Are you a dreamer?
Do you dream about faraway lands, overwater bungalows or other exotic vacations? Have you ever been afraid to get into a kayak for fear it will sink? Have you talked yourself out of a hike because you thought you might not be able to finish it?
My name is Sharon and I’m a dreamer too! Except now I’m doing everything in my power to live that dream. I used to browse the internet planning vacations I never had the courage to book. There was always a fear: I can’t travel alone, I’m too fat to do that, it looks hard and on and on.
THE BEGINNING…
In 2011, I started a travel blog. I shared my boring beach vacation stories and favourite travel products, but I yearned for more.
I jumped into my car, made my girlfriends get up at ungodly hours and drove them to small towns to get out and explore. I walked into local businesses and said I want to write about you! I took photos and went home and blogged about it on my site.
Soon after, Ontario tourism boards took notice of me. On my very first press trip, we went treetop trekking. It was a hard course and after two obstacles I realized I wasn’t going to be able to complete it. I swallowed my shame, disappointment and fear as the crew set up a high angle rescue.
The Life Changing Moment When…
Yes, that is me being rescued out of the tree. That’s me in my plus size 18 pink capris pants having a life revelation. About half way down I had this overwhelming moment of pure joy. I knew I was the only blogger on the trip with this story and also I knew in my core, this is what I was meant to be doing. I found my passion.
I learned something that day, I am afraid of heights and not a fan of military type treetop rope challenges. Clearly, I was not in shape enough to do that level of trekking, but I also didn’t die from trying. I swallowed my fear of heights, the fear of dropping off the platform to repel down the tree and I survived. That moment fuelled me to try more things and stop dreaming about my life and start living it.
I HOPE MY STORY WILL INSPIRE YOU TO TRY SOMETHING NEW HOWEVER SMALL AND DISCOVER YOUR OWN DREAMS AND PASSIONS.
I had a lot of dreams. Including a healthier body, running my own business and travelling the world. I’m not going to lie, that moment in the tree was humiliating. It made me mad and pushed me to take action. As I began planning a healthier life my world suddenly collapsed around me. I was laid off.
Combined all my Passions into One Dream
After being downsized from corporate life, I decided to take the plunge and start a freelance graphic design business and work full-time on the website. I dedicated myself to living the life I’ve always dreamed about by combining my love for writing, photography and design to become a leading content creator and travel and lifestyle website in Canada.
I partnered with some amazing brands to test out their products and had the opportunity to drive all over my home province: Ontario. That’s how my adventures really took off. I experienced a lot of little dreams: rode a Segway, zip lined, went ice fi shing, went dog sledding, went snowshoeing and on an on. I’m so excited to share my stories, photos and experiences with you all!
I found myself in Texas for the first time, and more US travel brands followed. Before I knew it I had written hundreds of posts making up detailed destination guides of each region. In 2016, I added Florida and Virginia to the US section. In 2017, I started the year off in Cuba and Antigua and to celebrate Canada’s 150th I explored more regions in Quebec and Prince Edward Island.
Living The Daily Dream 360 Life!
After seven years of travel and lifestyle writing, I decided it was time for another big change. It was time to focus not only on my dreams but on how to balance them. A 360° approach to each day.
I’m hoping to move beyond just another travel and lifestyle website into a community where dreamers like me can find inspiration to live their own balanced Daily Dream 360° life!
In April, 2018, Dream Travel Magazine evolved into:
