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Banff Alberta

Best blog ambassadorship: Rocky Mountaineer

Luxury travel blog » Places to Travel » North America Travel » Canada Travel » Best blog ambassadorship: Rocky Mountaineer
December 12, 2015 by Carol Perehudoff

This post may contain affiliate links.

Being a brand ambassador for Rocky Mountaineer has been a trip. Here’s why I love this luxury train.

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth seats (on Rocky Mountaineer)

My two front teeth seats (in Goldleaf class, please)

My two front teeth seats (with a glass dome car)

Yes! It’s the holiday season and many of you are thinking What the heck do I buy my loved ones. (And if you are, what could be a better gift than a luxury train trip through the Rockies?) I, however, am thinking of the end of the year, which means the end of a beautiful partnership, my blog ambassadorship with Rocky Mountaineer.

Blog Ambassadorship Rocky Mountaineer Luxury Train
And what a trip it was

 

What’s a blog ambassadorship?

If this is new to you, let me fill you in. A blog ambassadorship, similar to a brand ambassadorship, is when a company partners up with a blogger who then promotes the company for (usually) a specified amount of time via a variety of ways such as blog posts, social media, photography, public speaking, giveaways or what have you.

The world of blog ambassadorship-dom has definitely gripped the travel blogging world and is a new way for a travel company to reach a blogger’s audience and get a different (and hopefully fun, authentic and engaging) voice to talk about their product.

Look! There's a train coming out of my head!
Look! There’s a train coming out of my head!

 

But all good things must come to an end. So please allow me a moment of nostalgia as I wind up my season as the Rocky Mountaineer blog ambassador.

Blog Ambassadorship for Rocky Mountaineer scenic train
A ride I won’t forget

 

The highlight

The best thing about being the Mountaineer’s blog ambassador was – and this is a no brainer – the chance to ride the Rocky Mountaineer with my husband, Mark, because train travel is Romantic with a capital ‘R.’

Our trip was more than a train ride. It was a scenic, historic, gastronomic, photogenic train extravaganza that included luxury hotels, a scenic bus tour, not as many wildlife spottings as I was hoping for, far more desserts than I needed and brilliant stops in Banff, Jasper, Quesnel, Whistler and Vancouver. (Though Quesnel was admittedly a whirlwind as we arrived in the evening and left in the early morning.)

Blog Ambassador Rocky Mountaineer Banff Lake Minniwanka
Gotta love the Rockies

Blog ambassadorship stage 1: Banff

In Banff, Mark and I upped the romance factor with a 3-night stay at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (after a not-quite-as-romantic night at a cheap motel on the Banff Avenue strip) before joining a Mountaineer-organized bus tour to Jasper via the Columbia Icefield Parkway.

Blog Ambassadorship in the Rocky Mountains
Is this even real?

Oh, the memories

And while Mark got the chance to reminisce about working at Banff’s Sunshine Valley ski resort in his youth, I was able to ignore him by focusing on my own memories of working at the Columbia Icefields and now that we’ve done a Rocky Mountaineer trip together, in the future we’ll be able to reminisce about the same thing! Isn’t that just the very definition of togetherness?

Blog ambassadorship for Rocky Mountaineer in the Rockies
Remember when we did the Rocky Mountaineer?

The Rainforest to Goldrush Route

In Jasper we boarded the Rocky Mountaineer and our next two days were spent riding the rails with an overnight stop in Quesnel. The reason I wanted to do the Rainforest to Goldrush trip was because I’d never been to Quesnel in British Columbia. Actually, I’d never even heard of it, and what I discovered was that this is a region dripping with gold rush history.

The route is as much about travelling into Canada’s wild frontier past as it is about the views of the Canadian Rockies and the spectacular-in-a-parched-sort-of-way Fraser Canyon.

Blog ambassador for Rocky Mountaineer Fraser CanyonJPG
How’s this for scenic?

A Whistler retreat

In Whistler Mark and I broke up our trip (I said our trip, not the relationship – this is supposed to be a romantic journey, remember?), cozying up at the lakeside Nita Lake Lodge.

