Return Holidays: Why You Can't Discount a Repeat Trip

I believe I can speak for all travel junkies out there when I say that traveling to new and previously unexplored places is addicting. The thrill of seeing something amazing for the first time, or undergoing a totally new experience, gives those of us who love travel something equivalent to an adrenaline rush. The anticipation of an adventure somewhere new is almost as exciting as the journey itself.

Sinclair Canyon: Gateway to Beauty

For eight years now, my husband's immediate family and my own little clan have been vacationing in British Columbia for a week each summer. This little getaway enables us to enjoy precious family time surrounded by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, with its deep valleys, towering peaks, and glistening rivers.

Soak in Lussier Natural Hot Springs, British Columbia

Lussier Natural Hot Springs, located in the Kootenay mountain range of the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, are possibly the nicest natural hot springs I've had the pleasure of visiting.  I realize I haven't visited many natural hot springs, but I feel safe in saying the Lussier Springs are stunning and relaxing and anyone who visits them will be glad they did.

Update: Fairmont Natural Hot Springs 2014

This summer, during my family's annual trip to British Columbia, I had the chance to do a quick check-up on the natural hot springs located beneath the commercialized Fairmont Hot Springs.  After two years of people commenting on my blog, lamenting on the hot springs' state of disrepair, I had to see for myself.  I'd promised my readers to let them know if the springs had changed much from when I'd visited last.

Backyard Bucket List: Banff Gondola and Upper Hot Springs

It's that time of year again - the time of year where we pack up our vehicle to the brim with suitcases, tennis rackets, good food, water sprinklers, board games, and beach toys, and head off on a beautiful drive through the Rocky Mountains of Canada to enjoy a week's stay in Invermere, British Columbia. This is our seventh year renting a cabin in the valley with my husband's family, and our first year doing so with a baby in tow.  (The car, incidentally, seemed MUCH fuller this time around!)

Swim in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland

Little did I know how much I'd enjoy (or how much I'd NEED) a swim in Iceland's beautiful Blue Lagoon.  It was a place I'd seen in pictures and read about multiple times, testimonies of its healing waters and relaxing  atmosphere reverberating in my head.  But I had no idea how necessary it would be.

Soak in a True Natural Hot Spring in the Canadian Rockies

True, natural hot springs are hard to come by. However, they do exist, if only you know where to look or who to ask. That's how I have been able to soak in a few mostly-natural hot springs in Canada.

For years I have been visiting the hot springs of Canada’s Rocky Mountains: the Banff Upper and Lower hot springs, the Jasper Miette hot springs in Alberta, and the Radium and Fairmont hot springs in British Columbia specifically. I know exactly why they are so popular. They are relaxing, toasty warm, therapeutic, and they have the best view of any pool I’ve ever been to.  

Go White Water Rafting in Canada's Rocky Mountains

Man vs. Nature.

I teach this concept to my students all the time - it is a timeless conflict in literature, and in real life. Will man overcome, or will nature take its course?

I decided to test this in the summer of 2009, and was lucky enough to test it twice in one week. My husband's family has rented a cabin in Radium, British Columbia for the last two summers; a new 'tradition' that we're trying to establish. It is a small town set in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, full of beautiful hiking trails, gorgeous views, and of course, the famous Radium Hot Springs. But we were to discover there was more adventure to be had in Radium than jumping into the ice pool at the Hot Springs...