Summer vacations are a great way to kick back and leave the stresses of everyday life behind. However, this doesn’t mean you should throw all caution to the wind. Would-be criminals prey upon travelers who may be caught up in the excitement of summer fun. To ensure you have a great and safe vacation this year, Marcia Peot, a full time police officer and Chief Safety Officer at Street Safe, offers the following summer travel safety tips:
Plan Ahead. Let your friends and family know who you are traveling with, where you are staying and when you are expected home. Ask a neighbor you trust to keep an eye on your home while you are away.
Do your research. Knowing what to expect in terms of the quality of the local water, recommended immunizations, extreme weather conditions, and local laws and customs will help you avoid sickness or injury and prevent altercations with locals.
Beware of petty crime. Keep your purse, wallet and other valuables out of sight and be especially vigilant in crowded and touristy areas. Don’t keep your money all in one place.
Practice car safety. Always keep your car doors locked, whether driving, at a stop light, or when parked, even for just a short absence. Stick to well-lit, busy streets. Driving a few extra minutes to avoid an unsafe area is a smart use of your time.
Select the hotel carefully. The hotel should have modern keycard locks, a dead bolt, a peephole, and lock boxes to secure personal items, as well as guest privacy policy that prohibits them from giving out your room number. If someone knocks at your door claiming to be a hotel employee, call the front desk to confirm before letting them in.
Purchase smart travel technology. Personal security mobile app services, such as StreetSafe, are a good thing to load up on your phone before you head out on a trip. StreetSafe combines wireless networks with GPS technology and a 24/7 state-of-the-art monitoring center. If you feel uneasy or threatened, the “Walk with Me” feature connects you to a live person who will keep you alert, direct you to a safe place, and stay on the phone with you until you reach your destination. If help is needed right away, the “Silent Alarm” instantly provides the local 911 with your exact GPS location. The service works in the U.S. and Canada wherever there is cell phone service.
If you are staying at a hotel with a separate room for your infant or want to keep a close eye on him/her while relaxing on the balcony, consider a portable wireless camera which allows you to watch over your kids, even in a totally dark room.
To protect your digital life while on the road, there are a variety of Web-based services that allow users to store and retrieve documents, pictures, or videos and, if needed, access them from an Internet-connected device while you're traveling.
What’s the latest reason to make a trip down to the Toronto Zoo?
Two adorable young white lions who just arrived there on Friday.
Originally from the Timbavati region of South Africa, the male and female cubs are on display thanks to a breeding program at the Toronto zoo. Right now they are nine and 10 months old, but when they reach maturity the zoo hopes they will breed.
Watch this video for more:
Looking for more adorable baby animals at a zoo in your region? Teresa Laynes has rounded up the latest news of zoo babies across the country that were born this year.
Adorable Canadian zoo babies born this year
by Teresa Laynes
Zoos across the country have been blessed with all kinds of bundles of joy this spring. Here’s a list to help you find the newest additions to our Canadian Zoo families:
Toronto Zoo
Golden Lion Tamarin
The Toronto Zoo welcomed a Golden Lion Tamarin to their family on March 20th. From South America, this Tamarin is on the endangered species list, which makes this birth all the more exciting! Its name comes from its impressive mane of blazing orange hair. They are normally monogamous, and leave their parent to mate at 18 months old. Unlike most primates, the Golden Lion Tamarin cannot grasp or hold on with its tail, and does not have opposable thumbs.
Ring Tailed Lemur
First time mom “Lily” welcomed her new baby on March 5th. Unlike the Golden Lion Tamarin, Ring Tailed lemur is considered “promiscuous”, so the baby’s father has yet to be determined. Call Maury! The only place lemurs can be found in the wild is Madagascar, and while they are not yet listed as endangered, threat to their environment has them well on their way.
Interestingly, Lemurs are part of the “Primate” family like monkey’s, but like the Golden Lion Tamarin, they are not able to use their tails to grab onto branches like a monkey would. The ring-tailed lemur's tail is longer than its body, and if an argument breaks out between a male and female lemur, the female always wins, same as my house.
Assiniboine Park Zoo
African Lion Cub
On March 30th, new mom Kayia gave birth to a healthy cub. The endangered African lion is the second largest cat after the tiger, with males weighing up to 550 lbs. The baby’s sex is yet to be known, and the cub will be viewable to the public sometime in the middle of June.
