Explore Beyond Travel

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Explore Beyond Travel Unique World; Boutique Destinations! Your personal Travel Concierge curating one of a kind experiences that take you beyond the tourist traps.

Independent Agent of Go Travel. I have always had a dream to be able to travel the world and experience all of the wonderful sights and learn about different cultures. Thankfully I have been fortunate enough to start my journey. From a young child we had family vacations each year exploring different parts of Canada and parts of the United States. As I grew older and became more independent, I started to broaden my horizons when it came to destinations. I love all types of travel. Exploring our "backyard" with hiking and camping trips to Canada's Rocky Mountains, Cruising the sea and getting a glimpse at what a destination has to offer, setting up home base in a large city and exploring the city and its surrounding communities all have their own special appeal. My other passion is animals and my husband and I are the proud guardians of two amazing American Pitbull Terriers who have taught both of us so much about unconditional love and breaking down stereotypes. We love to include them on our vacations whenever we can and so they get to come camping with us and love when we take them to hotels that truly cater to pets. I hope that this page assists you in even the smallest way to discover or enrich your passion for travel and exploring things that are different from your daily life. By travelling and understanding differences we gain knowledge and compassion. "We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us." - Anonymous

🎨 The town's and cities of Oaxaca: Open-Air Art GalleriesOne of the things I love about exploring in Oaxaca is the art y...
10/11/2026

🎨 The town's and cities of Oaxaca: Open-Air Art Galleries

One of the things I love about exploring in Oaxaca is the art you find around every corner. From large, colourful murals celebrating culture and identity to stencil art and cartelismo urbano (urban poster art), the city's walls tell stories of history, community, creativity and sometimes protest.

Here, art isn't confined to galleries and museums. It's part of everyday life, woven into the streets and neighbourhoods.

Take a little detour, look beyond the obvious sights, and let the walls tell you a story. 🇲🇽

Which one is your favorite?

🍂 WHILE LATIN AMERICA DOESN'T CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING, IT HAS ITS OWN TRADITIONS OF HARVEST AND ABUNDANCE!This weekend, m...
10/10/2026

🍂 WHILE LATIN AMERICA DOESN'T CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING, IT HAS ITS OWN TRADITIONS OF HARVEST AND ABUNDANCE!

This weekend, many Canadians will gather around the table to celebrate Thanksgiving. It's a time for family, good food and giving thanks for what we have.

But what about Latin America? While Thanksgiving isn't widely celebrated here as it is in Canada, or later in the US, countries throughout the region have their own festivals rooted in agriculture, cultural traditions and gratitude for the land.

For travellers, these celebrations offer a wonderful opportunity to experience a destination beyond its usual tourist attractions. And if you're looking for a reason to plan your next adventure, here are three celebrations worth putting on your radar!

🍇 1. Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia — Mendoza, Argentina
📅 When to go: Late February to early March

W**e lovers, take note! Argentina's National Grape Harvest Festival celebrates the grape harvest and the people behind the country's world-famous w**es.

Expect spectacular parades, music, folk dancing, w**e celebrations and a vibrant tribute to Mendoza's w**emaking heritage, all set against the stunning backdrop of the Andes.

Imagine combining the festivities with vineyard visits, w**e tastings and leisurely lunches overlooking the mountains. Now that's a reason to plan a trip!

☀️ 2. Inti Raymi — Cusco, Peru
📅 When to go: June, with the main celebration on June 24

Step back in time at Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun. Rooted in Inca traditions, this spectacular celebration honours Inti, the sun god, and marks the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

Today, Cusco comes alive with elaborate ceremonial re-enactments, traditional music, colourful costumes and processions that bring Inca history to life.

It's a fascinating time to explore Cusco and the Sacred Valley, combining living cultural traditions with ancient archaeological sites and the extraordinary landscapes of the Andes.

🌸 3. Feria de las Flores — Medellín, Colombia
📅 When to go: Late July to early August

Flowers take centre stage at Medellín's famous Festival of the Flowers, a celebration of Colombia's rich floral heritage and the people who cultivate its blooms.

The highlight is the Desfile de Silleteros, where flower farmers carry enormous, intricately arranged floral displays on their backs through the streets. These spectacular creations celebrate generations of tradition, craftsmanship and the pride of local farming families.

Add live music, cultural events, delicious Colombian food and Medellín's famously welcoming atmosphere, and you've got a wonderful reason to discover this vibrant city.

✨ TRAVEL IS ABOUT MORE THAN SEEING A PLACE. IT'S ABOUT EXPERIENCING WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL.

