Margarita Ibbott

Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.

Do Packing Cubes Work? YES, they do!

by
Do Packing Cubes Work @DownshiftingPRO
Do Packing Cubes Work @DownshiftingPRO

I am the type of person that unpacks immediately. I arrive in my hotel room and everything is either hung up or put away into drawers. I like to make myself right out home – fast. This was not a viable option on our trip to Spain and Portugal: we were moving often. No time to fully unpack. I quickly realized I needed to find a way to make this packing/unpacking routine more efficient. I cannot tell you how many different packing techniques I have tried. I have watched videos, read blog posts and asked for advice from fellow travellers. This begged the question: do packing cubes work? On this trip, I decided to give it a try.

Read more

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris at Arc de Triomphe – #Travel

by
image

You cannot be in Paris without experiencing L’etoile. You will in the middle of the Arc de Triomphe where 12 streets converge and a huge roundabout take Parisians from one place to another. It is also a solemn place as the home of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris. We went during the busy evening traffic to find a great adventure. It’s best to get advanced tickets and take the elevator to the top. You will find more than a great view in the Arc the Triomphe as a hidden gem is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier museum. 

Read more

15 Reasons to visit Midland, Michigan #FindYourElement

by
15 Reasons to Visit Midland Michigan
15 Reasons to Visit Midland Michigan

There are many reasons to visit Midland, Michigan the least of which is to treat yourself to a four-star luxury stay at The H Hotel.  In the process, you will treat yourself to exceptional meals, tasty cocktails and a relaxing weekend. But that is just the beginning, as you can take your pick of all the fun, exciting, delicious, fascinating and entertaining reasons to see Midland, Michigan. From Balloon Festivals to Food Festival and Cruise & Car shows, take in a ball game, a quiet walk in the forest or browse the many quaint shops on Main Street, you will love a weekend in Midland, Michigan – I guarantee it.

Midland is a small company town home to one of the largest companies in the world – The Dow Chemical Company. Dow was founded in Midland in 1897 by Herbert H. Dow. The benefits are evident as you drive around and see the many parks, a baseball field and buildings that have the name Dow associated with it.

Read more

Did the KonMari Method Work after 4 years?

by
KonMari Method of folding Jeans & T-Shirts #KONMARI @DownshiftingPRO
Did KonMari Method Work @DownshiftingPRO 1

I have been on a tear. I have been feverishly cleaning, tossing, organizing and donating at a ferocious pace. This usually happens when school begins and we have to transport one child or another to university. We send them off with care packages, groceries and clean clothes. There is a method to my madness and the name of it is the KonMari Method. Four years ago, I read Mari Kondo’s life-changing book and decided to experiment. Did the KonMari Method Work?

If you are wondering what I am talking about, it’s a book written by Japenese Professional Organizer and Professor of Joy, Mari Kondo. Her 2015 book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” is a best-seller which has been developed into a Netflix’s show. Both are wildly successful and have spawn 100s of videos on YouTube, 1000s of blog posts and too many Pinterest pins to count.

Downshifting means to voluntarily simplify your life. So the purpose of the blog has always been to inform my readers and as I transitioned into travel blogging, I realized that I did want to keep simplifying my life so that I could travel more.

Read more

FC Barcelona Camp Nou Visiting the ICONIC home of Spain’s Champion’s Cup Winner – #CampNouExperience #TBEX

by
FC Barcelona Camp Nou @DownshiftingPRO

FC Barcelona Camp Nou

If you are a soccer (football) fan, does it get any better than a visit to FC Barcelona Camp Nou? A few years back I spent the day in one of the most iconic soccer stadiums in the world.  If you are a futbol/football/soccer fan you know all about legendary FC Barcelona.  Home of Messi and his Golden Boots and two time Golden Ball awards for the best player in the World Cup. This football club is legendary and has won… a lot. I have to admit a visit to Camp Nou was great but the highlight for me was seeing the UEFA Champions League Cup.

Read more

Life with Lita–making memories one moment at a time

by
20190602_155534

Watching my mother walking silently around the cottage, making her way from the family room to the kitchen, bedroom to the bathroom trying to re-familiarize herself with her surroundings.  She walks to the wraparound deck to check on the flowers.  It is one of her favourite parts of this cottage.  It has five large flower boxes filled with cheery annuals that will be happy and bright only for one season.  Only for this summer, then they are gone.  I wonder what my mom will remember from the cottage this time next year. Every action focuses on making memories. I shudder thinking maybe not a lot and then I take a sip of wine.  Wine is very medicinal and I enjoy it at the beach. It chases some of those ‘what if’ or ‘what will happen next’ thoughts away.

Read more