Travel Archives - Page 3 of 8

Rogers Roam Like Home keeps us all connected! #RoamOn #SilvaBulletRV

July 28, 2016 by Wendy S

Since the end of June, Craig and the girls have been away camping. I should probably say RVing since my friends like to remind me that camping is supposed to be in a tent. Either way, I only see them on the weekends.

We have a membership to a campground just across the US border between Lewiston, NY and Lockport, NY. So not only are they away, but they are in another country.

When we first got the membership a few years ago, we would keep in touch with our loved ones using the camp wifi. The campground does their best, but on a busy weekend, getting on the wifi is hard.

Last summer was the first summer that Craig and the girls were away all summer-long. They were gone for 68 days. Craig can work as long as he has an internet connection and can work from camp. I only get so many vacation days so I join them on the weekends.

Juggling SIM cards while going back and forth across the border and trying to get on the camp wifi gets really frustrating. Before I left I would need to log into the company’s website and add a plan to my account and set it up to start at a certain time. I would get to the Duty Free on the Canadian side, text Craig to let him know where I was, change the SIM card and head across the border. When I got across and the US signal was picked up, I would then stop and text Craig to let him know where I was.

This year traveling back and forth across the border is easy!

This year we have Rogers Roam Like Home. One SIM card, one account and no hassles.

Roam Like Home_TM now includes over 100 destinations around the world, so if you’re on a Share Everything_TM plan like Craig and I are, you can use your phone just like you do at home. If you’re not on a Share Everything plan, check out our Travel Packs, which cover you in over 230 destinations!

It uses the same calling minutes and data plan that we already have with our Share Everything plan, just no scary roaming charges that show up on your next bill. For $5 per day to a maximum of 10 days per bill, we get to use our phones in the US. It’s that easy.

Over 100 Destinations!

Rogers Roam Like Home is available in so many places!

Comfort in contact

It truly is comforting knowing that I can keep in contact with Craig and the girls while they are away. Craig and the girls will share photos on Instagram or Craig will comment on Facebook. The girls and I can text back and forth. I can’t be there during the week so this helps me make it until the weekends!

And over the next few weeks, we’ll be able to keep in contact with our families at home when we go on a big road trip! We’ll be using our Roam Like Home to the fullest extent!

Follow #SilvaBulletRV to see all of our fun adventures!

We’ll be sharing a lot of great photos of our journey and lots of info about Rogers Roam Like Home.

Follow these hashtags:

#RoamON
#100Days100Destinations
#SilvaBulletRV
#SilvaRoadTrip16

Follow us on all social networks:

@mapsgirl
@bigdaddykreativ

RVing 101: Packing List #RVing101 #RVing #SilvaBulletRV

June 22, 2015 by Wendy S

In just 4 days, we will be heading out on our first weekend away this season in the RV!

Free Downloadable RV Packing List

Because we are packing for the four of us, having a packing list makes things much easier to remember everything!

Click image above to download our RV Packing List

Am I missing something?

Do you have items you think should be on the list?

Let me know what are you “must haves” when you’re packing to go RVing!

Unplug and get away with Carefree RV!! #yourcarefreesummer #livincarefree #becarefree

May 8, 2015 by Wendy S

With the warmer weather finally here, I know a lot of families are looking forward to the summer, like we are!!

We’re a camping family and get out in our RV as much as we can each summer! Camping is such a great way to disconnect from regular life (and devices) and reconnect with your family!

If you’re looking for some ideas, Carefree RV resorts are an affordable way of taking a vacation to an ideal location!! There are 15 parks in Ontario scattered around from Muskoka, Prince Edward Island, Windsor, and the Greater Toronto area. Each park has a wide variety of activities!

Don’t worry if you don’t have an RV, there are rental options available.

