Have you ever searched around your own city or town to see what adventures you could hit up? I always seem to overlook the possibility of adventure near my own city. I realized this when I was in New Zealand last year. I was hiking some of the mountains on the south island when someone asked me where I was from. When I told them I was from Calgary, which is about 1 hour from the Rocky Mountains, they immediately asked how the hikes were and how great the skiing was. I couldn’t even answer. I had never hiked the Rockies. I had lived in Calgary for about 6 years and had never hiked the rockies. I had only skied a couple times but never at one of the famous resorts. “What was I doing?” I thought to myself. I’m all the way across the world conquering countries when I haven’t even conquered my own yet. I decided that as soon as I returned, I would hike at least one trail before the end of the summer and I would try the 2 famous ski resorts closest to me in the winter. I did! And since then I have been trying to experience all that Canada (especially the west coast) has to offer. [Read more…] about Surfing in Canada & the Beauty of the West Coast
Life
Finding your past: How one conversation led me to citizenship in 27 countries
Have you ever thought about where you came from? Not where you were born but where your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents, and so forth came from? It’s quite inspiring and amazing to hear the stories that our ancestors went through. If your from North America, then it’s practically guaranteed that your ancestors came from places in Europe, Africa, or Asia. Maybe they came from tribes in South America. Doesn’t it inspire you to look? Find out if they were of royal blood or if they were rebels. Find out the travels and tribulations that eventually led to you being born where you were. Here’s my recent story.
[Read more…] about Finding your past: How one conversation led me to citizenship in 27 countries
Scuba Diving – Another World of Inspiration and a place to build confidence
If you ever have the chance to try scuba diving, do it! It is one of the most amazing and memorable things you will ever do.
I did this back in April 2009 when I was right in the middle of my 6 month backpacking trip throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Initially, I had no desire to scuba dive as I was quite nervous but definitely wanted to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
I was with my cousin Jeff at the time and we were looking at different day tours that would allow us to snorkel the reef. Luckily, one of them included a free 20 minute intro to scuba diving course. I’m so happy we came across this tour because this intro opened me up to the deep water world. I’m also lucky it was introduced to me on this trip because this was the one trip that opened me up to extreme [Read more…] about Scuba Diving – Another World of Inspiration and a place to build confidence
Making friends on the road – Adventure 2
New Zealand was amazing. The country was quite different from my Australian journey because my cousin was with me the whole time. I always had a best friend with me. Someone to enjoy the travels with and reminisce about the memories down the road.
We traveled the whole country from South to North in just three weeks. It was tough but we actually got a lot accomplished, including a couple three day hikes. When we had arrived in Wellington, we stayed at the local YHA hostel as we didn’t feel like searching around this time for smaller local ones. YHA hostels are typically quite nice and this one was right near the waterfront. (tip: when in Wellington, check out the museum. It’s free and one of the most interactive museums I have ever seen) [Read more…] about Making friends on the road – Adventure 2
Making friends on the road – Adventure 1
One of my favorite parts about traveling is the people you meet along the way. The locals and also the other travelers. When traveling alone, making friends is something you will find yourself doing as different adventures present different opportunities.
This process is actually quite easy on the road as other people are in the same position. At home, you would never catch me at a bar alone, but on the road, I do it all the time without question. The best advice I can give is to make yourself open. [Read more…] about Making friends on the road – Adventure 1
The Wise Mexican Fisherman – One of my favorite stories
An american businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor’s orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The american complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to catch them?” the american asked.
“Only a little while,” the Mexican replied in surprisingly good english.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The american then asked.
“I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends,” the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket.
“But…What do you do with the rest of your time?”
[Read more…] about The Wise Mexican Fisherman – One of my favorite stories