8:17 | July 3, 2020

LADNER CREEK TRESTLE

Travel

Ladner Creek Trestle is a very “instagram famous” spot about two hours from downtown Vancouver, Canada. My friend James and I decided to give it a visit the other day and see what all the hype was about! This place was truly so so beautiful, but also terrifying at the same time.

When I had imagined visiting Ladner Creek Trestle, I thought I would be whimsically walking across the bridge, spinning around.. ETC. You know, doing what I do. But in reality.. this thing is TERRIFYING! My heart was beating at about a million miles per minutes just being near the bridge. It’s also very old and not super safe, so if you choose to visit this place PLEASE be safe. I crawled my way out for a photo but it definitely was not the safest situation ahah.

Either way, fantastic day here in British Columbia!

2:32 | June 21, 2020

ALOUETTE LAKE

Travel

Alouette Lake is about an hour drive outside of Vancouver, British Columbia. My friend James and I decided to check it out for today’s Canadian travel vlog.

If you are looking for an easy daytrip or quick getaway from Vancouver, Alouette Lake is a fantastic option. There are campsites, a very accessible boat launch, bathrooms, and obviously stunning views. The best view of the lake and the mountains is from the middle. So if you have access to a boat, highly recommend bringing it along!

We ended up paddling all the way to the other side of the lake, and doing some exploring over there too. Was so beautiful but the mosquitos definitely started coming out at dusk lol! For some reason they love me, so I have tons of bites after this adventure day.

I’d love to go back to Alouette Lake one day and try out their campsites. Not usually a fan of camping on government organized sites (usually overcrowded imo), but these ones were actually really nicely spread out. Tons of forest around, and overall really beautiful.

Make sure to let me know if you visit (or have visited) Alouette Lake, and what you think! Also if you want to see more photos from this travel vlog, check out my instagram!

4:50 | June 16, 2020

BEST ISLAND IN BC

Travel

Bowen Island is definitely the best island in BC! This summer is off to a fantastic start with all this Canadian travel. In today’s Canadian travel vlog 2020, I share my favourite parts of Bowen Island. We visit a few different restaurants, beaches, and even a beautiful lighthouse.

This was such a fun day with my friend Laura Reid, and was actually our last day visiting the island! We already have a trip planned back for later in the summer, to check out a cool looking retreat we found. Thank you for watching my Bowen Island travel vlog series, I hope you enjoyed! Cheers to more Canada vlogs, coming your way soon 🙂

8:26 | June 11, 2020

BEST VANCOUVER DAYTRIP

Travel

Bowen Island is the best Vancouver daytrip location I’ve explored yet. Just a 20 minute ferry ride away from the city of Vancouver, British Columbia and you will be at this gorgeous island. Bowen Island is best known for their beautiful beaches, lakes, hikes, and of course.. the restaurants.

In today’s Bowen Island travel vlog, my friend Laura Reid and I explore this beautiful Pacific Northwest island without a plan. We really wanted to see what we could come across… without any particular destination in mind. Sometimes adventuring without a plan can be a really fun and interesting way to explore somewhere new.

I get questions sometimes on my videos asking if every video location is pre-planned and organized. The answer is sometimes. When I have flown across the world and invested a lot of time and energy into a trip, I usually plan out each day so I can make sure I see the things I want to see. Within that plan, I leave room for exploring with NO plan! Those days usually end up being some of my favourites. But today, since we are so close to home, we really wanted to wander Bowen Island and ohhhh boy was it ever amazing.

In this Canadian travel vlog you will see why Bowen Island is the best daytrip to do from Vancouver. You really don’t need a plan or a map to have an incredible day. If you want to know more about what equipment I used to film this video (and all videos featured on my YouTube!) make sure you check out this blog post. I go through all the travel vlog gear I use and why.

2:52 | June 8, 2020

BOWEN ISLAND

Travel

BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA STRIKES AGAIN!!!! Welcome to Bowen Island, a peaceful little island located just 20 minutes off the coast of Vancouver, Canada. Bowen Island is a great option if you are looking for a quick day-trip out of the city, and an even better choice for a short getaway. A few nights on this island will have you refreshed and recharged.. for SURE.

