Toronto & New York: the ultimate group travel experience!
For a long time, I, Rosa Romero – goMICE Project Manager, had been very curious about the possibilities for group and incentive travel in Eastern Canada. The time had finally come! The itinerary was set and I was going to visit Toronto, Kingston-Thousand Islands National Park, Montreal and Quebec! Wonderful destinations that I would have loved to take you along to in this blog, however, I was forced to change my itinerary while I was in Toronto (more on that in a moment 😉). So I turned a necessity into a virtue and combined my trip with ‘The City That Never Sleeps’: New York! All in all, two fantastic destinations for group and incentive travel, which I would love to tell you more about in this blog.
From plan A to plan B
My journey began in Toronto, from where I was supposed to travel on to the other Canadian destinations. However, Mother Nature had other ideas and, due to sudden floods, I had to skip the remaining Canadian destinations. I had to quickly find alternative accommodation and an adjusted itinerary on the spot. My experience as a project manager came in very handy here, as I had to change the travel itinerary quickly and on location. In addition, my colleagues and I know how to handle a natural disaster or other unforeseen circumstances. Of course, changing a group or incentive trip on site is a little more complicated. But we always think in terms of possibilities and in cases like this we are fully capable of switching gears quickly and providing an alternative programme or rapidly repatriating a group.
The fact that we regularly get to organise and guide group and incentive trips to New York with goMICE made me decide to travel on to New York (500 kilometres away) as an alternative and continue my trip there. This allowed me to expand my previous travel experience in New York for future corporate groups visiting this amazing city!
Toronto & New York as destinations for your group or incentive travel
Direct flights are operated daily from Amsterdam to New York and two cities in eastern Canada: Toronto & Montreal. The flight time to all three of these cities is approximately seven hours, and it is entirely feasible to combine Toronto & Montreal during a group or incentive trip.
Best time to visit Toronto & New York
Most outdoor activities in Eastern Canada are possible from early May to October because of the warm weather. In winter, all major cities are transformed into white fairytale cities. New York is recommended during every season: NYC is always a good idea 😉.
Why Toronto as a group or incentive travel destination?
Toronto and its surroundings offer a wide range of great group activities! For example:
- A cycle ridediscover the vibrant city by bike accompanied by a local guide, let’s roll! TIP: choose to combine the bike tour with a visit to various hospitality venues. The guide will let the group taste the different flavours of Toronto!
- Visit Toronto Islandspend time on the water during a boat trip to Toronto Island.
- Game timeattending an ice hockey match of the professional ice hockey team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, is a must to include in the travel itinerary. Truly an unforgettable experience!
- Niagara FallsToronto is well combined with a one-day excursion to Niagara Falls. At the ‘Falls’various activities are possible, such as the ‘Niagara Behind the Scenes’ excursion: a RIB boat tour beneath the falls.
- Time for wineIn the region between Toronto and Niagara Falls there is a large number of vineyards, where a winemaking workshop and a group tasting are among the possibilities. How lovely would it be to be able to drink your own wine back in the Netherlands as a memento of your trip?
- Thousand Islands National ParkPrefer to visit a natural park? Then Thousand Islands National Park is recommended. The drive takes about 2.5 hours, but the scenery is phenomenal and there are plenty of group watersport activities to enjoy. If desired, a dinner and overnight stay in the lively town of Kingston can be added to the trip.
Depending on the budget and the number of travel days, the cities of Montreal and Quebec can also be included in the itinerary. Both cities are also very suitable as standalone incentive destinations.
Why choose New York as a destination for a group or incentive trip?
New York is the ultimate incentive travel destination for almost any type of company. Whether you are interested in commerce, finance, ICT, art, architecture, history or fashion… New York is the place to be! An incentive trip to NYC can make a major, indelible impression in a short space of time. For instance, goMICE has had the privilege of organising various high-end incentive trips to this global metropolis and we have a large number of fixed suppliers at the destination. This enables us to create an amazing bespoke trip to New York for every budget, every target audience and every travel objective! Curious about some of the possibilities that New York offers as a group or incentive travel destination? Then be sure to read our blog: vibrant New York as an incentive destination!
Time to Dine
Both in Toronto and in New York, countless restaurants can be found where you can enjoy wonderful food. A special example is The Cactus Club Café restaurant in Downtown Toronto, where delicious, surprising fine dining dishes are served. In New York, I would recommend one of the restaurants from The NYC group, such as Omakase Room (Japanese cuisine) or The Boucherie (steakhouse and French cuisine). For a casual evening in Brooklyn, Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar is highly recommended.
Low budget
Adding free & low-budget activities to a daily schedule
At goMICE, we regularly receive group requests with big wishes and a limited budget. During this trip, I discovered that there are various low-budget activities which we can offer in an incentive travel programme. Here are a few examples:
- Start the day with a sporty jog, yoga session or walk; free of charge and strengthening for the group dynamic. Naturally, this depends on the type of group, but an increasing number of people consider it important to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle during a trip, especially after a lockdown period.
- A hot dog lunch in a park or an out-of-town picnic lunch can be a great option! This is an original way to organise a shared mealtime while simultaneously freeing up budget for other activities.
Always bring an e-visa
I would advise everyone to take your e-visa/digital vaccination booklet with you on a trip to a distant destination. For my trip to Canada I had ETA (Canada eTA) sorted. Because Toronto is close to the US border, I had brought along my ESTA (US e-visa) which I had used the year before. A THIS is valid for 2 years and came in unexpectedly handy at the border crossing!
After reading this blog, do you also think it would be fantastic to visit Toronto and/or New York together with your colleagues or business associates?! We combine our years of experience with an extensive network and a unique programme for an unforgettable Canadian/American experience!