Shelley I grew up camping and taking a few trips outside of Canada and was struck by how different each of the places I visited felt. I still love seeing and experiencing a new place and now it also makes me appreciate coming home and the beauty of where we get to live and raise our family. My picks when travelling are always new experiences that I want to share with the family. I find the time we spend travelling near and far unlike other time we have together, in that the quality of time is richer when we are away together without the distractions of our daily lives. Travelling allows our family time to recharge together in a new environment, often outside. I am happiest when I am wandering a beach, hiking, or taking photos to capture our new memories as our official family photographer.
Robin grew up camping and taking family road trips across Canada. He took his first international plane ride on our first travel adventure together, a high school trip to Europe. We didn’t know each other before that trip but came home and started dating soon after, and the rest is history. Perhaps that is where our love of travel began. Robin loves being outdoors in nature and is happiest on a beach, ocean, lake or in a forest. Our second big adventure together was a three-month backpacking trip around New Zealand and Australia -Robin’s happy place minus the snakes. Robin likes learning about history, architecture and other cultures when we travel and his picks for things to visit on trips usually include historical sites or are adventure-related.
Jack was more of a reluctant traveller when he was younger, often preferring to be at home. After our first long-haul flight to Singapore, he informed us that from now on we needed to stick to flights that were six hours or less. He has certainly grown out of this and come into his own with travel and is now planning his first European adventure without the family (way more than a six-hour flight). He would say that one of his favourite things about travelling is the food, although he is still the pickiest of the bunch. He likes to cook and try new recipes, one of which was a huge hit on his last school backpacking trip. Jack’s picks when we are away are often adventure-related or Lego-themed (his goal is to visit every Lego store in the world one day).
Emma is ready to go on any trip, anywhere, anytime. She has most definitely inherited my love of travel and has a long list of places she can’t wait to visit and a map up in her room of all the places we have been. Emma loves the outdoors and is happiest when backpacking into a remote campsite on the island. She brings her unique lens to travel and seeks new experiences and connections with the people she meets. Emma loves to draw when we are away and capture memories to revisit when back home. She is the artist behind all the beautiful drawings you will find throughout our site. Emma also loves to read and her picks on things to visit on trips are usually cultural and come from something she has read about.
