Let’s end the week with a fun contest! Hostelbookers is hosting a contest where travelers share a piece of advice related to travel in order to enter.  Enter and attempt to win your personalized action figure from firebox.com as well as a personalized geek travel map. Contest ends on June 6, 2012.

You can visit the hostelbooker blog for more information.

In case our local Montreal news didn’t make it to your country (which I really hope it didn’t), our students have been protesting against tuition hikes for over 12 weeks now. The liberal government announced earlier this year that tuition would be increasing by $325 per year for the next 5 years. It’s about a 75% increase over the next 5 years.

www.ctv.ca

Some Background Info

A Quebec student currently pays about $3,500 per year for a university education.  The national average is double. The difference is due to tuition fees being frozen in Quebec since the 1990′s with the following principle in mind: making education accessible to everyone. Quebec students pay less than 20% of the cost of their education, where the difference is subsidized by the government (also known as tax payers).

Current Situation

When the protest first began, I was indifferent. Although education in Montreal in cheap,  we are all aware of situations where money is mismanaged due to corruption or lack of proper supervision. I understood where the students were coming from: before increasing tuition fees, let’s fix our bad spending habits and see how much we can save. Got it. The general public has been generally accepting of the hike since the start mainly because it’s common sense that tuition fees should increase, even if it’s simply to keep up with inflation.

The problem is that students began to annoy the public by protesting on bridges and causing traffic jams, organizing protests that turned into mini riots in the city and most recently, the the entire metro system by detonating a few smoke bombs. This entire non-sense will cost the city millions of dollars in damage control, from fixing broken windows to paying our officers overtime. And for what? $325? But what really turns me off in this situation is that they are closed to other options, such as improving financial aid and introducing the hike over 7 years instead of 5.  They are stuck on a tuition freeze and what they proposed as measures is unrealistic if you ask me. They suggested a two-year freeze in new investments in universities and increase sales tax to help finance tuition and avoid a tuition hike among other things. In which, NO, I refuse to pay more taxes! And YES, our universities need to be invested in so we can remain competitive and continue to attract international students, because they, also help to finance education for Quebec residents. It went from being a protest against the hike to a social revolution on education.

As a taxpayer, I wake up and go to work every morning to earn a living. And from every paycheck, I pay 40% worth of taxes that the government reinvest in our society, from healthcare to infrastructure to education. And I’m ok with this. But now we find ourselves in a situation where our fellow students are complaining about a hike that I find reasonable but they don’t think should pay more for education. They claim it won’t be as accessible if fees go up. I think I’m missing something here? Don’t we pay more today than we did yesterday for housing for example? That’s definitely a yes. But is anyone complaining about it? Education should be considered a self-investment. And honestly, if a student is not willing to invest in himself, why should I invest more in him?

All this to say that I think we are reaching a point where the province/government can no longer afford to pay for everything. Something’s gotta give. We want our healtcare to be free, our education to be free, etc. And knowing that with the hike, student tuition will still be lower than the rest of the country, I’m having a difficult time understanding where they are coming from. You give a kid a ball, they want a toy. That’s exactly how I feel about our students right now- completely spoiled.

This post is based on my personal views and are not related to any other article or group.

I just wanted to share with all you outdoor and travel geeks from Montreal that there is a festival that may interest coming to Parc Jean-Drapeau in May! Yes, you may be thinking “and yet another festival” but hey, it’s related to travel! How can we miss this one? And, it’s free!

This year will be my first year at the festival but from what I was able to gather, this outdoor and travel event will include exhibitions, workshops, activities and much more.

Schedule

You can read more about this outdoor and travel festival here.

While it’s lovely to have that annual summer holiday booked and in the diary early on, sometimes life gets in the way. When you have a busy lifestyle it can sometimes be impossible to predict which weeks you can earmark for a holiday and, as the months tick by, you find you still have nothing booked.

Late holiday deals are the solution to this problem. Perfect for those who may only know their availability at the last minute, late holiday deals can also work out to be great value for money.

A good example of someone suited to booking last minute would be a person who runs their own business. Busy and quiet periods in business can often be difficult to predict, and the last thing that you want to have to do is turn down work because you have a holiday booked in.

When you choose to book last minute, you can simply wait for a quiet month and book your holiday for then.

Airtours has some amazing late holiday deals, including the most popular destinations such as the Canary Islands, Egypt and Mexico. Simply browse the Airtours website for the dates that you are free and choose from a great range of locations at the best possible prices.

A typical example of the great deals on offer would be a 7 nights self catering holiday to the La Penita Apartments in Puerto Del Carmen, Spain. This exceptional hotel, which boasts a 4.5 star TripAdvisor rating and an Airtours customer rating of 99 per cent, is on offer for dates at the end of April, currently from just £225 per person.

Of course, the deals on offer are constantly changing and updating, so whenever, and wherever, you want to book, you’re sure to find an amazing late holiday deal at the right price for you.

When we first arrived to the Snow Village, we weren’t sure if we wanted to pay the entrance fee of $17. After some debate and then the realization that we traveled 30 minutes by subway to get there, we decided to go ahead and each pay the entrance fee. From the outside, it’s not very spectacular. All you see is a big igloo and honestly, the snow was a little dirty. But hey, it didn’t snow a lot in Montreal this year so I guess they had to work with what they had. Nevertheless, we began our mini tour by looking at the rooms. Yes! You can sleep on an ice bed for one (or many) night! Every room is unique. Some rooms are more spectacular than others but it’s worth going in all the rooms. There were between 20 and 30 rooms if I remember correctly. Are you adventurous enough to sleep outside in winter?

