The Favourite Season



Even though the sky is grey.. with every raindrop the colours of nature intensifies. And the sound of every raindrop soothes the soul. There is allot to be said for the phrase "just add water". D. Gushue

Fall is definitely my favourite season! This is true for many reasons; the most obvious is how beautiful everything looks. From the yellow leaves of the Ash trees, the multitude of colours of the different variety of Maple trees, fire red leaves of the Sumac and the golden colours of farmer’s fields when the sun hits them just the right way. I feel compelled to grab my camera and record this beauty especially after it rains as the water drops intensify the vibrant coloured leaves against the blackened tree trunks and branches. There is nothing like a walk in the woods, breathing the crisp fresh air and hearing the crunch of fallen leaves beneath your feet! And for this reason and this reason alone it would be the one season I would truly miss if I were to move to a tropical climate.


It’s the season when kids go back to school and mom’s are secretly saying a “woohoo” ! As the Staples commercial says “it’s the most wonderful time of year”! It is time to for families to meet during Thanksgiving and eat copious amounts of turkey and pumpkin pie while giving thanks for our many blessings!

It’s the time when most Canadians start to get serious about their work again after having summer holidays and/or a number of visits to the cottage. And with this we also know it is the season of transition from sweaters and rain jackets to snow boots and parkas! It’s a season of preparation for the long winter ahead.

This leads me to another reason I love fall as a travel consultant, everyone now is thinking about going south or further afield to escape the undeniably long and cold Canadian winter that lies ahead. Sure we love our snow shoeing, skating, skiing and hockey but there is nothing like sitting on a beach, cruising on a ship or zip lining across the rainforest canopy to warm up our bodies and lift our spirits! And fall is the best time to book for the winter months, as you have more availability, especially if you are planning to travel during peak times like Christmas or March Break. It is also the time when many travel suppliers have Early Booking Bonuses and promotions so they can fill their ships, hotels and planes early in the season. And as a consumer it is also a good time to commit to a vacation because by leaving it too late to book you will often feel the drain of the expenditures that comes with the holidays. This often leads to putting that holiday on hold till next year. And by the time February comes along you realize that maybe that toaster oven or tread mill that is collecting dust is no match for sitting on a beach, cruising on a ship or zip lining over the jungle canopy.

So before changing your front hall closet from summer/fall clothes to winter clothes take a moment to plan your winter escape. With that in mind I leave you with some wise words from Mark Twain.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Denise Gushue - CTC (Certified Travel Counsellor)

e. denise.gushue@gmail.com