All posts filed under: Travel Hacks

Melia Varadero, Cuba: Art Gallery Destination Wedding Reception Venue Report

Over the last six months I’ve received a handful of requests from brides-to-be, asking to describe Melia Varadero’s art gallery. As I’ve mentioned before, a lack of Internet access presents all sorts of obstacles for foreign couples trying to plan their Cuba wedding. I didn’t find Melia Varadero’s wedding coordinators to be especially interested in my wedding – until I arrived in destination. Now that I have been working in travel media for a few years – on both the leisure and trade (agent) side – I know that there are teams of people who work for travel brands (like Melia) whose jobs are solely to help advisors sell their product. These people are called brand development managers, or BDMs for short and they are incredibly resourceful. I find it difficult to believe that Melia is willfully neglectful of their bridal clients so I’m going to chalk it up to that pesky Cuban embargo and unreliable Internet. However, all this means I get to connect with brides who are planning their Melia Varadero weddings which …

Melia Varadero Destination Wedding Extra Service Costs

I’ve noticed the URL I previously posted which listed the extra costs associated with weddings at Melia Cuba (but also Paradisus and Sol) no longer works. No doubt the resort prefers to field email inquires about wedding costs rather than post them publicly. Luckily, I saved a copy. Be mindful that these prices are updated as of 2015. Click here or scroll below: 4Extras_EN

Tahiti: for the Champagne-on-a-beer-budget traveller

This article was originally published in the spring 2018 issue of Canadian Traveller. Click here to subscribe.   In the heart of the South Pacific lies a collection of islands where beauty and spirituality intersect. Pristine nature, French cuisine, Polynesian hospitality, and captivating creation legends lie in wait. Spoiled for beauty, French Polynesia also has the reputation as a playground for the jetset. JENNIFER HUBBERT travels to idyllic Tahiti bent on proving that there is a place in paradise for the budget-minded traveller.   I’M WAITING TO TAKE MY SEAT ON AIR TAHITI Nui fight TN1, boarding pass in hand. Papeete is listed as the final destination but it might as well be the moon. Tahiti: vacation Valhalla; subject of numerous screen savers and wall calendars – the textbook definition of paradise. Truth be told, Tahiti was one of those bucket list items I wasn’t confident I’d realize, fled somewhere between Antarctica and learning to speak Italian. It wasn’t for a lack of wanderlust, either. That corner of the globe seemed oh-so-far-away. How many weary …

Travel Dilemma: Heartbreaking Interactions with Southeast Asia’s Child Beggars

While begging occurs widely throughout Southeast Asia, we were struck by the prevalence of child begging in Siem Reap. Frankly, it caught us off guard. Should we help out or abstain? What were the economics behind it and what potential social repercussions would we be compounding? Being approached by a young child was alarming. She would hold your arm, look up at you with large brown eyes and say, “I no want your money, I am huuuuuungry.” Sure, she was small, as most Asian people are, but something was off. She didn’t look hungry. I needed to research this a bit further. Here’s what I uncovered online. Common Child Begging ‘Scams’ Kids are effective beggars because adults are more predisposed to giving children money. This encourages parents to put their children on the street, which is especially dangerous given that Southeast Asia is commonly acknowledged as a hotbed for human trafficking. It also encourages parents to pull kids from school and forces kids to roam the streets late at night as drunk bar patrons mill about. The …

Visiting Vimy Ridge Made Me a Better Canadian

One of the highlights of my 2014 trip to France was visiting the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. For many of us, Vimy is simply something we learn about in middle school; something we recall again during Remembrance Day ceremonies or see played out in Hollywood mini series. But you don’t have to look too far down the lineage of a Canadian family to find a relative who served in World War I. We visited on an inconspicuous Sunday in May, and we were hardly the only Canadian visitors. Our Canadian National Vimy Memorial Experience We departed Paris in the morning, arriving in Arras around 11:00 a.m. We arrived at the visitor centre by cab not more than 25 minutes later. Before the taxi left us we collected a business card from our driver which came in handy later, when we had a bilingual staffer call a cab to collect us. At the visitor centre we first signed up for the free 1 p.m. tour, then watched a short documentary and picked our way through the interpretive exhibit. Following that, we walked …

Light + Cheap Decor Perfect for Personalizing your Destination Wedding

  Opting for a destination wedding I was a bit worried it would feel like a resort wedding versus our wedding. I didn’t have much in the way of photography provided by Melia Varadero (a property we had never been to) so I didn’t have a clear vision of what we were working with. My solution was to bring decor items with us. They needed to be compact but have high impact. They should be light enough to travel with yet inexpensive enough to leave behind. It just so happened that I was shopping for decorations in November. Turns out, Black Friday is a huge opportunity for brides to score steep discounts. Some items were reduced as much as 40% off with free shipping. I’d estimate we spent about $400-$500 on extra decor items which felt adequate. Here’s what we brought: CHAIR SASHES $2.95 USD for a 5-pack from chaircoverfactory.com These pops of colour communicate your wedding’s theme, colour scheme and personality. Melia Varadero did not have the champagne-gold sashes I was after so I easily sourced them online. …

It’s OK to get Married in Cuba Just for the Havana Photo Shoot

I left Cuba married and heartbroken. You see, I fell madly in love with Havana. I adored her pastel hues, crumbling architecture, and the vintage cars. I loved the doorways that lead to concealed courtyards coated in dust and draped in nostalgia. Most of all, I loved the city’s decaying beauty; it’s as if Paris was stowed away in an attic for half a century. The love affair was a brief 16-hour whirlwind romance; I left Cuba intoxicated by Havana and wanting more. Two days after the wedding we drove to Havana in a 60+ year-old vintage Chevy  to don our wedding attire one last time for a photo shoot. As the city awoke we wandered aimlessly photographer in tow, champagne and cigar in hand. We ducked through walkways, into lobbies and through public squares. By mid-morning we had attracted a small crowd of admirers and paparazzi. I wondered what they’d do with the photos they snapped of us. Would they print them and put them on their fireplace mantles? Likely not, so why the invasion? They fired away with such dedication …

I’m a cover girl!

Just kidding, I’ve only ever had a magazine photo published on the last page and now the sixth. I’m photographed in Havana holding the Fall 2015 issue of Canadian Traveller, which of course depicts Cuba. Here is the original image, snapped by Cindy Langley.

Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Machu Picchu

I was surprised by how easy it was to travel Peru…in fact, it was almost too easy. (Who complains about that though?) In a brief 500 words, here’s all you need to know about visiting Machu Picchu. Trekking Machu Picchu Trekking with porters typically takes 3 to 4 days. A ton of operators can guide you along the Inca Trail, but there are alternate routes too: Salcantay, Chaski and four others. It’s worth noting the Inca Trail closes each February for maintenance. How to Visit Machu Picchu Independently You need to make your way to Aguas Calientes, a town tucked deep in the Peruvian jungle. There is no road access so you need to get there by train. There are two affordable rail companies: Inca Rail and Peru Rail. Trains depart from the town of Ollantaytambo and it takes about two hours to reach Aguas Calientes. Travelling in economy class the cost is $120 USD (or so) round-trip. Trains depart at various times of the day and it’s wise to book your ticket in advance. You can do so online, just make sure …