home sweet home

Photo Taken At the Credit River in Missisagua On.

by Jordan Sanderson

Good afternoon all! I hope your day is going splendid. :).

For all who don't know I am currently not on the road. I am living in a quaint little apartment with the love of my life in a city just outside of Toronto, Canada. Most of my family lives around the corner and some of my life long friends are a quick train ride away.

As much as I love travel, I also love home. Something I am searching for is being able to find a balance of the both! Home and Travel. Something I long for is to be able to wake up and work from where ever I am in the world. But for now I am here in Ontario and I will be posting my day to day life and adventures.

Some things I love to do when I am living in one space for an extended period of time are, Cook (you can almost always find me in my kitchen so get ready for some new and exciting recipes A La Kristen), go on weekend adventures, take pictures, read books, go to new restaurants, trying new hobbies (and hopefully finding one that I will like enough to stick) and writing, writing about my fun and adventures, and of course future travel plans! 

For now that is what  I will be posting about on a almost daily basis. but for now I must go tend to my house guest Saphira....a beauty siberian Husky! My day is already awesome!

 How do you keep yourself motivated? What are your tricks for staying on track? Let me know in the comments bellow!

Until next time fellow food loving travelers Have a fantastic day!

Kristen

first set of cheap travel tips

Hey everyone! its been a while since I posted so I thought I would post a first in a series of "cheap travel tips".

Here is my first installation. These are some ideas I found that worked for me while I was back packing in Europe and Turkey. I hope that you will find some useful aswell!


1. pack light
2. bring a lock
3. use public transit when ever you can
4. research your hostels
5. stay with friends if you can
6. www.couchsurfer.com
8. pack food for long rides
9. eat where the locals eat
10.buy food at local markets its ofter cheaper than supermarkets
11.compare your airfare/be flexible
12use the incognito tab when looking up flights (some websites track your visits and the price will automatically go up the next time you look)
13. use the free days when visiting museums and other wonderful exhibits.
14. spend more time in each country and travel slowly
15. fly at unpopular times early morning/redeye flights
16. fly mid week
17.stay more then one night at a hostel,some twill have a 3 night get the 4th free deal
18. if you know you will be somewhere for a month or more, try renting an apartment so you can cook your own food.
19. try www.woofing.com
20. try housesitting for people
21. take night busses/trains so you can sleep while you travel
22. walk as much as you can :)
23. rent a bike
24. eat our for breakfast/lunch not for dinner 
25. try and find a hostel/hotel with breakfast included (and try and make some lunch/snacks from your breakfast food)

day to day

My day to day

I have Just started a new phase of my life and I thought, what a better way to dive in to this new chapter then to get right back into something I love....writing.

I have loved writing since I was little and have been doing so constantly until about a year ago.

I was backpacking through Europe, and documenting all the exciting things I was doing and seeing and when I came home I vowed to keep it up and keep myself adventurous and engaged with my blog.

That was until I actually got home...(Canada) and was diagnosed with MS. I wouldnt say I went into a full out depression or downward spiral (I had my days), but I did have other things on the fore front of my mind.

A year later and I feel like I am back in my old shoes. Full of passion, andventure, wanderlust and love and absolutely ready to dive right back into the blogging world that I have missed so much!

Here I will share with you the places I go and the things/people I see, delicious food I make/eat, events I am lucky enough to attend and pretty much anything and everything that comes to mind.

I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave ideas and comments.

K

Top 10 things To Do On Your Day Off

ON MY DAY OFF!

1) SLEEP IN- normal days I am up at 5:00am...so sleeping till 7:00 or 8:00am is glorious
2) Go to a cafe to enjoy good coffee to do some reading and/or writing
3) going to a good trail and doing some hiking or biking
4) laying on the couch and watching a movie
5) doing a hot yoga class
6) Grabbing brunch with a friend
7) bake or cook something new
8) wake up early and making breakfast in bed for my girlfriend
9) spend all day in bed reading a wonderful book
10) Spending time with my Niece and Nephew

and lastly,

11) Travel some where new :)

I didn't include this in my top 10 because....well...its a given :)

The Little Things

 I am sitting at Lit Espresso Bar right now and there is the most adorable Bernese Mountain Dog
 patiently waiting outside for his owner. It is amazing me to watch all the people leave the coffee shop content with their caffeine and pastries and then instantly light up as soon as they see the perky pooch, smiling and wagging his tail. I don't think one person has been able to walk past with out a smile. He sure is making my morning brighter!

Gratitude

It is my favourite word in the English language. 

I keep this word close to me, deep in my brain

and inked on my skin.

A constant reminder.

Sometimes it is so easy to forget to be 

GREATFUL!

10 Things NOT to do When Traveling

1. Don't book the first accommodation you find/see, take your time and do a bit of looking/research, it can really help stretch your money and sometimes you will find a hidden gem!!!
2. DO NOT drink tap water, unless you are totally sure it is safe.
3. Try not to pack to much or bring unnecessary things. After your first backpacking trip you will quickly learn what you do and do not need!!
4. Try your best not to get haggled by locals into paying more money for things
5. Flying isn't the only option, look up other options to travel around on your trip, I really like night buses because I can sleep on the bus and it saves me paying for a night accommodation, and it is normally cheaper for a bus then a plane! 
6. don't eat at restaurants all the time and if you do try and eat out for lunch, dinner is always more expensive and make sure you hit up the locals for their favourite spots!
7. don't pay for tours, there are so many pay what you can walking tours that are super awesome! take a look on your computer or ask around at your hostel, for example when I was in Spain I did a few walking tours with Pancho Tours and they were fantastic! 
8. try as best as you can to not have a super quick trip, I have always found that slow and steady is the best way to totally soak up a country!
9. everyone has their days but if you are backpacking solo try not to be anti social, you can meet some really incredible and interesting people. 
10. last but not least DON'T LOSE YOUR PASSPORT, I know from experience what a hassle this can be, it really is a much better idea to keep it with you at all times!!! 

I hope some of my ``do not`` tips will be of some help to you on your adventures and if you have any tips that I have missed, leave them in the comments bellow, I would love to hear your tips!! 

Injoy Your day!!!! 

Kristo