As a person who has been privileged to have travelled to many beautiful places across the world and to have made life-long memories, I often …
Presenting: Pablo Buitron from Fundacion Comunidad – Helping Women Help Themselves in the Mexican State of Morelos
During my stay in Cuernavaca I had the opportunity to meet several people from different community organizations that are involved in helping local disadvantaged people. …
Presenting: Jorge Torres from the CETLALIC Alternative Language School – Learning Spanish with Social, Political and Cultural Awareness
My stay in Cuernavaca this past April was filled with many experiences: travel experiences; historic, cultural and culinary explorations; new friendships and , most notably, …
Presenting: Ruben Cortes of Morelos Trails: Adventure Travel and Cultural Explorations in the Heart of Mexico
I met Rubén Cortés a couple of weeks ago during my stay in Cuernavaca when he filled me in on a variety cultural and adventure …
Presenting: Skills for Change – An Organization Dedicated to Helping New Immigrants Integrate Successfully into the Canadian Workplace
Along the continuum of cross-cultural experiences, becoming an immigrant and deciding to live full-time in another culture provides the most intense cross-cultural experience. Issues commonly …
Presenting Legacy International: An NGO Dedicated to Conflict Resolution, Peace-Building and Intercultural Exchanges for a Better Tomorrow
Heaven knows that in these times full of cultural misunderstandings and conflict, we need people and organizations that build bridges between people of different cultures …
Winter Images – High Park & the Beaches, Starring the Leuty Lifeguard Station
Well, all throughout January we had above average temperatures. Now it’s mid February and winter has arrived. For the last few days we have officially …
Presenting: Richard Belliveau – World Traveller, Adventurer and Charity Mountain Climber: One Person CAN Make A Difference!
My search for outstanding people who do unusual and positive things is an ongoing thing. Danielle Weiss from G.A.P Adventures recently put me on to …
Presenting: Canada’s Largest and Most Popular Museum – The Canadian Museum of Civilization
My recent trip to Ottawa last weekend gave me a chance to explore Canada’s capital first-hand. One place I did not have time to visit …
Presenting: Elderhostel – Adventure and Learning for People 55+
Learning and exploring is one of the big mottos of this website and learning vacations are one of the best ways of expanding one’s mind. …
A Follow-Up Interview with Sue Kenney and Her Documentary on the Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim Continues Her Journey
My good friend Sue Kenney left the corporate world a few years ago and went on a pilgrimage on the famous Camino de Santiago, a …
Presenting: Farzana Hassan – A Progressive Voice in Canadian Islam
The current controversy over the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed has ignited my interest to educate myself more about Islam as I realized that …
Presenting: The Scadding Court Community Centre Uses International Travel and Cross-Cultural Learning to Help At-Risk Youth
Sometimes you come across individuals or organizations who quietly do phenomenal work in the community right here under our noses, without any big fanfare. Through …
Expatriation Coaching – What Does That Mean?
