Eco Escape Travel

09/30/2021

“My little granny said: “Waa daa noxw! Don’t look back, my son. Don’t look back.” Why did little granny say, “Don’t look back?” I think it was because she was powerless to help. Those words are what was said when people had no choice, if they were captured in warfare. I could hear my mum crying sometimes … lonesome. It happened to me with a few other children. At the age of ten and a half, I journeyed from the Kitlope, leaving my things, my granny, my mum and grandfather. It was years later I learned where we ended up at. It was a residential school in a place that was Port Alberni, Vancouver Island. The journey of hell begins when I was 10, when they took me away from my family. That was the beginning of hell for a 10-year-old that didn’t understand a word of English.”

As many of you know, today is the first National Truth & Reconciliation Day; a day to learn, unlearn, and understand. Indigenous tourism has had a profound impact on me and has especially helped me unlearn the embarrassing content we were taught in school, and learn how we can be allies and support the path to reconciliation. One of the Indigenous leaders who I look up to the most is Wa’xaid (Cicil Paul), a residential school survivor, the man who is responsible for saving the largest intact coastal temperate rainforests in the world, and author of Stories from the Magic Canoe of Wa’xaid. The above quote is an excerpt from his book; I highly recommend reading it to understand the link of Indigenous past with conservation, stewardship, and survival. 

Something I write about and always stress is the importance of Indigenous tourism. For Canada’s Indigenous tourism industry, it’s often about reclaiming the narrative and empowering themselves to continue those traditions by sharing stories with those who come to visit. These stories, however, are now always pretty. It’s taking ownership culturally of what they want to share, not necessarily what we want to hear. These images are of various experiences I’ve been lucky enough to capture as a guest on these lands. 

In the path to reconciliation, commit to supporting Indigenous tourism, businesses, and education.

08/30/2021

Take us back to the magic that was & Yoga resort on the 😍 All inclusive meals, glamping under the stars, archery, volleyball, yoga, rafting, and one heck of a view!

08/21/2021

‼️🌎✈️What is it like to travel right now? ✈️🌎‼️I recently returned from Europe and I thought it would be beneficial for some to hear my two cents on travel right now, by someone who works in travel, and just travelled.

THE BACKGROUND
- We did 3 weeks in Europe and had to “quarantine” in the UK which did cost an extra $300 in tests despite being fully vaccinated. * This has since changed if you are coming from the US*
- We took the ferry to France and drove through France, stayed in Chamonix and went to Italy. We did not need to show a test to get into France because we are fully vaccinated and therefore also didn’t need to quarantine. *This has since changed if you are coming from the UK*
- Travelling in France and Italy was just like it was here; domestic travel is all the rage here, domestic EU is all the rage there. Dutch and German licence plates owned the roads, not surprisingly. A winery we went to said usually their visitors are made up of 80% Americans, they had 2 this year, and we were the first Canadians.

MY ADVICE
- If you are fully vaccinated, then definitely think about and potentially book your next trip! But make sure the country you’re visiting has a good plan to welcome tourists
- Plan ahead, but not too far ahead. Anything can happen. It’s important to note we could only book/plan 1 week out for everything on this 3 week trip because things change so fast still
- Make sure your airline, tours, and accommodations have flexible cancellation policies
- Understand that every country, state, province etc. has different regulations around masks and pandemic guidelines, and respect those
- Be prepared to stick a lot of rods up your nose. We had 7 in 3 weeks
- Stay up to speed on borders and regulations; things have already changed since we left and you now need a vaccine passport to get into bars, cafes, restaurants etc.
- Make sure your travel insurance is valid during an ‘avoid non-essential travel’ government advisory
- For travel in 2021, I would advise going to 1 country and sticking to 1 country. Hopping around is not ideal yet, stick to minimal border crossings
(Continued in comments)

12/17/2020

The sun sets on our last day at the house we’ve called home (& office) for the past month and a half...

