Hi Guys,

Sorry that we have missed you these past few days – we have been traveling non-stop from Sicily to Rome again and now back to Canada. We didn’t have internet along the way so we were not able to get our latest travel videos up.

We had an amazing time in Sicily – a lot of swimming, eating and eating :) The last part of our Italian adventure was very relaxing, but we did manage to pick up on some tips that we would like to share with you.

Over the course of our trip we stayed in 5 different hotels – ranging from 2 stars all the way up to a 5 star “luxury” hotel. What we learned is that if you are traveling to actually explore the area that you are visiting then a 2 star hotel is all that you really need. We used our hotels as pitt-stops – places to change, shower and sleep between getting out there and experiencing as much of the local culture as possible. A 2 star hotel covered the basics and allowed us more money to spend on the experiences of being in Italy vs. spending money on a room. The other interesting thing was that the vibe and energy in the 2-3 star hotels was actually more interesting. The 5 star hotel was really stuffy and everyone there had their noses up in the air the whole time. From the pool deck at our 5 star hotel we could see down to the pool area of a 3 star hotel just down the hill. The people at the 3 star were laughing and having fun – it looked like a party – the people at our 5 star hotel were lounging around the pool like they were at a funeral. It was all just too “snooty” for our taste. Don’t buy hotel stars – save your money for experiences – especially nice food. We have actually had better experiences renting short term apartments then staying in hotels. You get much more privacy and space and more of the experience of actually living in the area that you are visiting. Apartments tend to be cheaper than hotels, but they do require advance booking so you will have to plan ahead.

Speaking of food – there were a few times that we tried to cut some corners by eating cheap food from fast take out style restaurants – even if it meant a slight savings. What we can tell you is that every single time we were disappointed with the food. We found that in Italy you can eat really great food in tiny little restaurants that are tucked away down little streets and alley ways. These traditional italian restaurants don’t cost an arm and a leg and you get an authentic dinning experience that is always unique. When you are on vacation, and especially when it’s somewhere like Italy where they live and breathe food, you have to treat each meal as a celebration and an opportunity to experience something unique. The worst feeling comes when you are paying the bill for a meal that you felt lukewarm about at best, and when you realize that for just a few dollars more you could have had something incredible.

We have a few more travel videos to share with you guys now that we are back – and we will be starting again with new home workouts and new diet and recipe videos inspired by our trip to Italy so check back for those updates as well.