One of the topics that I am fascinated with is the cross-cultural adjustment process. As an Austrian immigrant in Canada I know that even a …
Presenting: The National Gallery of Canada – One of Ottawa’s Treasures
Canada’s capital has many sights to see and the National Gallery of Canada is one of its treasures. I will have the opportunity to visit …
Presenting: Esther and Li, Two Toronto-based women, Create a Documentary during a Holocaust Education Trip
My dentist, Dr. Rajiv Arya, and I have the most amazing conversations while he examines the precarious state of my molars. During my dental appointments …
Presenting: Christina Zeidler: Hotelier, Social Entrepreneur, Artist and Urban Visionary
For me a city becomes vibrant and exciting when its institutions and facilities become accessible to a diverse audience that cuts across ethnic groups and …
Presenting: Danielle Weiss Talks about Sustainable Tourism
Danielle Weiss is the Sustainable Travel Coordinator for G.A.P Adventures, Canada’s largest adventure travel company and winner of many distinguished entrepreneurial and travel industry awards. …
Presenting: Vivetha Bistro – A Popular Spot Serving Ecclectic Food
My interview at the Beach Hebrew Institute and being around the Wednesday lunch drop-in program had made me hungry, so I decided to continue my …
Presenting: Susanne Schleyer – A Young German Photographer Confronts German History
History can be a fascinating topic. Personal family history, particularly in the case of German families, bearing the historical legacy and burden of the Second …
A Conversation with Clare Wang: China – The Mysterious Giant
Cross-cultural connections and understanding foreign cultures has been a fascination and ambition for me for a long time. In my full-time business, Textronics Communications, a …
Presenting: Bruce Bell – Comedian, Actor, Playwright, Renowned Historian and Lover of Toronto
The work on this website continues to allow me to connect with all sorts of interesting people. Some time in September my brother called me …
T.O. History Revisited – Toronto’s Most Haunted Street Corner
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
T.O. History Revisted – The Gooderham (Flatiron) Building
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
T.O. History Revisited – The St. Lawrence Market (2)
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
T.O. History Revisited – The St. Lawrence Market (1)
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
T.O. History Revisited – The Royal York Hotel
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
T.O. History Revisited – Toronto’s St. James Cathedral
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
T.O. History Revisited – Toronto Island (2)
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
T.O. History Revisited – Toronto Island (1)
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
T.O. History Revisited – The Gooderham & Warts Distillery
By Bruce Bell Bruce Bell is the history columnist for the Bulletin, Canada’s largest community newspaper. He sits on the board of the Town of …
A Conversation with Bruce Poon Tip: Global Travel Entrepreneur with a Conscience
Every once in a while you meet a personality that totally defies standard categorization, an individual who strikes you with their uniqueness and leaves an …
Presenting: Scott Rains – World Traveller, Disabled Travel Advocate & Expert on Universal Design
Scott contacted me about a week ago after having come across this website. We realized that we shared a lot of common philosophies and emails …
Presenting: Pablo Chufeni – Servas Traveller and a Champion of Cross-Border Youth Exchanges
I met Pablo at the Canada-US Servas Conference that was held at the beginning of August in Vancouver where I had a chance to spend …
Living, Working and Volunteering Abroad: Danielle Lafond Remortgages Her Condo to set up a Non-profit Community Development Project in Peru
Some time in July I was watching our local TV station, CityTV, and I caught a part of a report about a Toronto couple that …
Novice Golf and a Kawartha Lake Region Tour
It is unbelievable how nine days can just fly by. Today my brother, sister-in-law and our two Austrian friends are scheduled to fly back to …
Visiting High Park and Toronto’s West End Neighbourhoods
One of the beauties of Toronto is its diversity, the fact that hundreds of ethnic groups from all over the world congregate here in this …
A Tour Through Niagara Wine Country
Two days ago I took our European visitors on a little driving tour of the Niagara Peninsula, specifically to explore some of the 50 something …
Exploring the Waterfront by Bicycle and the CN Tower
Since my European visitors are quite sporty I figured that renting a bicycle would be the perfect way of exploring the city. So to join …
Presenting: Robert & Bette Allekotte – Servas Members, Family Travellers, Volunteers for Peace and the Environment
Robert and Bette were among the people I had a chance to get to know at the Canada-US Servas conference which was held in Vancouver …
