In my real life, I am an elementary school teacher in a small town in Ontario, Canada. I was raised with travel fever; taking my first independent adventure at 19 years of age to 13 European countries in 30 days on a Contiki road trip with 42 other world explorers. It was my first lethal dose of no-madness. A high I continuously chase with each new city, country, and continent. Out in nature is where my preferred travel lies; be it hiking out of the Grand Canyon after rafting down the Colorado River for 10 days, summiting Kilimanjaro and Mount Toubkal in Africa, hiking through 3 countries on the Peaks of the Balkans, hiking through another 3 countries on the Tour du Mont Blanc, completing the 24 hour 3 peaks challenge in Wales, England, Scotland, running a marathon in the Australian desert around Uluru, getting YTT certified in an open air chalet in Bali, trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, sleeping under the stars in the Sahara and Wadi Rum deserts, trekking up to Everest Base camp and the Annapurna Circuit through Thorong La Pass, hiking the 900km across Spain on the Camino de Santiago towards Finisterre, hiking in Patagonia in both Chile and Argentina, taking a 10000km round trip road trip across western Canada, or chasing the Northern Lights in Iceland. When nature calls, I answer with open arms and a big embrace.
To date, I have travelled to 66 countries with the plan to eventually visit all of them. For me to put a country on my list I need to have stayed for at least a week. In my opinion, one cannot get a sense of culture by passing through an airport, staying at an all-inclusive without leaving the resort, or spending a night on a layover. I need authenticity in culture and people in order to say I have truly been there. Don’t get me wrong, having a Guinness at 9:00am in an airport pub in Ireland was a surreal experience but, if I’m going to put a checkmark beside Ireland on my list I need to be drinking that “pint of gat” at 7:00am in a neighbourhood pub asking, “pardon” and “what did you say” to the bartender because I have no idea what he is saying due to his accent. Thick, just like the beer.
Whenever I have asked a fellow traveller to share passports, a sparkle glitters from the eye and a smile glides across their lips. It’s a time of reflection, moments remembered, and endless stories. I could sit for hours listening to the adventures and funny tales of time spent in foreign lands. It’s grand, it’s personal, it’s unique. So, please, take my journey and share yours with me. Who knows? Maybe we will meet up on a train rolling through Mongolia for coffee swapping passport stamps with each other a year from now. Now that would be a good story!
xo Tanya