Trying Out Train Travel: Thoughts or Questions?

In just a few days I'll be jumping onboard the Rocky Mountaineer and I would love to hear from YOU what I should watch for

Good afternoon! I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m going to be setting sail, or I guess setting rail across British Columbia and Alberta this upcoming week. I tried to figure out what to call it and googled it a bunch, but I still don’t know how to phrase that. When you depart on a train, it is referred to as "taking a train" or "boarding a train". However, there is no specific term in English that is commonly used to describe departing on a train, like "setting sail" for leaving on a boat. What would you call it?

Anyways, I’m pretty excited. I wanted to use this week’s newsletter to share a bit about what’s in store with the Rocky Mountaineer train and then a little bit about what’s happening with our house-selling journey (end of newsletter). OMG, I’m worn out with this and really looking forward to a relaxing rail adventure.

What’s the Rocky Mountaineer?

I am really fortunate because I get to travel a lot, and my family usually gets to come along, but we’re more often than not doing a road trip or traveling locally. It’s a lot of staring at the road and managing how much tablet time is acceptable on a car trip, and it’s often not a lot a great meals on the road. The Rocky Mountaineer is 100% different and I can’t express my excitement.

Not that any one type of travel is better than another, as each has its purpose, but a luxury train is MY bucket list trip. I get to enjoy the journey and not just drive. I get to have nice meals while watching nature pass me by as we head into the Canadian Rockies. It’s going to be a trip where I don’t have to manage the plans, the timing or the kids. I feel like this is going to be the ultimate recharge.

As we make our way from Vancouver BC to Calgary AB we’ll be staying in beautiful hotels each night (not sleeping on the train), so really, this trip is ALL about the journey. It’s going to be awesome.

The Train Travel Plan

For this adventure I’m traveling with my trusty sidekick, Kelly, and we’ll be doing the First Passage to the West (heading east). We’ll start with a few days in Vancouver BC exploring the city and seeing some friends, and then we get to board the Rocky Mountaineer for our first day. Since the purpose is the journey as much as the destination, we’ll go pretty slow on the way to Kamloops BC. I haven’t been there in years!

We spend the night in Kamloops and then continue up into the Rockies, with Lake Louise as our next stop. We’ll be staying at the Chateau Lake Louise for a few nights while we enjoy beautiful views, hikes and great food.

After that we head down to the town of Banff for a bit more exploring, including the Vermillion Lakes and the Bow River. We’ll end our adventure in Calgary (not getting their via train) where we’ll hit up some museums and finish off our time in Canada with more amazing meals.

Really, this is going to be unlike any sort of trip I’ve been on before. This is all about relaxing and taking in the sights vs doing as much as possible. If you know me, that’s NOT how I roll, so this is going to be both awesome and a stretch for me. I’ll let you know how it goes not having a jam-packed itinerary.

Summer Travel Plans

We have lots of things happening in the coming months, but it turns out the the Florida Keys are going to be a magnet for us. I’ve got a work trip through the Keys in June and then we’ll be back in July for actual vacation time (we don’t do a ton of actual vacation travel).

“Why would you do the Keys in July?!” So, a lot of people see Florida in the summer and think that it’s just a big hot mess. Yes, Florida is an absolute hot mess right now with the gov being a complete disaster regime, but the rest of us in Florida and the beautiful places we call home are awesome. So yes, the FLORIDA KEYS IN SUMMER!

When I’m there in June the purpose is to have as many wildlife experiences as possible, and then also to take part in Key West Pride, which I’ve never been to. When we head down in July we’ll be staying with the Keys Collection at both the Gates Hotel Key West and the 24 North Hotel. We’re just going to be swimming and doing all things Key West related. It’s going to be so fun!

Summer Road Trip Ideas

Just because we don’t get to do any road trips in Utah or California this summer (which are my two favorite road trip states), doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t be absolutely thrilled to hear about other people’s plans.

If you are trying to figure out something fun, easy to mold to a budget and really engaging for both kids and adults, I want to share my TWO FAVORITE road trip plans:

• California National Parks road trip - 10+ days and great for hiking, sightseeing or just experiencing a different side of California

• Utah National Parks road trip - 7-12 days is ideal and with this road trip, you need to plan your stays to include hotels or campgrounds with swimming pools. You’re basically guaranteed sunshine, but it’ll be HOT and awesome.

UPDATE: Selling Our House and Moving

I’ll be honest that I am sometimes guilty of not actually reading everything somebody has written and then asking a question that’s already been answered, so in light of that…

Yes, we’re selling our house here in Butler Beach, FL. No, we’re not leaving Florida (despite the craziness) and not even leaving the island we live on. Yes, we’re moving to St Augustine Beach, which is just up the road.

So here’s the update: we have accepted an offer on our house and no, it’s not what we had hoped for, but OMG, the housing market is absolutely different now than it was a few months ago, let alone three years ago when we bought our house. Mortgage rates have skyrocketed and people aren’t flocking to our neighborhood like they used to, so that means house prices have been dropping.

We feel really good about accepting an offer though and moving on. We’re going to be selling our vacation rental also. We’ve been really fortunate to be able to have a wonderful home and a vacation rental to both be a business and something we can share with friends and family, but yes, we need LESS.

Lightening the load of possessions and obligations already feels incredible. Being a home owner means that there are responsibilities and stresses that can be limiting, both financially and emotionally. Not having to worry about an aging house or a home with strangers in it (our vacation rental) is going to free up more time for our family and doing the things we love together.

That’s about it for this week’s update. Please follow along on Instagram and Facebook as Kelly and I have our train adventure. And as always, if you have questions about travel, blogging or life, always feel free to send me a note or leave a comment. Have a great week!