And here we are, another year behind us already! 2024 was a very special year for us with some truly extraordinary memories. It had some low points too, which made me appreciate the positive moments even more.
Thank you for taking the time to check out this 2024 round-up. I write it annually, mostly for myself, as a way to reflect on our highlights of the year.
2024 brought adventures both near and far, with some of my favourite people across the world. It was one of our most exceptional years together and I am so grateful to have been able to have lived it.
Winter in Asia and Australia
I mentioned at the end of our 2023 roundup that our 2024 calendar was very busy already. We had a big trip approaching, the longest for many years!
We left BC in mid January to travel Thailand for two months. Thailand is one of our favourite places in the world and I was so happy to be back!
Starting in Phuket’s Old Town, we then island hopped our way down to Malaysia. We visited the Phi Phi Islands, Ao Nang (not an island but still), Koh Lanta, Koh Muk and Koh Lipe.
Scuba diving was a priority, as was eating ALL the Thai food I had missed since our last visit plus regular massages and fruit shakes! We also met up with Brittony, an old friend from my New Zealand days (we last saw her in 2016).
After a few days in Langkawi, Malaysia, we headed to Perth, Australia, to meet our ‘new’ niece and nephew. It was lovely to spend Easter with my whole family, including my parents who were also visiting at the same time.
Bali, Indonesia, was our final stop of this leg of the trip, a destination I was a bit apprehensive about. I surprised myself by absolutely loving it (the food, the temples, the architecture, the rice fields!)
After spending a few dreamy days in Ubud at a villa, we headed off the beaten path to the coastal town of Amed. This felt a lot more ‘real’ and relaxed to us. We did a lot of diving, with the culmination being a 70 minute dive with manta rays off the coast of Nusa Penida (my goal of many years!)
South Downs Way and France
Preferring long trips to multiple short ones, we stopped over in the UK on the way back to Canada from Asia. I usually try to go every year or so, to see family and friends.
Something special happened when we were planning this ‘stopover.’ JR’s dad asked if he could meet us there. For context, he had never travelled outside of North America before. We therefore jumped at the chance to show JR’s dad and his partner around my home country.
It turned out to be an incredible adventure. After some time in London and Brighton (my hometown), we set out on the South Downs Way together, staying at pubs along the way. My parents joined us on the third night, the first time our families have ever met. It was pretty special!
We hiked 70km together before taking the ferry to Normandy, France, for a short excursion to the D-Day beaches, Mont St Michel and Bouillon. The latter is a tiny village in the Manche region, where JR’s great grandfather x 10 departed for what is now Canada in 1729. Again, more special moments.
Saying goodbye to JR’s dad at a local railway station (they headed to Paris), we returned to England to hike the rest of the 160km South Downs Way. It finishes just south of where my parents live, so a convenient way to get back to them!
Newfoundland
Heading into 2024, Newfoundland was the only Canadian province I had not yet visited (Nunavut is the last territory on my list!)
So when the Travel Media Association of Canada announced the 2024 conference to be in St John’s in June, I knew we had to go.
However great a decision that was, our Newfoundland adventure didn’t start well. West Jet temporarily lost my backpack filled with camping and hiking gear. We had planned to hike as much of the East Coast Trail as possible before and after the conference. The loss of clothing and gear made that a bit difficult.
Long story short, we managed to borrow equipment from a very kind Newfoundlander and clothes from kind friends. JR and I hiked just over 140km on the East Coast Trail in the end, an experience I am very grateful for. It was challenging but endlessly rewarding. I can’t wait to go back to finish the other half.
We stayed a little longer to celebrate my birthday in St John’s. Some wonderful friends decided to do the same (thanks Lindsay and Steph) and we also met up with more on the actual day (Dave and Sue!) One of my favourite birthdays of all time!
I really loved what I saw of Newfoundland and we experienced truly amazing weather.
A paddle-centric July
In July, the snow lingered in the mountains for longer than previous years so we stayed at lower elevations.
Our first adventure was a stay at the wonderful REO Rafting Resort near Boston Bar. This family owned and operated off-grid resort has faced some serious challenges in the last few years so it was incredible to be able to visit and see it bouncing back. Rafting the Nahatlatch River was truly exhilarating.
Another great aspect of this trip was being able to explore a section of Highway 1 that we don’t often visit. We panned for gold in Yale, walked across the historic Alexandra Bridge and saw the most magnificent waterfall by Spences Bridge. It was also 40c one day!
Our second trip was to Wells Gray Provincial Park, to finally paddle Clearwater and Azure lakes. We spent six dreamy days exploring the lakes, with only one portage (on which we saw a bear!) The camping was excellent, the fishing great and the swimming cold but refreshing.
Unfortunately, we also had to dodge wildfire smoke and camped with lightning strikes all around us. As we returned to phone signal, it was heartbreaking to find out that Jasper had been evacuated. Very sobering.
