Planes, Trains, and Automobiles…

Whether your next adventure is on the road, in the sky, or via railroad you have tons of options no matter what part of the world you are traveling. What’s your favorite way to travel?

Planes: Feel like Jet-setting to your next destination?

What’s your favorite airline? These are my usual go to airlines:

• Delta – Very military friendly, it has been my experience that Delta always takes care of its service memebers
• Jetblue – 2  free checked bags, extra leg room, and excellent service! Need I say more?
• American Airlines – Very military friendly, it has been my experience that American Airlines always takes care of its service memebers

Grand Central Station – NYC

Trains: In large cities like NYC, Toronto, and Washington D.C city transit is the way to go, but if you feel like going on a long adventure and taking your time getting there train travel is the way to go.

The airport express train at the Oslo main station. Oslo, Norway Taken By – Mr. Kjetil Ree

Amtrak  – on my list of things to do. I’ve always wanted to ride Amtrak – sit back and enjoy the scenery and experience one of the oldest forms of transportation. – http://www.amtrak.com/home

Via Rail Canada – try the Rockies and Pacific, Vancover to Toronto route and ride in in a glass-top car to see the beautiful scenery as the trains zips through the country. – http://www.viarail.ca

Europe Speed Train – I’ve taken this from Germany to Paris and made great time; very convenient when you need to maximize your time.

Automobiles: Hail a taxi, ride in style with a driver, or hit the road for a road-trip

Luxury Black Car Service – sometimes you just want to treat yourself during your travels, enjoy a more comfortable ride to and from the airport, or spice up your night out on the town and be driven around. When I’m in NYC I use Luxury Blue Limousines to get to and from the airport. Uber is another great option to try!

Out and About using Luxury Blue Car Service in NYC

Car Share Programs – The principle of CarSharing is simple: Individuals gain the benefits of a private car without the costs and responsibilities of ownership. I don’t have any personal experience using a car share program because I have a car, but I do think its an excellent idea especially in large cities where you may only need a car for a quick getaway or to run errands around town. Have you used one of these before?

• Enterprise Car Share
• Zipcar
• Autolib Electric Car System (Europe)
• Drivy (France)
• U-Haul Car Share (colleges)
• Stadtmobil (Germany)
• Communauto (Canada)

Photo Credit: The Social Sonic Traveler

Buses: A great way to travel on a budget; sit back and leave the ride to someone else.  I’ve ridden the bus numerous times down to D.C from NYC because it’s so much cheaper than driving or flying. A typical flight will run you  a min of $200, driving will run you about $100 -150 roundtrip for gas and tolls – while you can typically get a round trip bus ticket for $30-60.

Bolt Bus – an extension of Greyhound- signing up for a free membership gets you head of the line privileges when it comes time to board the bus, and if you’re lucky you’ll get to “Bolt for a Buck!”. Every schedule will sell at least one $1.00 ticket. The $1.00 ticket will be sold at random and generally within the first handful of seats sold. The earlier you book your ticket, the greater your odds are of grabbing a seat for a buck. – https://www.boltbus.com

DC2NY – dubbed a “luxurious” ride, the seats are super comfy, and they provide you with a bottle of water, a movie viewing, outlets to charge your appliances, and free wifi while you sit back and enjoy the ride to your destination. The ride to and from D.C and NYC is typically $30 each way.  I like to use this service when Bolt Bus’ prices get outrageous. Sign up for a free membership and get a $1 off the advertised fare. Every dollar counts right? –https://www.dc2ny.com

Megabus – I have never used their service before, but I have a couple of friends who have. This double-decker, wifi ready, charter beats out Boltbus and DC2NY with its list of travel destinations and even goes to Canada. When they moved their loading station in NYC from Port Authority to the boondocks of 34th street between 11th and 12th Aves the possibility of me and others I know using their services consistently was lost. You’d need to either take a cab, be dropped off by a friend, or walk 3-4 avenues with your luggage. Call me high maintenance, but I prefer the convenience of being right near a train station. – http://us.megabus.com

What’s your favorite way to travel?

