Every backpacking trip always proves to teach me a new lesson, but they all have one purpose that surpasses all and that is the power of escaping. Nature provides us with our basic physical needs, but what I think people forget sometimes is the emotional and physiological needs that are met through nature. It became apparent to me how much we need to escape into the wilderness to truly reset and refocus our lives and to just 'be' without any distractions. I met some incredible people this week, made some worthwhile memories and most of all have had a gentle nature cleanse to bring appreciation back to my reality. 

My good Friend Matt Mosteller contacted me several months ago asking if I would be interested in taking a helicopter into the beautiful Purcell mountains to spend a week at Boulder Hut with a group of very cool people. Kimberley is our starting point and since it wasn’t far from home of course I replied YES… only moments after receiving the email.

My first time to Africa! I was particularly excited to check this continent off of my list, however I barley touched on what the region has to offer. We travelled the Southern areas of Namibia during our trip and I’ll give you the ins and outs of the type of travel you're looking at while in Namibia.

Normally for me a month of winter is all I can really stomach before I want to head to somewhere warm but this season I've tried to embrace the cold months and enjoy what it really has to offer. Having amazing experiences in the summer at Mt. Engadine Lodge only further encouraged me to see what it's like in the winter, and I think it may be even more magical if that's possible!

On my most recent trip to New Zealand, Geoff and I were lucky enough to get a flight over the Fiordlands with Heliworks, a company out of Queenstown. We did a lot of scouting before hand at what Heli company would take us to the photo locations we wanted and Heliworks met all of the criteria and more!

Out of every ten people I told that I was going to Borneo, eight of them had no idea where it was. I was one of those eight at one time. So why go to a place I had never even heard of until a few months before the trip? Well partly my boyfriend had convinced me because he has been there before and partly because I was ready for an incredible adventure like no other.

A trip to to the Yukon was what we had set our minds to months before this, but it had somehow evolved into a different kind of trip that didn't require leaving BC at all. A good friend, Taylor Burk, had convinced us that with the amount of time we had we should do a trip to Mount Edziza instead.

The West Coast of Canada is a rugged place where the ocean and mountains meet. It you are a person who can't decide between the ocean or the mountains this may be the place for you. I have written up a few of my favorite stops along the sea to sky highway, I have visited this area several times and by no means have seen it all, but here are some great hikes and things to do in the area. I will start by Chilliwack, BC and work up from there to Pemberton. 

I was recommended to visit Island Lake Lodge this summer by a good friend from my recent trip to CMH Lodge. At the time I honestly didn't think I would have time with my busy summer schedule. My boyfriend was visiting from New Zealand and I had a full schedule of hikes planned for us, but lucky for us we found a few spare days to make it out to this lodge. I am so glad we had time because it may have been one of my favorite getaways from summer memories. 

The TMB started out at Berg Lake last summer where I met an older couple who chatted to me about their travels. They had been to every beautiful mountain region in the world, Machu Pichu, Kilimanjaro, Patagonia ect. I asked “Which trip was your highlight?” They told me that the Tour du Mount Blanc had been the most spectacular trip of all. This conversation was going on at one of the most beautiful mountain parks, Berg Lake, so I knew they were on to something. I instantly did my research when I arrived home and was impressed by the google images search. All I remember was thinking, I have to go.

So I already wrote a post about how to visit Alberta in the winter, so here is the summer version. It includes more places, mostly because places are much more accessible in the summer. I will start at Kananaskis and make my way to Jasper through Banff National Park. By no means did I cover everything!

Well the Gold Coast is nothing short of golden I can assure you! I always seem to end up in places that sound like my last name! It was a short stay at the Gold Coast but I sure made the most of it, I don’t think I missed a sunrise or a sun set all week which you will be able to tell by my images. I will give a little insight into how my week went here and what I would recommend if you find yourself in the Gold Coast.

My good friend from home, Leanne, decided to join me on my Norway trip so I was thrilled. We have done a lot of travel together in the past and we both travel well together. We started out in Oslo because that seemed to be the cheapest flights by far! We knew we needed to rent a car and we had the crazy north region of Lofoten in our sights. We decided to just go for it and drive there.

I went on a recent different kind of trip to Croatia. Europe is a pretty amazing place with a whole new set of wonderful new lessons and cultural differences. I was invited to Croatia by @shareistria along with Turkish Airlines and BMW. In this blog I will give you 5 reasons why Croatia should be on your travel list.

I arrived on the North Island of New Zealand on Wednesday. From the air it was lush and green and I knew it would be hot. Exactly what I want, to escape the cold Canadian winter and cheat life a bit. I met my friends at the airport, Bec and Andrew. They travel between Canada, Australia and New Zealand often and I had met them in Canada last summer for a hike out in Waterton. Andrew is from Canada and Bec is Australian. They had been travelling the South Island for the last month and we had set up to travel together for their last 15 days and My first 15. They also have a car that I will buy off of them when they leave, mutually benefiting.

Let’s start in Calgary, because that is where majority of you will fly into. Calgary is about an hour drive from Banff NP. Depending on when you fly in I would start in Kananaskis (Spray Lakes). It is an area before Canmore and Banff which has some stunning Mountain Ranges. You could spend a few days out here hiking and exploring or an afternoon driving through on the Peter-Lougheed Road. I haven’t done much snow shoeing out here but you might be able to find some trails. The views alone can keep me entertained.