goingawesomeplaces.com

DAY 1 // Wish this was Emergency Awesome but here I go back to the beginning again. Surgery done! Long road to recovery again ❤️‍🩹. I don’t remember much but doc said the surgery went well. I’ll be on crutches and splint brace for a bit. The good news is that I can be put light “tap” pressure on the leg to walk so not fully non-weight-bearing. Thank you everyone for your kind messages!! 🫶

CITY CONNECT // The transition of day to night mode. The sunset was 🔥 Section 537 Row 2 Seat 1&2 PRO TIP: Left field seats out my favourite because it has the best views of the dome and CN Tower. #goingawesomeplaces #seetorontonow #tothecore #cntower #bluejays

Oh 🇨🇦 #goingawesomeplaces #explorecanada #canadaday

NIGHT TO REMEMBER // The TMAC Awards Gala Dinner was one for the 📚 as members of the media were honoured for achievements in various categories. One of the ironies of what we do is that being a content creator is a pretty lonely job at times. We produce stories, articles, photos, and videos and while there’s the vanity of likes and comments, we really don’t know if our work is any good until we get emails from readers or on a few special nights, we get recognized by our peers ☺️. 🏆 Nominated for 3 videos in 2 categories we celebrated wins all around with: 🔴 1st - Video over 10 minutes - Banff is Epic in the Winter @banff_lakelouise @skibig3 🔴 2nd - Video under 10 minutes - Magic of Easter Island @chiletravel 🔴 Honourable Mention - Video under 10 minutes - This is Patagonia @sernaturmagallanes @lastorres.patagonia @chilenativo Honestly, it was an honour just to be nominated and be amongst a group of incredible Canadian creators. Thank you @travelmediaca for being a great organization and advocating for Canadian travel media along with @destinationstjohns and @newfoundlandlabrador for hosting this year’s conference. Thank you as well to @visitrichmondbc and @visittampabay for sponsoring the awards. And lastly shoutout to all of YOU that have supported this crazy journey of Going Awesome Places ✌️ #goingawesomeplaces #tmacnl30 #tmac #exploreNL

PUFFINS & WHALES // The legendary O’Briens Boat Tours delivered again with what seemed to be thousands of puffins, the common murre, and humpback whales ✅✅✅ 📷 As a second timer, I came more prepared with the @omsystem.cameras 150-400mm telephoto lens but what I wasn’t prepared for were the huge swells we encountered that rocked our boat side to side. It was up and down to say the least 😂 making snapping photos while the birds AND the boat are moving not an easy task. What’s always so impressive is the huge colony of puffins, hanging out by their nests in the green patches of grass on the island, flying around, diving into the water, and landing in sometimes the funniest ways. Photo 4️⃣ totally reminds me of Where’s Waldo 😂. 🐋 The big bonus was being able to catch up to two humpbacks with their huge exhalations and their backs peeking up above the water before diving back down. If you’re coming to St. John’s in Newfoundland & Labrador @destinationstjohns, make sure you do this boat tour. PRO TIP: Bring Gravol and ginger candy if you get seasick easily. While our first time was much calmer, you never know how it’ll be with the wind in these parts. ⁉️ What’s your favourite shot of the series? #goingawesomeplaces #StJohnsNL #stjohns #YYT #puffins #ExploreNL #tmac #tmacnl30 #newfoundland #explorecanada #welcometotherock

COMMUNITIES OF GROS MORNE // Within Gros Morne National Park are enclave communities that bring the region to life with their industrious spirit, cultural heritage, and backbone of the tourism industry. It’s the combination of the real landscapes with real people that makes this the Real Newfoundland. I certainly got a little drone happy on this trip and loved being able to show a perspective of where a few of these coastal communities are within the national park. 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ - Woody Point - Along the waters of the south arm of Bonne Bay is a small community with the likes of Atlantic Canada’s only free standing library, cute cafe in @galliottstudios, and has a beautiful lighthouse. The views from here are always incredible with The Tablelands standing right behind. 4️⃣Trout River - At the end of the road is a community that has access to the same coastal landscape as the Green Gardens Trail. Incredibly picturesque despite this being mostly a working community of fishermen and more. 5️⃣6️⃣ Rocky Harbour - We stayed at the colorful @grosmornecabins where the community wraps around the harbour and is home to Anchors Aweigh inside @oceanviewgrosmorne 7️⃣ Norris Point - Neddies Harbour Inn is in yellow. Behind it is what looks like an island but hidden behind is where the Bonne Bay Ferry drops people off for Norris Point,l and is also where you’ll find the Bonne Bay Marine Station and @grosmorneadventures The communities are one thing I didn’t expect when coming to Gros Morne National Park but they do make the area come alive. Which is your favourite shot from the carousel? #goingawesomeplaces #ExploreNL #GoWesternNL #GrosMorne #tmac #tmacnl30 #ParksCanada #explorecanada

