#12DaysofHygge – Day 12: Tourist in my town + Giveaway from LUQL!

Dating an ex-pat, I am very accustomed and happy to be a #touristinmytown. It’s fun to see familiar things in a new light, and I always enjoy going somewhere I’ve never been or trying out a new activity. When the people at a new travel app called LUQL (http://luql.io) reached out to me last month about taking a tour in Vancouver, I was intrigued. As you may have read, I love a good tour when travelling, but I’ve never taken a tour in my own city. I suppose most people haven’t(?)

A couple weekends ago the Brit and I braved the rain and went ‘full tourist’ on the ‘A Walk of Art – Murals of Van’ tour with LUQL guide, Taznim. We were originally meant to be on the ‘Explore Yeast Vancouver’ brewery tasting tour, but that guide had a family emergency a couple days before. The LUQL team seamlessly switched it up for us and off we went through the Mount Pleasant and False Creek Flats areas of Vancouver – very cool and trendy areas with lots of breweries and coffee shops. Oh, and murals. Lots of murals.

In recent years, Vancouver has become known its murals and for Vancouver Mural Festival. Art is very subjective so there were a few murals that I was indifferent to in terms of subject matter and style. But, I absolutely admire the amount of time, talent and thought that goes into these lengthy works of art. Sides of buildings are not an easy canvas and we have slightly unpredictable weather here! And while we’ve wandered around these areas a bit in the past, it turns out we were missing some amazing art! The lesson here comes as a name: Robert Frost.

In recent years, Vancouver has become known its murals and for Vancouver Mural Festival. Art is very subjective so there were a few murals that I was indifferent to in terms of subject matter and style. But, I absolutely admire the amount of time, talent and thought that goes into these lengthy works of art. Sides of buildings are not an easy canvas and we have slightly unpredictable weather here!

(Click each image to view a larger version of the photo.)

My first favourite of the murals was Drew Young’s ‘The Present is a Gift’.

(Click each image to view a larger version of the photo.)

One of the Brit’s favourites was this beauty that cannot find in my notes anywhere, but I will remedy that soon!

As the pilot tourists for this LUQL two -hour experience, it was just us and the very knowledgeable and cheerful Tasnim; so we clocked through quite quickly. Probably because my phone battery dropped to 10% partway through the tour – NOOOOOO…… – and while the Brit took over photo duty with his phone, he takes pictures slightly more efficiently than I do… Ha. It actually made me be more present in what we were doing, but I digress. Because we finished the scheduled portion early, Taz led us further up Main Street and its side streets where we found my second favourite mural – Emily Gray’s ‘Cycle Mural’ on Main and 10th. Think you can guess why? 😉

LUQL (pronounced ‘local’) is a travel app that features experiences guided by locals in Toronto, New York City, San Francisco, and now, Vancouver. (And soon in Asia and Europe.) Run by a tech-savvy and entrepreneurial team of young Canadians and Americans (some still in university and who are clearly going to be quite successful in the world!), LUQL offers unique scenic, attraction, and food and beverage tours with a personal touch.

For example, as part of the price of the Murals Tour, you get your Starbucks beverage paid for and everyone gets two instant photos each in front of their murals of choice. (Taz loves an instant photo!) In San Francisco, many of the tours are geared toward photography enthusiasts and family’s looking to get new photos to send (and brag – let’s be honest!) to family.

When I was booking the originally planned tasting room tour, I had no problems as the app is fairly intuitive, is simple to use, and

isn’t too fussy in design – a plus in my view. LUQL is currently available on the Appstore, but their second release goes live on December 29 and will also be available for Android users. And you’ll  be able to book experiences via their website very soon!

This tour was a great way for the Brit and I to spend an afternoon together. To warm up after being out in the rain, we walked a couple blocks to Brassneck Brewery for a flight. Win-win.

GIVEAWAY!*

To celebrate their upcoming new release and Day 12 of my #12DaysofHygge, LUQL has partnered with me to give one lucky winner a $100 LUQL credit towards a tour of their choice in either Vancouver, San Francisco, New York, or Toronto! It’s a perfect way to do something fun with your partner or travel buddy. 🙂

How to enter:

• Visit the related Instagram post AND/OR
• Visit the related Facebook post AND/OR
• In the Comments section below, tell me what your ideal vacation experience would be for 2018!

The more you enter, the more chances you have to win!

*CONTEST RULES: Open to residents of Canada. Must be 18+. Giveaway ends December 18th at 7pm PST and the winner will be chosen within 24 hours. Winner will be randomly selected from all Instagram and Facebook entries. No purchase is necessary. The $100 CAD valued prize is sponsored by LUQL Inc and will be valid for use within one year. This giveaway is in no way approved, endorsed or sponsored by Instagram or Facebook and they will not be held responsible or liable for anything related to this giveaway. Open to Canadian residents, 18 years of age and older. Void where prohibited by law.

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