Dave and Deb - Canada's Adventure Couple - The Planet D

A few months ago I began exploring travel blogs and reading up on travel partnership opportunities for bloggers.  I came across Dave and Deb's travel blog The Planet D and was immediately inspired to start planning a new adventure.  When I initially reached out, they were very helpful and suggested a few ways to plan my next trip. 

Dave and Deb have an amazing story.  They have made a career out of traveling!  They agreed to do a short interview and sent their responses just before they left on a trip to South Africa.  You can follow their journey on ThePlanetD.com.   I hope their interview inspires you all to travel and explore.  Perhaps a New Year's resolution?  There is so much to see and do, get out there and experience it! 

A:  1.  You got your first taste of adventure during the Tour D'Afrique cycling competition.  What was the inspiration for starting your travel website?

DD: Our cycling race down Africa stemmed from a New Year's resolution. We were feeling stuck in a rut in our jobs and our lives and we decided on that evening that by this time next year, we'd be on a great adventure. And we did it. We signed up for the TDA, trained for a year and found ourselves in Egypt in January. Our blog began then. The Tour d'Afrique wanted all participants to start a basic blog to share the experience with followers of the race. We had never blogged before, but we thought it would be fun to do for Africa. We also wanted to pitch a TV show about a married couple that tackled new epic adventures each year. We thought that this would be a great place to host our content and be able to send producers and production companies to take a look at our work.  While our TV show didn't pan out, our blog took off. People enjoyed following along during the Tour d'Afrique and enjoyed reading about our story. Nearly a year after we returned from Africa, we re-started the blog and the rest is history. 

A:  You both have big film industry careers and your website in addition.  How do you think running Planet D has changed your lives?

DD: We don't work in the film industry anymore. We left those careers in 2009. So our lives have changed dramatically. We now have the freedom to travel full time and to share our stories with our readers. We aim to inspire others to pursue their passion too. It's been amazing to visit places that we never thought possible a few years ago. We've been from Antarctica to Alaska and New Zealand to Namibia. It's been very exciting. 

A:  What do you find the most rewarding about traveling?

DD: First of all, meeting new people is the most rewarding thing about travel. We have made friends around the world, been giving an insiders view into the lives of different cultures and have been welcomed into people's lives and homes. We have been so fortunate to have our hearts touched by so many people. 
The second thing that we love is to be able to share our experience with others. We love to travel, but we also love it when people email us to tell us that we inspired them to give it a try. When people leave a message or note stating that they read about our travels and are going to try a trip with their spouse or now have the courage to visit a destination that they never thought of before, our day is made. 

A:  Favorite places/memories so far?

DD: It changes regularly. Most of the time it is the most recent place we've ever visited. Like right now we are in love with Kenya because we just got back from Safari, but Antarctica is also a spectacular destination. We always love revisiting Thailand and driving across Mongolia was a very special experience. The Mongolian landscape is one of the most beautiful on the planet. 

A:  What tips do you have for lone travelers exploring a new country?

DD: Do your research before you go. Have an idea on what sights you want to see so that you don't miss something important, but also have an open mind and be open to change. Don't be stuck to a rigid itinerary, the most exciting moments happen when you are open to all possibilities. 

A:  You're off to South Africa soon - what are your plans?

DD: We have a lot planned for South Africa. As I answer this interview, we are getting ready to leave this evening. We'll be cage diving with great whites, abseiling down table mountain, going on safari, kayaking with crocodiles and paragliding as well. The list goes on and on it's going to be a very exciting trip and the first time we've been back since finishing the Tour d'Afrique in Cape Town.