PAST
I grew up in a small Scottish town 12 miles from Glasgow, Scotland. When I mention it, those who have heard of Cumbernauld bring up the Town Centre, a now infamous example of brutalist architecture that once symbolized the New Town movement. But Cumbernauld’s history runs deeper than its concrete façade; the town also holds remnants of the past, like the Antonine Wall, a relic of Roman history.
The greys from the granite and concrete were not the only colours from my childhood; beyond the surface of this were pockets of beautiful nature, the Luggie, the Cumbernauld Glen, where you could see the greens of the trees and other plants, the yellows of the buttercups, dandelions, and daffodils, and the light purples of the bluebells. Growing up in Cumbernauld was my first lesson in understanding the history of a place, and the way concrete and nature, past and present, coexist. It taught me that there’s always more to a story than what meets the eye.
At age 4 when I started primary school, I knew I was different from the other kids. It wasn’t just my hair and skin colour that made me different, it was the language my parents spoke at home, the food we ate, the mahogany wood African art we had displayed in the living room. I struggled to understand why my family did things differently. At that age, I had no concept of culture; I only knew that my world looked and felt very different from everyone else’s.
One day, my 18-year-old aunt took me to the library. She picked out books that were probably more for her than for me; Asterix and Tintin were hardly the usual choices for a six-year-old. But for a child already curious about culture and language, they were truly a revelation. Through those pages, I found stories full of people of different ethnicities who spoke different languages, and lived in places I never even knew existed. I learned that travel was an opportunity for growth and for learning. Suddenly, the world felt vast and full of people to meet and places to explore and discover; the world was so much bigger than what I could see from my small Scottish town. I knew one day I would explore it.
Present
Those early stories sparked in me a hunger to see the world beyond the pages, to experience different cultures firsthand. This curiosity has turned into a calling. I’ve been travelling solo for over 15 years and my travels have been my greatest teacher, shaping how I encounter the world. When I travel, I move through the world with curiosity and intention, embracing the experience as a solo female traveler. Very often being without the buffer of a travel partner, I find myself more alert and attuned to the details others might overlook: the quiet moments, the unspoken stories, the gestures of the people, and the histories that are part of the streets. For me, travel is about connection and understanding, it’s about asking questions, listening closely, and looking beyond the surface.
Future
From learning about a haunting story from the Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, to sharing a quiet moment of reflection with a septuagenarian Japanese forest-bathing guide in Nagano, my travels have been filled with encounters that have enriched my life and given me food for thought long after the journey has ended. Who would have thought that decades after realizing I was different in Cumbernauld, I’d be living my travel dreams? And don’t think Cumbernauld has stopped teaching me; its lessons continue to unfold with every annual return. I share my reflections and observations, inviting you to see the world beyond the lens of casual tourism.
This is a space where I share my personal musings, quiet observations, my encounters with the locals and fellow travellers, and the questions that travel inspires. My stories are shaped by the people I meet, the places that leave a lasting impact, and the small details that often go unnoticed. Travel has a way of revealing truths, and through my stories, I hope to inspire you to see the world not just as a destination, but as a journey of endless learning.
At an argan oil women’s collective near Marrakech
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
I’m a writer and journalist with a BA in Sociology (Thompson Rivers University), an MA in International and Intercultural Communications (Royal Roads University), and a certificate in Journalism (Langara College). I’m the Canadian ambassador for DotScot and a board member of ScotCanBC.
My travel writing has appeared in Fields and Station, and I have also contributed articles to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Megaphone. While I explore destinations around the world, I hold a deep personal connection to Scotland, the country where I was raised, and to Latin America, shaped by my passion for the Spanish and Portuguese languages.
To learn more about my professional background, check out my professional page.
And check out this write-up on my work by Scottish publication Saltire Sentinel.