Let me tell you a bit about 2 of the parks to give you an idea of what Carefree RV offers…

Sherkston Shores

On the beautiful sandy shores of Lake Erie, Sherkston Shores resort offers 560 acres of beautiful landscape, topped off with two and a half miles of sandy beachfront. Keep yourself busy with pools, waterslides, splash pad and a quarry stocked with fish. Just 90 minutes away from the Greater Toronto Area and mere minutes away from the US border, Sherkston Shores is a fabulous vacation alternative that offers so much more. RV sites, rustic cabins and a range of vacation cottages are available for rent.

Willowwood

Located just 20 miles of both Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan — Willowood is a top destination for both U.S. and Canadian families. We have 329 RV sites with fire rings as well as cabin and park model rentals available.

Willowood family-friendly grounds feature a playground, horseshoe pits, sand volleyball courts, an outdoor movie theater and miniature golf course. Our guests keep cool relaxing and swimming in our large pool, our kiddie pool and our splash pad area. There’s even an arcade room to entertain the kids on rainy days. We also pride ourselves on providing a whirlwind social calendar that includes story time, chocolate bar bingo, crafts, potlucks, dances and movies. And don’t forget to take a hay ride with our Carefree characters – Benny Beaver and Suzie Squirrel

Special Offer just for my readers!

Carefree is offering a special offer exclusive to you!

20% off daily rates on RV sites, cabins and vacation cottage rentals at 14 of the Ontario RV Parks. This promotion is valid from May 1- June 31

Use promo code Blog20 for tent and RV Sites
Use promo code BlogRT for cabin and cottage rentals

Head over to Carefree RV’s site to use the promo codes.

See all 15 locations and book now!

Get your summer started now! Head over to Carfree RV’s site to see all of the locations available and what they have to offer! Camping with your family is such an amazing experience! Whether in a tent, RV or cabin…it is so great to get away and connect with nature and reconnect with your family!

#FordNAIAS Day 3: #Mustang Redesign Process and #Flex test drive

January 28, 2014 by Wendy S

Tuesday morning was our third and final day at #FordNAIAS . We were up early, packed and checked out of our rooms before our 9am breakfast. We would all be heading home after our morning of activities.

We headed over to the Dearborn Inn for some “behind the scenes” sessions to learn more about Ford, their process, their technologies and their style.

First #FordNAIAS Session: “Big Data”

As a cartographer and GIS Analyst, I deal with a lot of data all day long. Going in I was very excited to hear how Ford uses data analysis. The session didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I was hoping for a deep analytical conversation about databases and data collection process, but this conversation was much more high level and generalized.

John Grinder – Manager, Systems Analysis
Michael Cavaretta – Technical Leaders, Data Science
John Viera – Director, Sustainability & Vehicle Environmental Matters
Sheryl Connolly – Futurist

It was nice to see Sheryl Connolly again. I first heard her speak at ShesConnected.

Second #FordNAIAS Session: The re-design of the 2015 Ford Mustang

Inside Sketches

Sketches become digital

Clay Models are crafted and 3D printed parts are designed

It was really hard to believe that it was all clay.

Fabrics and interior details are chosen

Fabrics and details are added to the model

Exterior Sketches

Exterior Clay Model is crafted

Watching the modeller work with this tools to define the lines and curves of the Mustang was amazing. A true artist!

Exterior Model is built

Once the clay model is ready, 3D photographs are taken and the clay model becomes digital. From the digital designs, the prototypes are created.

This one was a hollow plastic shell.

Exterior Paints are chosen

There are 10 colours that customers can choose from for the 2015 Mustang:

Race Red
Competition Orange
Triple Yellow
Deep Impact Blue
Ruby Red
Black
Magnetic
Guard
Ingot Silver
Oxford White

Prototype is built

From Clay to Model to Prototype

It truly was an amazing experience to talk with the designers to hear about the re-design process for the 2015 Mustang. They all had passion and excitement about their work and you just knew that they had the heritage and love for Ford in their hearts.

Read more on the FordConnect page — Inside the Ford Design Studio

Time to drive!!

We all had a chance to drive a new Ford vehicle. On Day One they had us fill out a little questionnaire to decide which vehicle we’d be driving. I was chosen to drive the Ford Flex. I had driven the Flex before so I knew what to expect, but seeing different sights around Detroit was very fun!

