About

Proudly dressed in my snazzy [is that still a word?] pink one-piece travel suit, I eagerly embarked in the 4776 km flight across Canada with my 13-year-old brother. With only one spilt pop on the plane, we safely landed to meet our parents in Calgary. We piled into an old school motorhome, called it our chariot and home for the next week. Our home on wheels navigated through the mountain roads eventually arriving in Vancouver in time to experience Expo 86.  That old school motorhome was a jazzy way to move across land, over mountains and water eventually reaching the northern beaches of Vancouver Island.

I participated in a one-week student exchange through Experiences Canada (formerly named SEVEC) to travel on my first student exchange to Quebec, where I was billeted with family who knew minimal English, it was the perfect opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and ‘try’ my second language. To my surprise, I was able to communicate successfully. It was a moment I realized that sometimes you just need to take that uncomfortable step and have a little faith it will work out and it did! That language assisted in making the exchange enjoyable for both families!

It was 1992, Canada’s 125th birthday. I was fortunate enough to be selected to celebrate the country's special birthday by participating in a two-week student exchange taking me out to Estevan, Saskatchewan. Excitedly travelling 2603 km from home I lived on the prairies and experienced life on a farm. I was able to experience the feeling of community.

It was time to cross the pond. By pond, I mean ocean. This would mean travelling 6500 km from home. With a group of fellow scouts, we fundraised for a year to explore Europe. I can clearly remember the day we left, it was a very sunny day when I drove to my grandparents to give them one last hug before I left. My grandfather held on for a few extra moments and I looked up one last time and I’m pretty sure I saw a tear. He put a smile on his face with his raspy voice said, ‘Make sure you have fun, but promise you will come home, ok?’  With a smile and a wink, I made him that promise and off I went. I spent a 2-week trek, camping in the Swiss the Alps, hover crafting across the English Channel and finally dancing in the streets of London in front of the Royal Palace. This trip opened my eyes to the size of the world, the ones that I thought were already wide open.

After 4 years of studies, I saw a rare break in life responsibilities, and I took advantage of the it! I had dreamed of backpacking through Europe even joking about it for years with a best friend. After some hard work and serious budgeting, we were able to turn the dream into our reality. We packed all we would need into a backpack, bought a language translator books [this is pre-iPhones], Euro Rail pass and a plane ticket. We plotted our path on a map and headed out to discover the world. This tour, with just two of us, we were able to maintain flexible travel plans. We stayed in everything from hostels to castles, biked the vineyards of Italy and discovered the most delicious fresh chocolate banana crepes drizzled with Grand Marnier in a cart along the Champs-Élysées.