When I was invited to visit Swan Valley, a region about five hours northwest of Winnipeg, I had no idea what to expect. I had vaguely heard of the town of Swan River, but beyond that I couldn’t tell you a thing.

But after spending a few days exploring Swan Valley, I can tell you this: it’s one of my favourite places in Manitoba, hands down.

Perfect for a socially-distanced trip, one that includes a lot of natural beauty, I’m so excited to share some of what I got up to while I was in Swan Valley. Nestled between the Porcupine Mountains and Duck Mountains, the valley is perfect for hiking, fishing, camping, and swimming in summer, while ideal for downhill skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing in winter. It’s a bit of a nature enthusiast’s dream playground, really, and I could have happily spent another week or two exploring all that there was to do outdoors in Swan Valley.

Even without the chaos of 2020, this year was always going to be about sticking close to home for me. After five weeks in Europe last year, I realized those kinds of trips no longer really appealed; with my home, my dog, my family, and my friends all in Winnipeg, Canada, I knew I wanted to focus more on shorter, more local trips.

Not only that, I was starting to feel as though I had severely neglected my own home province for far too long. I left Manitoba at 18 and, despite travelling to over 100 countries, I had never really explored the prairie province where I grew up.

First up? Manitoba’s second largest city, Brandon.

On April 12th, 2010, I sat on my bed in my sunny flat in downtown Osaka, Japan, and I wrote this post. It’s only a few lines long, the photos are edited…

 There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of Italy. To me, Italy is the country that’s perfect for everyone: perfect for the solo traveller, for the family holiday, for those looking for adventure or those looking to relax. It’s for those in love and those trying to mend a broken heart. And after years of exploring Italy – my trip to Rome at the end of April marked my 14th time to the country – I can confidently say that the Amalfi Coast is one of the top spots to experience the best of what Italy has to offer.

With a newfound lifestyle routine, and with the desire to experience the Amalfi Coast up close and personal, the Path of the Gods was one of the best hikes I’ve ever taken in my life. A moderate hike that lasts approximately three hours depending on where you start and stop, this hike affords you some of the best views of the coast.

If you know me and you know this blog, you know that I don’t write articles like this very often. “Things to do” lists are not in my usual repertoire on my personal blog. But once in a while, a place comes along that is so amazing, so instantly special to me, that I can’t wait to share it.

Most recently, that place was the town of Amalfi, Italy.

Over the past few months, I’ve been sharing my new approach to being healthy (both in body and in mind) on this blog. This particular post will probably make a lot more…