Tips for Winter Roadtrippin' in North America

Tips for Winter Roadtrippin' in North America

We spent three and a half months on a road trip around the US and Canada in the winter of 2017 (Jan to April). Before we went we couldn't find much specific info on road trippin' at this time of year so we just had to wing it. This post contains our tips on some things we did and items we took which made the experience a good one.

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A Pilgrimage to St. Pierre et Miquelon

A Pilgrimage to St. Pierre et Miquelon

In 1763, after the British had defeated the French to take control of what is today Canada they ceded a small archipelago of islands off the Newfoundland coast to France. Today St Pierre et Miquelon remains a little piece of France in North America. It is a self-governing overseas territory of 7,000 people. The currency is the euro, the language is French and the baguettes are authentic. I'd always wanted to visit since I learned about it as a boy. Here is my pilmgrimage to St Pierre et Miquelon.

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A Glimpse of the Canadian Rockies

A Glimpse of the Canadian Rockies

We had a hire car booked for a week starting and ending in Vancouver, and we’d both always wanted to see the Canadian Rockies, so it was a no-brainer as to where we were going to head when we arrived on Canada’s west coast. The only problem being that it was the first week of April, and the ski season was in full flight so snow and ice were potentially going to be a problem.

But, we decided to give it a crack and see if we could reach some of the major attractions such as Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper.

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The Alaskan Maritime Highway - Cruising Alaska on a Budget

The Alaskan Maritime Highway - Cruising Alaska on a Budget

The Alaskan Maritime Highway (AMH) is a system of ferries that connect 14 coastal towns on the Alaskan Panhandle (SE Alaska) with each other and the rest of the US via the port of Bellingham just north of Seattle, Washington. The ferries carry cars and pedestrian passengers.

We wanted to see this part of Alaska and decided to use the AMH ferries to get around. These are cheaper than cruises and they run all year around, while the cruises don’t. We did the trip in March 2017. Here's what happened.

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Five Things to do in and Around the Badlands

Five Things to do in and Around the Badlands

Many of us have heard of the Badlands but what are they and where are they? Well, they’re in the western part of South Dakota near the Wyoming border. The name maco sica (badland) was originally given by Native Americans due to the strangeness of the landscape with it’s weird spires, mounds and walls. What we had read sounded interesting so we decided to check it out and to see what else was in the area.

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A Day at the Mall - Washington DC

A Day at the Mall - Washington DC

No, this isn’t about our trip to the shops to get supplies for a weekend barbeque and a new pair of shoes. It’s about The National Mall in Washington DC– the 2 mile/3.2 km strip which has the majority of Washington’s iconic tourist attractions.

We had one full day in Washington and wanted to see as much as possible so the only practical thing to do was hit the Mall. At one end is the Lincoln Memorial and at the opposite end is the Capitol, the USA’s parliament. And in between is a cavalcade of possibilities – museums, war memorials, art galleries and more. Here's how we spent our day.

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A Beginner's Guide to N'Awlins

A Beginner's Guide to N'Awlins

Whether you call it N’Awlins, Nola or it’s official name, New Orleans, there’s no doubt that this is one of the US’s most interesting cities in a fascinating, unique state – Louisiana.

As folks new to New Orleans and Louisiana we were on a steep learning curve about the local culture, traditions and possibilities when we spent a few days there in February 2017. Here a few suggestions for things to do if you too are a novice visitor.

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South West USA National Park Winter Road Trip

South West USA National Park Winter Road Trip

This post covers a road trip we did in late January, early February 2017 from Los Angeles, California to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, across six states, where we visited nine national parks and reserves, including classics such as Death Valley, Grand Canyon and Monument Valley.

We weren’t sure if doing the trip in winter would present a problem – would we have trouble with snow blocked roads, would the parks we wanted to visit be open in January? Here is how we approached the challenge.

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