During my travels to 30 or so countries, I learned lots of “do’s”; do pack at least two photocopies of your passport, driver’s license and medical card; do register with your embassy; do compare flight prices on Skyscanner to prices on Google Flights. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot out there about things you SHOULDN’T do when you travel. Here are a few lessons from my experiences abroad. DO NOT leave your bags unattended. I know your mother’s told you this one already – but it’s worth repeating. If you happen to come from a community where everyone leaves their doors…

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As a traveller, I’ve met folks from different countries I don’t know a whole lot about – and folks who didn’t know a whole lot about Canada in return. Here are some funny, interesting, and some straight up dumb things people have said to me on the road. “You’re Canadian – you don’t need a visa to work in America.” A charming American believed that Canadians and Americans have some bilateral agreement, where we can essentially search for employment in either country without a work visa. If that were the case, I would have moved to California, New York, Hawaii –…

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As a blogger, I’m always looking to mix up my work environments with a varying selection of almond milk lattes, crowds and ambiance noise. Fortunately, with thousands of cafes to choose from, working hard (or hardly working) is a cinch in the 514/438. Though by no means exhaustive (I’m talking to you, Olimpico fanatics), here’s a list of thirteen cafes yours truly is partial to. Le Cagibi 5490 Boulevard St-Laurent  One of my favourite cafes in the Mile End, complete with funky decor, mismatched tables and chairs, and rickety ceilings. What’s not to love? Second Cup (Bernard Avenue Location) 1275…

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A few months back, Valerie Stimac, travel blogger over at Valerie & Valise, invited me to contribute to Maps Not Apps, a series of city guides focusing on mindful, low key travel. Though Montreal is most often known for its bar scene, restaurants and festivals, locals will tell you it’s easy to wind down among fantastic day spas, artisanal cafes, yoga and fitness studios, walking trails in and around the city, and more. For this guide, I was limited to a few choices, so I chose a sprinkling of different activities and locations for a well-rounded, introspective few days in the city:…

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In addition to travel, one of the finest pleasures in my life is food.  Here are some of my most memorable food moments from around the globe. Gyros in Athens Though I’m now happily vegan, one of my fondest memories of my 2007 trip to Athens was sneaking off with my sister Marisa to buy french-fry stuffed gyros. Indeed, I haven’t had a gyro like it since (vegan circumstances notwithstanding). Dim sum in Hong Kong One of the best parts about living in Hong Kong were the dim sum nights I enjoyed with a dozen or so friends. There truly ain’t nothing like…

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  “There are some places in life you can only go alone. Embrace the beauty of your solo journey.” – Mandy Hale Though I’ve enjoyed most of my travel experiences as a non-solo traveller, I have a special place in my heart for the journeys I’ve taken on my own. Some were hard, some were lonesome, but all reflected a common truth too often drowned out by the noise of the company we keep: that we are bigger and stronger than our fears, and more often than not, we can survive and thrive on our own. In fact, some of the most…

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In honour of my 31st rotation around the sun, I recently sat down to reflect on 31 of my favourite life lessons from the past 31 years (read the first 15 here). Here’s the second part of a blog post 31 years in the making.  When someone shows you and tells you who they are – believe them the first time. My mother shared the following quote with me a few years ago: Here are some times I didn’t heed this advice: About ten years ago, a man I was in a brief relationship with yanked my jacket off me aggressively…

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If you believe that life is an educational experience, then everyone you meet has the potential to be a teacher and every moment may reveal a lesson. To this end, I have been blessed with more lessons than I can count – so in honour of my 31st birthday, I thought I’d share the 31 most important things I’ve learned, divided into two posts (you’ll find the first 15 below). Perhaps some of them will serve you – or have served you – as they have served me. Fly to Berlin, though your flowers may be wilted. When we graduated from Marianopolis College’s Liberal…

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“It’s the most, wonderful time, of the year…” Andy Williams sang sweet lies to me as my visibly bored students crafted Dear Santa letters. It was rounding 10 pm on Christmas Eve. At 10:05, I wished my students and co-workers happy holidays and jumped in a cab to finish packing for my trip to Malaysia the next day. The next morning, I checked in and bought myself a green juice while I waited to board my flight to Bali, with a two day stopover in Kuala Lumpur. I gazed over at the only other white girl around. She was sipping on…

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For some of you who follow my social media channels, you might recall my gleeful announcements a few months back that I had been invited on a press trip to the Maldives. What was truly unbelievable about the invitation was that I had only been blogging for three months – with only a few thousand followers on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest combined. Like I said: UN. FUCKING. BELIEVABLE. And, sure enough – it was. In reality, my invitation was based on unsavoury motives, from a man targeting impressionable, attractive, young bikini-clad newbie travel bloggers. Here’s how it all went down. January 8th,…

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