15 minute read

I’ve always wanted to travel. As a kid I was fascinated by geography, and spent hours studying the globe and doing research on different countries. This interest only heightened as I got older, and although I had the chance to do short trips here and there, there were still many places on my list that I’d yet to see. So, in September 2022, after completing my undergrad, several internships, and spending some time in a full time role, I decided to take some time off to finally satisfy my travel bug. And let me tell you, it was quite the adventure!

Yukon Territory: June 2022

Okay, this one was technically a vacation before leaving my job, but it’s too cool not to mention. The Canadian North is a vast and wild frontier that I actually knew quite little about growing up in the Suburbs of Toronto. So when my friend and housemate in Vancouver proposed a road trip up to the Yukon, I was keen to see what it had to offer.
Starting from Vancouver in his converted minivan (with his adorable dog Hugo in tow), we took about 5 days to drive the more than 2000km to the Yukon border, passing through many beautiful mountain vistas on the way. The beautiful views didn’t end there, as the Yukon itself proved to have some of the most striking and serene landscapes I’d ever seen. From doing an overnight hike in Kluane national park (home to one of my most diverse Grizzly bear populations in North America - luckily none paid us a visit), to spending the summer solstice on a hilltop in Dawson city as part of an Indigenous celebration, it was truly a trip to remember. A few lessons I learned on this trip:

1. Experiencing nearly 24hour daylight is all fun and games until it’s time to fall asleep - this is where a sleeping mask does wonders
2. The mosquitoes in Ontario are nothing compared to the mosquitoes in the Yukon - you’ve been warned!
3. The more beautiful the lake, the colder the water

Hugo posing for the camera; Signpost forest near Watson Lake; From the Carcross desert - not the view you’d typically expect from atop a sand dune

Emerald Lake; Some of the stillest water I’ve ever seen

Sunset at 12:30am; Kluane National Park

3:43am on the solstice; From Nare’s Mountain

My first time building a snowman in June

Southwest USA: October 2022

I kicked off my gap year(s) with a road trip down south. Starting from Vancouver (where I was living at the time), my friend and I hit the road in her Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear and began driving down the west coast to San Francisco (by way of Seattle, Portland, lots of beaches, and some incredibly tall trees). After spending a few days in San Fran (my favourite American city), we headed inland, through Yosemite, and into the desert. After a quick pitstop in Vegas, and a brief stint in the South of Utah, we made it to the red rocks of Arizona. From there, we headed back west to southern California (pushing the 20 year old van’s air conditioning to the absolute limit as we drove through death valley), and then finally back up to Canada. This trip was a bit of a whirlwind (over 8000km in 26 days), but the amount we got to see in that time made it all worth it.

A foggy Cannon Beach, OR; One of the oldest drag shows in America hosted by (at the time) the oldest working drag queen - may she rest in peace!; Above and below the fog on the Northern Cal coast

The incredibly tall Redwood trees; Sunny day over the bay; El Capitan

Salt flats in the desert; Unexpcted visitors at the gas station; Red rocks in a Utah ghost town

Horseshoe canyon; Ancient dinosaur tracks, somewhere in the Navajo nation; Grand canyon local

Joshua Tree National Park, aka someplace out of a Dr. Suess story; Venice beach

Scenic coastline in Big Sur; The Tree of Life in Olympic National Park

India: January - February 2023

After seeing more of what North America had to offer, it was time to head overseas for my first proper backpacking trip. My first destination was Rishikesh, India, to complete my 200 hour Yoga Teacher training course.

I’d begun doing yoga at the start of the pandemic as a way to increase strength and flexibility and just generally alleviate stress. After a few years of evolving my practice on YouTube, I wanted to take my practice to the next level and learn what Yoga was really about - and what better place to do it than the Yoga capital of the world.

My time in Rishikesh was pretty unforgettable. With the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas and the river Ganga, I had the chance to learn so much about what yoga is (and is not), push my body and mind more than I’d ever done before, and meet some incredible people. I think my biggest takeaway from this experience was how much power can be unlocked by looking inwards and becoming “masters of our minds” (i.e. being able to remove the “mind modifications” of everyday life and access unaltered and undisturbed channels of our consciousness). Of course, this is a fairly abstract concept and can be difficult to contextualize (for myself included), but this is essentially the “goal” of yoga, at least in the most traditional sense. And adhering to a regular practice of yoga is the path towards this form of liberation.

