Matt

Matt Gibson is a professional writer and award-winning photographer, the Outbound President of the Professional Travel Bloggers Association, and CEO of UpThink, a digital marketing agency that specializes in content, community building, and influencer marketing.

My 4 Favorite Canadian Adventures (So Far)

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Near the peak of Mount Fisher
Near the peak of Mount Fisher
I was asked by Expedia Canada to share my favorite Canadian adventures, but all content and views expressed are 100% my own.

Because of my work, I have a lot of online friends — people I’ve only spoken to through chat and email and other written communications. They all know I’m Canadian. I’m fairly well-known online as one of those Canadian travel bloggers.

But when first meet people and start to talk eyes widen and jaws go slack. “You really are Canadian.” They’ll say after I let fly a monologue filled with ‘eh’s and ‘oh yeah’s.

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My Iceland Wish List

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iceland

Photo credit: Alexander Hahn

Iceland isn’t a typical travel spot. It’s a vast and mystical place a place that draws tourists back year after year. It may seem puzzling that people are putting a destination with chilly temperatures, sleepy towns (aside from the country’s capital), barren land, and roughly 18 hours of darkness in the winter months at the top of their travel itinerary. However, what Iceland lacks in temperature and population, it makes up for in raw natural beauty, fairytale-like sites, and epic adventures.

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The Most Epic Place for Spring Skiing Right Now

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jasper-spring-skiing-1

It was an awful year for snow. Well, at least it was in the west, and the results for some hills were pretty dramatic. Most resorts across western North America received significantly less snow than usual. Many closed early, like Sierra-at-Tahoe which was forced to close in mid-March, six weeks earlier than last year. Most resorts expected to close earlier than usual.

I’m not the kind of person who likes to say that something is “perfect” or “the best” because those are very subjective terms. That said, one ski area this year found itself on the winning end of a few unique circumstances that make it particularly awesome for spring skiing — maybe the best. The area was spared from the snow drought that plagued the nearly the entire western half of the continent. Jasper, Alberta actually received more snow than normal, and it’s still snowing.

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If I’m Elected President

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My first ever paid blogging assignment, searching for elephants in Borneo.
My first ever paid blogging assignment, searching for elephants in Borneo.

Having served on the Professional Travel Bloggers Association for the past year, I knew elections were coming, but I didn’t think I’d be involved because I still had another year remaining in my term. Last week I received an email from Laurence Norah with a PDF attached to it title “PTBA Election List 2015”. I opened the PDF and my jaw dropped.

I was nominated for every single open position on the board.

It was extremely surprised and incredibly flattered.

I spent a few nights lying awake at night, thinking about whether or not I should run. I thought about it a lot. I also thought about how I whether I would benefit the PTBA as President. In the end, I decided I would, and I should.

Please excuse the length of this post, but I thought that this subject, and the PTBA members, deserved a very thorough and detailed explanation of exactly why I want to be President and why I’d do a good job.

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