping bag. You’ll want to. It’s cold in the Ice Hotel and your nose will want to tuck itself under the covers to keep warm. But if you do, your warm breath will mix with the hotel’s cold air and you’ll end up with a sleeping bag with an opening coated in ice. The Hotel de Glace in Quebec, Canada, is a boutique hotel made entirely of snow and ice – 20,000 tonnes of it. Redesigned and rebuilt every winter, it takes over a month to complete. Construction begins in December, when steel frames and wooden walls are mounted as a base. Snow is then blown over ...

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Stick to the Trail when Touring Iceland's Alien and Volatile Lake Mývatn

Iceland’s landscape is often described as “other worldly” or “eerie,” with its black lava fields, steaming hot springs, and temperamental volcanoes that leave you feeling as if you’re on another planet. And while much of this small arctic country fits that description, perhaps no area displays the alien-like beauty of Iceland like Lake Mývatn. Located in the tiny village of Reykjahlíð in northern Iceland, Mývatn sits nestled amidst ancient lava fields, bubbling craters, and steaming, sulphuric mountains that are tinged in surreal shades of orange and pink pastel. It is a highly volatile area, as Mývatn sits directly atop the mid-Atlantic ridge – an underwater mountain range and the spot where Europe and North America are literally pulling away from each other. The resulting landscape ...

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Gaze Out Over the Glacial Glory of Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland

When you first arrive at Gullfoss (translated as the “Golden Falls”), you’ll wonder what all the fuss is about. You approach from the top, down river from where the falls drop off, and as you draw nearer, it looks like a small, albeit pretty, waterfall. You’ll probably think it seems a bit disappointing to be the most famous waterfall in Iceland, but then as you walk closer, you’ll suddenly realize that the falling water just… disappears. That is, until you step closer still and the ground abruptly opens in front of you, leaving you peering down at a thunderous rush of water and a very steep, very narrow, very startling drop. Gullfoss waterfall is on the Hvítá river, and is part of the famous Golden ...

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Explore the Oldest Cave System in the World at the Jenolan Caves

If you’re prone to carsickness, a trip to Australia’s Jenolan Caves may not be for you. The road leading into the Jenolan Caves is a winding, up, down, narrow jumble of twists and turns that can leave even the calmest passenger feeling a bit nauseated. Travelling into the valley with just a sliver of pavement to follow and a sudden drop on my left side, I wasn’t sure whether to hide my head in the backseat or press my face to the window so I could take in the gorgeous view of the Blue Mountains region below me. The Jenolan Caves are a mere three hours from Sydney, but they feel a million miles away. Heading inland, away from the breezy coast and into the ...

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See the Beautiful Cliffside Scenery of Ulu Watu Temple

The temple Pura Ulu Watu sits perched on a cliff top on the Bukit peninsula of Bali, with the blue waters of the Indian Ocean crashing against the rocks far below. Peering down over the cliff drop, looking out over the endless expanse of ocean in front of you and the lush green forest behind you, it feels like you’re on the edge of the earth. Within the grounds, ancient stone walls, archways, and statues are draped in traditional Balinese black-and-white checkered cloth. Behind one archway, an inner courtyard reveals tables covered with offerings of fresh fruit and flowers. It’s a popular tourist spot, but despite the crowds, it’s peaceful. The jaw-dropping view and sense of religious serenity that hangs over the area leaves it ...

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Climb Mount Batur and Watch the Sun Rise

Far removed from the bustle of Denpasar and the beach parties of Kuta, the volcano Mount Batur sits in northern Bali, large and looming, and tempting travelers to conquer its steep slopes. Mount Batur is home to the popular “sunrise climb” – an early morning trek that brings you to the volcano’s summit just in time to watch the first few rays of sunshine slip over the horizon. It’s an intermediate-level hike, and doesn’t require anything more than some decent stamina and a pair of sturdy hiking boots. The Mount Batur sunrise climb to the top starts at 3:30 am when, in the darkness of night, guided only by flashlight, you begin the ascent. It starts easy enough along a dirt path, but quickly turns ...

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Chug a Brew in the Distillery District

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Skate Nathan Phillips Square

Winter may not seem like Toronto's best season. Walking through the downtown core in the winter months usually means bundling up in heavy coats and mitts, and fighting bitter winds whipping in from off the lake while trudging through heavy slush. But there are a few oases of magic throughout the city where winter is transformed from something to be battled to something to be savoured... places like Nathan Phillips Square. Nathan Phillips Square is a busy urban plaza in the heart of the city. Located in front of Toronto’s City Hall on the northwest corner of Queen Street West and Bay Street, the square is named for Nathan Phillips, who was Mayor of Toronto from 1955 to 1962. In the summertime, Nathan Phillips Square ...

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Skate Along the Rideau Canal: the World's Largest Skating Rink

To skate the Rideau Canal is to conquer the fierce February winds, and then succumb to the inevitable muscle aches that sear your legs in the days that follow. Stretching out at just less then 16 km round-trip (the size of more than 100 hockey rinks laid end-to-end), Ottawa's Rideau Canal is the world's largest skating rink. Starting at the base of the copper-peaked Parliament buildings and Chateau Laurier hotel, it then winds through downtown Ottawa, weaving under bridges, alongside parks, and past neighbourhoods of heritage homes, before finally ending at the historic Hartwell Locks. At the Locks, a sign proudly proclaims that skaters have achieved 7.8 km; now they just have to skate all the way back. Originally built in 1832 as a supply ...

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Witness the Explosive Strokkur Geyser

The oohs and ahs rise up from the crowd like clockwork. Turquoise water gurgles and forms a bubble over the hole, growing and growing, until, with a pop and a whoosh, it gushes skyward, shooting up to an impressive 30m high. Cue the oohs and ahs. With a schedule of erupting every five minutes or so, Strokkur may not be the world's most impressive geyser, but it's certainly the most reliable. The title of Iceland's most impressive used to belong to Geysir (pronounced gay-zeer) - a formidable geyser that shot 80m into the air, and provided the namesake for all other geysers around the world. Sadly for Geysir, rumour has it that one day a group of tourists threw rocks into it, trying to set ...

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See Bali's Famous Sunset at Tanah Lot

The seaside temple of Pura Tanah Lot is probably the most famous and most photographed place in Bali. Every hotel offers sunset tours out to the temple, and every visitor has seen photos of it before they’ve even visited. There’s really only one reason for its iconic status: it’s beautiful. Of course, such a popular tourist attraction is bound to fall victim to commercialization, and at Tanah Lot, a flea market of vendors and warung (food stalls) greets you as soon as you enter the property. It’s a bit jarring at first to hear the calls of salespeople and to see the swarms of tourists, especially when you consider that Pura Tanah Lot is one of the most sacred Hindu temples in the country. But ...

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