My curiosity for exploring the globe began when I was a child. After being cooped up in the backseat of our family vehicle for 24 hours, we finally arrived at a gorgeous place that I would soon learn was Naples, Florida. As I jumped out of our cramped car, I immediately felt the warmth and the sunshine. Back home, the weather was freezing cold and snowy. I noticed long sandy beaches and countless large palm trees that I had never seen before. It would not take long for me to realize how much I would appreciate spending time in this lovely sunshine State. Luckily for me, I have returned to Florida almost every year for the past 50 years. From that very first cross-country road trip, my passion for travel was born.

In my twenty’s, I introduced my husband to Florida, and fortunately for me, he loved traveling as much as I did. We established a travel fund just as soon as we began our careers. Vacations were spent visiting all of the different Caribbean islands and skiing on various mountains throughout Canada and the U.S.A. Every new exploration was thrilling for me. We always met so many interesting people from all around the world. I loved hearing their stories about where they were from and how different their lives were from mine. It always made me chuckle whenever we told Americans that we were from Canada, and they asked us if we knew so and so who didn’t even live in our province, let alone city. We learned that most non-Canadians have no idea how vast and populated Canada really is.

I discovered a favorite destination and/or a special attraction, as our travel ventures expanded. Our yearly vacations were usually split between a beach and ski holiday. After touring most of the Caribbean, Aruba and St. Maarten became two of our preferred islands that we often returned to. We felt safe and fit in comfortably with the islanders as we rode the public buses and ate where the locals frequented. Aruba has a refreshing trade wind, so it never feels too hot. St. Maarten has a French and Dutch heritage, providing two uniquely different cultures to experience on one island. One of the coolest sites in St. Maarten is watching the planes take off and land from the infamous Sunset Bar on Maho Beach. British Columbia was the first destination that I flew to with my ski equipment intact. After landing in Vancouver, we drove two hours to the charming Village of Whistler. On my very first ski run the following day, I didn’t stop until I reached the bottom, and learned very quickly that skiing mountains would require a different pace than skiing the hills that I was used to back home. After a fun day on the slopes, I especially enjoyed the après ski life in the lively Village.

Before children, we also experienced many quick getaways to exhilarating U.S. cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, San Francisco, and New York City, to name a few. I was drawn to the high energy and diversity found in New York City and relished walking around Time’s Square and witnessing the new plays on Broadway. We were pleasantly surprised with the walkability in Boston and how lovely the city is. Our best excursion in Vegas was to see the guitarist Carlos Santana, where we had V.I.P. passes. Our seats were so close to Santana that we felt like we were attending his private concert. In Los Angeles, we appreciated the miles of coastal bike trails that we rode on everyday. One of our most pleasurable activities in San Francisco was biking over the Golden Gate bridge to the town of Sausalito. Another was wine tasting in the Sonoma Valley, where we found our preferred cabernet Sauvignon wines that we still purchase today.

In my thirty’s, after our two daughters were born, my husband and I both agreed that our traveling souls needed to continue on their journeys. Traveling with family was a little more costly and often required much more planning, but we obtained four passports, packed four suitcases, and escaped anytime that we could get away. We made yearly trips to Naples, Florida, to visit my mom. It was so fun for me to watch the girls do all of the things in Florida that I enjoyed doing. After crossing the border, they anxiously anticipated when it would be time to stop at Cracker Barrel, just as I had remembered from my childhood trips. Homemade biscuits anytime of the day were always a welcome treat for tired and cranky cross-country travelers.

We introduced our daughters to the Caribbean islands, ski destinations, Mexico, and ocean cruising, when they were in grade school. We often planned trips to different ski resorts with our friends and their families. Our oldest daughter learned to ski for the first time in Vermont. The quaint French village of Mont Tremblant in Quebec became one of our beloved vacation spots. All the kids from our travel packs adored getting maple syrup on sticks that had been swirled in fresh snow, almost as much as they enjoyed skiing. We ended up purchasing a vacation property in Tremblant that we retreated to in both the summer and winter.
Ocean cruising was high on our daughters’ list of favorite vacations. They liked getting dressed up for nightly dinners and tried lobster and other delicacies for the first time while on the high seas. They learned about different lifestyles and cultures from all of the delightful families that we were seated with at dinners. The girls also took advantage of the all-inclusive features of our Mexican and Caribbean Island vacations, where they sipped virgin cocktails and ate ice cream whenever they wanted, and we all enjoyed a week away from the daily grind of the school and work routines.

One of our most exciting trips was to California on one of their summer school breaks. We visited many Los Angeles tourist sites, such as Disneyland, the Santa Monica Pier and Hollywood. We didn’t pack warm clothing because we thought that it would be hotter that time of year. An unusual California cold spell required us to immediately purchase hoodies and sweatshirts that we ended up wearing the entire trip. Driving is the prominent mode of transportation in California and the traffic on the roadways is horrendous. There are six lanes on many of the highways and driving was scary. I witnessed countless accidents every day. My choice place to stay at in southern California is a fishing village called Redondo Beach, where you can buy fresh seafood right off the pier and hear the seals barking during the night. It is a lovely seaside escape that is far enough away from the hustle and bustle of busy, touristy, L.A.

