Off-Track Backpacking » New Orleans

A couple’s vacation: How to choose the best getaway with your girlfriend

Nara — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 22:14:25 +0000

Taking a vacation with your girlfriend is a great way to spend quality time together, but how do you decide where to go? You usually can’t go wrong booking a beach vacation, but if you really want to impress her, take her to a city that suits her personality.

Consider the following three destinations that appeal to specific personality traits: romantic, fun or adventurous.

Romantic

New Orleans, with its European influences, is the ideal destination for a romantic getaway. Kick back and relax on a paddlewheel boat, spend the night at a cozy bed-and-breakfast in the popular French Quarter, stroll down St. Charles Avenue and admire the Old World architecture.

Grab a beignet and cup of hot chicory coffee at Café Du Monde, but allow more time for dinner. New Orleans, often called “The Most Romantic City in America,” is home to some of the country’s most impressive restaurants. Many celebrity chefs have restaurants in New Orleans, including Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme. Make sure you book reservations at the more popular restaurants well in advance.

Fun

If you’re looking for a fun vacation with a thriving nightlife, head to Memphis, Tenn. Known as the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, you can find a band playing at a bar on Beale Street any night of the week. Take a tour of Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate, check out the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and stop by Sun Studio, where Elvis recorded his first song. If your girlfriend is an Elvis fan, plan your trip to coincide with Elvis Week, an annual event typically held in August that draws Elvis fans and impersonators from around the world. (If you go, know that the impersonators prefer the term “tribute artists” to “impersonators.”)

You also can enjoy riverboat cruises on the Mississippi River, the second largest in the United States. For a very quirky experience, stop by the Peabody Hotel for historic The Peabody Ducks Parade. Every morning, five ducks march into the lobby fountain to the tune of John Philip Sousa’s King Cotton March. The ritual repeats with a similar exit during the evening.

Adventurous

Thrill-seeking couples should head to Estes Park, Colo., which is on the eastern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. In the summer and fall, try rock climbing at Lumpy Ridge or the challenging Longs Peak and whitewater rafting along the rivers near Estes Park. In winter and spring, go sledding, snowshoeing or skiing in the back country.

The parks service no longer operates the Hidden Valley Ski Area, which means there’s no chair-lift up the mountains. You also ski at your own risk here, and hazards include falling rocks, quick changes in weather and exhaustion from trudging through the snow. Because many insurance policies won’t cover accidents that result from adventure sports, look into getting additional insurance. HCC Medical is an agency that offers insurance that covers sports injuries, as well as emergency evacuation.

Find great deals

A weeklong vacation can put quite a dent in your savings account, so keep an eye out for travel deals or bundled packages that could save you a lot of money. Websites like Kayak, Deal Chicken and Travelzoo help you find special offers. And when you provide your email address, Travelzoo will email you the top deals every week. So start looking for the opportunity to take your girlfriend on a vacation that perfectly suits her personality.

Getting back into the SWING of Backpacking…..

Nara — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:40:41 +0000

After all this planning and booking for Peru, I realized I have to get back into the swing of my backpacking ways. It’s been actually a long time since I have just “wing it”. It’s crazy how time passes so quickly. My last backpacking adventure was Argentina and Chile. Scary thought, knowing that was over 2 years ago! Back in the day I always kept up with the one BIG backpacking trip per year. But with life getting so busy, it’s so easy to ask where the time went. At least the small trips are always there, with 3 under my belt this year; Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Chicago. I shouldn’t really complain but ekkk….. two years of not wandering around a country is a LONG time for me!

