Since Cailin O’Neil tagged me in this, I am obligated to fulfill my destiny and carry out this burdensome task. You’re all getting to know me too well. I can feel my ratings plummet.

Here are the ABCs of ME.

A: Age in which you first internationally travelled.

20-21. Five years ago. A “green” traveller, as we Newfs like to say (in other words, a “Newbie”).

B: Best (foreign) beer and where.

I enjoyed a scattered pint of Cusquena in Peru, a whole slew of beers in Mexico like Tecate, Pacifo, and Bohemia…but my favourite beer ever was the first Guinness I had, in England. Yes, in a little English pub in Harlow. It’s like a goddamned meal, and it’s delightful.

Note: Guinness in Canada tastes nothing like does in England or Ireland. I avoid it like the plague here. *is a beer snob*

C: Cuisine (favorite)

Guerrin goodness

D: Destinations (favorite) and why? Least favorite and why?

Favourites: Montreal (Quebec), Scotland (the Highlands and Edinburgh), Gros Morne National Park (Newfoundland & Labrador), the Cape Breton Highlands, and Peru. Clearly I love Highlands, mountains, and the kind of scenery that makes even Chuck Norris weep with appreciation.

Least favourite? That loathsome experience I had at a shady hotel in New Jersey, in January. I was hungover, dressed for Mexico weather, and starving. Pretty sure I got bedbites and/or lice.

E: Event you experienced that made you say “wow”

The Writers Festival at Woody Point filled me with more inspiration than I knew possible. The Gay Pride Parade in Amsterdam filled me with more booze than I knew possible.

Dancing queens

F: Favorite mode of transport

TRAIN. Or boat. Or both, at the same time. A train on a boat.

G: Greatest feeling while travelling?

Gratefulness. The knowledge that even though you might have went through hell and back to get to where you’re standing, you are truly, truly blessed to be where you are.

H: Hottest place you’ve ever travelled to?

Mexico has been my only true sun destination to date. Guess what? Redheads TAN! It’s true! This year I’m hitting up Dominican Republic though, so we’ll see how that contends.

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where?

I now have a free round-trip ticket from LAN airlines to anywhere in South America after a flight debacle during my Contiki trip caused us to miss out on Brazil. Now I just need to find a US gateway.

J: Journey that took you the longest?

From Buenos Aires to St. John’s: About 90 minutes to Chile, 11 hours to Toronto, and then 3 hours to St. John’s. Agh. I combated my nerves with free booze. Note to self: Don’t do that on a plane.

K: Keepsake from your travels?

Clothes or jewellery. I love when people ask me, “Where did you get that sweet alpaca purse?!” and I can respond with, “Oh, this old thing? Peru!”

Or liquor, except it’s not so much a keepsake as a use-now-sake.

L: Let down sight? Where and why?

Most of the cathedrals I saw in England. It took awhile to realize I’m not nearly as impressed by man-made structures as I am by real nature.

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel?

Being in the Highlands in Scotland. Felt like I was coming “home.” It was an uncomfortable and thrilling and vaguely sexual feeling.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in?

The Pan Pacific in Vancouver, BC. THEY HAD TEXTURED BUTTER BALLS.

O: Obsession. What are you obsessed with taking pictures of?

Outdoorsy things. Things like mountains and rivers and oceans and beaches. If only they could find a way to capture the smell of pine trees and salt water.

P: Passport stamps. How many and from where?

Err, I think I’m at like…9? Mexico, England, Amsterdam, Scotland, Ireland, USA, Argentina, Peru, France…yup, 9. I can’t believe I guessed that right.

Q: Quirkiest Attraction you’ve visited?

The Prime Berth Heritage Centre in Twillingate, just because of its incredibly awesome mannequins.

Or maybe these creepy as shit scarecrows somewhere in Deer Lake.

R: Recommended Sight, Event or Experience?