Anyway, after a month in Rishikesh (during which time I experienced the most, ahem, “character building” food poisoning of my life), some friends and I carried on to see more of the beauty India has to offer. Starting with the Taj Mahal in Agra, to beautiful architecture and rich history in Rajasthan, and then finally to beaches and mountains in Kerala, I was consistently amazed by what the country had to offer. I really only scratched the surface in my 7 weeks there, so I’ll definitely need to go back one day.

New friends on my morning walk; Restaurant view overlooking the Ganga

Monkey model; Sunrise in the Himalayas

Backdrop for beach yoga session; Meditation chamber

View from ashram; Meal from a temple in Haridwar; The iconic Taj Mahal

Side eye; Hawa Mahal, Jaipur; Amber Fort, Jaipur

Beautiful architectural detail in Udaipur; Viewpoint outside Udaipur

Morning in Jodhpur, the Blue City; Alleyway in Jodhpur; Alleyway in Jaisalmer, the Golden City

Desert safari outside Jaisalmer; Cliffs of Varkala

Munroe Island backwaters; Tea fields of Munnar

Kolukkumalai viewpoint near Munnar; The hostel’s puppy called Highway, aka the love of my life

Thailand: February - March 2023

From India I carried on to Thailand. After a day in Bangkok, I hopped on a bus and then a ferry down to the island of Koh Tao, in the gulf of Thailand. There I completed my open water scuba diving certification. As someone who loves swimming and is fascinated by the marine world, scuba diving was a major bucket list item for me, and what a better place to do it than in tropical waters like this.

After completing my certification, the plan was to go for my advanced certification straight away - however, I may (or may not!) have been in a minor moped accident, which was thankfully not super serious, but did mean I had to stay out of the ocean for about 2 weeks while a few things healed. This was a low point of my trip, but I decided to make the most of it and take some time to just relax and completely unwind - and hey, the south of Thailand isn’t a bad place to do just that! I spent that time in Ao Nang, then once I was all better, carried on to the island of Koh Phi Phi to complete my advanced certification. The diving was absolutely beautiful there as well.

Lastly, I visited Khao Sok national park, which was a stunning way to cap off my time in this amazing country. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to make it to the north of Thailand, but I guess that’s just a reason to go back!

Beautiful water near Koh Tao; My cutest classmate during my diving theory class; Beach in Ao Nang

Crazy sunset in Ao Nang; Blending in at the Tiger Temple; Railay Beach

Lookout point from cave hike in Railay; Floating accommodation in Khao Sok

More beautiful Khao Sok

Vietnam: March - April 2023

From Thailand I flew to Ho Chi Minh City to kick off a month in Vietnam. I initially met up with a friend from University who happened to be working there for a few months (small world!), and after exploring the city’s markets and mouth watering food spots for a few days, we took a weekend trip to Phú Quốc, an island southwest of the Vietnamese mainland. After a nice weekend of beach-going and exploring, I headed back to the mainland and began working my way north.

Along the way I stopped in Dalat, Hội An, Huế, Ninh Bình, and then eventually up to Hà Giang. Each place offered unique food, architecture, landscapes and culture, and I was able to share the experience with many other backpackers.

From Hà Giang I embarked on a 4 day motorcycle “loop” through the region. As a rider on the back of my guide’s bike, I was able to sit back (well, metaphorically) and take in some of the most breathtaking mountain vistas I’d ever seen. This was perhaps the highlight of my entire time in Asia, just incredible!

I capped things off with a few days in Sa Pa, then had a short but sweet tour of Hanoi before heading to my next destination.

Sunset in Phú Quốc; Incense production facility in Dalat; Moody lake-view in Dalat

Lanterns and yellow buildings in Hội An; Getting fresh produce from the market

Viewpoint along the Hải Vân Pass between Hội An and Huế; Imperial City of Huế; Boat ride around Ninh Bình

Views from a muddy jog around Ninh Bình; From the Hà Giang loop

Hà Giang loop; More Hà Giang loop

Hà Giang loop again; Rice terraces in Sa Pa

Notes cafe in Hanoi

Indonesia: April - May 2023

Next I flew to Bali to kick off a few weeks in Indonesia. I spent a few days exploring the beaches in the south, then took a short ferry ride to the Nusa islands to explore some of the iconic spots. From there, I headed to Gili Trawangan (aka Gili T) to meet up with some friends I’d met in Vietnam. The snorkeling there was pretty cool, I saw about 5 sea turtles right off of the beach!