Now for 2 weeks of vacation in 2 destinations. Few places, longer stays. That’s sustainable and COVID-safe travel folks 🚘 🦠 😷 ☀️ 🌴

12/12/2020

Did you know toucans actually suck at flying? I caught this guy mid-jump from one branch to another. They’d rather do that than fly, and when they come in they are like a dart through the sky using all the aerodynamic strength and one of the flying skill 😂.

Above the large black mandibled toucan is the endemic fiery bellied aracari toucan. They are a much more social bunch than their black mandibled toucan cousin. We see them come in one by one eventually becoming a flock and pick the fruits off the tree while the larger ones are quite territorial and fight each other off with their large beaks.

12/01/2020

‼️🍃G I V I N G T U E S D A Y 🍃‼️ Travel supports one in 10 occupations worldwide, generating 320 million jobs - but right now, we’re at risk of losing 174 million of these jobs if the global pandemic continues. Local tourism communities are desperate to put food on the table for their families, and many are turning to extraction jobs such as logging and mining that will have devastating long-term impacts of the travel destinations we love so much.

Local tourism communities need our help now so that we can all enjoy travel long into the future. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, a nonprofit that funds conservation projects across the globe to protect travel destinations, to raise $50,000 by the end of the year to save the future of travel destinations. Along with 70 companies, we’re matching up to $50,000 in funds to DOUBLE the number of communities and conservation initiatives we can support! Donate at adventuretravelconservationfund.org/conservation-in-communities.

11/27/2020

🙌🙌

COLOMBIA BANS SHARK FISHING

Breaking News! In a groundbreaking move, Colombia has banned all shark fishing, both industrial and artisanal, throughout its full territorial waters! Thank you to all our community who voiced your support earlier this year for this important legislation. And a big thank you to for your tireless work to preserve the marine treasures of Columbia!

"President Iván Duque announced this Thursday that artisanal and industrial fishing for sharks of any species in the waters of Colombia is completely prohibited. The measure is intended to protect these predators that are essential to maintain the balance of marine ecosystems.
“Today we have made a government decision, supported and sustained, and that is that any form of shark fishing is prohibited in Colombia, be it industrial or artisanal. And as we know that this has effects on some artisanal fishing sectors, with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture we will establish compensation measures through a decree to serve this sector, ” said the Head of State.
It was also announced that the people of the Caribbean and the Colombian Pacific who have been practicing shark fishing as a source of income will begin a process of payment for environmental services so that they do not lose their livelihood."

10/15/2020

When the light find the water, and the water finds its path 🏔 📍Client shoot for &

09/09/2020

The sunsets are better when you work for them 👌

08/26/2020

🇨🇦Fall for Vancouver 🍂 in an Indigenous discovery way. ✨
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How does Indigenous comfort food and a talking trees tour in beautiful foliage sound?
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With the sun still shining and adventure at our doorsteps, September & October are the perfect time to still find culture on the coast we call home. My urban cultural escape with showed me that seasons themselves have significant meaning and that there is no time better than another for cultural immersion activities like these. I mean, who wouldn’t want to seek warmth in Indigenous comfort food of or ?! Or a Talking Trees tour but with beautiful fall foliage around? As a water guy, you’ll always find me out on the ocean and a sea kayaking trip might be just what the doctor ordered for a nice sunny fall afternoon. And no matter what time of year, the is a great hidden gem downtown to discover and spend hours at. Find these experiences and more with my friends at .
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@ Vancouver, British Columbia

08/22/2020

✨ Discovering culture in my backyard ✨ Did you know that some of the oldest known civilizations on earth (13,000+ years old) have been here long before us and are waiting to be respectfully discovered in your backyard? Explore Indigenous culture, cuisine, and history with Indigenous Tourism Canada on my urban escape! Itinerary details below 👇

In a time where Canadians are discovering their own backyards more than ever, Vancouverites and British Columbians need to look no further than the lands in which they live to discover culture.