A hockey game in Canada. I wasn’t at the hockey game in Vancouver, per se, but the celebration in the streets after the Canucks claimed a victory in the play-offs was one of the most fun, energizing experiences of my life.

S: Splurge! Something you don’t mind forking over for while travelling?

Food and booze: Two of the most significant highlights of travel for me.

T: Touristy thing you’ve done

Oh god, I’m a tourist at heart. I’ve done Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, the Eiffel Tower, the London Eye, the CN Tower in Toronto, a Parliament tour in Ottawa, whale watching here in Newfoundland, kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland, wandered through the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. Etc.

Back before I believed in "exercise"

U: Unforgettable travel Memory.

Machu Picchu, Peru. It is impossible not to be overcome with the energy and historical significance of such a place. Bring smelling salts in case you collapse in a dead faint and a llama tries to eat your hair.

V: Visas. How many of them and for where?

One! Brazil. Which I didn’t get to use.

W: Wine. Best glass of wine had while travelling and where?

Ask my friends what happened to me at Winefest, and you’ll understand why I never drink wine.

X: eXcellent views and from where?

From the top of Sulphur Mountain in Banff, driving through eastern British Columbia, the boat cruise through Western Brook Pond Fjord in Gros Morne National Park, hiking the Pisac ruins in Peru, Cloud 9 revolving restaurant in Vancouver, etc.

Y: Years spent travelling?

Have only been travelling since I was 21. N00b.

Z: Zealous sports fan and where?

NOPE, but I like the energy at hockey games. Makes me proud to be a Canadian, or something.

Your turn

I’m supposed to nominate people, but I’m pretty sure I’m the last blogger to actually complete this meme, so I nominate YOU. Yeah, you.

oh dear god

The cannon wasn't nearly as fun as the moose

Definitely a llama, judging by the handy infographic behind me

*Yes, I am aware it’s spelled monkeys.

I recently published an article of Matador Network titled Why I’m Not Skipping Christmas. I’ve been bit of a Grinch this holiday, but Kimble made me understand all this end-of-year fuss: “The holidays are here, like it or not, and though they are inconvenient in the most heart-wrenching of ways, they are also what forces us together, a reason to sit down and drink to our health and happiness—and to holidays passed.”

And that’s exactly what we do: pause, reflect, prepare for 2012.

I get completely irked by wrap-up posts bragging about a person’s accomplishments (which, hypocritically, I’ve done more than once). But when I trace back through 2011 I keep thinking, “Holy nutbars, a lot happened in one year.” My blog is a kind of timeline, and I love going back through old posts to see how far I’ve come.

While I was home for Christmas, several people kept approaching me to say they loved my blog, and admired what I was doing. I was pretty gobsmacked. Me?

-I launched Social Media Atlantic Canada (SMAC), a tiny social media operation aimed at small businesses on a budget in Atlantic Canada.

-I weaned myself off of unemployment benefits and became fully self-employed.

-I became the leading editor of Matador Life.

-I became the Newfoundland blogger for AOL Canada.

-I was filmed in a clip titled “How to Talk Like a Newfoundlander” with the insanely funny and talented Mark Critch, which apparently has won me fame in the province and is being shown in schools. Not kidding.

-I was published in the Marine Atlantic’s ahoy! magazine.

-Cailin O’Neil and I drove across Canada, surprisingly without mishap, mayhem or misfortune. Then I toured with Moose Network through the Rockies.

-I went to Mexico to chill out in Cancun with some awesome peeps.

-I took my first trip to South America with Contiki, which ended up being the best travel experience of my life.

Sup, Sacred Valley?

-I finally got the attention of Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, made some amazing new friends, and spent the most surreal, magical, and inspirational five days in Gros Morne National Park on the west coast. My heart is still there.

When I think back on the past 12 months, I’m baffled by how intense the year has been. I’ve been happy, despite dealing with a number of family tragedies that I have yet to write about. I’ve mentioned my Uncle Glen’s passing due to cancer. I spent a week with him in July, and then my wonderful, loving, happy uncle lost his battle. He is always on my mind.

