Freelance Journalist
Poutine, bagels, smoked meat, and Portuguese chicken. Look at any food round-up of Montreal dishes and you’ll see these four items listed as essential, signature foods. But how did piri piri chicken, a dish that wasn’t even a traditional component of Portuguese cuisine before the 1970s, end up here? Read my investigation in Eater Montreal.
Ever since my first backpacking trip to South America, I’ve wondered what kind of people write Lonely Planet books. I now know the answer. I finally received my copy of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan 6, which includes the chapter I updated following six weeks of research in Armenia. Buy it at lonelyplanet.com
Plenty of people (including myself) made huge life decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic – why? I interviewed Bruce Feiler, author of New York Times' bestseller Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age and Derek J. Koehler, a professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo. Read the story over at CBC Life.
My first story for CBC Life is about RVing in Canada.
With road trips making a serious comeback due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, retro motels are also roaring back. Read the story over at Thrillist
Thousands still living in makeshift shipping container homes over 30 years after Armenia's devastating Spitak earthquake. Read my feature at Horizon Guides (photos by Stephanie Foden): https://horizonguides.com/journal/inside-armenias-shipping-container-cities
The Canadian city is positioned to become the Denver of the Great White North. Thrillist: https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/cannabis-culture-toronto
I co-wrote a guidebook that helps inspire travellers to go hiking in the beautiful Caucasus region (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). Find it at Horizon Guides: https://horizonguides.com/guides/hiking-in-the-caucasus
Descendants of French-speaking Acadians in Louisiana saw their culture and language slip away in the 20th century. Now, a new generation of proud Francophones is leading a resurgence. Check out my feature in Canadian Geographic.
I spent the beginning of 2019 living in Mexico City's Roma and wrote a story & guide to the neighborhood for Travel + Leisure on the weekend before the movie was nominated for 10 Oscars. Gorgeous black and white photos by Stephanie Foden!
Joel Balsam 