Blog ambassadorship with Rocky Mountaineer Nita Lake Lodge
Nita Lake Lodge

 

What we did – and didn’t do – in Whistler

Whistler is a prime outdoor mountain destination and you’d think we would have spent the week hiking into the deep reaches of granite crags and up remote peaks but taking the Peak to Peak Gondola was as far as we trekked into the wilderness because Mark (and I quote) “has a healthy fear of hiking into the forest where there are animals that can eat you.”

Blog Ambassadorship Rocky Mountaineer Bear fun
Bear country!

There is no understanding husbands

For some reason Mark is fine with cycling into woods where there are animals that can eat you. This, plus the fact that we arrived in Whistler during the insanely hopping Crankworx Bike Festival, is how we became intimately acquainted with Whistler’s fanatical bike culture.

Mountain bike lessons in Whistler
My husband’s idea of fun – he’s the one in the blue

 

It’s also how I became intimately acquainted with life as an abandoned mountain bike wife when Mark decided to take mountain biking lessons and learn how to hurl himself down Whistler Mountain.

Luckily for the relationship, we also visited the Scandinave Whistler Spa, a Nordic-style bathing complex that may be the very best way of experiencing the outdoors of all.

Blog ambassadorship Rocky Mountaineer Whistler to Vancouver
Smooth and serene

 

Sea to Sky Climb

Here’s the thing about taking the Rocky Mountaineer from Whistler to Vancouver. Not only is the serenity of Howe Sound a balm for the soul, but as you near Vancouver and are trundling happily along between the coast and an endless row of oceanside mansions, all these train-loving residents come out onto their balconies and terraces to wave at you.

It’s such a regular occurrence that the Rocky Mountaineer staff know many of them by heart and can predict exactly who is going to come out of what house.

Rocky Mountaineer blog ambassador Wandering Carol
Everybody loves us!

Authentic travel means interacting with the locals

This non verbal interaction between cultures (the culture of people on the train and the culture of people not on the train) is such a rare and heartwarming interaction with nature – kind of like snorkelling with wild belugas in Churchill – that you immediately start waving back and thinking you are a rock star.

Last stop Vancouver

The ego boost can be a problem because once you arrive in Vancouver and the trip is finished you keep waving to random people on the streets and quite naturally assume everyone loves you, and then your husband starts looking at you with fear in his eyes while searching around for a mountain to hurl himself down.

Blog Ambassadorship Rocky Mountaineer Wandering Carol
Love yah!

 

But here’s my point. Rocky Mountaineer, you are the rock star and just like all those train-tripping fans along the route, I’m standing here (well, sitting, actually) waving a warm goodbye.

So Happy Holidays, and may there be train travels in the future for everyone.

 

Travel tips for the Rocky Mountaineer

I highly recommend people extend their Rocky Mountaineer journeys at either end so they can get to know the destinations in more depth. That’s what we did. For more information on routes and prices visit the Rocky Mountaineer website.

Don’t know what route will suit you? Read this train travel blog post about Rocky Mountaineer scenic train trips.

For more ideas about travelling in Canada read Top destinations in Canada.

Disclosure: My blog ambassadorship with Rocky Mountaineer included a Rainforest to Goldrush trip. All opinions and nostalgic blitherings are my own.

 

 

Category: Canada TravelTag: train travel blog

About Carol Perehudoff

A former freelance travel columnist for the Toronto Star, Carol has won more than 30 writing awards and honours. A spa and luxury travel expert, she’s written for top travel publications around the globe.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carol Perehudoff

    December 15, 2015 at 11:56 am

    It’s time for a trip out West, Vanessa!!!

  2. turnipseedtravel

    December 15, 2015 at 10:58 am

    You have been so adventurous these days! Can you believe I’ve never been to western Canada? Growing up on the east coast, I know the Maritimes, and now central Canada so well, but I’ve never done a proper trip out west (and I definitely don’t count all those airport touchdowns!). Every photo I’ve ever seen of Banff is just so stunning and it makes me dream of maybe a summer’s worth of camping and hiking. (But no bears please!)

