Lonely Planet blog

I’ve parachuted from an old Soviet airplane. But there are some things I won’t do for travel.

Take for example wintry things. There are some occasions where it makes sense to head right into its icy heart. And some times when it makes sense to flee from it.

Last year, I put together a list of the world’s best winter festivals, and this year I visited one: Québec City‘s marvelous Carnival, with a jolly bilingual snowman (Bonhomme) and an endless array of outdoor events, including dog-sled races down Old Town’s wee lanes, free skating rinks, ice bars, snow sculptures, human foosball games and my new favorite hockey team, the Québec  Remparts.

But there’s one thing that’s just too much for me: the Ice Hotel.

The place, a 20-minute drive out of the center, is interesting to see for an hour or two. The C$17 entry gets you in to peek at rooms during the day or sip C$7 cocktails from ice glasses in the bar blaring obnoxious dance music.

I had planned on staying overnight. But somewhere in between the information session that explained how to get into the provided ‘Arctic’ sleeping bag and a dunk in a hot tub the hotel makes you take (love the policy), I decided, y’know, I really don’t need to sleep in below-zero iceboxes on a night with temperatures reaching minus-six degrees Farenheit (minus 21 Celsius).

So I didn’t.

In the nearby heated waiting room – which felt like a space station, or a waiting room for proctology exams – I detected no joy from my fellow guests. Most sat silent, staring at a small fire, just biding time before a dash into the adjoining hotel’s ice-cube rooms.

Instead, I made my dash to the 24-hour shuttle, there to carry people like me to a perfectly heated hotel room nearby (included in the price).

Guess that makes me a travel wimp. And I’m OK with that.

What, to quote David Foster Wallace, ‘supposedly fun thing’ would you never do, or never do again?

Get more information on Quebec City – great any time of year – from Lonely Planet’s Montreal & Quebec City guidebook.

Hide 4 comments

1. February 10, 2011 melindahills90 Report this comment

   It is pleasure a going through your post. I have bookmarked you to check out new stuff from your side.

2. February 11, 2011 florinrferrs Report this comment

   I don’t think you’re a travel wimp for saying ‘no’ to an experience. The point of travel isn’t to do everything, but to come away with a good grasp on what you DID do. http://bit.ly/gsMChv

3. February 12, 2011 intolatinamerica Report this comment

   I generally say no to taking photos of animal sacrifices. I have been encouraged various times but just dont want a photo of a cow’s throat being cut or someone cutting out a llama’s heart.

4. February 14, 2011 austinben Report this comment

   Canopy tours always seem a bit dodgy. Most street food is also something I stay away from. That said, I’ve had some damned amazing times doing risky things. Waking up from a bender in New Orleans on a boat heading out to the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico is probably near the top. After that, I added rum drinks in the French Quarter to the far too short list of dangerous things that I would stay away from.