travel the world Archives - AdventureCampitelli

Why Victoria, B.C. is the perfect family vacation

Traveling outside of Canada is still crazy with the ever changing rules, flight cancelations, testing and sometimes still having to quarantine. Staying in Canada for your summer plans may still be the best option. Victoria, B.C. is the perfect family vacation because it has the mildest climate in Canada, beautiful beaches, and loads of activities. It is known to some as Canada’s Hawaii!

With cool historic buildings, iconic tourist sites, stunning beaches, family-friendly activities, fantastic eats and treats, there is something for everyone! There are also plenty of types of accommodations in Victoria including forested campgrounds, hostels, stunning hotels, bed & breakfasts, and unique AirBnB’s. Our family has traveled the world, and in our opinion, Victoria is one of the most beautiful cities to visit.

Here are 5 family friendly activities to do while in Victoria:

1. Take a whale watching tour

Victoria is one of the best places in the world for whale watching. Many types of whales including humpbacks, gray, minks, and Orca (killer) whales can be spotted here. The whale watching season is from April to November, but summer is definitely the best months to see them. Victoria’s coastal waters are also home to dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, otters, and much more!

There are many companies that offer whale watching tours in Victoria and most have good ratings. The tours are approximately 3-4 hours. Do your research to find which company is the best fit for you and your family.

2. Bike the Lochside Regional trail

This is one of our favorite trails! It’s a 33 km (20.5 mi) former railway line and multi-use trail that runs from Victoria to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal near Sydney. What I love about this trail is the ever-changing landscape passing through beaches, farmland, wetlands, and rural roads.

We recommend you park in the parking lot located at 4050 Lochside Drive. The ride from here to Sydney is 21 km (13mi) which is quite far, especially if you have kids. Our recommendation is to ride as far as you are comfortable with and turn around.

One stop you’ll want to make along the way is Sweet Ashley’s cookies, a cookie stand along the trail, which has freshly baked cookies for purchase. We used this as a motivator for our kids and it was a nice treat along the way. The cookie stand is about 3km (1.86mi) north up the pathway from the parking lot and takes about 8-10 minutes to get there. Payment is on the honor system so be sure to bring some cash!

3. Go to Cadboro-Gyro beach

This is an ideal beach for families because it has one of the largest beach and play park areas in Victoria. The park was donated to the Saanich district in 1954 and had major renovations in 2014 including installations of new play equipment. One of the play equipment is called “Cadborosarus”, named after a mythical sea creature that was said to have been spotted in the 1930s. There are other unique play structures including an octopus, salmon, a ship, and a shipwreck. There is also a fun zipline that our kids enjoyed. This park has even been listed among 11 unique playgrounds around the world by Fodor’s travel.

The beach itself has typically calm waters, a pebbly shoreline, and some sandy sections. As with most beaches in Victoria, there is plenty of driftwood to create forts. We often go there to relax.

There is a parking lot, washrooms, picnic tables, and a boat launch at this beach. It is only about a 15-minute drive from downtown Victoria.

4. Visit the Malahat Skywalk

A 32m (105ft) cylinder shape structure with a spiral ramp leading all the way to the top sits at the edge of the forest, 250 meters above sea level. This sightseeing lookout gives stunning views of the Ocean including the Saanich Peninsula, Mount Baker, and the Coast Mountains. You can often see sailboats below.

The cool part of this structure is that there is a huge slide at the top that takes you down to the bottom. It’s quite the thrill ride as you go much faster than you think! I don’t think I’ve screamed that loud in a long time. Our daughter loved it and could have stayed all day. Getting there is fun too as you walk along a 600-meter (1969ft) raised boardwalk through the beautiful Arbutus tree forest to the Skywalk. Along the path, you will see some amazing driftwood art sculptures of animals made by artist Tanya Bub.

It takes about 35 minutes to get there from downtown Victoria and there is plenty of parking.

We’ve traveled around the world and this is one of the most spectacular sites we’ve ever been to!

5. See Niagara & Goldstream Waterfalls

These two beautiful waterfalls residing in Goldstream Provincial Park are easy to see in one day. Set aside about 3-4 hours to see both falls. It’s about a 25-minute drive from downtown Victoria.

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls just outside Victoria, bearing the same name as the famous waterfalls in Ontario, stands at 47.5 (156 ft) and is just a short 15–20-minute hike from the parking lot. After parking, head north away from the picnic area, following the wide gravel trail. Turning left at the junction you will come to a bridge with a tunnel on your left that goes underneath the highway. Take the tunnel and then follow the trail to the waterfall. This tunnel is dry in the summer but filled with water in the spring and fall so if you are here during these seasons, you will have to park on the other side of the highway.

Upper Goldstream Falls

Goldstream Falls trail is a fantastic loop and a great hike to do with the family. The beautiful trail takes you through a serene rainforest of Cedars, Douglas firs, and ferns with a waterfall reward.