This totally set the tone for my drive!

First stop: Comerica Park — Home of the Detroit Tigers

We ran into some friends!

We drove by Ford World Headquarters

Time to go home

After a great lunch at the Dearborn Inn, we headed back to the hotel to pick up our luggage. After a bit of a wait, we went to the airport to make our way back to Toronto!

The plane’s propeller outside my window

Can you see Ford Canada Headquarters?

Bonjour!

Thank you to everyone who made #FordNAIAS spectacular!

Thanks to my new Canadian blogging friends. It was only a few fun-filled days together, but I feel that I’ve made friends for life!

Thanks to Ford Canada’s Social Media Team — Mike Ellis, Craig Silva and Anson Dixon. Thanks for bringing all of these great bloggers together!

A huge thank you to Ford Canada for inviting me on this amazing trip!

Thanks to the Ford US team for making the whole FordNAIAS experience beyond my imagination! The things that I saw and learned will be with me forever!

#FordNAIAS posts:

Before FordNAIAS

Day 1

Day 2

Disclosure: Ford Motor Company paid for my transportation, accommodations and food. I was not compensated for my time. I was not asked to write blog posts or promote the show or the experience on social media. I did this on my own. All opinions expressed are my own.

#FordNAIAS Day 2: F-150, Mustang, Behind the Blue Oval Room and so much more!

January 28, 2014 by Wendy S

Our second day at #FordNAIAS started very, very early, Monday morning. We were finished breakfast and on the bus heading to Joe Louis Arena by 6:45 am.

Why so early?

Ford Press Conference and reveal of the new 2015 Ford F-150

The Ford Press Conference was at 8:10 am. Due to a broken down vehicle on the highway, it was a mad dash to the arena, but we arrived just in time to see this:

After the Press Conference

All of the media people got to go down to the floor for a closer look

After the Press Conference all of the bloggers had access to Ford’s Behind the Blue Oval room and the full Auto Show!

Upon entering “Behind the Blue Oval”, there were different displays showcasing some of the research and ideas behind the Ford vehicles.

The New F-150

Ford Edge Concept

The All-New 2015 Ford Mustang

Mustang featured in the Need for Speed movie

FordNAIAS Need for Speed Mustang with @AskMamaMOE

Hanging out in the Need for Speed Mustang with @AskMamaMOE

Ford Police Interceptor

Ford Mustang Pool Table

Ford’s Green Technology

More Ford Technology and Innovations

NASCAR Ford F-150

Visual Performance Evaluation Lab

They use special lighting to see how the vehicle reacts in different lighting conditions and what the experience for the driver and passengers will be like.

Clay Modeling

Ford Hot Wheels

On a big media screen, they were showing the social media buzz from the #FordNAIAS hashtag, check out Behind The Blue Oval!

Talking with CEO Alan Mulally and COO Mark Fields

Ford really gave the bloggers a unique experience!

We go to talk with www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HdlFm_c5TQ. I taped the discussion, and even got to ask a question myself!

During our conversation with Mark Fields, COO, he expressed how important bloggers and social media influencers are to Ford and getting Ford’s message out as well as hearing feed back from the customers.

Photo op with Scott Monty

FordNAIAS Ford & Ford Canada Social Media

Mark Ellis, Scott Monty, Craig Silva

#FordNAIAS at #NAIAS

After spending some time learning about the new technology and vehicles, I headed out to the Auto Show floor to see what else was going on. I was blow away at the display that Ford put on!

All the new Trucks!

The New F-150

Ford Tremor and Raptor

Celebrating the Mustangs 50th Anniversary

Ford had an amazing display of all things Mustang to celebrate the 50th Anniversary!

1965 Mustang

Custom Mustang magazine cover with YOU on it!

More Ford Vehicles

Ford Taurus

Fusion

Fiesta

Behind the Blue Oval Diner

At the end of the day, all of the bloggers were invited to the “Behind the Blue Oval” room to have dinner and get a sneak peek of the Need for Speed movie.