Then in November, I lost my grandmother. I didn’t even write about this, I’m not sure why. She had Alzheimer’s for years and was placed in a home, but I grew up next door to her for most of my life. I said “good-bye” to her on her deathbed. I struggled through writing her funeral service pamphlet, unsure of which font could adequately suit such a great matriarch for a family of 12.

I have a few schemes up my sleeves for 2012, including the potential launch of a new business here within the province. I want my writing career to progress beyond news blips for link fodder.

The other major life moment is buying a house here in St. John’s.

Newfoundland is my home, and I suspect it always will be. This land is as heartbreaking, seductive and inspirational as any lover, and I always want my home base to be here. I know I’ve complained quite a bit about being broke—and I’m still struggling financially—but I’ve been saving portions of pay cheques for years for an investment such as this one. With my own home—which I’m sharing with a friend–I’ll have rooms to rent out and a place to always return. St. John’s (and Newfoundland) is growing with surprising speed, and there are things going on beneath the surface here that I desperately want to be a part of. This way, I can leave for extended amounts of time, not have to pay rent, and always have a home.

Buying a house to travel the world…who knew? But I tend to have a habit of doing things ass-backwards.

As for travel plans…I have none, other than a true vacation at a resort in the Dominican Republic to get reacquainted with old friends for a wedding. But 2011 started off in exactly the same fashion, and ended up being my busiest year for travel.

Plus I have a free plane ticket to South America. Bazinga.

This was supposed to be a humorous post but I’m sneezing and sniffling and fighting off a cold, and it kinda hurts to look at stuff. But here’s to 2012, and more handwritten posts!

I’m late wrapping up the BootsnAll 30 Days of Indie Travel by ONE day…I apologize. Working 60 hours a week gets kinda exhausting, who knew? Then there’s the fact that while I was cleaning the mouse shit out of my kitchen drawers last night, my Internet blew up and I’ve been without it ever since. Happy freaking December.

Anyway. Let’s go.

Prompt #19: SPIRIT

Some places have the power to make even the most die-hard agnostic reconsider their position. Have you ever been in a place where you felt more alive or more connected to nature, the universe, or a higher power than anywhere else?

Machu Picchu. I’ve always felt that if I were born in a different time and different place, my religion would be in the earth. I have never felt more blessed than I did in that moment.

Prompt #20: DRINK

Just as the cuisine of a place reveals clues about its culture and history, so does its signature local drink. What’s the best drink you had on the road, and did the drink have any connection to the place where you drank it or the people you drank with?

Uh, one paragraph cannot even wrap up all the awesome drink experiences I’ve had on the road.

Oh, and of course, the famous Julio-Loco invention concocted at our resort in Mexico this past January. I wish I could remember what was in it, but pretty sure there were rainbows and unicorns.

The orange one with chocolaty swirls

Prompt #21: LOVE AFFAIR

When we travel, our senses are heightened. We feel more alive and we’re more free to do things we might not at home. We can be who we want. There’s an air of urgency to everything we do – we know our time here, in this place, and with these people, is limited. If we want to do something, we have to do it now. It’s no wonder then that many travelers have relationships on the road. Tell us about a “special someone” you met while traveling.

I had an “affair” with a cute French boy in Brittany. By “affair” I mean we had romantic dinners on the waterfront, walked the beach with the moon high in the sky, and adorably stumbled our way through awkward language barriers. Nothing ever transpired—not so much as a kiss—but for those two weeks, I felt like freaking Anne Hathaway in every chick movie she’s starred in.

Prompt #22: TRANSIT

The word travel comes from a French word meaning “work” and sometimes, getting there is work. Between crowded buses, long airline delays, overnight trains and crazy rickshaw rides, transportation can be stressful, but it can also be a rewarding part of the tip. Tell us about a time when the journey became more important than the destination.

