The world is so truly beautiful. And it’s only when you’re put outside of your comfort zones do you come to this realization. I had the amazing opportunity to do just that. I had the pleasure of joining some of my favourite blogger friends on an incredibly, awe-inspiring trip to Banff.
The trip was compliments of and sponsored by McCafé Canada and its new partnership with Westjet. And yes, they do indeed serve McCafé on West Jet! You’ll find out later why it was a total life saver.
Admittedly, I was a bit nervous before heading on this trip. It was a short 3 days, but we knew that it was going to be absolutely freezing – negative 25 degrees Celsius freezing, to be exact.
Truthfully though, the trip totally outshone the cold.
And I am so excited to be sharing the entire adventure with you guys here. From what we did, what we saw, the fun moments we all had together, and how we got through the blistering cold… here are all the fun facts from a winter wonderland adventure in Banff!
The trip started with an early morning…
Or at least an early wake up call. We were at the airport to catch our 6AM flight super early. Truthfully though, I don’t think I would have been able to get through it all without a good dose of caffeine. Needless to say, we stopped by a McCafé on the way to the airport.
The entire on-fight experience was incredible. The service was amazing and the most incredible part of it all was probably being able to fly by the sunrise, with a warm and toasty McCafé coffee ON FLIGHT in hand! It basically felt like I was in a cafe with the girls in Toronto chatting away… but we were actually 40,000 feet above the ground. Such an experience!
Downtown Banff Exploration & The Fairmont
It’s truly impossible to turn a corner in Banff and not come across something beautiful. We had stopped by the Fairmont because we had heard the hotel looked like a chateau out of a movie set, but then began exploring all around it.
The Fairmont was as gorgeous as we expected; but we also realized that its property is even more incredible. It’s embedded in a valley of snow kissed mountains and the shots we captured still take my breath away 2 weeks later.
Bow Falls
If you head to the bottom of the Fairmont, you’ll find Bow Falls. It’s one of those places you enter and you realize just how small you are and just how grand the world is. Needless to say I was taking photos until my toes and fingers froze up!
Lake Louise
And one just cannot visit Banff without heading to Lake Louise. Truthfully, I’d really like to come back to Banff and visit Lake Louise in the summer time because of it’s beautifully rich colours. But, the winter wonderland version of Lake Louise was equally as beautiful.
Small tip for traveling to Banff? Don’t dare come exploring unless you’ve got the right gear (and probably a warm cup coffee too). My Toms boots and Large McCafé coffee were with me the whole time and get my feet super cozy the whole way through!
Fun fact if you live in Alberta:
You get to take advantage of a $1 McCafé coffee IN ANY SIZE until December 26!
Enjoy every last minute and sight
Even the roads in Banff are absolutely stunning. We carefully stopped our car and shot right in the middle of the road driving from Lake Louise to Yoho. And it was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had – to be able to actually hear perfect silence and quiet. Let’s just say you don’t get that in the city, where I’m from.
Overall the entire trip was incredible. I had never been to Banff in the winter before and it far exceeded all my expectations. A place like Banff really makes you think about all that there is in the world. I can’t wait to explore more of it!
And you would expect, I’m now fully hooked on my McCafé coffee. A special shout out to McCafé and all my amazing blogger babes (@TheLustListt, @NinaThinks, @Qingaling, @Ave.Camilla, and @ThatsoTee) for one unforgettable trip!
