"You Sound Like You're From London"

All packed?

It's 9 a.m. on Monday morning here in Southern Ontario. At 5 p.m. my airport taxi will pick me up and take me to Pearson International Airport where I will board a 8:40 p.m. flight to London, Heathrow. In honour of my trip abroad I suggested the topic of Travel Stories. I feel like Tom (who lived in Italy for a bit) and Lauren (who spent time in Egypt) will have way cooler stories than me - but I will list my most memorable vacations.

• Florida, 1989 - When I was five and my brother was four our parents drove the family to Florida. My mom's cousin was living there at the time, so we were to stay with them for a bit. I don't remember the drive much - but I do know we stopped and picked pecans in Alabama, and we stayed in some motels in the Southern United States. I remember my dad went fishing and caught a pelican. I also remember swimming and sucking on my hair because it tasted salty. We did the whole Disney World thing - which was fun. We also visited JFK Space Center - where I got to try on a space suit.

• England, Scotland & Wales,  2003 - During my last year of high school my family booked a tour of Great Britain. It was the first time I'd ever been on a plane - so I was excited and nervous. The tour was a whirlwind, but I saw so much and fell in love with Edinburgh, Scotland. For a while I considered trying to go do a Masters degree there just so I could live there for a bit. It was an exhausting, but life changing trip. Also, travelling with my family was stressful and staying in a hotel room with my brother was a bit annoying.

• Montreal, Quebec, 2009 - For my 25th birthday I took a trip with one of my best friends - Amanda. We  took the train and arrived in Montreal, took a cab to our hostel (bunk beds with annoying crinkly plastic mattress covers) and got out our maps to plan our trip. Instead of exploring the nightlife of La Belle Province, we basically did a walking tour of the city in the rain. We also sampled all the famous foods - Poutine, Montreal-style bagels, and smoked meat sandwiches with a cherry pop. We saw the John and Yoko exhibit at The Montreal Museum of Fine Art. We walked through the outer section of The Bell Centre (where the Montreal Canadians play). We bought wine at a variety store and weird fake vodka and drank out of plastic cups in our hostel. It was an amazing trip - even though it rained a lot.

• Ottawa, Ontario, 2010 - My cousin (the one I'm visiting in England) got married on January 2 last year. My parents and I drove to Ottawa (with a stop-over in Kingston, Ontario) for the wedding at the Delta hotel. After a beautiful and super fun wedding, we stayed an extra day to see the sites of our nation's capital. We saw parliament, the Canadian National Gallery, The By-ward Market - all in -20 degrees Celsius weather. It was cold, but I'm so happy I went though. My hotel room was amazing! I've never stayed somewhere so nice.

• Belleville, Ontario, 2010 - Last summer I took the train and visited my friend in Belleville. Not exactly an ideal vacation spot, but I was excited to visit my friend and see where she lives. I also rented a car - a first for me. It rained a lot, but we had fun visiting some small towns and looking at knick knacks.

So, I'm not the most travelled person I know - but I feel like I'm pretty good at making the most of my holidays. I mostly spent my childhood years camping and going to my cottage (or grandparent's house). I live pretty close to both Toronto and Niagara Falls - so I have taken many day trips to those places. I actually lived in Toronto when I was in university. I can't wait to come back and tell you guys all about my trip!

Tom & Lauren, I'll read your posts in a week - 'Cause I've got a ticket to ride!

Bonus points to those of you who can tell me the name of the film the title quote comes from.

I'll reply to comments when I return - so don't be shy! Tell me your travel stories!