Totally mine and Cailin’s Cross-Canada trip. And damn, it was a LOT of work and planning, but things went smoothly…eerily smoothly. I flew to Halifax, we hopped the train to Montreal, then Ottawa, then Kingston…then picked up a car from HittheRoad.ca, and drove the rest of the way to Vancouver. Epic. Until then, I had only been to a handful of Canadian provinces.

Prompt #23: TECHNOLOGY

Where would today’s travelers be without smartphones, GPS, iPods, iPads, or even the internet? Share one item of tech you can’t live without or tell us how technology has changed the way you travel.

Facebook. Yes, Facebook. When I studied in England, I used Facebook as a way to share photos with my family back home. Nowadays, when I travel, it’s still my biggest linking factor. And please don’t tell me picking up the phone is a more personal approach to staying in touch. I hate the phone. Hate. The. Phone.

Prompt #24: GIVING THANKS

Seeing what others have – and don’t have – around the world often helps us appreciate our own good fortune. What are you thankful for this year ?

I’m thankful for warm socks that keep my feet cozy on these blustery St. John’s mornings, my Tassimo machine thing, Happy Hours, mouse traps, and beards. Oh yeah, and friends and family and all that junk too.

Prompt #25: FAMILY

Family shapes who we are, but sometimes the family we create plays a bigger role in our lives than the one we were born into. Tell a story about how either of your “families” have impacted your life and your travels.

I get a lot of support from my family. Every time I’m home, people refer to me as the “world traveller,” even though I’m not nearly as well travelled as most of you. At ALL, actually.

But when my parents and their siblings were growing up, travel was simply not an option. Driving across Canada was a privilege afforded by only a few, and I don’t think my grandmother ever left the province. When I was home last month for her funeral, I was constantly being told how proud of me everyone was. You can do just about anything with a strong support network.

Prompt #26: PHOTO

Post a photo of your favorite place and tell us what you love about it.

Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland

Big nature, strong community, peace and quiet, inspiration. To be my home, some day.

Prompt #27: WANDERLUST

Share a photo or video that just makes you want to GO. RIGHT. NOW

THIS. THIS THIS THIS.

Ancient Greece + modernity

(Photo by: Patrick Denker)

Prompt #28: GEAR

The right gear can make or break your trip. What is your favorite/must-have gear item?

A pillow for the airplane and a reading light. I am NOT hard to please. Giggidy.

Prompt #29: ONE WORD

What does travel mean to you in one word?

Everything.

Prompt #30: 2012 TICKET

Where are you going in 2012? Why is that place great for indie travelers?

My only concrete plans are Dominican Republic for a resort vacation in May.

BUT my goals are Burning Man and the west coast of the US, Iceland, Ireland, and Greece. Too bad I need about 3 months in each country. Now accepting donations.

PROMO

Finally, I’ve got a little cross-promo going on here with Enrout, an alternative lodging search engine that lets you discover “everything from charming Parisian apartments with huge windows overlooking the Eiffel Tower, to San Francisco Victorian homes complete with hardwood floors.”

They’ve got an epic $500 holiday contest going on right now, and if you’re like me and dreading the financial mayhem of Christmas, I suggest you check it out.

Hey gang, here’s week two of my BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel round-up. If you’re unfamiliar with what they’re doing, they give you a prompt each day, and you interpret it to your liking. It’s supposed to be daily throughout the month of November, but I’m doing weekly round-ups instead. I’m a rebel.

Prompt #5: KINDNESS
One of the greatest joys of travel can be the random acts of kindness you’ll receive from total strangers. Have you ever found kindness from strangers in unexpected places?

Nothing stands out in my mind in particular, but I remember being shocked by the kindness and friendliness of New Yorkers. The whole city emits one of those “I’m so happy to be here” vibes, and the only jerks I encountered were the assholes on the Brooklyn Bridge bike lane. When Cailin developed an allergic reaction to something, and her leg broke out in welts, we boarded the subway to make our way back to the hotel and a lady overheard our conversation. She was super concerned and sympathetic, and encouraged Cailin to go get it checked out. Nothing big, but for some reason she crosses my mind from time to time.