The hike begins at the Goldstream Provincial Park Campground near the gatehouse where you will park. The trail is 5.5km (3.4mi) long and fairly easy, taking about 1-1.5 hours to do. After hiking along the trail, you’ll approach a long set of stairs leading down into the canyon to the waterfall. Pouring into a natural pool at the bottom, the water is cold but is a popular place to take a dip in the summer. Bring your bathing suit and water shoes to enjoy this energizing experience.

We have written two detailed Victoria travel guides that include a fully customizable 2 Week Itinerary of fun family activities. The Active Family Guide details amazing hikes, walks, biking trails, and other awesome activities like whale watching and ziplining. The Family Guide details the best iconic tourist spots, must-see beaches, awesome family activities, and some of our favorite places to eat. These guides make your trip planning easy with expert advice from a local. Lots of options for the perfect blend of adventure and relaxation. You’ll see why Victoria, B.C. is the perfect family vacation!

We have also created a Free Itinerary Template to help make your trip planning easier. Simply add your activities and budget to customize your trip.

Visit our shop section to see all travel guides by clicking here.

How to Save for Travel – 9 Tips

Traveling extensively was a life-long dream for us and with lots of planning and saving we were able to make it happen. We didn’t want to wait for the “someday” when we retire to travel the world. We have met so many people over the years that were never able to realize their travel dreams due to illness, death or financial circumstances, including my own parents. It was also so important for us to be able to share this experience with our kids and give them World Schooling and the experience of a lifetime!

Everyone’s circumstances are different but these 9 tips can help you plan for your dream vacation or extended trip. They are exactly what gave our family the opportunity to travel.

SO WHAT EXACTLY DID WE DO?

For us, the bottom line was to Save, cut Costs a lot and be patient as it takes time. Having to pay for our wedding many years ago taught us how to save and budget for our dream travel journey.

Here are 9 Tips that we did to make our travels a reality:

1. Dedicated Bank Account

Make a dedicated travel account and put money into it every month using the “pay yourself first” principle, even if it is only $10 here and there; it adds up over time.

2. Cut Costs

We cut down our costs and made a budget. “The latte factor” is a popular cliché but the little things do add up. We scrutinized everything we were spending to find extra money and it’s amazing what you find if you just observe your spending habits. Cost-reducing measures that worked for us included:

We switched from picking up our lattes every morning out to making them mostly at home. This saved us at least $12 a day+ between the two of us plus any treats we would buy for the kids when they were with us..
We cut down on eating out. This included both bringing lunches to work every day and not eating out at restaurants as often on the weekends. This is good for the waistline too!
- We eliminated a lot of monthly banking fees. We opened an online no-fee banking account that has free Interac transactions, free e-transfers, and free checks. We also had another main account that we kept over a minimum balance that eliminated the monthly fee of $29.95. Banking fees add up!
- We cut our cable and saved over $100 per month.
- We reduced haircuts, beauty treatments and shopping which can add up quickly.
- I cut my gym membership and went to an online workout program. The workouts require minimal space and equipment. This reduced my costs from about $1000 per year to around $200.
Rack up the Points

3. Rack up the Points

Use points where you can. We have a Travel Visa and purchased everything on this card making sure we paid the balance at the end of each month avoiding any interest charges. This is a good way to rack up points for free flights and accommodations.

4. Offload your Debt

We paid off our car so we eliminated the loan payments while we were away. Had we travelled for more than six months, we would have sold the cars.

5. No shopping Sprees

We put any extra money we receive such as bonuses and/or raises into interest-earning or dividend-paying investments.

6. Embrace Minimalism even a little

We went through all of our belongings selling things we no longer used or needed for extra cash. It’s amazing what can be stored in the garage like bikes, ski equipment or other things that can free up extra money. We donated the rest to eliminate clutter and help a good cause.

7. Rent your House

We rented out our house while we were away and were able to cover all of our at-home expenses by doing this. We used a management company to find the tenants and look after our home so we didn’t have to worry about it while we were away.

8. Reduce Flight Costs

Flights are a huge expense so we did a few things to minimize the costs:

We visited fewer countries by travelling more slowly and staying in countries for a longer period of time. We stayed in a few of the places for up to a month which reduced flight costs significantly vs. travelling every week.
- We tried to fly on cheaper days of the week. When you travel long term the days of the week you fly don’t really matter so you can save significantly on flights. When booking flights, we regularly compared prices and costs on different days of the week.
- We extended a layover to sneak into another destination. Airlines will often allow a few days’ layovers in another country with no added costs.

9. Cheaper Accommodations

We mostly stayed in Airbnbs which is usually much cheaper than hotels in terms of nightly costs. Airbnb’s also have full kitchens and supplies available so you can cook your own meals and save a lot of money by not eating out as much. We even lucked out securing an Airbnb in a resort giving us access to all the facilities like a huge hotel pool and kids club. Although we didn’t have housekeeping every day we saved over $100 per night compared to what hotel guests paid.

Click here https://youtu.be/2JlfR4v5SE0 to see tips on one of our favourite places, Thailand.

You’ve got to Visit Lucca!

