After spending much of the past decade slowly circumnavigating the globe with her husband, daughter, and Charlie the cat aboard a 40-foot sailboat, Diane Selkirk has put her roots back down in Vancouver. While immersive travel by sailboat taught her many things — including that she prefers to go through storms when she’s on land and grocery stores are often just as fascinating as museums — the primary lesson she gained is that the best moments of travel often come when you throw away the bucket list and create your own adventure. By meeting locals and learning why they love their home, how they relate to it, and what they’re passionate about, Diane experienced the addictive type of travel that goes beyond top 10 lists and can change your life. Her work has appeared in publications including BBC Travel, National Geographic Traveler, Canadian Geographic, Men’s Journal, CNN Travel, and The Globe and Mail.