The Basecamp idea is actually not novel. It’s a way of travelling that some people have been doing for a long time but it has never really had a name or been defined as a specific category of travel.

Travel Basecamp, the series, follows myself and two friends as we travel to stereotypically resort driven destinations, and book all-inclusives, but then spend all of our time busting off of the resort grounds in search of real, authentic travel experiences.

We at Tripified.ca are fired up about the NHL playoffs -- and it shows.

So far, Ken Hegan and I have diligently delivered hockey-watching guides to both Toronto and Boston, the latter catering to Leafs fans heading to Beantown to celebrate the end of their team's playoff drought. Ken's Ottawa guide is handy for road-tripping Habs fans, and now, to complete that series, here's a puckhead's guide to Montreal (where the Sens play tonight):

Montreal Canadiens fans are among the rowdiest -- and most predisposed to face paint -- in the NHL. Photo credit: Peter McCabe/CP

Every time Toronto is called the “Centre of the Hockey Universe,” Montrealers roll their eyes. And for good reason: Quebec’s largest city is also the winningest NHL outpost of all time, with the Canadiens having hoisted 24 Stanley Cups and five defunct teams accounting for 17 more. The 17-year-old Bell Centre is the league’s largest arena, it’s among the rowdiest, and it’s home to the world’s best and most extensive museum devoted to a single squad (the Habs, of course). Best of all for visiting fans, “the Booth” is located right in the centre of this Hockey Universe, meaning it’s surrounding by choice hotels, sports bars, restaurants and clubs.

Game time: Not surprisingly, tonight's contest is sold out on canadiens.nhl.com. But there are singles available for May 9 and 12 (if those games happen). Another option is the official website’s “ticket vault,” where season-ticket holders offer up their seats for a premium (currently starting at $185 for the May 9 game). Of course, other online resellers do a brisk business when it comes to les Habitants, as do the hordes of scalpers that skulk around the Bell Centre.

Despite being devastated by injuries to their #1 center, top goal-scoring winger, starting goaltender, and star defenseman (Jason Spezza's back, Milan Michalek's knee, goalie Craig Anderson's ankle, and Erik Karlsson's acute case of Matt Cooke-itis), the Ottawa Senators somehow battled and hustled their way into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

So May is the perfect month to visit our nation's capital city. The Senators' first game is Thursday May 2nd, the sun's peeking out, the Rideau Canal is sparkling, and the filthy snow mounds have all melted away (I'm referring to the 14 teams that didn't make the playoffs).

Granted, the Sens may not last long in the playoffs. Their first opponent is the speedy Montreal Canadiens who magically rose from a 28th-place finish last season to win the Northeast Division this year with the league's 4th-best record. This highway #417/#40 series will be tough for Ottawa to survive.

But none of that matters right now. Our nation's capital is bubbling with the excitement of spring and deciding where to watch the Senators destroy the Habs.

So there's a bar in Japan where the waiters are monkeys.

Yep, it's true. Picture two adorable creatures who walk upright and are dressed like a little boy and girl. Oh, and the girl monkey wears a human mask and wig.

Am I dreaming? Is this the stuff nightmares are made of?

If you needed any more evidence that your city is deadly boring (and you should quit your job and travel), this is it. The joint's called Kayabuki and it's located in the Miyukihoncho section of Utsunomiya, a city two hours north of Tokyo. Technically, Kayabuki is not a restaurant, it's an izakaya which is a traditional sake house that also serves food.

According to Anna Ikeda who writes the terrific Budget Trouble blog, the two macaque monkeys are named Yacchan who's presumably a boy, and Fukuchan who's presumably a girl monkey. Understandably, Anna's not sure of their exact genders, saying "sorry I didn't feel like pulling down underpants."

We all have a virtual bucket list. One that doesn't exist -- yet. It includes all the experiences we crave the moment we become aware that they are available.

For me, staying in the U.K.'s new "cake hotel" (pictured below) is a prime example.