Wandering into the bike lane will get you shot.

Prompt #6: FEAR
Just as travel can be fun and exciting, it can also have its challenging, or even downright scary, moments. Being in a new place pushes us out of our comfort zone and makes us face our fears. Tell about a time you had to face your fear when traveling, and what was the result.

I face my fears every time I get on a goddamned plane, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Each time I’m sure the flight will be my last, and I end up on solid ground with wobbly legs and sweat dripping from my forehead. Beer helps.

But I assume this isn’t the story people want to hear, so this past summer I tackled my fear of heights and went rock climbing twice in British Columbia. Actually, I’m not even sure if I’m afraid of heights—it’s not the dizzying effect that gets to me, it’s the lack of control if I fall. The result was “pride.” I doubt I’ll make a career out of rock climbing, but damn, at least I did it.

Prompt #7: CELEBRATE
Joining in a local festival, holiday or special event is a great way to learn more about a local culture. Share the story of a celebration that meant something to you on your travels.

When the Vancouver Canucks won the fourth (?) game in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, the ensuing celebration was my favourite moment on my entire cross Canada trip. It was the kind of Canadian pride I don’t see often in Newfoundland, with the city core being packed with people celebrating, strangers high-fiving in the street, revellers funnelling straight whiskey through horns, and total, 100% happiness and elation. I think I understood hockey at that point.

Prompt #8: LOVE LEARNING
Travel and learning go hand in hand. Travel teaches us not only about the world and the people in it, but also more about ourselves and our own ideas and values. What has travel taught you this year?

Travel has taught me to pay attention to the details, to push my limits, to appreciate the beauty in people and the world. Consequently, travel has been an agonizing experience, like a drug where I simply cannot be happy unless I’m planning my next trip. I’ve also learned to love Newfoundland on a different level.

I also learned beer pong, which is a pretty essential skill, I think.

Prompt #9: One Day
Travel helps us better appreciate the present moment instead of always looking to the next thing. Describe one perfect day you had while traveling this year. Where were you? What were you doing? And what made it perfect?

Holy crap, here’s another example from Vancouver.

This just happened after I found out I wouldn’t be going to Vancouver Island and I had dished out over $300 to postpone my flight, all for nothing. Then my friend Dawne swooped in and invited me to stay with her in Burnaby, where she took care of me like my mother and gave me a little insider’s perspective to the area. There was this one day where we walked around the Stanley Park Seawall, I dipped my toes in the Pacific for the first time, saw the city from a different angle, watched a beluga and dolphin show at the aquarium, ate the world’s best sushi for $9 and then went to an ice-cream shop with over 200 flavours.

That evening, Dawne took me to Cloud 9, a revolving restaurant on top of a skyscraper, and we watched the sun set over the city and the ocean. I was so happy that things had gone wrong, otherwise I would never have had those moments.

Prompt #10: EARTH
At what point in your travels have you felt most in tune with the Earth? Share a story of how you interacted with the local environment or nature.

I’ve lived in Newfoundland my whole life, but this summer’s trip to Gros Morne for the Writers Festival might have changed my life. I am a rural girl at heart, and nothing inspires me like mountains, oceans, beaches, and natural life. Things that were put here beyond our control.

I remember sitting on the Zodiac in Trout River Pond, watching the clouds casting mottled shadows over the Tablelands, and thinking, I’d never be lonely in a place like this. I remember being on the Water Taxi enroute to Norris Point with my head tipped back to take in the stars with the smell of salt water all around me and thinking this doesn’t happen in the city. I’ll come back here to live someday.

Prompt #11: FEAST
For some of us, food isn’t just a part of our travels, it’s the reason why we travel. Whether you travel the globe to try new foods and use food to form a deeper connection with the culture or just eat to live, food plays a big part in the travel experience. Share a food-related story from your travels or describe your best meal.

