Celebrity Travel Addicts: Dave and Deb From The Planet D

For a while now I have been wanting to interview my Canadian friends Dave and Deb from The Planet D on the Celebrity Travel Addicts series. This adventurous couple has been traveling the globe full time for almost a decade, covering all 7 continents and some epic off-the-beaten-path destinations like Ukraine, Sudan and Mongolia. Their photography will blow you away! Without further ado, here’s our Q&A with Dave and Deb.

How did your passion for travel get started?

Our passion started way back in 2000. We used to work in the film industry in Toronto, Canada and spent most of our time working and focusing on our careers. We found that we were in a bit of a funk and realized that we didn’t have any interests or hobbies outside our job. We had been together 9 years at that point and hardly saw each other. We had separate lives working long hours and opposite schedules.

It was a trip to Thailand that woke us up. We spent five weeks travelling around the country, reconnecting and getting to know each other again. We tried a bunch of adventures like rock climbing, snorkelling and sea kayaking. Before that trip, we didn’t do many adventures. But when we came home, we kept the adventure going and joined a climbing gym, learned to scuba dive and started mountain biking.

After that, we made sure to travel somewhere different every year. And we always made sure to take on a new adventure that we never dreamed of doing. After splitting our time between work and travel for 7 years, we took the plunge and decided to look into ways to make travel a full time career. And that is when ThePlanetD was born.

How many days/weeks are you traveling in any given year? What are the types of places do you like to visit?

We are basically on the road full time. We don’t have a home and when we are back in Canada we stay with our family.  Last year we realized that we travelled to 22 different countries on five continents. We really love to visit places that we haven’t been to yet. And our favourite thing is to get outside and have an adventure. The more off the beaten path the better. But we really do love travelling anywhere. It’s not like we only go to remote destinations, some of our favourite places to visit are well-trodden cities like New York and Paris.

What is it that you want audiences to gain/ learn from your articles and photography?

We aim to inspire people try something new. We want people to step out of their comfort zone and turn their travels into an adventure. It doesn’t have to be as challenging as cycling the continent of Africa or climbing to Everest Base Camp, but just to try something new. Take baby steps. We were excited walking through a jungle for the first time and visiting our first authentic market. It’s about making your travels a well-rounded experience where you immerse in the local culture, get out in nature and learn about the destination.
We also like to share our favourite things and insider tips about destinations. We want to inspire people to go to new places and take the fear out of travel. If we can do it, you can too!

Name your top three destinations you’ve traveled?

Antarctica

Mongolia

South Africa

Give us your ‘Top 5’ list for one of these destinations, like a mini-guide or to-do list of sorts

There is so much to do at all of them, but I’m going to choose Antarctica because I think many people don’t realize how much there is to do there.

  1. Go Kayaking around ice bergs – Kayaking in Antarctica is the adventure of a lifetime. We circled icebergs (keeping a wide berth mind you because Icebergs can roll and can be very dangerous if you are too close), we kayaked pass ice flows with leopard seals basking in the sun and we had whales surface right beside us.
  2. Send a post card from the only post office on the continent – Port Lockroy is a British Research station where you can browse the museum, play with penguins, buy souvenirs and mail a post card from the bottom of the world.
  3. Camp in the snow – Most people only stay on ships when traveling to Antarctica. You get around on an expedition ship that stops at different bays and harbours each day. However, if you can, make sure to spend one night camping on Antarctica. It’s very cool to say that you have actually slept on the continent.
  4. Interact with Penguins – You must stay 5 metres away from penguins when hiking on Antarctica and you need to stay out of their way. But if you sit very still, they may come up to you and if they do, that’s ok. They’re very curious creatures and they will snuggle up to you, peck at your pants and even sit on your lap!
  5. Take the polar plunge – nothing says bragging rights more than jumping into sub-zero water in the Antarctic Peninsula.

How many countries have you visited so far?

105

Your top three favorite cuisines?

Thai, Japanese, Mexican

Favorite restaurant in the world?

Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler Canada. The food is excellent, but it’s also an event. Start with apres ski champagne and oysters before going into the world’s coldest vodka tasting ice room, then head downstairs to check out the massive wine cellar. Ask to sabre a bottle of bubbly and then enjoy a six course tasting menu. Heavenly.

Your favorite travel movie?

One Week with Joshua Jackson of Dawson’s Creek fame. This is a motorcycle road trip across Canada. I love seeing Canada in movies.

Favorite international airport?

We mostly spend time in the lounges. We travel so much I don’t bother exploring airports much anymore. So I’m going with Istanbul because I love the Turkish Airlines Lounges.

City with the friendliest people?

Dublin, Ireland. I find everyone in Ireland so friendly.

Your favorite traveling companion?

Dave of course!

Best way you kill time while traveling?

We binge watch TV shows. I actually look forward to long flights so I can catch up on the hottest TV series.

What is the most exotic place your career has taken you?

I’m going to go with Western Mongolia. Driving through Mongolia in the Mongol Rally brought us to the most remote regions of the country. Very few tourists make it there. Because we were driving ourselves, we got to go to spots that nobody else gets to go. There were literally no roads. We followed dirt paths and a compass. We camped in fields and we interacted with nomads. It was incredible.

Your best bit of travel advice for someone who is about to embark on a life of travel?

Save enough money to sustain you for at least a year. If you want to make a living at travel, it is going to take time. It won’t happen overnight, so make sure you have enough money to get you through the period you are building your business. Travel to destinations where you can stretch your dollar like South East Asia or Central America.

What are 4 things you could never travel without?

iPhone, a Sarong, travel insurance, Gold Bond Powder, portable power bannk

What is your ultimate dream destination?

We have yet to visit Uganda and Rwanda to trek to see the mountain gorilla. That’s on our list to finally make our way there this year. We’re hoping to go in May.

Your favorite travel quote?

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it’s lethal” ~ Paulo Coelho

Where to next?

We are heading on a 1000km snowmobile ride to northern Canada on the Hudson Bay where we are going to spend time with the Cree learning about their traditions and way of life. We’re then heading to Scotland to drive the North 500 – Scotland’s answer to Route 66 and then it’s off to Istanbul before heading overland through the Balkans to Tuscany.

Bio


Dave and Deb are well-known travel personalities in both online and mainstream media. Their highly acclaimed Travel Blog is a two time winner of best travel blog by the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) They’ve travelled to 105 countries on all 7 continents working with travel brands and destinations as spokespeople and brand ambassadors. They’ve been featured by international media outlets spanning such as Martha Stewart, RedBull, BBC and En Route. Dave and Deb speak around the world about not only travel and blogging, but pursuing passion and what it takes to make it happen. Follow their photography on Instagram and adventures on YouTube

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