Traveller of the Month: Vanessa from Turnipseed Travel

Welcome back to Traveller of the Month! Each month I’m showcasing a fellow world traipsing travel blogger to inspire you with their stories from around the globe and help spread some love in the blogging world.

Without further ado, meet June’s Traveller of the Month: Vanessa!

And if you missed last month’s, check it out here!

Introduce yourself! What is your travel story?

I grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada, and now I live in Ottawa with my husband Ryan and our dog Oliver. Studying abroad in southern England as a university student was my gateway to a broader world of travel. I loved the immersive program that got us off campus and into local communities to study history and from then I was hooked! When my program ended, I stayed on to work at the school for a few months to save money to travel. I was assigned to work as a housekeeper and I was allowed to keep the leftover coins I found in departing students’ rooms. This was prior to the Euro and I had numerous one, five, and ten cent pieces from numerous countries, the remnants of the students’ trips to the continent.

I used those coins to help pay for three weeks of backpacking in 2001. It is no joke to drag several kilos of coinage around in your backpack and I definitely got a lot of disgusted looks as I paid for my hostels and crepes with handfuls of coins. But there was no shame in my game! I had a budget of $35 a day and that had to cover everything, from a safe bed to hot meals. I made it happen!

My typical budget is a bit more generous now but I still love a good bargain. This year I’m focusing on local Canadian adventures and in the near future I hope to be in the Pacific Northwest and also go back to Ireland. My husband just got his Irish citizenship so we’re eager to go explore his roots.

When did you start your travel blog and what sort of stories do you share there?

I’m the voice behind TurnipseedTravel.com, a personal travel blog chronicling my cozy, affordable micro-adventures since 2012. I love doing deep dives into reader questions. In 2013, we backpacked in Myanmar just as travel was becoming more commonplace there. It was extremely rewarding when people from all over the world sent in questions and comments on my post about sailing down the Irrawaddy River.

I also love sharing my own personal adventures which, to be frank, most people wouldn’t consider all that adventurous – yep, you can be a travel writer and still be pretty wimpy when it comes to travel! Case in point: I loved writing this piece about my efforts to find squirrels in Paris. I lived alone in Paris for a month in late 2022. I had always wanted to spend some solo time in the city as part travel adventure, part writing retreat. Who knew that squirrels would be the thing to capture my attention.

What do you do when you’re not traveling or writing about travel?

I’m a full-time freelance writer and editor. I’ve written for the Toronto Star, Reader’s Digest, USA Today, Matador, Buzzfeed, and dozens more. I also cover human interest narratives, from wine and coffee to books and small businesses to community concerns like sustainability and ChatGPT. When I’m not writing, I also often host workshops and webinars about the business of freelancing.

If you had to sum up your travel ethos in one phrase, what would it be?

Never turn down the chance to use the bathroom.

I’m sure there are much more profound or elegant mottos to adopt but mine will bring you the greatest peace of mind. Never, ever, EVER assume there will be a better, cleaner, or more comfortable bathroom just down the road.

What is your most unique travel moment?

I accidentally crossed the border into Mozambique to use the bathroom…. And I was promptly discovered quite literally with my pants down by a group of kids who appeared from nowhere to point and laugh at me as I tried to take care of business behind a large rock. I’d like to think I handled the situation with great dignity.

What is your unpopular traveling opinion?

The old mantra of “Be a traveler, not a tourist” is garbage. What, exactly, is so wrong with being a tourist? What is so virtuous about being a traveler? As if we should be shaming people who work hard and save their entire lives to enjoy a ten-day bus tour of Italy. I like to take the approach that I’m a guest and, just like if I was a guest in someone’s home, I should enjoy myself, not overstay my welcome, and avoid vomiting in the rose bushes.

How do you cope with travel burnout or bad days on the road?

In my family, we call burnout the “day threes”. We start every trip with unlimited enthusiasm and that carries us for a good 72 hours before the inevitable jet lag, sore feet, and mild culture shock set in. A big part of the solution is just acknowledging that this is our pattern. The meal wasn’t bad. The staff weren’t unfriendly. The problem was US. We’re on the dreaded third day! Long hot baths (or showers), organizing my gear, eating a homey meal, and getting decent sleep goes a long way to resetting things.