My most memorable meal experience was not a good one.

My girlfriends and I were staying at a 5-star resort in Mexico. We decided to dress up for one of our final meals together, then hit up the discotheque for a night of fun. We were well into the booze and food at our restaurant when my friend Kerri put down her fork and said very calmly, “There’s a maggot in my food.”

I suddenly felt hammered, like I couldn’t control my head from whirling. We sat there in stunned silence for a couple of minutes before my other friends investigated, arguing whether or not it was indeed a maggot or simply a piece of fat from the steak Kerri was eating. We didn’t say anything to our waiter, who sensed something was up, and I’m not really sure why we didn’t. Perhaps we didn’t wanna cause a scene. Perhaps we felt bad for the poor guy who was gushingly nice to us.

The night of the maggot.

Years later, it came out that it was definitely a maggot, but my friends tried to salvage the situation. So we sucked back more alcohol, got drunk and forgot about our worries. To beer! The cause, and solution, to all life’s problems.

$10 to anyone who can tell me where that quote came from.

Hey gang, I’m participating in BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel challenge for the month of November. Basically they give you a prompt each day, and you interpret it to your liking. Since I can’t be arsed to do the daily thing, I decided to do a little weekly round-up. I do, after all, need the inspiration.

Prompt #1: GOALS
What were your travel goals last year? Did you accomplish them? What travel goals do you hope to accomplish this year?

Hilarious, I was just reading an old blog post about how 2011 was supposed to be my year to move abroad. I didn’t do it, obviously. But I did travel abroad, and I figure that’s kinda equallyawesomemaybe.

So my new travel goal this year is to actually leave St. John’s for a certain amount of time. Whether it’s enrolling in a French study program in Montreal or doing a SWAP year in Ireland or Australia, I’ll figure something out.

I’ve also become more badass. Self explanatory.

Prompt #2: EMBRACING CHANGE
Change can be exciting and bring new joys into our lives. But it can present challenges that frustrate or annoy us. How has travel changed you in the last year? Did you welcome these changes or resist them at the time, and how do you feel about them now?

Travel keeps me inspired to travel and live an unordinary life. I’ve recently avoided applying for jobs perfectly tailored to my skills because they’ll destroy my freedom, but I often find myself wondering if I can make it as a freelance writer. I’m surviving, but barely.

Change, baby. Change.

Prompt #3: MUSIC
Music and travel memories often go hand in hand. A song can inspire our explorations, or it can take us back to a specific place and time. Tell us about your travel playlist and what it means to you.

“Home” by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros will forever remind me of my Cross-Canada trip.
“Shuffle” by Bombay Bicycle Club will forever remind me of South America.

BUT Hey Rosetta! takes the cake. Ever been to a concert where you’re actually so into the music that you can’t move? That’s what happened at the Woody Point Writers Festival.

Prompt #4: MISTAKES
Everyone makes mistakes. We forget to ask for Coke without ice in Mexico and spend the rest of the trip in the bathroom. Or we arrive at the airport for a 7pm flight only to realize the flight left at 7am. Tell us the story of your worst travel mistake.

I got lost in Vancouver for four hours. Not kidding. The cab driver dropped me off at the wrong train station, I was completely lost trying to find the Skytrain for about an hour, and then my ride back to Burnaby was all rerouted due to maintenance on the rail. As I was negotiating directions with Dawne, my phone died. Then I realized I had about an hour to catch my flight to Ottawa, and I only made it with 20 minutes to spare. The attendant told me I couldn’t get on the flight, but when I started crying, she gave me priority boarding.

What a day.

Vancouver didn't like me

Instagram is an awesome app for the photographically-incompetent, such as myself. All you need is a smartphone, some imagination, and a few good followers…the filters will take care of the rest.