Here’s why I love Bowen Island so much. First off, there are tons of beautiful beaches that are totally empty. Heaven? I think so. Second, the food. Ohhhh the food. In today’s video we didn’t really get into the restaurants but stay tuned in upcoming vlogs to see just how amazing the restaurant scene is on Bowen Island. There is also something about small towns. They move at a different pace than the big cities of the world. A slower, more mindful pace. And I love it. Being in the nature can do incredible things for your soul, even if it’s just a walk in the park.

So tell me, have you been to Bowen Island before? Would you visit this beautiful slice of heaven in British Columbia? Also feel free to comment if you have any other cool island recommendations that you think I need to visit here in BC!

Stay tuned for more vlogs from Bowen Island, coming soon 🙂

2:38 | June 5, 2020

CANADIAN TRAVEL

Travel

What an incredible day here in British Columbia, Canada! It has been so rewarding to travel Canada and share the experience with you on my YouTube channel.

Today’s Canadian travel vlog showcases Mt. Timothy in the Cariboo, British Columbia. Mt. Timothy is a small locally-owned ski hill that is undergoing some series renovation over the summer in preparation for the upcoming winter season. The mountain is adding new cabins, expanding the runs, and updating the chalet. Really looking forward to visiting again once the mountain is open for skiing!

This will be my last vlog from the Cariboo for the short term, because there is so much more I want to show you here at home in Canada. Hope you enjoyed my Cariboo travel series and are getting stoked for what is to come! Lots more Canadian travel to be had here in British Columbia. Stay safe my friends!

1:29 | May 31, 2020

HOW TO MAKE SOLO-TRAVEL VLOGS

Travel

Want to know how I travel the world solo and make videos? This detailed tutorial reveals my entire process on how I make solo-travel vlogs without help from anyone! I share what equipment I use, how I plan my travel vlogs, what types of shots I take, and how I film myself.

If you want to know exactly what equipment I use to make travel videos, click this link for a detailed outline of my current setup and the gear I used when I first started vlogging.

I regularly get comments asking who is filming me, and how I make my videos. So I really wanted to put together this detailed tutorial on all the logistics that go on behind the scenes.

If you are considering taking a trip and think you can’t make a vlog by yourself.. this is definitely a must-watch tutorial!

Once you’ve watched “How To Make Solo-Travel Vlogs”, a great next step is my “How to Edit Vlogs” tutorial. This shares my entire editing process, from start to finish. I review how to organize your footage, where to start when editing, how to keep your audience engaged in your video, audio tips, color grading, and more. Click here to learn how I edit travel vlogs. The combination of these two videos is a great way to start your travel vlogging journey.

8:34 | May 30, 2020

CARIBOO, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Travel

Life in the Cariboo is a thing of beauty. Nothing makes me happier than being out in the nature, and British Columbia DELIVERS when it comes to that!

Today’s vlog shares a day in my life in the Canadian wilderness. I’ve been social distancing up in the Cariboo for about a month now, and wanted to give you a look inside my life here. Things have been evolving so fast with the COVID-19 pandemic and it feels so great to have British Columbia beginning to take measures to re-open. Our curve has been flattening for a while here and now restaurants, stores, elective surgeries, etc are open for business. Things aren’t back to normal, that is for sure, but it gives me hope that we can actually be in public together again. Even with the new social distancing measures in place.

For today, I explore the cariboo region of British Columbia and enjoy the fact that we are now able to visit restaurants and support local businesses again!

If you are interested in seeing what I filmed this travel vlog on, here is the link to all of the camera equipment I used! Also if you want to know exactly how I make travel vlogs.. here is that video too.

2:35 | May 27, 2020

TRAVEL VLOGGING GEAR

Travel

Picking travel vlogging gear can be very overwhelming. Believe me, I’ve done countless hours of research on cameras, stabilizers, tripods, memory cards, selfie sticks… you name it. There is so much on the market and every brand is claiming to have the next best vlogging camera.

Over the last 3 years of YouTube I am proud to say I have a very lean kit. My preference is to have the least amount of equipment possible, and maximize the output from said equipment. As a solo-female travel vlogger, I find this to be the best way to make sure I capture my adventures authentically, and not get bogged down with excess technology.