Everyone needs to know that you are no less of a rugged, tough, devil-may-care traveler if you give in to a craving for Starbucks or McDonalds or you replace a worn shirt with something from a chain store and not a local market. In Paris, I coped with my homesickness by buying Snickers ice cream bars. Who gets crappy manufactured chocolate in the world’s gastronomy capital? This girl. And they were excellent.

What experiences would you recommend people have in your home country of Canada?

People visiting Canada should make an effort to get out of “MTV”. That’s Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver and folks spend a whole lot of time there. I’d wager that you’ll have an equally great time (and spend a bit less) if you added places like Winnipeg, Halifax, Quebec City, Kingston, Victoria, Fredericton, and Whitehorse to your list.

What is the best local festival or celebration you’ve attended?

When we were in Myanmar, we got off the boat from Mandalay at Bagan and promptly found ourselves in the middle of a parade. All the local young girls were dressed in their finest and you could sense the giddy energy of teenagers huddled together. A decorated truck drove directly behind the pick up we were riding in and it blasted Psy’s Gentlemen. I asked our driver what the special occasion was and he said: “Buddha Fest”. I’m sure something was lost in translation because things didn’t feel all that religious but Buddha Fest remains the best celebration I’ve ever been a part of.

What is your process for writing a blog post?

There’s an old story in which a famous writer is asked if they write on a schedule or when inspiration strikes and they respond that they wait for inspiration to strike – and that it always strikes every morning at 9:00 AM.

Without a doubt, my best writing happens when inspiration strikes. The kind of ideas that get me out of bed in the middle of the night are phenomenal. But I’m a working writer. This is my job, my income, my retirement plan. I don’t have the luxury of waiting for that lightning bolt of brilliance to come at 11:00 PM. Thus, come hell or high water, when inspiration strikes at 9:00 AM, I’m ready.

My life is guided by spreadsheets tracking story ideas for both my freelance work (which is the majority of my writing) and my blog (which is a few times a month). I use a Passion Planner to map out everything from my travel plans to big picture travel goals. I love the book The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield. Good stuff about getting your stuff together!

What travel experience is over-hyped? Under-hyped?

Paris is both the most over-hyped and under-hyped destination there is. I really do get why people are disappointed during their first visit. It looks nothing like the movie-worthy, picture-perfect place of your dreams. There are crowds, overflowing garbage cans, wildly overpriced stale croissants. But damn when Paris is good, there is nothing like it. No superlatives do it justice. Walking Paris’ empty streets on an early Sunday morning with a (fresh!) croissant is one of life’s sublime pleasures.

I also found Parisians to be incredibly kind and helpful. I’ve had to hit up pharmacists, optometrists, grocery store clerks, florists, and baristas with questions and crisis and general touristy bamboozlement and everyone went above and beyond to make sure I was sorted out and okay. Forget everything you’ve heard about Parisians and their unfriendliness. Being reserved and non-gregarious isn’t a mark of friendliness or lack thereof.

In truth, no destination is neutral. Your experience is formed by what you bring to it. Circumstances that are beyond everyone’s control, like the weather, are impossible to escape. Places that I initially disliked (like Istanbul) became fast favorites on a second visit once I got away from the crowds. Locations that felt magical to me (like Brussels) were a bit more ordinary the next time round when experienced through the lens of dreary dam weather. Places that don’t seem very me-ish in many regards (like Bangkok) have grown on me bit by bit until now I feel like they’re *my* spot.

What’s your favourite travel snack?

Peanut M&M’s. Nectar of the gods and all those who are stuck on a flight from Sydney to San Francisco when the airline runs out of food before they get to your row at the very back of the plane.

What destination is calling your name in 2024?

I’ve had Labrador (part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador) on my list for years now. It has this stark beauty that is just arresting.

Lastly, where can we find you online?

I blog at TurnipseedTravel.com and my full writing portfolio and related services can be found at VanessaChiasson.com.

I’m moving towards a greater degree of digital minimalism, but I’m still pretty active on Twitter and you’ll find me there at @Turnipseeds.

I also run a Substack newsletter called The Clothesline. This is where I let it all hang out and share news and stories about travel, reading, media, and more. It’s also where I share news about the monthly book club I run. It’s called the Thursday Murder (Book) Club and the focus is on British-style murder mysteries. It’s free and anyone can join in on the second Thursday of each month.

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Thank you for joining my Traveller of the Month series, Vanessa! Head on over to Vanessa’s sites to hear more of her wisdom on travel, read her stories around Canada and the globe, and to check out her freelance writing – plus stay tuned for July’s Traveller of the Month!