It sounds like a cliché, but travelling really did save Dave and Deb’s marriage. Together for nearly a decade, the two busy Torontonians were working in the demanding film industry when they realized their relationship was slipping away. Their lives had become monotonous, and they needed a change. At the urging of a friend, they booked a five-week trip to Thailand. It marked the first time either Dave or Deb had been on a real adventure.
That trip to Thailand, where they hiked through lush jungles, swam underneath waterfalls, and climbed the limestone crags in Railay, reignited their marriage and kick-started their new passion for travelling.
A few years later, the couple signed up for the Tour D’Afrique, a four-month cycling trip that journeys from Cairo to Cape Town. Although Dave and Deb were not “uber athletes,” they trained for a year and successfully completed the grueling, eye-opening trip that took them along the Nile River, through the Sudanese desert, and past Mount Kilimanjaro.
For the past six years, the two have been travelling full-time with their travel blog, The Planet D. They’ve been on plenty of unique adventures, from sky diving in New Zealand to climbing Mount Everest Base Camp. They’ve kayaked in Antarctica through brash ice, paddling up to a leopard seal perched on an ice floe, and they hiked 100-kilometers on snowshoes in northern Ontario.
Some of the couple’s most memorable experiences, however, come from the amazing people they met along the way.
In Sri Lanka, they befriended a tuk-tuk driver named Ajith, who invited Dave and Deb into his home to meet his family. They learned that Ajith leads a charity initiative that helps provide underprivileged students with their first ever pair of shoes. They attended a ceremony where the children received their shoes, which will forever be one of their most memorable travel experiences.
When the couple climbed to Mount Everest Base Camp, they became close friends with their guide, Deep. When they were almost at Base Camp, Deep—a 5’2”, 90-pound-man—hugged Dave and lifted him up into the air. “It brought tears to my eyes,” says Dave. “He’s done this climb so many times, but his enthusiasm and love for the mountain was contagious. You can’t help but smile.”
Dave and Deb live by the motto “adventure is for everyone.” Through their blog Planet D, they want to show that anyone can be a trekker, mountain climber, kayaker, or cyclist. It just takes a bit of courage to step out of your comfort zone.
“Ever since that first trip,” Deb says, “we’ve been showing that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”
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