Sometimes, the most memorable travel experiences happen when we join a local celebration, discover a centuries-old tradition or share a meal that tells the story of a place and its people.

And the best part? You can plan your travels around these events and experience a destination when its culture takes centre stage.

Which celebration would you most like to experience?

🍷 Mendoza's grape harvest
☀️ Cusco's Festival of the Sun
🌸 Medellín's Festival of the Flowers

Tell me in the comments!

And if you'd like to plan a trip around a cultural festival, a regional food tradition or a unique local experience, let's work together to create an itinerary that goes beyond the ordinary.

Wait… THIS was the hidden gem?! 👀When people visit Oaxaca, Monte Albán and Mitla are usually at the top of the ruins lis...
10/09/2026

Wait… THIS was the hidden gem?! 👀

When people visit Oaxaca, Monte Albán and Mitla are usually at the top of the ruins list.

But Yagul? It’s often overlooked.

And honestly, that’s part of its magic.

Here’s why Yagul should be on your radar:
✨ No crowds — explore at your own pace. (We were the only people there mid day)
✨ More access to the history — you can climb on and into many of the ruins and tombs.
✨ Spectacular views across the surrounding valleys.
✨ A fascinating history, including the caves and ancient settlements that tell the story of this area.

It feels less like checking an archaeological site off your list and more like discovering something for yourself.

Planning a trip to Oaxaca? Put Yagul on your list. It’s an easy addition to an Oaxaca Valleys itinerary — and one you might just remember long after the bigger-name sites. 🇲🇽

Save this for your Oaxaca trip and stay tuned — I’ll share more about a visit to Oaxaca's Central Valleys and what not to miss.











So… you thought the ruins would be the Hotspot? 😉Yesterday I asked you to guess which was the hidden gem and which was t...
10/08/2026

So… you thought the ruins would be the Hotspot? 😉

Yesterday I asked you to guess which was the hidden gem and which was the tourist hotspot

And most of you guessed the ruins!

Plot twist… it was Hierve el Agua.

Hierve el Agua is one of Oaxaca’s most famous sights, known for its spectacular mineral formations that look like cascading waterfalls frozen in time. The mineral-rich water also creates those beautiful little pools that you’ll see in photos everywhere.

And yes, it is very beautiful. But its popularity means it can get very, very busy, especially during peak times.

So while Hierve el Agua is absolutely worth seeing, there’s another place from yesterday that deserves a little more attention.

Stay tuned to find out where to find those ruins — and why they should be on your Oaxaca Valleys itinerary. 🇲🇽














Today, we explored one of the area's hidden gems alongside a highly popular tourist destination. While both locations ar...
10/08/2026

Today, we explored one of the area's hidden gems alongside a highly popular tourist destination. While both locations are stunning and well worth a visit, timing and professional insight are everything. Knowing exactly when to go and how to discover these lesser-known spots makes the difference between navigating heavy crowds and having the space to truly explore, learn, and capture spectacular photos.

Can you guess which photo is taken at the hidden gem and which is the major tourist hotspot? Cast your votes 👇🏼

🎨 Look Closely: Mexican Stencil ArtYou may have walked past art like this on the streets of Mexico without realizing the...
10/05/2026

🎨 Look Closely: Mexican Stencil Art

You may have walked past art like this on the streets of Mexico without realizing there is a story behind the technique.

This is esténcil urbano — Mexican stencil graffiti.

Rather than painting an entire image freehand, artists create a stencil and use spray paint to reproduce the image directly onto a wall. The technique allows an image to be created relatively quickly and repeated in different places.

In Mexico, stencil art has often been much more than decoration. It has been used as a form of social commentary, political expression and storytelling, bringing art and ideas directly into public spaces.

Oaxaca became particularly well known for its stencil and street-art movements, especially around the social upheaval of 2006. Artists and collectives used the walls of the city to communicate messages of resistance, identity and community.

Today, you'll find stencil art throughout Mexico — sometimes political, sometimes playful, sometimes simply beautiful.

One more reason to slow down and look at the walls when you travel. You never know what story you'll find there. 🇲🇽

Photo from the streets of San Jose del Pacifico, OAX.

This specific piece is by Ynkl (a prominent street artist based in Oaxaca, Mexico

10/04/2026

Waiting off shore is the Coral Princess: officially christening the cruise season in Huatulco, Mexico.

This ship was built in 2003 and designed to maximize the experience of sailing through the Panama Canal and Alaskan fjords. It is now transitioning to start its winter where it will be sailing the Caribbean and Panama Canal routes.

