For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to travel. I’ve loved reading stories of adventure, of great journeys and quests, since I was a child; and I always wanted to go on an adventure of my own. I was introduced to travelling at a young age through my family. My grandparents and parents were my biggest influences of that, and it has always been a part of my life in some way, shape, or form. Starting at a young age, there was always a kind of ‘magic’ I associated with travelling, exploring, and adventures; and it still holds to this day.
I was first really introduced to travelling when my grandmother took me on a trip when I was 11 to Prince Edward Island.
And despite the fact that my diet consisted of six boxes of Oreo’s, and sea food, I had a great time. I got to see Green Gables, run barefoot across the red beaches, and avoid the purple jellyfish that inhabit the waters on the coast. I have a lot of very fond memories of that trip, and it further fuelled my desire to travel more.
My grandparents travelled a lot throughout their lives for school, work, and leisurely experiences. I grew up with their stories of where they’d been and what they’d seen and done. My grandfather especially used to bring us back souvenirs from his travels. He worked back and forth from China a lot when I was very young, and he’d bring us back journals and toys and singing candles for our birthdays.
But their house was full of mementos from their travels–books, paintings, photographs, sculptures, et cetera–and, especially to the young mind, they were the artefacts of their grand adventures.
Then there’s also my mom’s parents. Every year they go south to escape the Canadian winter. Texas or Mexico are usually their choice destinations, and they always bring back stories of the places they’ve been and the people they’ve met.
My second big trip was the beginning of a series of family adventures. When I was 13, my parents bought a 1985 Volkswagen Westfalia and for the next 5 years, every big family trip would be gotten to via Hippy Bus.
Over the course of 3 summers, my family crossed Canada. I can proudly say that I’ve been to every province in Canada, and that we did it in a Hippy Bus. First, it was to Alberta. My brother, dad, and I went to the Canadian Scouting Jamboree in Sylvan Lake. It took 4 days to get there–2 to get out of Ontario–and while we were there, explored the Rocky Mountains and Alberta. My mom and sister flew out to meet us after the jamboree and we took a week to drive back home, giving us some time to see the sights we missed in our hurry to get to Alberta in time.
Dad, Erik, and I 
When we FINALLY reached the Manitoba Border 
Our Scout Troop at the end of the Jamboree 
There was a giant goose statue. How can you not take a picture with a giant goose statue? 
Cheesy photos became a running thing on our travels 
There’s a big t-rex in Alberta. We couldn’t resist 
This is a statue relaying the spirit of Lake Superior, or as it was originally called, Lake Gitchigumi 
My Family at Lake Superior 
Our Campsite on the shores of Lake Superior
From there, we went to Newfoundland and Labrador via the Trans Labrador Highway!
I won’t go too into it now, but if you ever decide to take the Trans Labrador ‘Highway’, just keep in mind that 1. It’s not all paved, so be wary of your undercarriage, and 2. Find a rental. (Ruin it instead of your car) or rent a tank (because its undercarriage will actually survive the trip).
The van broke down on our way through New Brunswick and we rented a car to get back home. My brother, dad, and uncle drove back a few months later to pick it up. We fixed it up and readied it for its final trek of the cross-Canada saga for the following summer.
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were our final destinations. We met up with some of my parent’s old navy friends, explored Halifax, Peggy’s Cove, and then, once again, Prince Edward Island.
Peggy’s Cove 
The Rocks at Peggy’s Cove 
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia 
Acadia University 
We decided to test my sister’s concentration… She only noticed when we asked her how she fancied having wine poured on her head. (In jest) But for a solid 15 minutes of pulling tongues, she didn’t notice. Quite impressive, I must say.
Unfortunately, that was the last big family trip we took with the Westfalia. The next summer, we had scheduling complications, so no family trip. And then the year after, we attempted to go to the Gaspé but we had to turn around because of gear troubles with the Westy.
A few months later, it burst into flames. But it had a good run, and I have a lot of very fond memories and stories of where we went with it.
It was a few years later that my next adventure would happen.
My Grandmother (the one who took me to Prince Edward Island) wanted to go on a three week trip to England, Scotland, and Iceland. She wanted one of my siblings and I to go with her. I volunteered first.
First look at The London Eye 
Grandma on the London Eye 
Family Picture! 
Flowers in Scotland 
Ferry Dog 
Scenery of the Highlands
Unfortunately, a lot of my pictures from that trip were lost when my laptop at the time crashed. The hard drive went kaput, but these photos were saved.
The trip started in London. Then we went up to Wigan to visit my family (on my dad’s and my mom’s side). After that, we travelled up to Scotland, visiting some family friends along the way. We took an Outlander tour and visited some of the castles they did their filming at. It was pretty freakin’ cool. And then our final stop was to Iceland. We were only there for a few days, and we got a chance to check out Reykjavik and go on a tour of the Golden Cirlce. It was a lot of fun.
My family went to Florida once when I was around 12, and then I went again with my grandma, sister, cousin, and my counsin’s other grandmother. Those trips were awesome.
(On a note about Florida, Epcot and Universal are both much cooler than Disney World. Just a personal opinion)
So, all in all, I guess I could say that I’ve travelled a lot. Well, enough, anyway.
And then, of course, my most recent excursion. 5 weeks travel in Europe, but that deserves a post in and of itself.
With all of that to say…
In my experiences, I’ve always found that there’s been a certain magic to travelling. It opens your mind to new experiences, people, and cultures. The more I travel, explore, adventure, the more I want to learn and do. I met a lot of people on my travels, and I’ll never forget them. For me, travelling was about the experience. I wanted to go and see the world without having anyone else with me to rely on or, I feel terrible to say this, drag me down.
I wanted a 100% solo experience. And I got it. And I have no regrets.
I learnt more about myself over the three weeks I was travelling by myself (my sister joined me for the last two weeks) than I have at perhaps any time of my life. I can’t express how much I hate to sound like ‘that stereotypical newly-enlightened-#WanderlustIsLife’ traveller. Yes, I am a traveller. Yes, I feel like I have gained a certain perspective because of travelling. No, I would not describe it as enlightenment.
To be honest, coming home has made me feel like I had an ice cream cone and someone abruptly took it away from me.
I found my people.
My group.
Some are jocks, artists, drama kids, mathletes, et cetera. I thought I found my place in the military, to be honest. The bond you get from being in cadets or the reserves is remarkable.
But meeting my fellow bohemians, hippies, travellers, and vagabonds opened my eyes to something I never would have gotten from home. It was finally a group of people who I could relate to, associate and identify with, look back at and just say ‘yeah, that was me.
100% authentic me.
There’s a magic to travelling. And if you can go, if you want to go, just do it. Go explore, learn, live, embrace the weird and wonderful world out there and discover that magic for yourself
Anna's Travelling Antics 