As per new mid-February tradition, I have prepared a brief summary of the past year of my life as a way of documenting my travels. While everyone is celebrating love and relationships this week for Valentine’s Day, I am celebrating another year of a nomadic life that has continued to inspire and drive me.
At this time a year ago I was in the midst of a seven-month trip in South America travelling in the nothing-less-than-spectacular country of Bolivia. The four-day ‘El Choro’ trek, a memorable 48-hour hitchhiking journey from Samaipata to Sucre, and a night of camping in the Uyuni Salt Flats were among the highlights from the month and a half that I spent in the country.
From Bolivia I crossed the border on foot into northern Argentina in early March and began a six-week hitchhiking and walking journey through northern Argentina and Chile. The hippy traveller vibes and endless vineyards captivated me in northern Argentina, while Chile’s Atacama Desert left me speechless as I continued my tour of the world’s major deserts. Through all the adventure, I took budget travelling to another level as I didn’t pay a cent for transportation during six weeks in the two countries combined and averaged under CA$5 per day for all expenses during that period.
In April I had made plans to meet up with longtime travel friends Logan and Kelly in the Cusco region of Peru for a four-day trek to the less-known Choquequirao ruins as an alternative to tourist-saturated Machu Picchu. A few days in the city of Cusco followed by a trip through the Sacred Valley rounded out our time together as we parted ways and began our journeys home in May.
I was overwhelmed by the turnout at what turned out to be an epic party in the Old Port of Montreal during the single day I spent in my home city immediately upon returning to Canada. The next day I returned to the Ottawa area and began a lengthy visit with my family. Over the next few weeks of May and June, I got back into the routine of studying languages, working on my writing, playing and watching basketball, cycling and running with the dog, doing some landscaping work for my parents, and spending quality time with my family. I also managed a few weekend visits to the Montreal area to be with my friends. In addition to my usual home routines, I bought a van in June almost eight years after selling my previous one.
After birthday celebrations in the Montreal area in late June, I set off in my newly purchased and converted van to begin the drive across Canada nine years after my first drive across the country and inaugural trip that launched my passion for travel. After a quick visit with my cousin Peter and his family in Peterborough, Ontario, I beelined across the country in search of a temporary job. In Canmore, I met up with highschool classmate Mike and began working for his painting company in the Banff / Canmore area. It was a spectacular place to work and live for a five-week period in July and August.
By mid-August, I had prior engagements to attend to. A quick drive up to Red Deer, Alberta to visit my cousin Oggie and his family was followed by a much longer drive down to Spokane, Washington for Logan and Kelly’s wedding. The three-day event included a minor league baseball game, an epic float party down the Spokane River with dozens of wedding-goers, and a wedding ceremony and reception at a beautiful, rural farm that was so… them. It was a memorable weekend, to say the least.
Post-wedding, I had a few days to myself to explore Washington State, during which I visited another travel friend, Luke, in the Leavenworth area. I then had to quickly make my way down to Nevada where I again met up with Logan and Kelly and attended the Burning Man event. I was fortunate to be a part of their camp with many of their friends from previous years. Burning Man was a whirlwind of emotions; a sensory-overload and party like no other from start to finish.
After the eight-day event, I retreated alone to nearby Lake Tahoe for three days of decompression as I contemplated my next move. I decided on buying a national park pass and embarked on a tour of 13 of the American Southwest’s major national parks. It marked my first visits to Arizona, Utah and Colorado, and was my first time really exploring parts of California. It was also my first extended period of wandering in my recently purchased van and left me with a desire to live Vanlife in the future.
In mid-October I began heading towards home. Quick visits with former highschool classmate Kass in Denver and childhood friend Rob and his family in Wichita, Kansas highlighted the week-long cross-continent drive. I arrived home to the Montreal area in time for an epic weekend reunited with many of my closest friends who all happened to be in town at the same time. It was during this weekend that I said goodbye to over seven years worth of hair at Chantale’s housewarming party.
Again I returned to the Ottawa and spent the last days of October and first days of November with my family. It was some much appreciated down time after a whirlwind of a loop through the continent.
On November fifth I began the two-day drive to the island of Grand Manan on the Atlantic coast of Canada where I rented a room in my friend Sean’s house for five weeks. During this time, I worked the autumn rush of the lobster season, filling my time with as much work as possible and landing a gig with one of the island’s biggest lobster companies. This work experience couldn’t have been more perfect, as I loved the community and coworkers surrounding me and enjoyed every part of my job. It was nostalgic to return to Grand Manan over a year after my first work visit, and it was special to experience the island during a different season. Such a beautiful experience made for a somewhat emotional departure.
The two-day drive back to the Montreal area included a visit with my cousin Mike in Fredericton and was followed by a memorable Christmas party at Adam’s house in Saint-Lazare. As I’d hoped, I made it back to my parents’ house near Ottawa in time for my dad’s birthday on December 14th. I proceeded to spend the holiday season with my family, something I had missed dearly the previous year. I managed two more short visits to the Montreal area during the holiday season, including New Years which I celebrated in St Lazare with beloved friends.
Once the holiday confetti had settled, I caught a flight out of Ottawa to begin 2020 with a four-month period of backpacking abroad. I first returned to the Portuguese island of Sao Miguel for a week to retrace some of my steps from 2018. This was followed by my first visit to the Portuguese island of Madeira for a week of exploration.
Next I flew to Porto to begin my journey on the European mainland with the goal of somewhat recreating my trip from 2018. I hitchhiked and walked my way down the Portuguese coast to the southern Algarve region which I had decided I would walk across in its entirety. Day after day of sun, comfortable temperatures, wild-camping, and walking through spectacular landscapes solidified the Algarve’s claim as one of my favourite regions in the world. An eight-day break during this journey at my favourite hostel in the world proved to be the perfect opportunity to relax and focus on writing.
Pressed for time following my extended break, I caught an overnight bus from Faro to Granada, Andalusia, Spain. This brings us to the present, as I am currently enjoying my only day in the city of Granada. The purpose of this long bus ride was to reduce the distance I will have to walk and hitchhike up to Barcelona to catch my flight to Malta on February 26th, and the journey will continue on from there.
The Travel Life 