Hi, I’m Emma and I like to travel – although you probably already figured that part out, right? Hehe. Okay then, here’s a bit more about me…
I have English parents who came to Canada on their honeymoon – 10 months later they were still there and I was born, yes it was a very long honeymoon! After a total of 4 years on this so called honeymoon my mother became homesick for England and they moved back, with me in tow. I had the typical English ‘little girl’ upbringing which luckily for me included ponies, before my parents again decided to pack up and move back to Canada. I was 14 at that point, leaving me to this day an accent that most people mistake as Australian.
For most of my life, I did what I was supposed to do; got good grades, had a baby at 17 and then another at 23 (ok, haha – maybe wasn’t supposed to do that) but I did manage to put myself through college and join the workforce, as a single mum which I’m very proud of – becoming a ‘good’ citizen and a so called ‘productive’ member of society, I mean that’s what we are supposed to do right?
It took me a while to settle into a profession; I dabbled in desktop publishing, the telecommunications and aerospace industry, bought a small town hotel with bar and even thought about joining the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) musical ride division specifically (remember those ponies) before settling into the armored car industry.
From Armoured Guard to Travel Blogger
I worked my way up the ranks and eventually was able to get a mortgage and big North American vehicle (I mean really big, hummer BIG!) I guess I needed a big vehicle after driving around in an armoured truck all day, right?!
In March 2018 at the tender age of 44 – my children had both left home, started their own careers in the movie industry and were finally independent.
At this time, I had really just had enough – fed up with paying the bills with a little left over to spend on a 2 week holiday once a year and honestly feeling exhausted all the time – so after a lifetime dreaming of traveling the world, I decided that it was the right time to make that happen for myself.
I decided to leave ‘rainy’ Vancouver and follow my dreams to travel full time, with no plan and no end date – some might call that homeless (my mother mainly, haha) but I’m now embracing every corner of the world as my home.
Yep, I called it quits on conventional by leaving my career, ended a long term relationship that I knew just wasn’t right for me, sold my home and most of my belongings and bought a one way plane ticket out of the country. I’ve been travelling ever since and I don’t regret one single second of it…
What I Love About Travel
I believe that travel is so much more than simply seeing the sights and being just a tourist. Travel is unique experience and all the wonderful things you learn from it can truly change your life, it certainly has mine!
I love how travel helps you to grow as a person and how you meet others who inspire and teach you along your journey. I have been blessed to have met so many interesting people, experienced so many different cultures, discovered new and delicious foods, seen amazing sights and I always try to do that by leaving a light footprint and a smile on the face of people I encounter along the way.
I travel to make the most of my time on earth, to make every day count (instead of counting down the days until the weekend or to my yearly 2 week holiday) because life is simply too short for me to live it any other way, anymore. Time is precious and not guaranteed, so I believe we should follow our dreams today!
Most of all I travel for freedom; to live life on my terms, to be in charge of my own destiny, to give myself the biggest luxury of TIME, to pursue my passions and ambitions instead of spending anymore of my life day dreaming out of a rain streaked window (or in my case an armoured truck windshield) working long hours, just to pay the bills.
My Adventures
I’ve had the chance to visit numerous places during my travels and have been lucky enough to experience so many amazing adventures along the way;
Lived on an tropical island for a month while getting my scuba diving certification, danced until dawn at a full moon party, took a bar tending class, swam with whale sharks, volunteered with elephants and was even Ryan Gosling’s neighbor for a week in a beach villa in Thailand.
Worn millions of dollars worth of diamonds from a diamond factory, toured Windmills, tried on many pairs of clogs, ate soooo many pancakes, visited the most incredible museums, admired priceless works of art and of course rode a bike in The Netherlands.
Swam with wild pigs and snorkeled with stingrays, relaxed on white sandy beaches, sampled lots of rum, traveled beneath the waves in a submarine, visited a donkey sanctuary and even won on the grand prize singing in a Karaoke contest cruising in the Caribbean.
Hiked to the top of Huayna Picchu, sand boarded and dune buggied in the desert, discovered the secret valley of the Incas, flew over the mysterious Nazca lines, rode a Peruvian Paso horse on the beach and caught some waves learning to surf in Peru.