BEGINNER VLOGGING EQUIPMENT

If you are just starting out as a travel vlogger and need to know what gear to get, here is the exact equipment I started with and made over 200 videos with:

The Canon G7X is hands down my favourite vlogging camera. It is a great camera to start your travel vlogging journey, because it is easy to use right out the box but also can do way more than its size lets on. Once you get comfortable with the basic features of the Canon G7X, I highly recommend looking at how you can utilize the 60 FPS + many other settings to push this seemingly simple point-and-shoot to its full potential. This was my main vlogging camera for over two years and I would always get questions about what I shot my b-roll on… to everyone’s surprise… the Canon G7X!

ADVANCED VLOGGING EQUIPMENT

Today, I still actively use everything in the ‘Beginner Vlogging Gear’ kit featured above. But I’ve also recently decided to upgrade my setup by investing in a heavier camera and stabilizer to create more cinematic travel vlogs. So here is the additional equipment I am using to make the vlogs you see today:

The Sony A6400 is a thing of beauty. I made the decision to add this camera to my kit because I wanted to improve the quality of my vlogs and better showcase travels. The Sony 10-18mm lens is almost the same price as the body of the camera, but it’s SO worth it. The 10-18mm is a beautiful wide angle lens that can also zoom in and do some pretty epic macro shots. For a travel vlogger, having a wide-angle lens is a must. It allows you to give more context to your videos without any extra effort – your audience will get a better view of your surroundings and be able to see what’s going on in the background of your footage.

These are my top recommendations for travel vlogging gear, and I hope this helps you navigate the wild world of camera equipment!

Happy vlogging friends 🙂

PS: if you need some tips on how to edit travel vlogs, make sure you check out this video!

2:59 | May 26, 2020

HOW TO EDIT TRAVEL VIDEOS

Travel

Thinking about starting your own travel vlog? Have a bunch of unedited footage saved up from previous trips? Well.. This is my detailed guide on how to edit travel videos for beginners!

I go through my entire process from start to finish, and share all my best tips & tricks on how you can create your own travel vlog. It’s been 3 years since I started YouTube, and I really do wish I’d had this particular video when I started out. Honestly feel like it would have made things a lot easier for me, and made that steep learning curve slightly… less steep. lol.

One major thing I review in this tutorial is music. When I first started doing YouTube I would just pick songs I liked and put them in my videos. I’d throw in some Queen, ABBA… pretty much anything I wanted. This is a big ‘no-no’ in the world of vlogging. YouTube will penalize you for using copyrighted music, and it honestly just makes things way more challenging than they need to be. So if you are looking for the absolute best resource for copyright free music, Artlist is my favourite platform.

The reason I love using Artlist so much is the music is not only copyright free.. is is downright AWESOME. There is nothing worse/less inspiring than elevator music in vlogs. The music available on Artlist is incredible, and sounds like something you would hear in a Hollywood movie. So make sure you check out Artlist and use this link to get 2 months free!

Travel vlogging has been such an incredible journey for me. Travel has always been something that has brought me joy and enriched my life. I have been traveling the world since I was two years old (I believe my first international trip was to Germany!) But the ability to share my experiences, tips, and travel advice with you through my vlogs makes me happier and brings more fulfillment than I ever thought possible. There are a few layers to this feeling. Firstly, my adventures are preserved in a way that I can forever look back upon. Most trips I went on pre-YouTube… I’ve honestly forgotten so many of the beautiful details. And the beauty really is in the details. Now I have a library of experiences, places, people, and events that I can share with my family and friends. The other side of it has much more to do with YOU. My audience. It brings me so much happiness to connect with people all around the world through our shared love of travel. It is truly something special.

Basically what I am trying to say is… If you have ever considered filming a trip or making a vlog… I highly recommend learning to edit. Whether the video is just to share with your family, or, with the world wide web.. it’s a skill I’ve enjoyed cultivating and has brought immense value to my life.

If it’s your first time picking up a camera, I also recommend watching my other tutorial on how to film solo travel vlogs. This is a great resource for learning how to get the right footage to help make your editing process as seamless as possible.

HAPPY EDITING!