On rare occasions, we left our daughters with my mother so that my husband and I could celebrate special milestones. Our most memorable trip was for our 15th wedding anniversary, when we hopped on a tour bus and visited many of the capitals of Europe, such as London, Paris, Rome, Venice, and Zurich. I don’t know if it was the bliss of discovering Europe for the first time, or just being away on our own, but we were giddy like teenagers, while uncovering this whole new world that was so foreign to us. We adored the rich history, architecture, stunning cathedrals, cobble-stone streets, and culinary cuisine in all of these very alluring capital cities. We were the only Canadians amongst a bus filled with American tourists who were similar in age to us. Every morning while getting on the bus, Roger from Texas greeted us with the acknowledgement “there’s them Canadiens”. We became a close-knit tour group and enjoyed cocktails and dinner together most evenings. One night while staying in Venice, we all took turns buying ridiculously cheap bottles of good Italian wine from the hotel lobby bar. Many in our group almost missed our early morning wake-up call the next day. My foggy husband left his expensive suit hanging in the hotel closet (that he never saw again) because we had scurried out that morning, trying not miss our bus. We noticed other passengers also frantic to get on the bus, or already sleeping in their seats. That morning, not even Roger greeted us in his usual way.

I discovered something unique that I appreciated in every country. Switzerland was the most scenic, England was the most interesting, Italy was the most fun, and France was the most romantic. The food in both Italy and Paris was superb and we savored exquisite meals at the tantalizing outdoor cafes. I remember in Paris sitting next to a pilot and his girlfriend who we chatted up while dining on escargot and filet mignon. The pilot had flown from the United States to Paris for a special date night and it happened to be a beautiful night with a clear sky, full moon, and stars galore. After dinner, my husband and I walked along the Seine River where everything was brilliantly lit and you could see reflections in the water. I know we experienced one of our most romantic nights in Paris that night, and I’m fairly certain that the pilot and his girlfriend did as well. When our whirlwind trip was over, we vowed to come back to Europe just as soon as we could, and we have since returned many times to London, Paris, and Rome.

In my forty’s, our family adventures continued as we explored more phenomenal new places. One summer we drove throughout western Canada and visited many of our relatives from both sides of our families, who resided in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. We especially cherished spending time with our extended family and seeing mountainous Banff and stunning Jasper for the first time. Our most memorable family voyage was our Mediterranean cruise and trip to Italy. Our daughters met friends before even boarding the ship, who they became inseparable with throughout the cruise. Our rule was that we all explored the ports together during the day, met up for our later dinner, and after dinner, the girls were allowed to attend their teen club with their friends. At our first dinner, our daughters reported that the teen club started at 11 pm every night. We told them that they were mistaken, and that it should finish by 11 pm, and even that was a little late. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we were no longer in Canada and everything in Europe, including dining, started so much later. We ended up taking turns with the parents of the friends they met ensuring that the girls returned back safely to their cabin. We were all a little tired the next day on tour, but we were captivated by the phenomenal sights of each new port.

Touring southern Italy was just as magnificent as we had remembered. We relished in all of the delicious Italian food, such as the homemade pastas and pizzas and especially the gelato. We copied the locals, walking the cobblestone streets around the entire island of Capri, which was stunningly beautiful, and we also walked the entire city of Rome, on one of the hottest days. Upon arriving in Rome, we learned that the taxis and tour companies were on strike and so our only mode of transportation was by foot or city buses. By the end of our tiring day of exploring, we became completely lost. We asked many Italians for help, but nobody understood English, and unfortunately, we didn’t speak Italian. We hopped on a public bus even though we had no idea where it was going. Our saving grace was that a lovely lady who happened to speak English was also on our bus, and she directed us back to our hotel. Even with our language barrier, our European trip was the highlight of our travels, and the one that we all still fondly reminisce about.

In my fifty’s, my husband and I became semi-retired and empty nesters. Travel became a priority for us (until COVID). Semi-retirement has allowed us to spend extended periods in Florida during the winter months, and we have visited much of eastern United States along our way to Naples. Nashville was the most entertaining city, with superb live country music playing all day and night long in the myriad of bars along Broadway Street. Hilton Head is a bike lover’s dream, where everyday we rode for miles on the beach and along the bike paths. We enjoyed the boardwalks of the eastern seaboard and particularly fell in love with the charming cities of Savannah and Charleston in South Carolina.

