About
[REW] Randolph Eustace-Walden
When I was a young child, my grandmother and I would venture out into the weekend shopping hustle and bustle in search of the best travel deals we could find. A big colourful picture in a travel agent’s window portraying surf, sand and swaying palm trees was enough to get even the most precocious child’s imagination running wild. Never mind that we didn’t have the money to actually go to Bora Bora, or Lahaina, or Penang - as long as we got the brochures and the catalogs we were happy. For me that happiness bordered on ecstasy. I pored over those booklets so much I swear I got a tan just staring at them.
I was the kid who, like Frodo, looked at maps and wondered what lie beyond the edges. When you grow up in a small town, even the edges of that town seem like an adventure. A stately palm tree instead of a stunted maple… a blue ocean instead of a gray pond… a flashy bathing suit instead of a reversible windbreaker. I was smitten - I had to go. Somewhere. Anywhere. And often.
And so I did. I’m fortunate to have taken my love of what those brochures represented and turn it into a career. I’m a television producer, writer and director creating primarily programs about travel and food. Like Doug, I continue to work as a travel photographer and journalist. Much of what we create you will find here.
After years of ’surfing’ and looking for that one website where we could get travel news, views and links to other excellent sites, and being let down, we decided to create our own. Wanderism is the result.
I still have a box of those old travel brochures - some for tourism spots in countries that don’t even exist anymore. “Make it Rhodesia this year.” “Come to Ceylon for the beaches and stay for tea.” “British Honduras - a bit of the old country on the cusp of heaven.” Times may have changed, but my desire to experience what’s beyond the ‘edges’ hasn’t dimmed in the slightest. If you’re reading this, chances are yours hasn’t either.
All roads lead somewhere, and Doug and I are glad your road lead you to Wanderism. Pick, choose, read, watch, comment… enjoy.
Member: TMAC - Travel Media Association of Canada
[DCM] Doug Murray
Travel is like school. You go every day, never knowing what to expect or what you’ll learn. I like that.
But travel is an addiction. The more you do, the more you feel like you haven’t done enough. I’ve been in over 50 countries and I still feel like I haven’t scratched the surface.
North Americans are born travelers. We live in a land where destinations are separated by vast distances. We all have memories of very long drives in very cramped cars. I suppose those family trips of my youth are what whetted my wanderlust.
It wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I actually left the confines of North America. My first trip to Europe came out of the blue, really. I, along with three good friends, decided it would be a swell idea to pack up our mountain bikes, fly to Portugal and cycle to Spain.
Despite a lack of planning and training, this trip remains my favorite. It captured the essence, the spirit, the wonder of travel.
I make my living telling stories. On radio. On TV. In print. I’ve been lucky enough to combine my love of travel with my passion for storytelling. And that has led me down a long and winding road to Wanderism – a destination for those who feel the need to wander our planet and learn.
As Calvin once said to Hobbes, “Let’s go exploring!”