Justifying the costs of flights and hotels is sometimes difficult. That’s why you need to increase their value by combining them with ethnography field trips. These trips help you broaden your understanding of diverse human cultures so that you are better prepared to moderate focus groups and individual interviews
, and interpret research data.
Or…
After enjoying three solid days of networking, speaking, and learning at Esomar congress, you will need to let your brain settle and think about something else. We all know that brand recognition improves by spacing out learning. Thus, planning a day trip to allow memories to coalesce and become permanent is practically a necessity to achieve maximum financial benefit of your trip.
One of those two reasons has to be sufficient to convince you to add a day tour to your ESOMAR congress trip! With that settled, here are six really cool places within a two-hour drive of Toronto. Rent a car with friends or take an escorted bus tour. You could also stay overnight and take full advantage of the local area!
Niagara Falls
Absolutely plan a day trip to Niagara Falls! It’s 128 kilometers away so you can easily drive yourself or take an escorted bus tour. You could even book a hotel room and stay for an extra night or two to enjoy all the local activities.
Obviously, the falls themselves are stunning and the area is renowned for its stunning parks and gardens. You can take a boat ride right up to the edge of the falls and get soaked, or thrill yourself with a jet boat ride up the rapids. You can also visit Fort George National Historic site which saw battles during the War of 1812. And, for those with kiddies, the area is chock full of silly entertainment like wax museums and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Have a peek at all the fun activities available to you.
Niagara-On-The-Lake Wineries
If you have more refined tastes (or just want a reason to drink a lot of wine), join a winery tour in Niagara-On-The-Lake. Travel through the beautiful countryside and challenge yourself to visit every one of the more than 20 local wineries. Take an escorted bus tour for maximum efficiency and safety. It will also be perfect timing to visit outdoor markets along the way and sample some fresh off the tree/vine grapes, peaches, pears, plums, nectarines, and apples.
Stratford Festival
If you love theatre, and especially Shakespearian theatre, make your way 150 kilometers out of town to Stratford and check out the Stratford Festival. Also a beautifully landscaped town with boutique shopping and cute restaurants, you can take in Richard III, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Wendy and Peter Pan, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, All’s Well That Ends Well, and much more.
Algonquin Provincial Park
Those of us stuck in 8-lane traffic in the middle of Toronto love to laugh at the signs along the highway showing the distance to zen-like Algonquin park. Better start cleaning up those coffee cups. It’s barely 275 kilometers away! However, when you get there, you’ll love the camping, boating, hiking, and wild life. You just might see moose, dear, beavers, black bears, or wolves. The bears will not hesitate to snack on you so make sure you read up on bear safety – bring an airhorn, bear spray, and be prepared to scream your face off.
Cheltenham Badlands
Just 60 kilometers away in Caledon, nature and geology lovers will enjoy a walk around the Cheltenham Badlands which feature an area of soft rock devoid of vegetation and soil cover that has become molded into a rolling landscape of rounded hills and gullies. The relatively soft shale is essentially clay and is easily eroded by water. Learn more about this lovely landscape on the Ontario Trails website.
Petroglyphs Provincial Park
This day trip to Petroglyphs Provincial Park is a bit further than the rest at nearly 200 kilometers from Toronto. However, qualitative researchers and ethnographers might love seeing the largest concentration of Indigenous rock carvings (petroglyphs) in Canada. Check out the Visitor Centre to discover the traditions of the Ojibway (Nishnaabe) people through the teachings of the medicine wheel. And, have a peek at McGinnis Lake which is one of the few meromictic lakes in Canada. See more images of this incredible site online.
If you’re curious about other areas local to Toronto that might be suitable for conducting ethnography and cultural research, please get in touch with us. We are your Canadian research experts!
You might like to read these:
- 14 reasons to visit Toronto in addition to sharing your expertise at ESOMAR congress in September
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- Qualitative Research Techniques: How To Recruit Suitable Qualitative Research Participants