Asiatic Lions
Twins! They were actually born in May of 2010, but arrived April 19th from Germany, making this the only zoo in North America to have a pair. There are only about 200 or so of them left in the world, so they are very rare and on the endangered species list. Asiatic lions are a subspecies of the mighty African lion, and are slightly smaller. These beautiful boys will be available to be ogled this summer.
Calgary Zoo
Amur Tiger Cubs
On March 30th the Calgary zoo welcomed not one, or two, but THREE baby Siberian tiger cubs. The staff at the zoo are waiting patiently for mamma to let her babies meet the world so that they too can have some contact with the cubs, something they have a policy against until mom says it’s alright.
The zoo expects that the cubs will be viewable to the public sometime in June when mom will likely let them outside for the first time. There are only 350 to 400 remaining in the wild, so this is a very exciting time at the Calgary Zoo!
Red River Hog Piglets
Two Red River Hog Piglets were born happy and healthy on March 12th. The red River Hog is native to Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. Thankfully not on the endangered list, these cool little piggies are absolutely adorable. The babies can be viewed right now at the zoo.
Greater Vancouver Zoo
Squirrel monkey
This zoo happily welcomed a baby squirrel monkey on April 29th. Nobody was more excited to see the baby than the rest of the monkey troop. In their excitement they haven’t left mom and baby alone, yanking at baby’s feet and hovering over mom. This new baby is viewable right now!
Aoudad
The zoo also welcomed three new Aoudad babies into their herd this spring. Also known as Barbary sheep, the Aoudad is considered a vulnerable species.
Traveling with kids (or anyone for that matter) that have an allergy can add some extra stress to your vacation, and in severe cases, can put someone’s life in danger. Some allergies are more of a concern when it comes to travel than others, like food allergies and allergies that come as a result of airborne particulate. Here are some tips on how to make your vacation as safe and reaction free as possible:
Spring is here, and with it comes our first long weekend of the year. So pack up the family and take your Easter celebration to one of these great weekend getaways.
My editor and I were swapping stories about our public bathroom phobias and general distaste for germs. I started doing some research about items out there for people who love to travel but have germ phobias. I wouldn’t say I have a full blown germ phobia (called Mysophobia), but I have enough issues to give me anxiety and the odd shiver, especially when it comes to hotel rooms, planes and public bathrooms. Of course, my husband often makes fun of me. But I can proudly say I have equipped our son with the skills he needs to stay as germ free as possible when travelling. At age four, our son can flush a toilet with his feet like a pro. He knows not to touch the handle of the toilet with his hands. When he exits a bathroom, he keeps the paper towel in his hand after washing to open the door.
There was a time when I used to take all of the towels in our hotel room and use them to line the bottom of the shower, and make my husband stand outside of the shower and hold the curtain so it didn’t touch me. A little excessive, I know. But I am happy to report that I have become significantly better at handling my little issues thanks to a lot of exposure from travelling.
For someone who has a real phobia, it could actually stop you from traveling. That would be tragic. So to help ease some of those germ anxieties, I have compiled a list of products on the market designed to keep you as germ free as possible while you’re on the go:
My toothbrush is a particular source of anxiety while travelling because I have watched one too many 20/20 hidden camera episodes about what people do to other peoples tooth brushes. This product claims to kill 99.9% of the H1N1 virus hiding out of your toothbrush. I didn’t even know that H1N1 was hanging out on my toothbrush, so now I have an extra thing to worry about. Perfect! Thumbs down. If H1N1 is on your toothbrush, you have bigger problems.
This, by all accounts, is a germ killing heavy weight. It uses the same technology as hospitals use to clean surgical equipment (UV Light) and claims to “eliminate 99.9% of germs that cause colds & flu, plus E.coli, salmonella, mold, fungus and MRSA (staph).” Sign me up!
There is no way to avoid outing yourself as a germaphobe if you plan to use one of these, but come on…this is a GREAT product. Even if you’re not a full blown germaphobe, you have certainly thought about putting your head back against the seat you know is just *shiver* full of ickyness from other people’s hair. Massive thumbs up!
I have been in more than one hotel room that had questionable bedding. These will protect you from bed bugs and the general ickyness of a not so fresh hotel room bed. Depending on where you are travelling (if you are at the Pan Pacific, you likely don’t need this), this get’s a thumbs up!