Until Next Time! -xo AGT

That’s A Wrap! – TBEX Toronto

1300 travel bloggers took over the city of Toronto for one amazing weekend of building brand relationships, seeing old friends and making new ones, networking, exploration, education, and a little dancing :)

We heard some powerful and inspiring messages from keynote speakers Trey Radcliff and Erik Lindbergh, then broke off into sessions. My favorites were: Content Strategy, Telling Your Story Through Photography, Building a Publishing Empire, and Rethinking Your Audience. 

Engaged in a little speed dating with some wonderful brands and companies like; Trip It, Hyatt, Room 77, North Caroline Tourism, Vadovia, Google Travel, Roam Right, Four Seasons Hotels, Lou Hammond PR, and the list goes on and on. 

Explored the City – There is so much diversity in Toronto that you see the world without ever leaving the city.

Enjoyed some local cuisine – Toronto Tourism really pulled out all of the stops. One night we had Indian, Chinese, Caribbean, American, and Canadian cuisine and some fantastic Canadian wines to go along with it.

Partied….and Networked of Course :) Every night there was an opportunity to put on your dancing shoes and meet more of your fellow travel bloggers and industry reps.

Recharged in the American Express Lounge

Sailed to Centre Island for a night of networking and fun hosted by Expedia and Alberta Canada and I won a trip to Mexico! Just one note for the next outdoor party, citronella candles, those mosquitos feasted on me.

And before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye :( Man, did the time fly! This was my first blogging conference and I met some amazing fellow travel bloggers, learned how to brand myself, learned how to build a publishing empire, learned how to take better pictures, and now have the opportunity to work with some really great brands and PR companies. If you’ve never been to TBEX or any blogging conference for that matter I would highly recommend it. 

This October, Travel Bloggers will be taking over Dublin for TBEX Europe! Will you be there?

Until Next Time! -xo AGT

Snap Shots of Toronto

Toronto reminds me of a cross between New York City and San Francisco with is diverse population and cuisine, neighborhoods that allow you to experience different parts of the world without ever leaving Toronto,  tall buildings that appear to almost touch the sky, street cars, laid back atmosphere, and beautiful architecture. When I wasn’t attending travel conference sessions and networking events, I was trying new food, meeting new people, and exploring the city on foot capturing the beauty of Toronto to share with you.

10 of My Favorite Things About Toronto

1. Toronto is the 5th largest city in North America (after Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago).
2. Canada’s financial centre – The Toronto Stock Exchange – is North America’s 3rd largest stock exchange by value traded.
3. Half of Toronto’s population was born outside Canada; 200 different ethnic origins are represented with 130 languages and dialects spoken.
4. Toronto has the longest street in the world, Yonge Street (in photo above), which starts in Toronto and ends 1,896 kilometres (1,178 miles) later in Rainy River, Ontario
5. Toronto has over 9,000 restaurants (may need to start using that gym membership you bought  after going a a yummy food tour)
6. There are over 70 film festivals held in more than 20 languages every year.
7. Legendary baseball player Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Toronto on September 5, 1914. He was playing for the minor league AAA team the Providence Grays against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Island Stadium, which stood on Hanlan’s Point, near where the Island Airport is now. The ball landed in the bay.
8. St. Lawrence Market is the oldest continually operated market on the same site in North America. There has been a market on the site since 1803.
9. Ernest Hemingway’s first job was at the Toronto Star in the 1920s.
10. The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre is the world’s last operating double-decker theatre with two separate and distinctive stacked theatres. It was built in 1913, and is celebrating 100 years this year, and houses the largest collection of vaudeville scenery.

Did any of these surprise you? I think it’s time to add Toronto to your list to destinations to explore!

Until Next Time! -xo AGT

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