M y  G e o g r a p h i c  O r i g i n s 

I am from Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada. Which is a small town of 14,000 people. It is located in the middle of two huge cities. Calgary and Edmonton (the capital of Alberta). I love being outside in nature and in the water. Growing up on the lake really helped me feel comfortable being in the water. Both my Mother and Father grew up in Medicine Hat, Alberta. They grew up being on farms and working with the land. I think that is where my love for nature originally comes from. You can always find me by the sea or thinking about it!

D e m o g r a p h i c  I n f o r m a t i o n

Currently, I am 21 years old and considerate part of “Generation Z”. I am a Caucasian female of Irish origin. I am in my third year of university studying tourism. My only job right now is focusing on my studies. I have been with my partner for almost four years now. Him and I love traveling together to experience things together. We love adventure. This makes me a Group Traveler because I like to experience things with my significant other.

M y  P s y c h o g r a p h i c  C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s 

I love surfing, sea kayaking, snowboarding, and skateboarding. This would make me be an Adventurous Traveler. I also love to visit historical and cultural sites. Checking our local restaurants, shops, and sites are almost important to me while traveling. Those things make me a Cultural Explorer. So, if I put these two things together, I guess I could be considered an Adventurous Cultural Explorer. In other words, an Authentic Traveler. This type of traveler is defined by having a foot in both worlds: nature and culture. The personality traits of Authentic Travelers include: being spontaneous, ethical, eco conscious, independent, open-minded, and curious.

S t o r y  T i m e

The featured image for this page is myself and a fellow student on Sea Kayak 2 with TRU Adventure Studies. This was the half way mark of our nine day expedition circumnavigating Quadra Island. On the trip, we experienced ocean currents and tides. We also saw lots of sea life and indigenous areas.  A quote that reminds me of this trip is “authenticity requires vulnerability and transparency”. Which is true to my heart. This links to being an Authentic Traveler because to get to beautiful places, it takes a long and hard journey. To have a foot in both worlds means to be open with the adventure in order to get the reward. This trip was mentally and physically exhausting. Our group had to be honest and open with each other at all times. Some days, we pushed on and paddled for almost eight hours. We ended up turning around and not circumnavigating due to tides and currents. I was open minded for a new adventure on the way back. We all had a great time and learned so much about ourselves and the environment. Here, I got my Level Two Sea Kayak certification to be an Assistant Over Night Guide!