Have you ever sailed on this ship? What year and which region?

I realized recently that while many of you know me through my travel posts, you may not actually know the person behind ...
10/03/2026

I realized recently that while many of you know me through my travel posts, you may not actually know the person behind explore beyond travel.

So, I thought it was time to fix that. 😊

If we haven’t met yet—or if you’ve been following along for a while but don’t know much about me—here’s your chance to get to know the woman behind the travel planning, destination research, and “I just found this amazing place and you NEED to know about it!” posts. 😂

Over the next weeks, I will re-introduce myself to you all. Some things will be fun facts while others will be more personal.

So, let’s start at the beginning…

Who am I, and what do I do?

I grew up on an acreage outside of Edmonton, Alberta, where my days were spent horseback riding, playing with our dogs, and skating on the pond. Every year, my family would travel to the mountains and/or to Manitoba to visit family. I think this is where my adventurous side was born.

While working toward my degree in Education at university, two of my favourite courses were Sociology and Art History. I loved learning about people and cultures and discovering how much you can learn about a place and its people through their art and the way they live.

Interestingly, my least favorite subjects were Geography and History. Not because I wasn't interested—I actually was—but memorizing dates and names of places was never my strong suit! 😂

Today, I have been an independent travel advisor with Go Travel for almost 10 years, joining in January 2017.

Although I book all types of travel, my real passion and specialty are trips that go beyond the resort or the Instagram hotspots—trips where you actually get to experience the destination.

I take the time to get to know my clients, what interests them, how they like to travel, and what makes a trip meaningful to them. Then I use that knowledge to create a customized itinerary that is truly theirs—and theirs alone.

No cookie-cutter trips. Just travel designed around you.

Let me know in the comments where you are from!

🏎️ If the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix is on your bucket list… make it a bucket-list EXPERIENCE. 🇨🇦You could buy a tick...
10/02/2026

🏎️ If the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix is on your bucket list… make it a bucket-list EXPERIENCE. 🇨🇦

You could buy a ticket, find your seat, watch the cars fly past and check “Attend an F1 race” off the list.

Or…

What if you could get closer to the action?

✨ Walk through the pit lane
✨ Get behind-the-scenes access
✨ Take a guided tour of the track
✨ Experience the atmosphere of the paddock
✨ Enjoy elevated race-day hospitality
✨ And then watch the Grand Prix unfold at the legendary Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve

Because if you're going to make the trip to Montreal for Formula 1, why settle for simply being in the crowd?

The Canadian Grand Prix isn't just a race. It's a weekend when Montreal comes alive with F1 energy—and the circuit itself is steeped in history, from the famous hairpin to the Wall of Champions.

And this is exactly where working with a travel professional can make a difference.

I can build the whole experience—your flights, boutique hotel, incredible Montreal experiences, dining, race access and those special extras that turn a trip into a story you'll be telling for years.

🏁 Dreaming of experiencing the Montreal Grand Prix?

Don't just check the box.

Let’s make it a bucket-list trip worthy of the bucket list.

📩 Reach out and let's start planning.

🌿 Imagine waking up to the sounds of the Amazon.Not an alarm clock.Not traffic.Just the calls of birds echoing through t...
10/01/2026

🌿 Imagine waking up to the sounds of the Amazon.

Not an alarm clock.

Not traffic.

Just the calls of birds echoing through the rainforest… the gentle movement of the river beneath you… and mist lifting from the jungle as the day begins.

Imagine stepping ashore and following your guide deep into the forest, watching for monkeys swinging through the canopy, colourful macaws overhead and the tiny creatures most people never notice.

Later, you’re back on the river.

Maybe you’re drifting quietly through narrow waterways in a small boat, watching the jungle slide past. Maybe you’re fishing for piranha. Maybe you’re swimming in a secluded tributary. Or maybe you’re simply sitting on deck with a cold drink, watching one of the world's greatest wildernesses unfold around you.

And then comes sunset.

The sky turns gold over the river. The jungle grows quiet. Somewhere in the distance, you hear a bird call you can't identify.

And suddenly you realize…

this isn't just a vacation.
It's a story you'll be telling for years.

✨ And getting there is easier than you might think.

With Canadian airlines adding more direct flights to South America, the Amazon is more accessible than ever — making it possible to pair a few days exploring vibrant São Paulo, BR or Lima, PE with an unforgettable Amazon adventure.

City energy + wild adventure.
A pretty spectacular combination. 🌿

So tell me…

Would you choose the Amazon for your next great adventure? And who would you want beside you?

✈️ Let's explore beyond the ordinary.


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