My name is Nat and I wear a lot of hats: French teacher, runner, world traveler, chronic reader, spiritual junkie, amateur photographer and writer...

 

Frequently found snuggled with my nose in a book --glass of wine in hand-- or playing in the Canadian Rockies, flask of wine in backpack.

 

I am neither a professional writer or an expert photographer;

I simply love both my hobbies and enjoy sharing them with kindred souls.

 

Quick disclaimer : I'm not a vulgar person but my vocabulary can be colourful.  My life and travels are R-rated and my website occasionally reflects that.

Be aware of some frank language.

(All my photos are PG, but please read blogs before sharing with kids).

 

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''SO, WHAT'S IT LIKE TO TRAVEL THE WORLD?'' 

My Aunt Louise and Uncle Grant once asked me that question, and I couldn't give them a gratifying answer. Words like awesome, cool  and fun made my experiences sound trite. Posting photos of sights I’ve seen and friendships I've built is all good fun. But for me, travelling is more than the sum of its parts: it’s all in the details.

 

My first year travelling out-of-country started with my cousin Patrick. Touring Europe with him was a fun-filled, adventurous 6 weeks, until we hugged goodbye. Team Pat & Nat were done touring and braving the world together - no one had my back now. I felt so vulnerable and exposed, like I would get mugged or struck by lightning as soon as I was *gasp* all by myself.

 

Despite my fears, I sucked it up and travelled alone for the next 9 months.

I was neither mugged nor struck by lightning.

 

My second travel year began shakily. Reeling from the end of an important relationship, I emptied out my place, said goodbye to everyone I loved, and flew halfway across the planet on another solo trip. I'd done it before, but I really didn’t feel like tackling the world by myself.  I was in full self-doubt mode.

 

Feeling fragile, and fully aware that most backpackers would be half my age, I jumped into it head first. I simply don't know how else to do things.

 

My attempts at dissecting that original question, and at describing what globetrotting is really like for me, gave birth to Lotzacurls Around The World.