This product claims to clean a 3-foot sphere of air around you. They are marketing it as something to use on a plane to avoid germs from sick passengers around you. I say thumbs down. The issue of germs on a plane have much more to do with surfaces than the air. If the person beside is sneezing and coughing all over you, ask to be moved, or throw on a $.50 mask.
These are a cover with adhesive backing for your airplane (or other) tray table. Planes are not cleaned thoroughly after every flight, and their surfaces are germy. These covers will make slightly less ruckus than wiping everything down with antibacterial wipes. This one gets thumbs up for its ease of use and disposability!
Where coach covers are disposable, Personal Pockets are washable, and also serve to hold items you might normally put in the pocket of the seat in front of you. I like this one for kids in particular because besides the germ avoidance, it puts their “stuff” closer to them.
The manufacturer claims that this fabric will kill germs on contact, but unless you are completely self sacrificing by wearing it to protect others from your cold, I would skip it because this isn’t exactly the most fashionable thing on the market. Thumbs down.
At Casa Loma from March 12 to 17 kids can enjoy performances by Prince Charming, Cinderella, and Snow White, as well as the popular Castles and Cupcakes where each little princess or prince will build a sugar cube castle of their own to take home. Families can even enjoy a special family-friendly ghost tracking evening hosted by renowned Ghost Trackers Michelle Desrochers and Patrick Cross. www.casaloma.org
Admission to the Castle: Adults $18.19 Seniors/Youth $12.95 Children $10.02 Plus HST
And for the Dreams and Wishes show a $1 surcharge applies
If there is even a small part of you that is considering this for your next family trip, I am urging that part of you to speak louder. For the average family, this trip is a tough one to accomplish. It requires a lot of time off from work and school, a lot of cash, and a lot of patience. I get it.
Do it anyway.
Doing this trip before the kids leave home will leave all of you with memories that you will pour over for years to come. Australia is fantastically beautiful. It is rich in fauna unique to the area, and boasts a fascinating diversity of landscape from lush and tropical to true blistering desert. We are going to make some assumptions for the purpose of this story. We are going to assume that you have a month to complete the trip, a $13,000 budget (including your airfare), a family of four, and that you are going to visit the east coast of Australia.
If you’re looking for something a little more off-beat than the standard museum fare, there is a whole niche of whacky museums around the world that might interest you. The Mustard Museum, Pez Museum, Noodle Museum, Barbed Wire Museum, Hair Museum, Lawnmower Museum, Stuffed Bunny Museum, Spam Museum, and the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum ACTUALLY exist…to name a few. The fact that a museum specifically designed for lovers of mustard exists, and further, that there are enough people who love this particular condiment enough to keep a museum in business says something about us….I’m just not sure what!
First of all, let’s define “best”. Best is not necessarily the biggest, or largest number of animals, or most awarded. It can be none or all of the above. “Best”, it seems, is in the eye of the zoo goer. If you ask 10 different people, you will get 10 different zoos based on personal experience & expectation. Best, in this case, is based on the opinion of the world’s biggest zoo fan….me :0) A word about zoo reviews. I have heard a lot of belly achin’ about sleeping animals, and animals that are far away, in some cases, too far away from viewing areas to see them. Zoos walk a fine line between giving their visitors the experience they expect, while giving the animal the privacy they deserve. If the enclosures were small, the animals would be closer, but while you would be able to see them better, you’d be disheartened by the small space provided to the animals. The bigger the zoo, the more expensive it likely is. The cost of properly feeding , caring for and maintaining the homes of thousands animals is astronomical. The Toronto zoo pays 1.4 million dollars per year just to feed its animals. So considering these high expenses often translate into sky high ticket prices, often the best zoos are the ones that receive the most criticism. The best animal action will be the same no matter which zoo you choose. Go early in the day, and on a cooler day when the animals are more likely to be active. Also, food at the zoo is notoriously expensive, so if you want to save a few dollars pack your own lunch and beverages. Almost all zoos allow you to bring in your own food. In no particular order:
That depends on how long you will be travelling for, who you are, and where you are travelling to. If you are travelling for anything less than a month or two, it doesn’t make sense to enroll them in school. The process can be long and expensive (for an “international” school, the fee’s range from between $5000/year to $30,000+/year depending on grade and country), and your children likely won’t benefit from language immersion for such a short period of time. More importantly, when you are travelling for a short period of time, they will be missing the incredible educational opportunities you brought them to have if they are sitting in a classroom all day, albeit a foreign one.