Since it has been so long since backpacking for me, I decided to book most of the hostels, trains, and tours ahead of time. Just to feel that extra safety net, but at the same time I hope planning so far in advance won’t hinder any random fun activities. A few things I had to book in advance, such as the train to Machu Picchu and the entrance fee. I was so excited yesterday because I got one of the last booking spots to experience the sunrise on Huayba – Machu Picchu. Limited amounts of people are allowed to climb up to Huayba to see the sunrise at 7:30am. And I got one of the spots! WHOOOOO. With that being said, I also booked a tour in the Amazon for two nights. It’s a kayaking tour, which will be interesting considering I rarely kayak. So with a few booked activities underway the next step is figuring out what to bring. The weather is suppose to mildly warm in most areas of Peru, but I was told that Puno can reach negative five during the evenings. That won’t be so enjoyable since I haven’t been in cold weather for the past four months. My backpack will have to be neatly organized with lots of cool wear, hiking gear, and a few jackets for those cool nights. I must keep in mind that for most of this trip I will be in the outback and enjoying the nature things. It’s not one of my typical adventures, where many cities are apart of the journey.
If anyone knows, what the ideal backpacking gear would be to bring for my trip to Peru in October, write me a quick email. I would love to hear your ideas and advice.

New Orleans – Part II

Nara — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:40:46 +0000

After a well-rested night, the next morning was started with a filling breakfast at the hotel, at which included a range of different options for yummy New Orleans treats. With a coffee in one hand and my day bag in the other, we started the day off by sightseeing the French Quarter. As you maybe aware the French Quarter is pretty big and it’s based on a grid of a few main streets such as Bourbon, Royal, Chartres, and Decatur. So for most people who walk and sightsee at a very causal pace it would take about a whole day to see it. Although my mom and I walked around straight without really stopping for about four hours, yet the funny thing is it never felt like four hours. The French Quarter for us was quickly seen, but still not completely explored. We did stop for a Latte and chatted outside on a patio and enjoyed the view of the old French Colonial architecture. With beautiful balconies, history to admire, and jazz filling the streets it was very difficult to not quickly fall in love with the city. You are surrounded by so many different traditions, cultures and love for the arts that it’s hard to imagine that you are still in North America.
Soon after we decided the next best thing to adventure off to would be the Garden District. As we knew, it was located past the Warehouse District/central downtown therefore a streetcar was necessary. We waited a little bit for the streetcar to arrive, but waiting in hot, sunny weather was a blessing compared to what we were use to back in Toronto. Once we got on the street, we realized it was the oldest streetcar in world and we were one it. Felt pretty amazing to think how back in the day many individuals used this same streetcar for transportation. Within 15 minutes or so we arrived in the Garden District and wow was my first words when I saw this area. The streets were filled with willow trees, beautiful garden, and flowers everywhere, yet not only were the gardens amazing but the homes were lovely. Many of these home date back to the 17th and 18th century and were called the city plantations for the wealthy. Many of them looked very French but Victorian at which crawled out with large verandas and balconies. As for a few hours my mom and I just wandered around staring at them and taking many photos. Every house was unique in it’s own way, and carefully taken care of after all these years.

As the night quickly came, we wanted to try a great place for yummy seafood. So for the remaining of the evening we ate, drank and listened to Jazz music at a great little restaurant called the Bourbon House. It was so much fun and for the following day we already planned on taking the oldest/only steamboat left in the world down the Mississippi River.
The trip was amazing little getaway, but also a learning one at that. Since this was my very first time being in the real south of the United States.