Accommodations

We rented an Airbnb right in central Lucca and it was awesome! It was a 5 minute walk to almost everything yet where it was located was very quiet. It was also two floors, two bedrooms and a decent kitchen. Everything we needed. There were cool black and white photos on the wall of the mother that used to live there. I loved that!

Falling in Love with Lucca

When researching places to visit in Italy, Lucca was high on the list. It is known for its Renaissance city walls completed in the thirteenth century to keep out invaders. Today it is an incredible almost 5km pathway around the city used by runners, cyclists and everyone in between. It is lined with trees and even has a couple of kids playgrounds along the way. There are a few access points to the path. It has many churches, a clock tower, Guinigi Tower that you can climb to get an amazing view of the city. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to do this but it was on our list. In Lucca, the streets are narrow and windy and the buildings are colourful and beautiful. I felt like I was in a movie.

Here are some Must Do’s in Lucca:

1. Rent a Bike and Cycle the Wall. There are several bicycle rental shops in Lucca and they also have options for families. Our 11 year old had his own bike and our 7 year old went on a tandem bike with Marco. We ended up doing 2 laps around the wall as the day was so beautiful and it was awesome to get a full perspective of the city by cycling all the way around it.

2. Walk the streets and take in the vibe. We walked everywhere in Lucca. It is small and that is how you get around. It is so interesting with so much going on. Narrow streets, interesting buildings, sculptures, historical monuments, restaurants, and buskers. If you go to Italy, Lucca is an absolute must! Watch our Lucca Video to see all the amazing things! (COMING SOON)>

3. Have Gelato of Course! We found the best Gelato to be in Lucca! It was better than the places we tried in Florence. The place we loved was called Boteggo and was off the beaten path in Lucca. We learned from a local that the good Gelato is housed in canisters to keep it at the correct temperature, not overflowing in containers, and visible. This Gelata we were told is also pumped with air to make it look fluffy. Botegga is known for their salted Pistachio which was to die for.

4. Visit the Park of Pinocchio. This park originated from the story of Pinocchio, the puppet wanting to become a real boy and whose nose grew every time he lied. It is in the town of Collodi (from the author of the same name). We took a train to Pistoia (nearby) and then a taxi to the park which was about a 10 minute drive. At first we thought the park was lame and creepy with a bunch of worn out Pinocchio puppets, old carousels and a lame park. The kids wanted to leave but we thought we’d walk a bit further and came across hanging bridges and a zipline for kids. The kids had to put on gear and make their way through various obstacles ending with a small but cool zipline. They loved it! Also – I did not know that the story of Pinocchio was from Tuscany. The actual story is of a more sinister tale which was then glamorized by Disney. I encourage you to look up the actual story.

Adventure Campitelli Tip

Eat outside of the Amphitheatre (a public square in the northeast part of Lucca, originally where gladiator games were held, now a tourist area full of restaurants and cafes) or buy your own groceries. In this area you are charged a “service or sitting fee” about 2 Euros per person. Take your latte to go or you will be charged this fee!

Paris in 3 Days

We LOVED LOVED LOVED Paris! We did some research ahead of time and visited a few cool spots that we think are great for families. We only had 3 days there so we made the most of our time.

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel tower is a must see…and actually enjoyable for the kids. It was fun to take in the view, snap some fun pics and then walk down to ground level where it is. I haven’t seen this in other photos but there is an old fashioned Carousel that the kids went on which cost 2.50 Euros for each child. We highly recommend this to keep the kids entertained. There is also a playground nearby for the kids to play in.

Adventure Campitelli Tip: There are many “peddlers” trying to sell you trinkets and they are quite aggressive so what I felt worked best is to not make eye contact and keep walking.

Les Deux Plateaux, (a.k.a. Colonnes de Buren)

The kids loved this place and did not want to leave! It is a courtyard in the Royal Palace in Paris (Palais Royal) made up of different size black and white polygons. The kids loved to climb on the different sizes and it was such a cool place to take photos. Plus….no cost to go there!

Le Louvre

This is one of the most famous art museums in Paris and is also a must see. This is where many paintings and sculptures are housed including the famous Mona Lisa.. The glass triangle shaped building on the outside is iconic and made famous in the movie La Davinci Code. Le Louvre is enormous and has several sections to visit. The cost to get in was $9 Euros for each adult and our two kids were free. We chose to only see the Mona Lisa as the kids did not have the patience to spend a lot of time there. Our “5 Things To Do in Paris” Video gives you a tip on when Le Louvre is FREE and what else the kids loved to see. (VIDEO COMING SOON)

Jardin du Luxembourg

This is a beautiful Palace that used to be the residence of the widow of King Henry IV of France, Marie de’ Medici. It is one of the most popular parks in Paris and has a large pond where kids can rent toy sailboats for 4 Euros for half an hour. It is so pretty and the kids loved running around the park.

Adventure Campitelli Tip: We booked an Airbnb very close to central Paris to make it really easy to get around and see all the attractions. We could walk or take the train, which was only a few short steps away, to see all the major sites.