VANCOUVER, BC, June 3, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ – It took a renowned travel expert five years and two editions to pack Canada’s bucket list into one critically acclaimed volume. Global travel might be off limits, but Robin Esrock knows first-hand the bounty of Canada’s unique, world-class attractions.
As a former Globe and Mail travel columnist and host of the 40-part National Geographic television series Word Travels, Esrock has spent two decades visiting over 100 countries on 7 continents in search of extraordinary and unusual experiences. When the Vancouver-based, South African-born immigrant turned his attention to his adopted home, he couldn’t believe what he discovered. Captured through personal essays, online videos, and stunning photography, The Great Canadian Bucket List [Dundurn Press] has gone onto become a 20x national bestseller. According to Jon Montgomery, host of The Amazing Race, it is “the definitive guide to any Canuck looking to experience great travel within the confines of our enormous country.”
Esrock believes Canadians traditionally tend to look abroad for inspiration, overlooking comparable and vastly underrated experiences at home. “Take the Dead Sea, which everyone knows, and compare it to Little Manitou Lake in Saskatchewan, where you can also float effortlessly in a stunning, salty inland lake,” explains Esrock. “The culture and beauty of Cape Breton rivals the Scottish Highlands, Old Quebec City is an easy and worthy substitute for any European old town, and you can get your Tuscany wine adventure cycling between gorgeous vineyards in BC’s Okanagan Valley or Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment.”
As COVID-19 restrictions gradually relax, Esrock is hopeful that all tourism will rebound, and domestic travel will continue to enjoy a much-needed boost. “It’s exotic to visit Iceland over Newfoundland or Antarctica over the Arctic, but I’ve found it’s meaningful as hell to explore your own country, meeting the people who live in it, and understanding how the different but vibrant pieces of Canada all fit together.”
More of Esrock’s Canada vs the World
- Can’t get to the Galapagos? Get sailing in Gwaii Haanas National Park
- Stonehenge on your bucket list? Alberta’s Majorville Medicine Wheel might be even older.
- Dream of ballet in St Petersburg? Consider the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
- Craving dim sum in Hong Kong? BC’s Richmond is the Asian culinary capital of North America.
- Think New Zealand owns crazy adventure? Zipline across a waterfall or rappel face-forward off a cliff in New Brunswick. River surf in Montreal or go cave bashing in QC’s Magdalen Islands.