New Orleans; Part 1

Nara — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:30:19 +0000

It all started out as a lazy Sunday morning and randomly browsing the Internet. At the time I wasn’t planning on any trip or anything around those lines, but for some reason it just found me. I came across a flight and a four-star hotel deal for three nights, breakfast included for $400 taxes all in. At first glance I was like, ummm ya that can’t be there has to be a catch to it. Yet, as I clicked on the deal and went through the process of payment, I noticed it was actually true. I kinda just stared at the package deal for a moment and wondered who would be willing to just pack their bags and fly down to New Orleans with me for a price at $400. So I called my mom and within 4 minutes I booked the flight and the planning began.
Yes, It was only a short package vacation deal, but who cares the price was right and the timing was perfect. My mom and I did a little research before the trip, to scope out what the main attractions are to see and where to eat true southern food. As you may know the three main districts to see in New Orleans, is firstly the French Quarter, than the Garden District and lastly the Warehouse District.
Since our hotel was shown on the map inside the French Quarter we decided to wander that area first and from there see how much time we have to go check out the Garden District. As our few days of planning went smoothly, it was time to catch our flights to head to sunny, hot New Orleans.
We arrived late in the evening, but new that a shuttle was going to be there upon our arrive since we booked one prior to the beginning of the adventure. We waited for about half hour to realize that we couldn’t find out ride to the hotel. I decided to all the company to see what was going on, and within two minutes a drive approached us. He said are you, Nara. I mention yes, and we have been here for some time now. Well without knowing, we actually booked a very big limo for the two of us. My mom and I laughed and just couldn’t believe how a last minute vacation at the price of $400, started up with having a limo drive us to our hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel, we were also shocked. Only because the hotel was the sister hotel to the Ritz, yes it was very fancy. We loved it. Yet, this was on the beginning of this cheap, great vacation because once we checked in we noticed that we got a huge suite too. We were both like, WOW a $400 trip is pretty fancy fancy. And this was only the start.

A Trip To New Orleans

Nara — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 01:07:26 +0000

For the past few months I have been doing a few weekend trips, but lately I have also been thinking about seeing New Orleans. Mind you, when I do take a few days off I usually go somewhere out of North America, but this time I thought about seeing a little of the south. I have never seen the real south, so I believe New Orleans is the perfect city to start with. There are a few things within the city that many people told me to see, so I have decided to do a little more research about how my trip will be laid out.

French Quarter
The first thing on my list is to see is the French Quarter, also known to the locals as Vieux Carre. The French Quarter sits on the crescent of the Mississippi River, another one of the many highlights to see. This area is the city’s culture hub, where not only history surrounds the area, but also includes amazing architecture of a mix of Spanish, French, and Creole styles. Many courtyards, cast irons balconies, and 17th century chimneys are spotted throughout the quarter. Yet, obvious not only the architecture is important to experience, but also the delicious restaurants, history museum, wandering around the French Market, and taking in each street as the perfect shopping destination. It is said, by many do not be fooled by the French Quarter because there are some many things to experience. Since it is the home of many writers such as Mark Twain, Lafcadio Hern, and John James Audubon.

Historic Homes
I have always wanted to experience the New Orleans Plantations and the historic homes in the south. It is something where you can go back in time and grasp that feeling of the 17th and 18th century lifestyle. Even though I am a huge history lover these homes are one of the many tourist attractions for New Orleans. There is one particular plantation I am interested in seeing, which is called the Houmas House. It was once the largest sugar plantation in the world in the 18th century. The house was built in the early 17th century, but really didn’t take a purpose until 1810 where a Revolutionary War Hero, Gen Wade Hampton of Virginia purchased the property. He and his family started to shape the house into what it is today, a sugar plantation with over 300,000 acres. Among this property, there are many other plantations around the area that are filled with so much history and beauty that I plan to see.

Restaurants
New Orleans is known for the city to discover your love for unique cuisines. There are so many restaurants in New Orleans that are great, that choosing one will be very difficult, although there is one fun thing I really want to try. You can take a tour of the South Louisiana with Cajun and Creole classics or step into the Caribbean by sampling all the fresh seafood. Plus you can experience by dinning in as many cultures at once, Spain, Italy, Africa, South America, and France. Another. great reason to experience the true dinning life in New Orleans, is the eat in quaint courtyards and small little patios around the city limits. There is something for everyone in the city. Which is the reason why so many people around the world flock to this southern city. Plus not only is the history amazing and the food wonderful, but also the music scene. Many people just come due to the music. There is such a range of music styles in this city, that not one person can every get sick of.

So wouldn’t you say, this would be a great long weekend trip??