A few months before my dad died, he called me to his room and asked me to open a drawer. Inside, I pulled out a folder so big that I needed two hands to hold it: our family’s Florida timeshare contract. He wanted me to get rid of it – but I couldn't manage to do … Continue reading Washington Post: Timeshares can trap you. My family couldn’t escape until my dad died.
Lonely Planet: Canada (Quebec Chapter)
Explain Québec's complex history of French–English relations, sovereignty and identity in less than 125 words? Challenge accepted! (To be fair, I split them up in a few sidebars.)I crisscrossed Quebec from Montreal to Lac-Saint-Jean and Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine to write the 80-page chapter in the Lonely Planet Canada guidebook – my largest, and most personal, guidebook to … Continue reading Lonely Planet: Canada (Quebec Chapter)
Toronto Star: Trekking in Nepal to see one of the world’s highest mountains, I learned the meaning of pilgrimage — the hard way
A personal essay with my photos about a challenging experience that proved to be a turning point in my life path. Read at Toronto Star (it also appeared in print).
Lonely Planet: Southwest USA (New Mexico)
After a painful pandemic, I hit the road again for Lonely Planet in September 2022 and here’s my first published guidebook (USA Southwest, New Mexico chapter) in the NEW style. Yes, Lonely Planet has changed its style in its 50th year, and while I’m not paid to say this, I think it’s a game changer. … Continue reading Lonely Planet: Southwest USA (New Mexico)
Toronto Life: The Homesteaders of Mount Forest
One of my favorite stories ever. I interviewed the Murph-Ariens at their off-grid homestead in Ontario and channeled their life story in an as-told-to feature. Read it at Toronto Life.
Globe: Is Nickel Making These Quebecois Sick?
Concern about contaminated air causes tension in a small town at the heart of Canada’s push to be a leader in a green economy. Read the multimedia feature in the Globe & Mail.
Globe & Mail: Saving Quebec’s Chorus Frogs
Another feature for the Globe & Mail's climate desk. This time, it's about Quebec's tiny chorus frogs and the fight to save them before they're silenced. Story here.
Lonely Planet: France 14
Lonely Planet just released a guidebook I updated: France! I did the section on Lyon & the Rhône Valley. Buy it here.
Globe & Mail: Why The Magpie Is Legally A Person
Can a river have rights? I drove up to Quebec's Côte-Nord region with photographer Stephanie Foden to find out how and why the Ekuanitshit Innu pushed to make the Magpie River a legal person. The story appeared on the front page of the Globe & Mail newspaper and was released online as a multimedia feature. … Continue reading Globe & Mail: Why The Magpie Is Legally A Person
CBC: Thinking About RVing? Here’s What You Need to Know to Hit the Road
My first story for CBC Life is about RVing in Canada.
Joel Balsam 