GROS MORNE FROM THE AIR // The stunning beauty, diversity of geology, and immense size is undeniable when you make it to Western Newfoundland and step into Gros Morne National Park. It’ll make your jaw drop. I’m here for 3 days to check off all of the big bucket list sights thanks to @travelmediaca @newfoundlandlabrador @gowesternnl and @parks.canada. In this series of photos, I was lucky enough to be granted permission to fly a drone in the national park after an extensive application process. This gave me unprecedented access to see Gros Morne from a whole different perspective. 🚫 Don’t fly in Gros Morne National Park if you don’t have permission. 1️⃣&2️⃣ - The Tablelands where you literally see Earth’s mantle exposed 3️⃣&4️⃣ - Green Gardens Trail which traverses down toward the stunning coastline 5️⃣ 6️⃣&7️⃣ - Views from the Trout River enclave, a community that exists inside the park. 6️⃣ is a shot just from following the coast southwards and 7️⃣ looks back towards where Green Gardens is. 8️⃣ Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse - It was a stormy morning but managed to pop up to see the full scope of the lighthouse on its rocky outcrop surrounded by tidal pools. ❓Which is your favourite shot in the carousel? 🤙Shoutout to @tomcochrane for hanging out with me to show me the areas to fly around Green Gardens and Trout River. Who’s been to Gros Morne National Park? #goingawesomeplaces #ExploreNL #GoWesternNL #HikeNL #GrosMorne #tmac #tmacnl30 #ParksCanada #explorecanada

THIS IS PATAGONIA // I still get chills watching this. Chilean Patagonia is truly special. Thank you to @adventuretravelassociation @chilenativo and @lastorres.patagonia for the opportunity to hike parts of the W Trek, go horseback riding, spy on puma, watch the sun rise from the Base of the Towers, kayak amongst icebergs, eat incredible meals, learn about the baqueano, and MORE. The @travelmediaca nomination itself is everything especially among other talented creators in the category of Best Emerging & Broadcast Media: Stories Under 10-Minutes in Length. Shoutout again to @seeusoontravel @justinpluslauren @daveyandsky! Thank you again to @visittampabay for sponsoring this award. #goingawesomeplaces #tmac #tmacnl30 #travelmedia #patagonia #torresdelpaine #chile #visitchile #chiletravel #instachile

EPIC WINTERS IN BANFF & LAKE LOUISE // This is one of those memorable campaigns that brought together Going Awesome Places with @banff_lakelouise and @skibig3 in what was really the first of its kind. A project like this is an example how building relationships take YEARS with amazing folks like @kim.n.logan and @johnnyhashtags, then @travelmediaca Conference in Nova Scotia connecting me with @averyprice1 and SkiBig3. It really takes a village! Tons of great partners were involved including @skijorcanada @mountroyalhotel @whitemountainadventuresbanff @rockymtnbikescape @pursuitcollection @brazenbanff @threebearsbanff @bluebirdbanff @skybistrobanff @banffgondola @skilouise @mtnorquay @sunshinevillage. Honoured to be nominated for Best Emerging and Broadcast Media Stories 10 Minutes and Over category alongside @seeusoontravel @ayngelina @drinkteatravel and @maivison. Lastly, thank you @visitrichmondbc for sponsoring this award! #goingawesomeplaces #tmac #tmacnl30 #mybanff #skibig3 #pursuitlife #travelalberta #banff

