Last year I had the amazing experience of accompanying my Mum on her ultimate bucket list journey on the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada.

We travelled from Vancouver to Banff over two days and it was honestly the most out of this world couple of days of my life! Travelling through the stunning scenery of the Canadian Rockies I was also treated to a range of tasty gluten free food along the way.

Each day started, as is traditional, with breakfast. This consisted of fresh fruit and a gluten free muffin followed by a hot dish of choice, I went for omelette, washed down with the obligatory tea. Lunch consisted of a three-course meal, naturally! For starters I opted for a salad both days, followed by main courses of salmon on the first day and pork on the second. Desserts were a treat with a chocolate mousse one day and New York vanilla cheesecake the other!

We were also provided with a range of snacks (not to mention copious amounts of wine) throughout the day, my favourite being the trail mix which was perfect when the afternoon munchies hit! I was looked after really well and Parvin, the chef on our carriage, went above and beyond to make sure I was catered for, coming over to speak to me about my needs and even baking me some cookies to go with my afternoon cuppa!

The food was just one small part of an incredible experience though. The train journey was simply stunning. Travelling at a leisurely pace to make sure you could appreciate the views, we rolled past quaint little towns, tranquil lakes, winding rivers and of course, huge, breath-taking mountains. The first day took us from Vancouver to Kamloops, and on day two we tackled the really high mountains on the way to Banff.

There was almost too much to look at and at times you wished you had two pairs of eyes to look out of both sides of the train. Each twist and turn in the train tracks would reveal a new picture book scene, and the train was a great way to experience it. Modern life seems so hectic and it was almost like stepping back in time to the age of the steam train, the journey providing a refreshing change of pace with time to just experience the views.

The journey was made even better by our two incredible carriage hosts, Brian and Amelia. They worked tirelessly throughout the trip to make sure everyone had the best experience possible. They never stopped, whether it was serving food or drinks, sharing some of their excellent knowledge about the scenery and wildlife we were passing, and doing everything they could to ensure we were all happy and comfortable. Brian’s anecdotes and cheesy jokes were a particularly excellent addition! It was quite sad saying goodbye to them at the end of the journey as you felt like you’d really got to know them and become friends over the course of the two days.

Overall I couldn’t recommend the Rocky Mountaineer highly enough. It truly is a once in a lifetime trip, my only regret is that I’ll probably never be able to do it again!