Over the past few years, items that have moved from my virtual list to its actual counterpart include: 

1. Indoor skydiving. The outdoor version is on my list, too, but it's comforting to know that a visit to Montreal's SkyVenture facility would take the parachute, airplane and 12,000 vertical feet out of the equation.

2. Casu Marzu. This Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese ferments to the point of being rotten, owing to the digestive action of cheese fly larvae. It is considered ready to eat when it is filled with thousands of maggots which, when disturbed, can jump up to 15 centimetres, forcing connoisseurs to either wear protective eyewear or use their hands to shield themselves. It sounds disgusting, yes, but there's got to be something to it. Otherwise, how did it ever become a delicacy? Of course, you could ask the same question about haggis, so...

3. Berlin's Propeller Island City Lodge. I'd like to stay in every hotel listed in the "Top 10 wackiest hotel rooms" gallery I did a while back -- even the one shaped like a giant beagle -- but the Berlin entry would allow me to check off a few bucket list items in one visit.

Instead of smuggling a cute dog out of Mexico, why not sneak your dog in for a little pampering?

At the 'chic, all-villa' Viceroy Riviera Maya resort (located 3 miles from Playa del Carmen and just 35 minutes from Cancun's international airport), your pet gets to share your fun tropical holiday. Bonus: your pooch will get blessed by a shaman.

It's called the PetVacay Program at the Viceroy where your Fido will enjoy "the same relaxed and pampered luxury that human guests enjoy."

"Your pet will be blessed by a real shaman, lounge in his own personal palapa , be indulged with his favorite foods and truly believe that he has landed in Doggie Heaven," said the resort via press release.

WARNING:   Shamanism is a practice where you reach altered states of consciousness so you can interact with the spirit world, which can be both benevolent and malevolent. Some societies believe that shamans have the power to both cure and kill. And some say if you fail to return from an out-of-body journey, this can lead to death.

So this is strange and fantastic:

A hotel in Kenya, Giraffe Manor, gets its name from the spotted looky-loos who stick their tall necks through the hotel windows when they want to chow down.

Imagine you're staying at this unique hotel and sitting in the sun room for breakfast. You're huddled over your espresso, trying to wake up after a pleasurable night of gin and tonics. You're yawning, stretching, downing your orange juice, and tucking into your breakfast croissant, when suddenly --

Wish you could sleep in an IKEA showroom?

Pack your bags because IKEA's building budget hotels across Europe.

The company's real estate arm, IKEA.UL, is partnering with Marriott to launch an economy hotel chain called Moxy.

Travel tips for IKEA hotels:

1) Instead of a room key, you get a hexagonal wrench

2) You have to make your own bed

3) If you're ordering room service, avoid the 'Broncoballs'

One of the best ways to get through February is to look for silver linings. That massive snowbank blocking your driveway? Think of it as a snow fort for the kids. Your ice-encrusted windshield? Consider the calories you'll burn scraping it off. And if the car won't even start, well, maybe you should just take a cab to the airport and be done with it. Likewise, this week's podium takes a glass-half-full approach:  

GOLD: The older you are, the more you save. That's the gist of Starwood Hotels & Resorts' new birth-year promotion, available at dozens of hotels and resorts across North America, the Caribbean and French Polynesia. The amount you pay for the second night of a two-night stay -- and in some cases, on the second and third nights of a three-night stay -- corresponds with your year of birth (guests born in 1973, for example, pay $73). This can yield massive discounts: At Aruba's Westin Resort & Casino (pictured below), for example, a three-night visit that would normally cost $1,437 will go for $625 (to a 38-year-old guest).

It’s day 2 at this tropical resort's fashion show here in glorious Huatulco, Mexico.

The sun’s gleaming brightly, waves pound the shores like a bounty hunter banging on your motel door, and the world’s sexiest fashionistas have gathered on these poolside catwalks to showcase their hip-hugging, body-rocking, haute couture luxury resort fashions.

Our first model today is this strutting Texan day drinker (below). He’s sporting stars & stripes trunks that are simply bursting with patriotic pride.