The North Coast Trail and North Vancouver Island
The highlight of our summer? The North Coast Trail (NCT), without a doubt. This challenging backpacking trail has been on my list for years and with a push from Leigh (HikeBikeTravel) and her husband John, we finally made it happen in August.
The NCT certainly lives up to its reputation, though we had it ‘easy’ with dry conditions and a slower itinerary. We extended the five day hike with another three days on the Cape Scott Trail.
It was JR and I’s third visit to Cape Scott but definitely the warmest and driest one yet! It was quite extraordinary to see the trail without the giant mud pools I was so used to.
The good weather held out almost to the end – torrential rain only set in on our last night, while camping at beautiful San Josef Bay. With all of our gear and clothing wet and covered in sand, I was very glad to finish the next day!
Following the NCT, we travelled North Vancouver Island and revisited some old favourites (Little Huson Caves, Alert Bay) alongside some new ones (Sointula).
Golden larch season in the Rockies
Inspired by my experience touring my parents through the Rockies last fall, I set aside the last two weeks of September for mountain adventures.
First, we hiked into the Skoki area in Banff National Park and stayed at Baker Lake for two nights. It was absolutely freezing (-15c at night with wind chill) and very snowy but I loved the range of trails and wide open landscapes.
It warmed up as we then travelled to the Columbia Valley, with temps reaching 27c on one particular day! Based in Radium Hot Springs, we fit in three excellent golden larch hikes (Conrad Kain Hut in the Bugaboos, Diana Lake and Welsh Lakes) as well as two hot springs and some local trails.
Our last stop was Lake O’Hara. We last visited in 2020, when the park had limited services and was very, very quiet. It was obviously busier this time but we enjoyed the luxury of the shuttle bus ride in and out.
The golden larch were at their peak as we hiked the epic Alpine Circuit and the equally magnificent Odaray Grandview, two hikes that we were unable to do last time due to snow levels.
All in all, we hiked more than 150km over 10 days with a lot of elevation gain. Worth every step and I loved every minute!
Exploring more of our backyard (Shuswap, Keremeos, Monashees)
Still based in Penticton in the Okanagan Valley, we made sure to make time to visit some local destinations this year.
Exploring the subalpine of Monashee Provincial Park was a priority – Spectrum Lake is wonderful but I wondered what was hiding behind the headwall above it.
It was a bit of a disastrous adventure. We took a wrong turn on the very steep trail to Little Peters Lake, camped in the wrong place, had to climb across a broken bridge and ended up leaving early due to local wildfires. The scenery was beautiful but not spectacular so definitely a mixed bag.
Though Keremeos isn’t ‘new’ to us, we did find ourselves there a lot this year! We did some hiking (Barcelo Falls was a highlight), explored some wineries, visited the Grist Mill again and, of course, stocked up on pumpkins in fall.
Another ‘backyard’ trip was to Salmon Arm and the surrounding Shuswap region. While we drive through here a lot on the way to the Rockies, we have never taken the time to explore much. A mistake! We really liked the quiet beauty of fall here, with salmon watching, waterfalls, scenic viewpoints and hiking trails.
Adapting and pivoting with blogging
While 2023 was a very successful year with our blogging business, 2024 was one of big transitions. Things are changing in the blogging world, with Google algorithms favouring larger publications and AI taking more prominence.
Compared to many bloggers, we’ve been fairly lucky so far. Some of our blogging colleagues have reported traffic losses of 90% or more. There are no easy routes to recovering that traffic either, with Google surprisingly unaware of how their algorithms even work!
Needless to say, pivoting and diversification have been the buzzwords for bloggers over the last year. It’s necessary but still difficult when I love what I do so much.
One of my new projects is the creation of map-focused interactive travel guides. I have already published a Vancouver Island guide and will be branching out further in 2025. I’m excited about the possibilities of this software and other future projects.
Looking to 2025
2025 is full of possibilities for us. We have some work partnerships on the horizon and some personal ventures planned already.
The calendar isn’t quite as busy as 2024 was at this time but I’m actually grateful for that! This year was a bit of a whirlwind. I’ll be happy to be at home and in Canada for longer periods.
One of the reasons is that we’d love to buy a house. It just feels like the right time, even with the blogging landscape changing. We’ll see if the economy agrees with us!
Thank you so much for all of the support this year. If you’d like to chat all things travel in BC and Alberta, consider joining our BC/Alberta Travel Tips Facebook group.
See you in 2025!
Read our other annual round-ups
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
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One half of the Canadian/British couple behind Off Track Travel, Gemma is happiest when hiking on the trail or planning the next big travel adventure. JR and Gemma are currently based in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Consider buying us a coffee if you have find any of our guides helpful!