Two of the most beautiful places that I have visited happen to be right in Canada. We spent a week one September driving around Vancouver Island, after visiting Vancouver. Upon arriving in Tofino, the front desk attendant of our hotel told us to immediately go the beach before even unpacking, because sunshine was a rarity. We did as we were told and learned that we would need to wear our raincoats everyday while hiking the rugged trails on the Pacific coast. The highlight of our trip was catching forty pounds of salmon, while fishing in Campbell River. We even brought most of it home to our freezer and eventually served our catch to friends at future dinners where we shared stories about our fishing expedition and all of our other exciting adventures on the enticing Island. I can now understand why many couples choose to retire on Canada’s west coast in picturesque cities like Nanaimo, Tofino, and Victoria. Vancouver is one of my favorite cities in Canada.

My husband and I drove to the East Coast and visited New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island early on in our marriage. We adored the magnificent views from the Cabot Trail and devouring the buckets of muscles that we ate at church suppers and the fresh scallops that we bought directly from seafood trucks. But we mostly adored the friendly people. We had not been to Newfoundland and Labrador yet, so decided one summer to fly to St. John’s for a quick getaway. It is true that the Newfoundlanders are the most welcoming and nicest people we have ever met. We enjoyed meeting them and hearing their entertaining stories just as much as they delighted in sharing their island pride with us and the rest of the world. When it isn’t foggy, the views from capital hill are spectacular and one of the most colorful sites in St. John’s are the houses along “Jelly Bean Row.”

Another memorable trip for us was our Greek island cruise. Santorini was my favorite Island, with the village built on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I witnessed the most glorious sunset I have ever seen in Santorini (and I am a sunset lover). My husband and I chuckled at the primitive conditions of these islands, where often the mode of transportation from the ship to the village was via donkey. Other unique cruise itineraries that we fondly remember are out of Quebec to Eastern Canada and out of California along the Pacific Northwest coast to Vancouver. Both cruises offer lovely ports to tour. I fell in love with cruising since my very first cruise, and likely have been on more than a dozen cruises. We have been fortunate to meet wonderful people from all around the globe, including Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and throughout Europe. We found the Brits to be the most entertaining and fun; they are often the last to leave the pub or party and they have the greatest laughs.

We enjoyed our European capitals coach trip so much that we decided to tour Spain and Portugal by bus. I was smitten with everything about both Spain and Portugal, especially the quaint villages lined with myriads of olive trees. This coach tour was filled mostly with older passengers from all around the globe. The tour group didn’t congregate nightly for cocktails as we had on our last coach tour, but we got to know many from our tour group who asked if they could join us as we explored the various stopovers. Whenever we arrived at a new town or city, my husband and I laced up our sneakers and set off exploring by foot. We were affectionately referred to as the “Canadian walkers” (which we considered an upgrade from “them Canadiens”). I particularly enjoyed discovering the smaller towns but found Madrid and Lisbon to be vibrant cities with so much to see and do. Porto in the Douro region of Portugal was enchanting, with the town built along the water and Porto is home to some of the finest port in the world.

Our oldest daughter moved to England several years ago, so we have been fortunate to tour much of the UK during visits with her. I especially like the historic old towns with their shops and pubs, and we learned how to order our morning “white coffees” in Costa and other charming cafés. My daughter and British son-in-law have recently added our grandson to their family so we will be visiting regularly, and we look forward to traveling to other European countries while spending time across the pond. During a future visit next year, we will be embarking on our first river cruise, going from Budapest to Amsterdam.

Another continent that we decided to explore while semi-retired, was South America. We flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina and hopped on a cruise ship that went south down through Argentina and then north up through Chile, disembarking in Santiago, Chile. Two other couples who are our close friends, joined us on that exploration, and every night we became the boisterous dinner table that conservative cruisers wanted to quiet, and lively cruisers requested to join. We laughed nonstop as we exchanged stories about our touring adventures, all while sipping way too much wine (and rusty nails for some) and eating the scrumptious multi-course meals. We talked about how different the landscape is in Argentina, from Canada. The trees looked barren and there wasn’t the outstanding natural beauty that you find in Canada, with the exception of Ushuaia, which was breathtaking. The mountainous village is the world’s southernmost city and everywhere you walked provided magnificent mountain views. Chile is known for their wineries, and we passed many wine vines while driving through the Santiago region. The wine was particularly good value for the price, but I must confess that I am somewhat of a California cabernet sauvignon wine snob. However, the cost for dinners, wine, and other living expenses is considerably lower in South America than we pay in Canada. I can certainly see why South America is alluring to many foreigners.

I am so thankful that my passion for travel began when I was a child, and I am so grateful for my traveler’s soul. I have been blessed with the opportunity of exploring so many amazing places, learning about so many diverse cultures, and meeting so many incredible people from around the globe. Every new trip has been fascinating, enlightening and has provided me with priceless and cherished memories, which will last a lifetime. My passion for travel led me to become certified as a part-time travel consultant with Expedia Cruises and Travel. I love researching destinations and itineraries just as much as planning, organizing, and traveling to all the captivating new places. There are more continents that I still need to explore, but I am well on my way to becoming a world traveler. Australia and New Zealand are next up on our bucket list, and I cannot wait to start researching and planning for that exhilarating new journey!