June 14: I’m on my way home. Exhausted - mentally and physically - with achy shoulders from heaving my backpack around cities for days and navigating so much newness. More sure of myself and proud of having expanded my comfort zone. A happy heart; fulfilled from the connections and memories I made. Here’s what the... Continue Reading →
Officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, this landlocked county of just over 645,000 inhabitants is situated between Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Germany in Central Europe. It’s somewhere that people travel through rather than to. Even Luxembourgers themselves are dispersed; more than 10% of the population actually live in neighbouring nations. Within Luxembourg, citizens reside in... Continue Reading →
I wrote this back in January 2022 in the midst of my time in Dubai. I was experiencing a deep sense of disconnect from the earth and from myself (which, funnily enough, led me to learning more about and honouring myself). I turned to Mother Nature in whatever small ways I could for guidance, healing,... Continue Reading →
15 days, 6 countries, and 10 cities – give or take, depending on how everything panned out. Just me and my backpack. In some ways, this trip feels like it’s been 10 years in the making. Something - my age, school, Covid - always seems to push a potential Europe trip to the back burner.... Continue Reading →
I share this not for pity or because I feel I owe anyone an explanation. And I’m not ‘dissing’ on Dubai. This is about what I’ve learned, and how I’ve grown through failing. So, here goes… It’s been just over one month since I touched Canadian soil. I didn’t think I’d be back so soon,... Continue Reading →
Let me preface this by saying that this discussion on affluence is relevant not only to Dubai - or Canada, or any other individual person, state, or region for that matter. Wherever there is affluence, wealth, privilege, luxury, etc., whether in a place or population, there are still those who fall through the cracks. Who... Continue Reading →
Until I was actually planning to go to the UAE and started researching nearby places that I might be able to tick off my travel list (which includes pretty much every country in the world), I hadn’t give much consideration to Oman. It quickly took priority on my list for a number of reasons, it’s... Continue Reading →
Unexpected. Bizarre. Extreme. Fascinating. Unbelievable. Out of the ordinary. Over-the-top. There are a lot of adjectives that could be used to describe the sights and sounds of Dubai. This new - having only been founded in 1833 - city of sand, sun, shopping, and ports is the 'talk of the town' for good reason. With... Continue Reading →
What’s Dubai like? Well, it’s a lot. A lot of people - from everywhere on earth, employed in every profession. A lot of technology - all the latest innovations and modern designs. A lot of conveniences, from insta-shopping for anything under the sun to receiving and paying for speeding tickets through an app. A lot... Continue Reading →
In the months, and now just days, leading up to my departure for Dubai I've done a bit of reading about the city I'll be calling 'home'. So, here's my crash course on Dubai... Dubai is a city and an emirate (like a state or province) within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) The population exceeds... Continue Reading →
Claire's Path Less Travelled 