But even though these photos are edited, I’m impressed by the layers of colours and those perfect little snapshots. And I swear, I’m finally getting the hang of the manual settings on my DSLR. I SWEAR.

Here are some of my favourite images from a year of travel.

St. John's, autumn is totally your colour

And so the curtain falls on Twillingate, Newfoundland

The only Sei whale skeleton in Canada, at Prime Berth Heritage Centre

Who the fuck brings a Sharpie to the bathroom? At Christian's, on George Street, St. John's

Cabot Tower, St. John's

This is Newfoundland.

The Narrows, as seen from my bedroom.

Newfoundland staples. Not shown here: India.

Something about this just works. Stanley Park, Vancouver

Ah, the Canadian Rockies.

Rockies Part II.

I haven't met Jo's daughter yet, but it was lovely seeing my BFF on a stopover in Halifax.

This guy lives in the Battery before the Signal Hill trail. I think his name is Norbert.

Western Brook Pond Fjord

Happy Halloween Weekend!

This started out as an angry rant of sorts.

Because I started thinking about the past few weeks, and the horror of not having any travel plans for the first time in a year, and those eye-rolling reactions I get whenever I complain about my job(s). Those times when I get so infuriated, I have to restrain myself from stabbing someone in the eye with my lead pencil.

Because in the past few weeks, I’ve been bloody miserable. I’ve been going through the motions of post-trip depression, and questioning my career, and wondering how it could have possibly been 15 months since I was laid off from my job and “forced” into making this side gig thing a full-time, permanent role. And then I think about how in this world of travel writing there are no promotions, no bonuses, no raises. No pats on the back. My following has not grown as significantly as I would have liked because hey, in order to be a travel writer, you have to travel! And nobody gives a shit if you’re actually a good writer or not, as long as you’ve BEEN EVERYWHERE FIVE TIMES OVER and have the sort of following which could prove to be mutually beneficial!

So I don’t really know if I’ve “made” it. I’ve gone to bed hungry twice in the past two weeks and I cannot afford winter boots. You tell me.

Token tourist shot, in Lima.

Let me lay it out there. I chose this lifestyle. If I think I’m miserable right now, it was nothing compared to my lifestyle before. I’m making significantly less money, I have no job security and health insurance is eating my soul. I traded it all in for freedom, and despite everything, I love it.

I love that I can come and go as I please. I love that I’m offered trips around the globe and I can take them. I love that a few weeks ago I stood at Machu Picchu and this summer I drove across Canada. I love that my opinion matters to some people, and sharing my experiences strikes a chord in the heart of others. My whole life has been developed on the love of travel, literature, and writing, and so infusing all three just seems natural.

Proof I've always been a writer, just not much of an interior decorator.

But it’s not always easy.

Travel writing is work. Yes, it is work. These incredible press trips I’ve been taking require a great deal of writing, networking, meeting crazy deadlines, prioritizing other jobs to make room for a rigorous schedule, and being able to function on four hours of sleep a night. It is incredibly hard to stay motivated and inspired, and you have nothing to fall back on when things go wrong.

It takes a LONG time to get there. There are only a handful of people who have earned huge success upon immediately breaking out onto the travel blogging scene. I’m fortunately at the point in my career where most publications recognize me as a valuable writer, not just a blogger, but it’s taken over two years.

You will have to pave your own path. You absolutely cannot read a self-help e-book and expect your life to work out in the same way. Take that information, and build your own route.

There is no job security and print publications still offer the best rates. If you lack the business sense to be a self-publisher and run several websites at once, and if your focus is more on good writing than anything else, you probably don’t have much job security. Content mills don’t give a shit about you. They want link love and quick information, not in-depth research and meaningful insights. Print publications still offer the best rates for your work, but competition is cutthroat.

