Meet Kurt From Canada
My Story
I'm Kurt Norris—A Travel Writer, Explorer, and Storyteller Helping You Explore Canada and the World.
I have spent my entire life travelling within my home country of Canada and a decade travelling to exotic destinations all over the world.
Throughout my journeys, I engage in slow travel, spending a month or longer exploring each of the countries that I visit. These practices have allowed me to look behind the veil of weekend tourism for an inside glimpse of the true wonder behind each location.
Through my lifetime of venturing into various Canadian hot spots from my home in Southern Ontario and my decade of international adventures, I am here to help you uncover the wonders of the world.
That First Trip
I've always wanted to travel. Ever since my grade 6 history class first learned about the Age of Exploration and the discovery of the New World.
However, a life of exploration was just that. A story out of the history books. But it was a story I knew I would make a reality, and when I turned 18, I finally did.
On the day I wrote my final high school exam, I packed my bag, got a ride to the airport from my parents, kissed them goodbye, and flew off to my first international destination — Nicaragua.
The month-long trip rewarded numerous experiences and discoveries that I have carried with me for over a decade and through every trip I have gone on since.
It is also the destination at which I first gained the monicker "Kurt From Canada."
"Kurt From Canada"
As any backpacker can attest, your country of origin becomes as intertwined with your identity as your name when traveling. The first two questions anyone you meet will ask are: "What's your name?" and "Where are you from."
It got to the point where I subconsciously stopped waiting for the question. I simply started introducing myself as 'Kurt From Canada."
It was probably my youthful innocence (I was just 18 after all), but the Europeans and Australians I had been traveling with started to get a kick out of it. It got to the point where they teasingly would slip into their best Canadian accent and refer to me as”Kurt From Canada Eh.”
Now, I don’t have a particularly strong Canadian accent, but it does come out when I’m nervous. And I was pretty damn nervous on that first trip. It seemed to have left a humorous impression on many people I had met because the nickname has stuck ever since.
A Brief Recap Of My Travel Experience
It has been nearly a decade since that first trip, and since then, I have explored over 20 countries across three different continents.
As a subscriber to the methods of slow travel, I tend to spend extended time exploring each destination I visit, commonly spending more than a month in each country I go to.
By doing so, I am able to push aside the veil of the weekend visitor to get a better glimpse at each destination’s local cultures and tourism infrastructure to help you get a better and more authentic experience out of your holidays.
So far, my favourite countries that I have visited include Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Portugal, and, of course, that first trip to Nicaragua. However, this list is always evolving and adapting as I visit new destinations.
You can check out one of my favourite travel stories from the early days of my blog here.
A New Addition To The Team
2020 was a hard year for me and for travel as a whole. However, one thing I do thank it for is the opportunity to meet my now partner — Ashley.
For the past three years, Ashley has joined me on all of my trips across Canada, the US, and to various international destinations in Central America and Europe.
Bringing a new feminine point of view to my travels, she has opened up whole new perspectives of female travel I never experienced on my own while introducing me to an entirely different side of the travel experience.
I now refer to her for every guide, tip, and blog post I write to better get an understanding of how to better aid my readers, not just from the male perspective.
Her favourite destinations include Greece, Paris, and Lake Atitlan.
Plans For The Future
Ashley and I are currently taking a little break from travel. I am focusing on building this blog to support future trips while Ashley is completing her articling year at a local law firm.
But don't worry. I have plenty of travel content coming your way, and we are already planning our next international trips. This time, our eyes are set on checking off an entirely new continent — South America or Africa.
In the meantime, we are keeping our trips a little more local, exploring various travel destinations across Canada and nearby American states.