After a fun few days I hopped over to Lombok to kick off a 4 day boating journey to Flores. This was a lot of fun - highlights included breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, snorkeling with a whale shark, seeing Komodo dragons on Komodo island, and hiking to the lookout on Padar Island to take in the breathtaking view.

I finished things off by flying back to Bali and spending a few relaxing days in Ubud. Then I was headed Down Under!

Sunset in Seminyak, Bali; Dream Beach, Nusa Lembongan; Diamond Beach, Nusa Penida

The iconic Kelingking beach, Nusa Penida; Angel’s Billabong, Nusa Penida; From the beach on Gili T

Sunrise somewhere in the Flores Sea; One of the residents of Komodo Island

Pink Beach near Komodo island; Padar island at sunset; Bird’s eye view of the coral (doesn’t do it justice at all)

From the flight back to Bali

Australia: May 2023 - May 2024

G’day g’day! I finally made it down under, a land that I’d always wanted to go. That being said, I actually knew pretty little about what Australia was all about. When I thought about it, I always thought about the wildlife (from the cute Koalas to the terrifying dinner plate size spiders), the beaches, and the laid back lifestyle. Beyond that, I didn’t really know what to expect.

When I arrived, I pretty quickly realized that it’s actually incredibly similar to my home land of Canada; both countries are culturally very similar (former British colonies but these days are extremely multicultural); both have modern architecture and car-centric urban planning (not a huge fan of the car bit, however); both have the vast majority of their populations concentrated in a very small portion of the total land area, leaving vast areas of incredibly remote and untouched wilderness (well I guess more desert in Australia’s case) - the list goes on. This was sort of comforting, considering that I was planning on being there for an entire year, as I was doing the working holiday visa. The main things I noticed as different were the trees and the birds - both way cooler than back home (sorry, Canada). And encountering the scary wildlife is much, much less common than people think.

I started off my year in Brisbane, doing a work for accommodation homestay that I’d coordinated through workaway.com. My host was absolutely lovely! She was a retired teacher who just needed some help with some projects around the house. She was also able to give me lots of insight into what Australia was all about, and certainly set me on the right course for the rest of my year. Thanks heaps, Lozz <3

Golden hour in the trees; Surfer’s paradise, Gold Coast

Back porch visitors; Brissy skyline

From Brisbane, I took about 5 days to drive the ~1700km North to Cairns. I can’t say I had the best night’s sleep during this trip, as a tiny hatchback is a little on the small side for a 188cm tall man like me, but the beautiful beaches and countryside certainly made up for it. The most surprising part of the trip was on the second last day when I was driving from Townsville to Mission beach, and I passed a sign saying “Welcome to Tropical North Queensland” - and just like that, it seemed as though the flora became considerably more tropical-looking quite suddenly. Who knows if it was actually as sudden as I remember, but that was a big “not in Kansas anymore” moment for me, and made me very excited for the coming months.

Sunset from Noosa Heads; Sunrise near Noosa

Passing the Tropic of Capricorn; Honeyeater Lookout, Airlie Beach

Near Bowen, QLD

Once in Cairns, it was time to start the working part of my working holiday (my bank account insisted). Although my previous experience was in science and tech, I wanted to try my hand at working in hospitality while in Australia. I think working jobs like that is somewhat of a rite of passage, and it hones a certain skill set that is transferable to other types of careers. So, after hitting the streets and handing out resumes to every restaurant I could find, I landed a job as a Barista at a cafe. Australia has a big coffee culture, and the general standard for coffee is a lot higher than it is in Canada (even McDonalds, or “Maccas”, does espresso coffee down there). So, it was a great place for me to learn the art of a good coffee. It definitely took some time, but by the end customers were regularly telling me “great coffee mate”, so I guess I must have learned a thing or two. Although, I’ll confess that I’m still pretty bad at latte art.

Throughout my months in Cairns I had lots of time to explore what Far North Queensland has to offer. There is an immense amount of beautiful lush jungle which includes a surprising amount of waterfalls and freshwater suitable for swimming (the saltwater crocs stick to estuaries near the ocean). This includes the Daintree Rainforest, which is one of the oldest rainforests in the world.

Then of course there is the Great Barrier Reef, arguably Australia’s most iconic natural wonder. As a newly certified diver, I was keen to dive in the reef as much as possible. I ended up booking a tour with a company that allowed me to stay and dive for a few extra days in exchange for working on the boat during those days. It definitely helped make the trip more affordable, and hey, how many people can say they washed dishes floating above a coral reef.