You will probably not earn much money, not for many years. Credibility and experience takes time. If you have debt, you’re fucked. The majority of my pay goes to paying back student loans and credit debt leftover from my full-time job. It’s enough to survive, but you can never be certain when that next pay cheque arrives and if you don’t have a safety net to bail you out in the meantime, it sucks. Hence the lack of food in my life. I am broke. Not living in poverty, but broke. And I don’t own a house, or a car, or any of those things which many “broke” people have. My life is worth a laptop computer, an external hard drive, a fancy camera and a 3-year old bed from Sears. My books are invaluable. Ironically, this lack of financial freedom attributed to my lifestyle freedom means I can’t do many of the things I want, like travel Greece long-term.

So when you say I’m “lucky” to be doing this, yes, I am. I’m taking the risks, I’m getting out there. I’ve come to realize how incredible the travel blogging community is, and how blessed I am for such an amazing group of friends and family who are always around to help bail me out of a jam. I can only hope that some day I’ll be in a better position to return the favour.

Some lovely people on my travels

But it wasn’t luck that got me to where I am right now, and saying so undermines my hard work and determination to beat the status quo. I’ve been told countless times in the past year to “get a job.” Would you give up your cushy careers, decorated homes, and pension plans for an uncertain future, sporadic pay cheques, and an office outfit consisting of pyjamas? For many of you, probably not.

Which is okay, actually. I may need your couch to crash on.

“Don’t you want to meet Wayne Johnston? He’s just standing there, looking all lonely.”

“No…no no no no no. No.”

I had anticipated getting my favourite author’s autograph the moment I found out I’d be attending the Writers at Woody Point festival. I tweeted about it. I posted it on Facebook. And there I was, no more than 10 feet away from him, and I couldn’t budge.

“Well, I’m going to talk to him,” said Sarah, a new friend. “And you have to come.”

I dutifully followed behind her as she struck up a casual conversation while I stood there clutching my newly purchased copy of A World Elsewhere and grinning like an idiot. I punctuated their conversation with head nods and laughter. His eyes darted to my book and he began reaching for his pen inside his blazer as I broke out into a nervous sweat. Mother of god it was hot. Ten minutes earlier I was wrapped in my jacket against the breeze flowing through the open windows of the Heritage Theatre, and suddenly there I was standing with weak knees and sweat pooling on my chin as I melted inside a piece of nylon.

Finally he turned to me. “Did you want me to sign your book?”

“Actually,” I said. “I want you to sign this one.” I hauled out my 6000-page Colony of Unrequited Dreams and thrust it at him. He was amused. “This thing has taken a beating,” he said. My pages were crinkled with water spillage, the cover creased and hard to open. I found it last year in an old take-out food joint in Cape Breton, an eerily fitting symbol of my sudden loss of direction. One specific page dog-eared to mark a mantra I had poured over time and time again throughout the past year. Funny, for I am no fan of Joey Smallwood.

Out poured the verbal diarrhea.

“There’s a part, in this book, where Joey Smallwood is on the train in Cape Breton, and like, he’s seeing everything for the first time and realizing how different Newfoundland is, you know? And I’m like, a travel writer! And this is exactly how I feel every time I leave Newfoundland!!! Omg I’m sorry for being such a fan girl!!”

Yeah, I said that. Fan girl. I could barely fucking breathe.

He laughed and signed my book, and then my new one, and then I leaped away like a deer in a meadow. Oh glorious week! Oh magical Woody Point!

“Magical.” Surreal. How strange to be in my own homeland, just eight hours away from my city, and feel in a different world. My heart aches for Gros Morne and Woody Point. There’s a story in all this, but I haven’t teased it out yet. To be part of this festival and community and its lack of formalities, reclined on the water taxi breathing in the salt air with the chatter of voices and the chords of fiddle music and the starry sky wrapped around my head. To cruise through fjords with heart hammering in excitement over what’s around the next bend. To sit in an art gallery with a bunch of strangers for an impromptu jam session until sunrise, with guitars and handsome musicians and the beating of an ugly stick. How have I only unearthed such a small part of this island? How lucky I am to be born where I belong.

There’s a story in all this.