MAGIC OF EASTER ISLAND // Honoured to be nominated for this year’s @travelmediaca award for Best Emerging and Broadcast Media Stories 10 Minutes and Under category. At Going Awesome Places, we create content for a lot of platforms but video is one of our favourites. They take a lot of time to plan, film, and edit but the finished product on YT is always 💯 rewarding. Rapa Nui (Easter Island) was a special place to travel to where the moai 🗿 came alive and learned the fascinating rise and fall of a civilization. Our trip here was made possible from being at @adventuretravelassociation’s AdventureNEXT in Patagonia and extending my travels in Chile with @worldlytraveller after the conference. 🔗 to the video is in the bio. Congrats to a superb field of video creators in @seeusoontravel @daveyandsky @justinpluslauren! Lastly, shoutout to @visittampabay for sponsoring this TMAC award. #goingawesomeplaces #tmac #tmacnl30 #travelmedia #rapanui #easterisland #chile #visitchile #chiletravel #instachile

GALAXY’S EDGE // On the planet of Batuu and the Black Spire Outpost, 3 🤓 gathered together to unlock the secrets of this mysterious land where the First Order, the Resistance, and unsavoury scoundrels run amok. Through our first trip to @disneyland in Anaheim, California last year and my revisit this year, We’ve been able to compile a detailed guide on must-read tips for Galaxy’s Edge and also how to do Disneyland in a day with the Park Hopper ticket! These are all of the critical need-to-knows and secrets that will allow you to maximize your trip. 🔗 Link in the bio! Have you been to Galaxy’s Edge? #goingawesomeplaces #disneyland #starwars #anaheim #visitanaheim #disney #disneycreatorslab #visitcalifornia #visittheusa

TO NIGHT MODE // Inspired by the new @bluejays City Connect jerseys, this is a series of shots I captured of the Toronto skyline when we put together that feature for @destination_toronto on how to spend a day on the Toronto Islands. These are a selection of photos that show the progression of day to night - a stunning transition that is #ToTheCore of City Connect. Love the inner details of the jersey that uses the Toronto Coat of Arms - “Diversity Our Strength”. What do you think of the Jays new City Connect jersey? Love it? Hate it? #goingawesomeplaces #seetorontonow #bluejays #Toronto #baseball #mytofd #the6ix #yyz #exploretoronto #discoveron

LTIR // Well this certainly wasn’t part of the plan. It’s been frustrating to have this happen so unexpectedly, and not having control of one leg brings about so many challenges to daily activities that you take for granted. Trying my best to stay positive! First off, thank you for everyone’s well wishes after what happened. Much ❤️ to everyone!! So how did it happen? You probably saw from our previous Reel that Chantelle and I were covering the Call of Duty League’s Major 3 in Toronto. It was actually a pretty awesome event to cover because I’ve been playing for years (mainly zombies and Warzone). Things were going well and the finale was @torontoultra’s entrance to the stage for their highly anticipated match on Day 1. Standing right by the stairs up, my camera followed the squad head up to the stage. Initially, I thought the knee buckled when I made the rapid 180 degree twist but when analyzing the livestream, you can see that I kept snapping away. After I switched from vertical to horizontal orientation, I remember stretching my body to get my camera in a position that was more center (towards the stairs) and that is actually when I felt the knee pop and immediately crumbled to the ground. Chantelle looked back in shock and I just remember saying “it’s not good…it’s not good...” She did her job and filmed the rest of the sequence and when everyone cleared the front area, I hobbled to the left side of the stage. The @codleague event staff helped bring a chair to me and they went to get the medic. What is wrong and what’s the recovery look like? More in the comments! 1️⃣ This is today 2️⃣ We went back to the livestream to watch it at 0.5x to see what happened and I can actually pinpoint when it happened 📣. You can even see @jamie_craven99 react to my fall 3️⃣ The vertical shot I was able to take of Toronto Ultra before I attempted to go horizontal 4️⃣ Got a wheelchair at Mattamy which was really helpful absent crutches 5️⃣ At the ER the next day with crutches that @fafoon lent us 6️⃣ Waiting for the ER doctor @mackenziehealth to come 7️⃣ Zimmer splint brace on for the first time Lesson: Watch yo knees