Impossible is Moderation

If you didn't realise by now, Burns and I quite enjoy travelling. Exploring new places, attending a sporting event, meeting new people, investigating the latest trends, and watching a few more sporting events is all great fun. Staying in some cool hotels is pretty fun too.

However there are a couple of elements which are overrated - food and pillows. I have this thing about pillows - when I rest my head, there is a certain criteria I want my pillow to meet. The right balance between soft and firm is important but more than anything, I want a thin pillow. Nobody wants to suffocate in their pillow. Moving from hotel to hotel, it is rare I find a decent pillow....which is not conducive to me sleeping well. It's a good job sleep is overrated. I've never gotten over mum throwing out my 20+ year-old pillows when I left home - and yes mum, despite some of my gear being in the loft, I have left!

The second tough element of extensive travel is food. Of course, it is always cool to try new things - unless you're staying by the coast somewhere and every menu is full of seafood. At some point, thinking of what you want to eat every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack is tough when you have all kinds of options available to you. It's actually easier to have few options and you just want home cooking pretty swiftly.

After spending a month in the States, I now consider myself an expert in the art of fast food. We actually went quite easy on it....but it's fair to say that I have sampled most of the options.....largely for the benefit of this blog and its readers. So, I will give you my top five fast food establishments.

1. Chipotle
Legendary Mexican fast food chain and the fajita burrito is sensational. Super filling but you don't feel quite so filthy afterwards like you do in some other places soon to be mentioned.

2. Wendy's
The Baconator is my favourite at Wendy’s and it is something I have to do whenever I get to North America. In fairness, any of the burgers there are legendary and I defy anybody to tell me there is a better burger chain anywhere!

3. ‘wichcraft
The meatloaf sandwich there is the best sandwich I have ever tasted. Seriously. You can imagine my utter dismay when the Witchcraft in the MGM Grand was closed for refurbishments while we were in Vegas. Distressing. To compound the situation, imagine my dismay when I found the only other two ‘wichcraft’s in the States – in NYC and San Fran…..and they didn’t carry the meatloaf sandwich there. Heartbreaking.

4. Dairy Queen
Have you had a Blizzard from Dairy Queen? Try this combination next time you go – Score and Smarties, and add some extra Score and Smarties, and you’ll have the dream blizzard. Another must-visit when we are in Canada….pretty darn good.

5. Subway
Possibly the only fast food chain that doesn’t make you feel like heading to the nearest gym or liposuction surgeon. Some pretty solid options to mix things up.

Notable mention goes to McDonalds for making the McRib a regular feature in their menu once again. And despite what my beloved Landon Donovan and so many Americans think, In-N-Out is hugely overrated.

Putting the ‘Con’ in Convenience

Do we actually learn a new thing every day? If daily news counts, then I guess we probably do, otherwise I am not too sure. I certainly do find that I learn plenty when we are on our travels and our last one was no different. Over the last five days, we have spent time in one of the most remote places – Freeport, Nova Scotia – I have ever been (check a map if you don’t believe me), and good old Prince Edward Island. So here is what I learned.

1. Mosquitos exist in Canada. Canadian Mosquitos love me. I would prefer a sharp kick downstairs as opposed to 20+ itchy Mosquito bites.
2. I never knew these existed but they have drive thru ATM machines in North America! Talk about convenience. In reality, they are not quite so convenient. I saw one person lean out of their car, almost falling out to press the buttons. The other issue with it, is that if somebody wants to take a chance and mug somebody taking cash out, they can take the cash, card and car if they do it properly. I will avoid this one I think and not one of the thousands of cool North American features that I would export.
3. Tail winds. I am not referring to the human kind. Flying to Halifax was six hours and ten minutes. Flying back took four hours and fifty minutes. Truly insane just what a difference it can make.
4. On checking in with BA to fly from London to Geneva, they asked that I specifically sit in the window seat and Hannah in the middle – reason? There was a minor travelling alone and they men are not allowed to sit next to them. Not once have I heard that before.
5. I did not so much as learn this but it was more a case of stirring memories of just how good Dairy Queen blizzards are. One of the best, cheekiest, desserts around.
6. Drinking alcohol in a car, as a PASSENGER, is illegal in Canada. I can understand the logic of the driver not being allowed to have a swig while driving, but I have yet to meet anybody who has failed a breath test for inhaling alcoholic fumes coming from somebody else’s bottle.