From the Cairns esplanade; En route to the Daintree

Where the Rainforest meets the ocean; Croc free swimming spot

Walking through the jungle; Daintree orchard

Trinity Beach (North of Cairns); Lake Eacham, Tabelands

Rock wallaby; Orb spider; Jungle near Josephine Falls

Table coral in the GBR; Diving in the GBR

Nudey Beach, Fitzroy Island (not actually a nude beach); From outside Port Douglas

After my time in the tropics, I began heading back down south the East coast. Stops along the way included sailing and skydiving in Airlie beach, driving a 4-wheel drive on the beach on K’gari, and taking a surfing class in Byron Bay. I finished off in Sydney, which (from my Canadian lens) kind of felt like a mix between Toronto and Vancouver; Toronto in that it’s the economic center of the country, and Vancouver in that it’s incredibly scenic and people are very into outdoor recreation.

Viewpoint on Magnetic Island, QLD; Signage on the beach on Magnetic Island; Sailing at sunset

Whitehaven beach, Whitsundays

Just before jumping out of a plane, overlooking Airlie beach; Carlo sand blow, Rainbow Beach

Beautiful beach on K’gari; Boorangoora, K’gari; Be careful where you step at night when camping…

Spider about the size of my hand; SS Maheno Shipwreck; Beautiful Byron Bay

Cliffs of Cape Byron; Port Mac Koala hospital (clearly getting the 5 star treatment); Finn’s Beach, Port Mac

First time seeing the opera house; Bondi beach; Coastal walk from Bondi

Sunset by the opera house; Harbour bridge

Along the way down the coast I’d stopped in a town called Port Macquarie (in New South Wales between Byron Bay and Sydney), and I really got a good vibe from both the town and the hostel I stayed at. So, I decided to head back up and work there for a bit over Christmas and New Years. It turned out that quite a few of us had arrived at the same time to stay and work, so we quickly ended up forming a great group of friends and making the most of the beautiful beach town. I would say this was the place that felt the most stereotypically Australian - picturesque beaches, beautiful birds (there was a family of Rainbow Lorikeets that lived on my neighbour’s lawn), laid back people. It was a great experience to have, and although Christmas in hot weather was a bit strange, I can’t complain about spending it on the beach. I’ll always be thankful for my Port Macquarie family who made my time there so special.

Sleeping flying foxes; From the Port Macquarie coastal walk

Rainbow Lorikeet family; Golden hour skate

Spotted in a tide pool by a beach in Port Mac

At the start of 2024 I left Port Macquarie and headed back to Sydney for a few days, during which time I took a day trip to the Blue Mountains. From there I took a scenic train ride through the countryside down to Melbourne, where I would spend my last few months in Aus. Melbourne felt the least specifically Australian - it just felt like a city - but nevertheless it was probably my favourite place in Australia. There was never a shortage of things to do, and I ended up forming the best group of friends I’d had in my entire time away. Plus, my jobs were a lot of fun as well - I worked at a takeaway salad/bowl restaurant (which was right up my alley, I love healthy food), and also at a cute (and dog friendly) cafe. I really couldn’t have asked for a better setup during my time there.

During those months I managed to get out of the city a few times to see some of Victoria’s natural beauty, including beautiful beaches down in the Mornington Peninsula, a colony of tiny penguins swimming to shore on Phillip Island, and some dramatic rock formations rising out of the sea along the Great Ocean Road. And being able to see those places with some amazing friends made each experience even sweeter.

Stream in the Blue Mountains; The Three Sisters; First night in Melbourne

My cutest housemate enjoying the morning sun; Brighton beach boxes; Quaint pond near Dandenong Ranges

Cliffs on Phillip Island; Beach on the Mornington Peninsula

Sunset over the Melbourne skyline; Courtyard of the cafe I worked at

The Grotto, Great Ocean Road; Cool rock formations; 12 apostles

The last leg of my Australian journey was a week-long road trip down in Tasmania, with 4 of my friends. Tasmania was a lot more wild than any other place I’d seen so far - the amount of Wallabies we saw hopping around was really surprising, and really cute. It was also a lot more mountainous than anywhere I’d been on the mainland, which made for some cool hikes (we luckily managed to climb the Cradle mountain summit on a day that was clear and not very windy). Although it was freezing cold at night, it was still one of the best parts of my time Down Under.

