(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

From the natural landscapes to the 24-hour loss of heat and power, there certainly was no shortage of drama on my recent trip to Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.

Ultimately, however, the loss of power was just an inconvenience. We met people the day before who cannot connect to the electrical system at all, so that put our temporary loss into perspective.  It also reminded us how utterly dependent we have become on electricity.

From a travel strategy perspective, I was thankful that I had journeyed to these relatively remote areas as part of a group. Having that additional level of support was quite helpful, even on the days when the power remained in force.  I will continue to use small group travel in situations where I don’t think I’m properly equipped to manage on my own if things go wrong.  Off-season travel to remote locations certainly falls into that category, even if there is no language barrier.

Having said that, I am very much looking forward to my next independent adventure.  Later this winter, I will be skiing in countries that are very familiar, but in locations that are new to me. I’ll start by spending several days in and around Les Diablerets, Switzerland. This is in the French-speaking Canton of Vaud, just a few kilometres west of my 2018 ski adventure in Lenk.

From there, I will travel further west for a full week of skiing in Morzine, France. While I have been in France a few times recently (including a wonderful summer 2018 trip to Normandy and Brittany), I have never been skiing there. In fact, I have never been skiing in any French-speaking part of Europe…so far, my only French-speaking skiing has been in the province of Quebec.

Morzine should be a great base. It is part of the vast (201 ski lifts!) Les Portes du Soleil ski region, linking thirteen resorts in both France and Switzerland. We’ll be able to ski back and forth between countries, not just villages!  Stay tuned for lots more on this exciting destination in the Haute-Savoie.

I will end this post by mentioning one more benefit of travelling in a group: being able to get great photos! All of the photos in today’s post were taken by other travellers who graciously allowed me to use them in this blog. If you want to read more, you can check out these recent posts on Antelope Canyon (Arizona) and Zion National Park (Utah).