My Love for Exploring the World
Updated: May 28, 2023
Many have asked me about why I love exploring the world…here is my story!
Hi, I'm Brenda.
Myself and my husband Fred live on the furthest edge of North America on an island in the North Atlantic.
We are avid explorers and I'm an artist and photographer. We've been to 3 Continents, 30 Countries, 8 Provinces & 2 Territories in Canada, 44 States in the USA, over 600 cities and towns, and still counting!
Planes, trains, automobiles, cruise ships, ferry boats, subways, cow paths and cobblestone roads - I've done it all!
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I love sharing the knowledge of our trips and explorations to help others plan their best vacation yet!
My First Real Trip
When I was 10, I went on my first real trip – my Dad was on a work exchange with his company and we lived in Manchester England for 3 months with him. On weekends, my parents booked several weekend excursions for us, including Edinburgh Scotland (where my fascination with castles started), Llandudno Wales (a lovely beachside town) and London England (oh the history!). While I was too young to make any plans myself of course, I enjoyed exploring wherever we were!
Staycations, Canada and First Excursion into the States
We explored our own beautiful Province over the years and in the early 1990’s, we started doing self-driving trips onto the mainland (Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario) and I was the travel organizer. The internet was still quite new and I relied on printed maps and guide books to make plans, including what to see, where to stay and the actual driving route.
In 2007, on a detour to British Columbia on the way to visit family in Yellowknife NWT, my husband convinced to get me to go back to the USA again. By this time, the internet had gotten much better, and I planned our expedition into Washington and Oregon for a few days. After hours and hours of research, I figured out what to see, where to stay, where to shop (P.S. Oregon is tax-free!), and car rentals.
Who Knew there were Restrictions?
Yes PLURAL on car rentals…you see, you could only drive the rental to ONE State or Province directly adjacent to BC, so we could only drive to Alberta or Washington (and I assume NWT, Yukon or Alaska if we were heading north). To go into Oregon, we had to rent a car in Washington state, leave the first rental with them and drove into Oregon along part of the famous Route 101 that goes along the whole west coast of the US. There are quite a number of lighthouses along the pacific coast!
I found out after we returned, that a travel agent could have advised us about the restrictions…and I started to think…
The Epiphany
This little-known bump in the road with car rentals could have been quite costly if we hadn’t known about the restriction of where we could drive and rented the second car. And I only found out this info by fluke! The car rental company did NOT tell me about it.
So after this, I decided I should work with a travel agent for our travel planning. I’d still do research on the general plans of where to go, what to see, but I would reach out to my travel agent to book flights, car rentals, hotels and cruises. This way I knew my travel agent would know all about the little-known bumps in the road and steer us clear of those! And any other travel-related issues that popped up (before, during and after), they would be able to assist with.
And then I wondered....why can't I become my own travel agent? And guess what? I did!
Why Did I Start this Blog?
I started this blog back in 2017....I've moved it to this shiny new website so it is easier to update and is easier to navigate for you!
I wanted to share my personal travel experiences (and photos) with everyone. Friends and family started asking me for travel advice.
So I've updated this blog post (and my older posts will be updated as well) to not only tell my stories but to share the lessons learnt from my travels, so that I can help other travellers like YOU!
Over time I'll add more of my older posts to this new website PLUS add new posts.
I hope you enjoy!
20-Minute Complementary Love to Explore Session
I’d love to chat with you! In your Love to Explore session, we will spend about 20 minutes on the phone talking about your travel dreams. I’ll share with you tips and ideas. You’ll leave our call inspired and excited about possibilities!
If you’re ready to plan your next great adventure, I’d love to help you get there! You can contact me by clicking below or emailing me (ExplorewithBrendaRowe@gmail.com) to book your 20-minute Love to Explore Session.
BONUSES
When you reach out to book your complimentary Love to Explore session, I’ll also send you my:
Ultimate Packing Checklist, and
Discover Your Travel Style Guide.
All FREE to help you plan your best vacation yet!
If you have any questions, please reach out ExplorewithBrendaRowe@gmail.com
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