  3. Carol Perehudoff

    December 14, 2015 at 12:11 pm

    You’re right, Claudia – It was a wonderful experience. Iconic is the perfect word to describe training it through the Rockies.

  4. Carol Perehudoff

    December 14, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    Oh, I really want to do the Golden Eagle, Mar! I’ve just been reading about it. You must have loved it.

  5. Mar Pages

    December 14, 2015 at 2:16 am

    Oh how I love train travel! I have not done the Canadian ones because it is too far from Southeast Asia but they are all, especially the Mountaineer, on my list. I have done the trans-sberian onboard the golden eagle, Rajasthan on board the maharaja’s express and even Africa with Rovos Rail, ther eis something so beautiful about watching the world go by from the window of the train’s lounge…

  6. Claudia Laroye

    December 13, 2015 at 11:45 pm

    As they say, all good things must come to an end. But, it certainly sounds like you enjoyed a wonderful time as an ambassador for this great and iconic Canadian experience! We’ve driven the route many times, but a trip on the Mountaineer still awaits us. I hope we can experience it soon.

  7. Carol Perehudoff

    December 13, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    Hi Laura, Thanks for commenting and thanks for checking out Rocky Mountaineer!

  8. Savored Journeys

    December 13, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    Carol, it’s really cool that you were able to ambassadorship for such a great company and take the trip of a lifetime through the Rockies. I have wanted to go on that trip for a long time. Thanks for the inspiration to check it out for real.

  9. Carol Perehudoff

    December 13, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    You’re right, Hcura, It was a partnership with a view.

  10. hcura

    December 13, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Looks like this was a great partnership. I mean, the views on the train are amazing! And you got to visit some very nice places.

  11. Carol Perehudoff

    December 13, 2015 at 10:12 am

    Glad you agree, Natasha – Wow. You’re clearly a train fan.

  12. TheBohoChica

    December 13, 2015 at 4:09 am

    I agree with you- train travel is super romantic and I love it so much that I’ll choose that over any other form of travel when I can. What an awesome partnership you had!

  13. Carol Perehudoff

    December 12, 2015 at 9:55 pm

    Yes, there is something romantic about the train and slow travel, Rosemary. It’s hard to beat.

  14. Carol Perehudoff

    December 12, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    That’s the good thing about travel, Fiona. There’s always something exciting on the horizon.

  15. Carol Perehudoff

    December 12, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    Yes, it’s an incredible way to travel, Ana. I hope you try it.

  16. Carol Perehudoff

    December 12, 2015 at 9:53 pm

    Same to you, Lelde!

  17. sandysilly

    December 12, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    And Merry Christmas and Lovely travels and posts in 2016. — lelde m.

  18. Ana

    December 12, 2015 at 4:07 pm

    What a fantastic experience! I would love to take that train one day.

  19. Fiona @ London-Unattached

    December 12, 2015 at 3:31 pm

    So how on earth can you top that one? What a great experience!

  20. Rosemary

    December 12, 2015 at 2:36 pm

    Wow! what an incredible experience. Definitively agree, train travel is romantic. Great pictures too.

  21. Carol Perehudoff

    December 12, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    Oh, I’m glad you got to experience the Rockies, Jey – and I hope you enjoyed Canada!

  22. Jey Jetter

    December 12, 2015 at 1:03 pm

    Great post, like the style of your writing, it’s very funny! I was just 7 months in Canada and before my partner and I left, we were in Banff/Jasper National Park, so it was nice reading it from someone else’s perspective!!

  23. Carol Perehudoff

    December 12, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    Oh, thanks, Megan. It has been a fun and fantastic ride. Here’s hoping you make it to Canada soon.

  24. Megan

    December 12, 2015 at 12:05 pm

    Sounds like you got to have an amazing partnership and an amazing journey. You stories have definitely increased my wanderlust to get up and explore Canada. The views look absolutely amazing, so many when I do I’ll have to do it by train. Thanks for sharing.

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About Wandering Carol

In my 10+ years as a travel writer and columnist I've seen the best of what the world has to offer and written for some top publications around the globe - and now my goal is to bring this expertise to you. For more blah blah blah, visit my
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