Mt. Wellington; End of Cape Huay walk; Wineglass bay beach

Bay of Fires; Little Blue Lake

Snazzy ducks in the park; Little model posing for me; Cataract Gorge, Launceston

Dove Lake, near the base of Cradle Mountain; Fall colours on the way up Cradle Mountain

From the Cradle Mountain Summit; Lunch by the lake; Russell Falls

The noble steed; Paint me like one of your French Roos

And just like that, a year had gone by! And what a year it was. I’m glad I got to see as much of the country as I did, but there’s still so much more I didn’t get to see. I guess I’ll add it to my rapidly growing list of places I ought to return to someday.

New Zealand: May - June 2024

From Australia, I headed further southeast towards New Zealand. Now this was the place above all others that I’d been the most fascinated with growing up, and for some reason I’d had this idea that when I grew up I would move there, even though I didn’t really know anything about the Kiwi lifestyle. Now, having visited, I can say that I probably wouldn’t live there, but wow is it ever a beautiful place to visit.

I started in Christchurch in the South Island, where I met up with a friend from Canada who had been living there for about 8 months already on a working holiday visa. Straight away I was captivated by the beautiful landscape, and knew that I was in store to see some beautiful places. This was affirmed by seeing the Southern Lights (aka Aurora Australis) the first night! Although I did think it was funny how someone from Canada saw the Southern lights before the Northern ones.

We spent the next 2 weeks zig zagging through the South Island, seeing lots of mountains and beaches as we went. Every day was something new and amazing, and I was consistently amazed by how much there was to see in such a (relatively) small area. Some of my highlights were seeing glaciers, climbing Roy’s Peak near Wanaka (some of the best views I’ve ever seen on a hike), seeing countless waterfalls on a boat tour through Milford Sound, seeing baby seals at Katiki point, and doing a snowy hike near Mt Cook.

After our south island adventure, my friend and I parted ways, and I took the ferry from Picton to Wellington. Spent a few days in Wellington (one of the hilliest cities I’ve ever visited), then took an overnight bus to Auckland (which was slightly traumatic due to the fact that the lady in front of me, bless her, threw up like an hour into the bus ride and it smelled awful for the remaining 13 hours).

Auckland was a cool city, although it didn’t really feel like it had very much character (sorry if anyone is an Auckland fan). That being said, I saw a really cool sunset from Mt Eden.

After a few days in the city, I rented a campervan and set out for a solo 9-day road trip on the North Island. I began by driving down the west coast, stopping at some beautiful black sand beaches on the way down. One of those beaches was even a hot water beach, meaning if you dug a hole in the sand the water was quite warm due to all of the geothermal activity.

I made it all the way down to Mt Taranaki and hiked up to the hut, but sadly the weather was not on my side and the visibility was just about zero. Ah well, I couldn’t complain too much because the weather had been on my side pretty much the whole time prior (aside from being freezing cold at night). From there I drove through the countryside to Mt. Tongariro (aka Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings). It was too late in the season to do the full crossing (one of New Zealand’s most famous hikes), but I was still able to do a nice walk that showcased the highlights. After seeing a few more geothermal areas around Lake Taupo, I spent my last few days exploring the beaches north of Auckland, before finally flying back to Canada from Auckland.

Southern Lights on the first night; Near Arthur’s pass

Frosty fields in the morning; Devil’s punchbowl; Near Hokitika Gorge

Glow worms; Franz Josef glacier; Fitting breakfast

Lake Matheson; From Ship’s creek walk

Roy’s Peak; Cows enjoying the view on the way down from Roy’s Peak; Wanaka tree

The wheels; Moke lake

Silhouettes of Milford Sound; Waterfalls in Milford Sound; More waterfalls

Winter wonderland on the ride back from Milford; Cliffs near Dunedin

Baby seals at Katiki Point; Just lounging; Clay cliffs

Sunset near Lake Pukaki; Hooker Valley track in the snow

Nice framing of Mt Cook; Nelson Lakes

Abel Tasman; Sunny Nelson; Picton waterfront

Wellington; Auckland; Sunset from Mt. Eden

Bridal Falls; Hot water, black sand beach; Near the three sisters

Yet another sunset; Rolling hills in the countryside

Mt. Doom; Lake Taupo

Craters of the Moon; Kiwi icons

Kauri Tree; Pancake rocks; Whangārei waterfall

Piha beach; Hinerangi Pou

Final Thoughts

Writing this has reminded me how many adventures I was lucky enough to have in the last 2 years. I’m so grateful to have been in the position to be able to take this time for travel, and I’m so glad for the personal development these experiences have afforded me, both the good ones and the bad ones. I hope you enjoyed reading about them :)