Once we were done visiting the rooms, we walked towards the ice restaurant, where we saw some people paying their bill. It was a cute, small and well decorated restaurant. You can reserve for the lunch or dinner menu. The lunch menu is less than $20 and the dinner menu is around 60$. Both are a three course meal. If you’re adventurous enough to eat in the cold, this is the place for you! It was funny to see a classy restaurant and then people sitting down with their winter jackets and gloves! I was surprised to find out that it’s the only ice restaurant in North America!

All in all, it the Snow Village was worth a visit. It’s probably not an activity I would consider doing every year because it is a little pricy but definitely worth an afternoon. It was a great way to spend a winter afternoon!

 The idea of staying in a crowded hostel doesn’t sound appealing to everyone but that’s because there are others to travel the world. Below I list just a handful of them:

Bicycle

Get on your bike, no I’m not kidding. Often people are put off by the rigorous exercise so often associated with bicycle holidays but you shouldn’t worry about that. Seeing the world doesn’t mean you have to be as fit as Lance Armstrong, the beautiful thing about cycling is that you can go at your own pace. Travelling on a bicycle allows you to really see the surroundings through the eyes of the locals.

Cruises

The great thing about seeing the world cruising is that you get to do it all in luxury. All the major cruise companies offer Cruises from Southampton and travel to destinations all over the world from the Caribbean, to Alaska and Dubai to the Baltics plus everything in between. One of the benefits of a cruise holiday is that you don’t have to worry about how much you pack or even carrying it, for seeing the world in luxury this is by far the best choice, get saving.

Teach

Countries all over the world are crying out for English teachers, why not kill two birds with one stone and teach while you travel. This is by far the most rewarding way of travelling; 3 months teaching in Thailand to 4 months teaching in South America, as an added incentive some school will even cover your expenses. This isn’t for everybody but if you like kids, travelling and generally like the feeling of doing good, you will love this experience.

 The hike is most enjoyable during the summer months of July to September since the temperature is warmer. But do keep in mind that there is snow on the peak all year round so be ready to wear crampons and dress properly. Winter months translate to really cold and unpredictable weather. Regardless of what time of year to chose to hike the mountain, keep in mind that weather can be unpredictable and you will have to adapt.

And who says you can’t learn some history during your climb? Hiking Mount Ararat also make you feel closer to history since it’s where Noah landed his Ark according to the bible.

Courtesy of Nick Di Tomaso.

Getting There & Around

Getting to Mount Ararat is easy whether you  are considering renting a car, traveling by bus or by plane. Most roads in Turkey are in good condition although you may encounter some under construction. No worries, just give yourself enough time to travel. Traveling by car is the best way to see a country because it gives you the flexibility to stop where you want on the way. If you prefer to be less adventurous, you can always consider taking an internal flight to neighbouring the town of Dogubeyazit. Internal airline carriers include Atlasjet, Fly Air, Onur Air, Pegasus Airline, Sun Express Airlines and of course, Turkish Airlines.

Top 5 Valentine’s Day Activities

1. Chocolate Fondue: Enjoy a chocolate fondue with someone special (friend or family). My personal favorite is melting a Toblerone chocolate bar and dipping strawberries and bananas. YUM! You can’t go wrong!
2. Spare a few hours and volunteer for a cause. If you’ve thought about volunteering, then just do it! It’s a great day to start and you won’t regret it because it’s so rewarding.
3. Be spontaneous and try a new restaurant or watch an international movie alone or with friends. If you live in a city or town with limited choice of international restaurants, why not look for a recipe online and travel through cooking? Turn valentine’s day into a special day for you, doing something you want to do!
4. Challenge yourself! Why not try a new class at the gym, go for a run, try baking or cooking for the first time? Challenge yourself to do something new for YOU because YOU are the most important person!
5. Spend the day or evening with someone you don’t take enough time for on a regular basis. Your grandparents, your little cousins or nephews and nieces? You’ll definitely put a smile on their face and have a good time!

Don’t wait for others to turn this into a special day! Take charge and do something you want to do!

Below I have included a few pictures of a full moon party that a friend of mine attends.

Chamonix is one of those ski resorts that can accommodate different types of travelers. You’ll find your regular skiers who visit Chamonix to hit the slopes, have a few beers in the evening and relax at a b&b. Others rather enjoy their stay at a luxurious hotel and spend their time in thermal baths. And another small portion of them are camping on the mountain because they are on some winter expedition. Chamonix has lots to offer, it all depends on what you’re looking for! The number of activities are countless (or almost!).

Now, you’re probably wondering how to get there. If you’re flying, the most accessible airport is Geneva. From there, you can hop in a taxi, bus or collective van. Regardless of where you are coming from, you’ll be able to easily hop on a train or bus to get to Chamonix since it’s very well-developed resort. This being said, avoid the high season. It will cost more and it’s crowded. If you’re going to ski t one of the most beautiful places in the world, might as well do it right!

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