If a magical family reunion has to come to an end, at least wrap it up with a seven-foot charcuterie board and an enormous chocolate cake, right?

At least that was the plan, before an intense rainstorm blew down from the mountains, and I accidentally knocked myself out cold on the low eaves of a cabin.

Oh, and did I mention the roaming mama black bear and cubs? Don’t worry, it all worked out and a good time was had by all. Which is precisely why I’m sharing this tale.

Join me virtually for a culinary adventure around the world-famous Cabot Trail on beautiful Cape Breton Island.

Thanks to an Atlantic Canada travel bubble, those of us in the Maritimes are able to move around from province to province without needing to self-quarantine.

This has been the year for exploring locally, be it a family camping excursion, a PEI adventure or city staycation. Last weekend we crossed an item off the top of our Bucket List: driving the stunning Cape Breton Island Cabot Trail in peak autumn.

I know many of you are feeling stuck in your own neighbourhoods. Family travel feels like a lifetime ago – and future travel? Uncertain. For now, I’d encourage you to keep dreaming big and embrace armchair travel.

Inspiration and ideas for an easy and relaxing family vacation on Prince Edward Island. Created in partnership with Tourism PEI.

This is the year for exploring locally, be it a country road trip, camping excursion or city staycation. Thanks to an Atlantic Canada travel bubble, we’re able to move around from Maritime province to province without needing to self-quarantine.

Last weekend, in honour of my birthday, we enjoyed a relaxing family vacation to beautiful Prince Edward Island. For four days, it was just us, the red roads and endless beach.

So many of you followed along on Instagram and asked questions, so I thought I’d share a quick recap here with helpful links.

A list of the best spots for family camping in Nova Scotia, including local attractions, top beaches and good eats.

In the two years leading up to our move from Quebec to Nova Scotia, I was an armchair explorer of my future province. Due to circumstances that were beyond our control, it took a while to make the transition, and every day I yearned to be on the coast.

From my laptop, I traveled the Lighthouse Route, memorized provincial parks and bookmarked future trails to explore. I scoped out campgrounds and read their message boards on Trip Advisor.

Eventually, I did find myself on the other side of the Montreal to Halifax journey. I booked those campsites, frequented those cafés and traversed more coastal trails than I ever dreamed existed. It was worth the wait – and I was so glad I had done my research. Our first summer as Maritimers was a complete dream.