20 countries, three cruises, helicopter rides, paragliding and even a hot air balloon ride. 2023 was a wild one!
In my quest to visit 100 countries before turning 40, I’ve been gallivanting around the globe collecting new passport stamps, exploring everywhere from the high Arctic (hello Greenland!) to tropical Rapa Nui in the South Pacific.
I also finally ticked off my last Canadian province, spending a week sailing along Newfoundland’s incredible coast from Torngat Mountains National Park to St. John’s.
Globe Guide celebrated its 10th anniversary (wow! That’s like, dinosaur-old in internet years) and you may have noticed the site and logo redesign for a refreshed look and to make everything a bit easier to navigate. I hope you love it as much as I do…because it took a zillion hours longer than I expected to do.
From wild ATV rides to swimming with sharks, here are the top highlights from an action-packed 2023.
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Off-the-grid adventure
One of the most memorable travel experiences of the year was a 15 day journey from Greenland to Newfoundland with Adventure Canada–transformative travel at its finest.
In Greenland we kayaked around icebergs, sampled traditional Inuit food, and were awe-struck as the Northern Lights danced overhead.
Our first day in Newfoundland brought a polar bear sighting, and we didn’t see another soul for days in Torngat Mountains National Park, which is one of the country’s most inaccessible spots reachable only by boat or plane. There, we watched mesmerizing sunrises over the fjords, hiked to waterfalls, and learned about Inuit culture and reconciliation.
Humpback whales and dolphins frolicking in the waves greeted us while sailing near Battle Harbour, and as we edged down the coast toward St. John’s we sang folk songs around a campfire at Terra Nova National Park and explored the remains of an 11th century Viking basecamp at L’Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Totally unforgettable.
A unique journey through the American Southwest
What’s the most memorable way to travel from Moab to Denver? A high-octane sunset jeep tour, followed by a two-day luxury train ride from the red rocks to the Rocky Mountains!
That’s exactly what I got to experience with the Rocky Mountaineer, while checking out their USA route which travels between Moab, Utah and Denver, Colorado. The scenery was incredible, the service is impeccable, and I loved that we got a couple of extra days to see Moab–wow, what a place!
We did some exploring around the jaw-dropping landscapes of Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, and capped off our time there with what might have been one of my all-time favourite excursions: an exhilarating sunset hummer safari tour.
A fun crew of skilled drivers navigates the giant vehicles up impossibly steep and narrow terrain en route to an area aptly-named Hell’s Revenge, and yes, we screamed with delight pretty much the entire time–you’ll definitely want your seat belt on for this one.
This popular off-roading spot in the Sand Flats Recreation Area also has real dinosaur tracks and epic views of the Colorado River, which makes this one of the best things to do in Moab.
Friends trips
Fact: travel is better with friends. Luckily I have a lot of friends as crazy about jet-setting as I am, and managed a few global meetups.
The highlight was a weeklong road trip with my friends Angel, Max and Oksana where we enjoyed boat rides and wine tastings in Macedonia, waterfall hikes in Kosovo and drove to Albania where we celebrated Angel visiting his 100th country!
Afterwards I met up with my friend Ashley in Serbia, where we spent another week exploring the capital Belgrade, pretty Novi Sad and the alpine getaway of Zlatibor.
Closer to home, my friend Andrea and I spent a busy long weekend seeing allllll the highlights of Niagara Falls, and I also had a random meetup in the Dominican Republic with my friend Jenn who happened to be STAYING AT THE RESORT NEXT DOOR WHAT ARE THE CHANCES.
Sisters trips
Being one of four kids also means having built-in travel buddies, and this year I enjoyed a couple of tropical escapes to the Dominican Republic and Bahamas with my sisters.
While I wouldn’t say the Bahamas is the most exciting destination I’ve ever been to, one of the tours we did there was VERY memorable: taking a boat ride from Nassau to the Exumas to swim with pigs and sharks!
For the record I signed up for this based on visiting the famous Pig Beach and had no idea that snorkelling with sharks was also on the itinerary, so that definitely made it an unforgettable experience when we glided up to Compass Cay and saw all of them circling around in the water below!
Gone glamping
You guys KNOW I love a good glamping set up, and I got to check out a handful of geodesic domes and even slept in a floating wine barrel and repurposed train car.
There are so many awesome glamping spots popping up across Canada, and the ones I visited this year were the Winderdome Resort in Invermere, BC which has the largest domes I’ve ever seen (two stories!), the Gravity Luxury Domes in Nova Scotia with beautiful views overlooking the Bay of Fundy, and Boulder Mountain Resort in Revelstoke which is super pet-friendly and has gorgeous grounds to explore.
In Cranbrook, BC you can sleep in a restored 1900s train car (complete with a glitzy chandelier), and in Prince Edward Island there are yurts, cozy A-frames, and even the floating wine barrels at Nellie’s Landing which boasts a double bed, side table and TV, large window for looking out at the action in the marina, and a private deck with a fridge for chilling wine, natch.
READ MORE: The most unique places to stay in PEI
Bucket list moments in Chile
One of my most epic trips of the year was right at the top of my bucket list: exploring the highlights of Chile.
My friend Ashley (yes, the one I went to Serbia with) invited me to join a guided trip that her company Traverse Journeys offers, which explores Santiago, Valparaiso and the wine region, then down to Patagonia for the iconic, four-day W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park.
Before joining that, I started with a five-day trip exploring Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and it was INCREDIBLE! I love Polynesian culture so much, the weather was fantastic, incredible sightseeing (hello, Moai!) and I got to rip around the island on an ATV. 10/10 worth all the effort to get there.
I flew back to Santiago, and did a fantastic day trip where we went for a scenic hike in the Andes, relaxed in natural hot pools in the mountainside, then capped off the day with a glass of Carménère wine.
My mom spontaneously decided to join for this part of the trip, and we tackled the W Trek together along with our guide and two other women. It was TOUGH. Also so beautiful. But tough. Definitely glad that I did it and can cross it off my bucket list, but wow I had no idea what a challenge it would be to trek and camp for four full days. If you’re up for it, definitely a memorable experience!
I have some crazy exciting things to share in the next few months (trust me, you won’t want to miss this!), so be sure to keep following along @globeguide where I’ll share all the big news!
2023 travels by the numbers
Countries: 20– Canada, USA, Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Guadeloupe, St Vincent, St Maarten, Grenada, Dominican Republic, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Greenland, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Czechia, Germany, Slovakia, Chile
Flights: 65 (plus two helicopters)
Travel days: 140
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:
- Bucket list trips and wild encounters: Globe Guide’s 2022 highlights
- Globe Guide’s top 10 travel moments of 2021
- Year in review: 20 amazing things that happened in 2020
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