We all crave adventure, be it a hazardous, exciting activity or unknown experience. Even something as simple as a hike in the wilderness can leave you exhilarated. Adventurous experiences create a psychological arousal that leaves you wanting more. When people expose themselves to new experiences the brain releases dopamine, the reward chemical, into the blood giving the person a temporary euphoria.
I have always been a bit of a daredevil. Not the idiotic jump-on-a-moving-train or play chicken with traffic type of daredevil, the extreme sport fanatic or push-your-body-to-the-limit kind.
As an adolescent I craved outdoor adventures. My biggest ambition was becoming a certified scuba diver. Through university, I competed in triathlons, rowing regatta’s and water polo tournaments. In my twenties, I took up snowboarding, got my hunting license and undertook the ultimate test of endurance by completing and Ironman.
At first glance you would never know I’m from Europe. Twelve years of living in Canada and one passport later will do that to a person. I am originally from the Netherlands, but have since learned to call Canada home.
I am an athlete, computer nerd and outdoorsman. Ask me to run a marathon and I could do it. Want to head out for a hike in the backwoods? I’m totally your man. Need me to take apart and reassemble your computer – no problem I could do it blindfolded.
Everyones love story has to start somewhere, well ours started underwater.
We met on the Dalhousie University coed water polo team in Halifax, Nova Scotia. You know that saying “love is friendship set on fire”. Well, in a nutshell that’s how we fell in love.
Like many people, we were taught to go to post secondary school, get a job, get married, have kids and live happily ever after. Well, since our love-at-first-splash we are definitely working on that list; in a very unconventional way.
We may be from the beautiful country of Canada, but we like to call the world our home.
We caught the travel bug 6 years ago, and have been traveling on-and-off ever since. With so many places to explore on the planet, our travel wish list seems unending. The more we travel, the more we realize how little we’ve seen.
“There are no age limits to adventures.”