Presenting: Mary Jane Mikuriya – Servas Traveller and Committed Local Volunteer in San Francisco
When I first met Mary Jane at the recent Canadian-US Servas Conference in Vancouver, her youthful radiance struck me. I thought she might be in …
Mony Dojeiji and her 5000 km Walk for Peace – Part II
Here is part 2 of Mony’s story who went from being a Microsoft sales executive to completing a pilgrimage on the world-famous Camino de Santiago, …
Presenting: Valma Brenton – Owner of “Sailing for Women” – International Entrepreneur, Professional Sailor, Empowerer of Women
In my search for interesting people I recently decided that I needed to focus on finding more women that have done interesting and unusual things. …
An Interview with Helga Smith: Servas Traveller, Marathon Runner and Conqueror of Mount Kilimanjaro
I had a chance to meet Helga recently at the Servas Conference that I covered in Vancouver. Once you read Helga’s story you’ll realize why …
Krista Scott: A Spunky Spirit, Snow Boarder, Surfer Girl, Australian Harvest Worker, Kayaking Intern and ESL Teacher in Vietnam
I always keep my eyes open for interesting people, and Krista Scott just absolutely grabbed my attention. I first met Krista 2 days ago on …
Mony Dojeiji and her 5000 km Walk for Peace from Rome to Jerusalem
One of the absolute pleasures of working on this website is that I am able to connect with some phenomenal people. Individuals who have done …
Doctors Without Borders – A Global Volunteer Organization Helping People In Crisis Regions
One of the subjects I am going to research in the near future is combining travel with volunteer opportunities all over the world. Volunteering is …
Living and Working Abroad: British Family Moves to Spain and Opens an Adventure Travel Company
I connected with Mel and Marie just recently, from one webmaster to another, through working on our mutual websites. I found out that the couple …
Presenting: Pier 21: Canada’s “Front Door” to Millions of Immigrants
I am fascinated by human stories and by intercultural connections. The immigrant experience combines both these elements. On the continuum of intercultural experiences from tourist …
My Buddy Mario – A True World Traveller and Conoisseur of Intercultural Experiences
In the 16 years that I have known my friend Mario I have heard many different tales of his world travels and he is one …
Martina and Jennifer’s Mother-Daughter Bonding Trip – Cycling 1400 km from the Southern Tip of to the Northern End of Germany
Martina and I play tennis in the same league and funny enough she even looks a little like the other Martina (Navratilova), just prettier. Needless …
Toronto Hippo Tours: I Went On A Bus – In The Water…….
Some time ago I noticed these odd shaped colourful bus-type vehicles in the streets of Toronto, and I was wondering what they were. I caught …
Interview: Dr. Arya Goes Trekks Through Nepal – His Most Intense Travel Experience Ever – Physically and Mentally
I have written about my dentist before who is a really cool guy. Not only is he a dentist, but he is also a practicing …
Interview with US Servas: Servas Fosters PeaceThrough Intercultural Exchange
How to become a concerned traveler, not just a tourist.. Servas travelers are warmly welcomed in more than 15,000 homes throughout the world. You know …
The Traveller Next Door: My Friend Carol – Expert on Turkey and Greece
My friend Carol, a wonderful and unique woman in her early 50s, is a high school math teacher, a gifted painter, a very decent piano …
Sue Kenney and the Camino de Santiago: Pilgrim, Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, Workshop Designer & Coach
I am very happy to be able to present to you Sue Kenney, a very fascinating individual, a consummate athlete and master rower, a pilgrim …
Interview with Ivana Grzetic – Former Miss Universe Croatia – Now Sea Kayaking Entrepreneur in Dubrovnik – Our Expert on Croatia
In one of my searches on the Internet about interesting travel websites I found a site on sea kayaking in the Adriatic. I contacted the …
The Adventurer Next Door – My Friend Leslie in Antigua
My good friend Leslie recently had a chance to go on a trip to Antigua. Although on a package deal, she managed to get in …
Presenting: Barbara Winter!
Well, I am really excited to be able to present to you my first interview: Barbara Winter, best-selling author and creative entrepreneur extraordinaire. I am …
Presenting: Dr. Rajiv Arya, My Cool Dentist
When your eyes are open you tend to find wonderful and extraordinary people right around you. My dentist, Dr. Rajiv Arya, is one of those …
Presenting Jeff Minthorn – Editor of Verge Magazine
A little while ago I mentioned that I stumbled across Verge Magazine by accident and that I planned to interview its editor, Jeff Minthorn. Jeff …
Karla Darocas: Artist, Entrepeneur and Canuck Expatriate in Spain
I had an opportunity to meet Karla last year on one of my trips to Spain. My interview preview will give you a bit of …