Saw the Grand Canyon, celebrated Mardi Gras, relived my childhood at Disneyland, strolled the Hollywood walk of fame, listened to live music at the Grand Old Opry, rode on an airboat through the everglades, drove over the golden gate bridge, took passage on a paddle steamer and felt dwarfed next to the gigantic redwood trees in the USA
Attended a class at William Shakespeare’s school, marveled at the wonder of Stonehenge, lived through the footsteps of Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes, saw the crown jewels, watched performances at the theatre, dined at a medieval banquet, sat in the royal boxes at Westminster Abbey and listened to the angelic voices of the boy’s choir and even met the queen (at Madam Tussauds, of course!) in England.
Stuffed myself silly at a chocolate factory, learnt the art of cheese making, toured the UN, took a train to the highest station in Europe, discovered the origins of the universe at CERN, visited the bizarre H.R. Giger museum tucked away in a medieval village and took in the views of The Matterhorn in Switzerland.
Landed on a glacier in a helicopter, threw axes like a lumberjack, zipped over forest canopies, took a bear safari, cheered on a hockey game, hiked mountain peaks, hit the slopes, swam in crystal clear lakes, went on an aboriginal cultural journey and jumped out of an airplane in Canada.
Was a guest at a traditional tea ceremony dressed in a kimono, watched a sumo wrestler practice session, saw the most beautiful cherry blossoms and played with the cutest little critters at a hedgehog cafe in Japan.
Joined a crossfit boot camp, explored hidden underground caves, took drum lessons, searched for hidden tiny statues, partied in the coolest ruin bars, rode a funicular and became a regular at many spa’s (including my favorite – a beer spa) in Hungary.
Explored castles, took the famous yellow tram 28, enjoyed the annual traditional Golega horse fair, sampled port in a winery, checked out the amazing street art, listened to haunting fado music, took in the views and rang in a new year in Portugal.
Cruised the Grand Canal in a gondola, sipped on aperol spritz and feasted on pasta, stood on Juliette’s balcony, threw a coin and made a wish at the Trevi fountain, admired the splendor of Saint Mark’s Basilica and wandered the romantic streets in Italy.
Sang my heart out at Mirabell Palace to the ‘sound of music’, exlored Motzart’s residence, saw the eagles nest, visited a crypt, got lost in a maze, enjoyed a marionette show and watched a practice session at The Spanish Lipizzaner Stallion riding school in Austria.
Sampled tequila and ate ALL the taco’s, experienced the day of the dead, swam in a cenote, listened to a mariachi band perform, discovered ancient Mayan ruins, dined in a cave and picked up a little ‘Spanglish’ along my way in Mexico.
Travelled to outer space – or at least got close by visiting the UFO tower, drank tea in an underground bunker, saw the most beautiful blue ‘wedding cake’ church, tagged along on a communism tour, sampled beers with locals and even witnessed the swearing in of the new president in Slovakia.
Went on a truffle hunt, boated to the blue cave, sat on the iron throne, experienced ‘glow in the dark’ paddle boarding, explored lavender fields, swung over a soccer stadium, visited roman ruins, partied in a cave, went skinny dipping (for the first time) and sailed the adriatic sea for a week on a pirate ship – oh and I also fell in love with the skipper (who now travels the world with me) in Croatia.
Now, I could go on but I’ll stop here…I think you get the point. I love traveling and to me everything I have experienced to date is priceless. My bucket list is long and I look forward to continuing my adventures and helping you to get the very most out of your travels as well.
Why I Created This Site
I don’t think that everyone in this world wants to be like me and travel full time – maybe you have a job you love, maybe you only want to travel part time or maybe you just aren’t able to at this very moment? I promise I’m not gonna write numerous articles about how I quit my job to travel the world and how you can too, with only $100 in your pocket. For anyone who believes that crap, I’m NOT doing it with $100 in my pocket – either you save before you go, find a job you can do on the road, sell your home and possessions (like I did) or retire.
My goal is to make one stop travel site that connects you with everything you might need before and after you go on your journey. I hope to provide you with valuable information, travel ideas and inspiration, the very best travel tips and discounts out there, the top and newest travel products and bucket list tours. It’s an amazing world out there and I want to help you discover the very best of it!!!
Thanks for visiting my website and if you have any questions at all, shoot me an email – I answer each and everyone of them.
Sincerely yours,
