The Rural Voice, 2001-07, Page 46AgriTech
Searching the Internet for vacation info
By Janice Becker
The days are warmer. the children
are out of school and we have already
passed the longest day of the year. It
is a time when thoughts turn to
summer vacations. whether short-
term or extended.
Though many farm families are
too busy during the summer months
to find time to relax for a week or
two. their businesses have become an
increasingly interesting destination
for urban dwellers seeking something
just a little different.
A quick search of the internet
through google.com and simply
entering farm vacations, I came up
with more than 86,600 listings world-
wide. 20,400 across Canada and more
than 4,000 just in Ontario.
Some of the sites were obviously
more helpful than others, but there
were plenty of places to look. Every-
thing from working farm vacations to
dude ranches, ostrich farms and bed
and breakfasts situated on expansive
country operations were included.
As a frequent user of internet
travel connections to book our
family's summer adventures. I
thought I had hit the jackpot when
both Travelinx and Excite Travel
popped up on the listing. However, I
found both to be of little help, simply
offering phone numbers to call or
agencies to visit. The search was
much more fruitful when I checked
out sites for a specific region or
websites for individual farms.
The first one which caught my
attention was for Bruce County,
www.brucecounty.on.ca/tourism/
farmvacation.htm. because it was
relatively close to home and an easy
trek for a family with only a few
days. Though the listings were
limited to just two sites, both gave
sufficient information on the B&B
locations, including pictures of the
farm (which I find helpful), a
rundown of the property and
accommodations available, local
activities, pricing and email and
phone contacts.
A link to other B&Bs across the
province was also provided. A quick
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check of this link turned up
Mitchell's Country B&B near
Walton, just a couple minutes from
my home and Dunwich Farm near
Dutton which looked great for
children as well as many more.
Because of the B&B set-up and
the type of farm operation, some are
definitely more suited to family stays
while others could be a romantic get-
away for two. The sites offered a
quick reference as to whether
children were welcome and details of
the types of rooms available.
For travellors wishing to venture a
little farther, Prince Edward County
in Eastern Ontario listed an ostrich
farm near Picton as a place for
swimming, boating, and fishing in
South Bay. Look under
www.pec.on.ca/other/farm.html. The
links offered farm tours of orchards,
an exotic animal sanctuary, apple
factory, horse ranch and nature tours.
So even if staying in a more tradition-
al accommodation, tours of rural
operations are often available in
many areas.
Also take a look at www.country
hosts.com, Ontario Farm and Country
Accommodation association's site
linking B&Bs across the province.
There are 70 farms open for visits.
The possibilities for farm vacations
were by no means limited to Ontario.
There were sites from almost every
province in Canada including
Balmoral Farm Vacations,
www.farmvacation.ns.ca, in Nova
Scotia and a ranch holiday in Alberta
at www.albertacountryvacation.com/
A quick scan through the first
couple of dozen entries -on the list
showed sites in New York
(www.hull- o.com), Vermont
( www.vermontfarms.org/
farmvac.htm) and Pennsylvania
(www.pafarmstay.com/). Internation-
al treks to Switzerland, Ireland,
England, France, Italy, Austria, India
and even Iceland could be researched.
So if your family is looking to
discover something different about
this wonderful rural life, go surfing.
Contact me at jlbecker@wightman.ca
or through The Rural Voice office.0
Janice Becker is a computer
enthusiast and journalist living near
Walton, ON.