I have always had a passion for geography itself as well as travelling. I love maps and knowing why people live where they live (the history behind places). So I fell into the travel world after deciding to take Tourism and Travel in college.
Yes, I think so. The travel world has become increasingly complex and overwhelming with so many options. For example, back in the day you could book a flight and the flight just by default includes a checked bag, seat selection, and is partly refundable. But now, you have to choose from three to five different tiers with different rules about bags, seats, cancellations, and points just in economy class, and then business class also has the same different tiers to choose from. So it’s gotten quite complicated. And people now for the most part don’t mind paying a fee to go to travel agencies to make it easier.
What’s still on your travel must see list?
I’ve been a travel advisor for 12 years with Merit, but am actually now moving onto a BDM role with Adventure Canada, which I’m stoked about. They bring passengers to the beautiful coasts of Greenland and Nunavut (as well as Scotland, Iceland and even Antarctica sometimes) and bring on scientists, artists, Inuit culturalists and more as staff on the ship to give an educating, engaging experience. I went on a trip with them in 2016 to Greenland & Nunavut and it blew my mind. Not just the landscapes and communities, but the staff on the ship were super cool and brilliantly passionate about everything in the Arctic.
It was the hands down the best trip I’ve ever had and a big factor as to why I said yes to the job opportunity. I got the chance to also go to Antarctica last year in 2022 (with a different expedition company), and it was also fantastic, but I feel like it didn’t hit me the same way as the Arctic. A big difference is that Antarctica is missing people. Landscapes and wildlife are very cool to see, but people and culture bring another layer to a trip experience that you can’t beat. And the Inuit communities in the Arctic have a very unique history that is amazing to learn about when you’re travelling up north.
