Travel

Canada

Home base for me right now. I live in North York, in the Willowdale neighbourhood, which I love for the many different cuisines and late night food nearby, the walks on Yonge day or night, the parks and tennis courts, being close to the subway, and how quiet and safe it is. It's the neighbourhood I've lived in ever since I first moved to Canada. This country welcomed my family with open arms, and I'll always love it for that.

Ontario, Canada

A place I love and used to go to a lot with my family. It's also the number one spot we take visitors, which says a lot about Toronto, since the most interesting place for them to see is two hours away. But I don't judge them. Niagara is beautiful and we don't appreciate it enough.

A memory Growing up we'd go every few weeks in the summer, and the trips had a routine: the falls, the arcade (a non-negotiable for me), the candy store beside it, a walk around Niagara on the Lake, then a park to make kebab and play soccer.

Québec, Canada

My favourite winter city, though it's nice in the summer too, with things you won't get in the cold like the luge down the side of the mountain and the Ironman. Riding the gondola through the middle of the village is always a good time.

Best bite A maple taffy made on snow. You can probably make it at home, but I always get one there.

Québec, Canada

Been here many times on family road trips over the years. Old Montreal is the part I always enjoy.

A memory A middle school grad trip to Montreal that was a lot of fun.

Best bite A nice poutine.

Alberta, Canada

Wow, I love this place. I went in February even though everyone told me to wait for summer, and I'm so glad I didn't listen. I was sick the whole time and it still ended up one of my favourite places I've ever travelled to. A hike out there was genuinely one of the only times in my life I've heard complete silence.

A memory Trying skiing for the first time, and I probably shouldn't have started with cross-country: clip into the skis, fall a minute later, rinse and repeat. Also, why do so many Aussies end up in Banff of all places?

Ontario, Canada

My sister went to Queen's, so we visited her in Kingston every few weeks whenever we could. Great food spots, nice buildings to walk around, beautiful parks, and a fun cruise out through the Thousand Islands.

Best bite Tango Nuevo, a tapas place with a rotating menu that we went to all the time. One of my favourite food spots anywhere, and I'll always cherish the time there with my family.

Ontario, Canada

My girlfriend went to Western, so I visited London a lot. Maybe because I never had to live there, but I actually liked it, especially how friendly people were: strangers would start up conversations with you in the middle of a store. We'd sometimes make the trip down to Grand Bend too, a nice calm spot for a beach day.

Ontario, Canada

An aunt, uncle, and cousin on my dad's side live up here near Lake Simcoe, and I find it so calm and beautiful.

A memory Boating on Lake Simcoe, hitting the beach, RV camping at different sites, Victoria Day fireworks in the park, BBQs, and evening ice cream runs, some of my favourite summers over the years.

New York, USA

The first place I travelled to once I got my Canadian passport, and my family and I have gone back by road trip every few years since, often to see my girlfriend's family in New Jersey. It somehow always poured on the drive down, and my sister and I would get cranky and pick fights, but nothing beats a road trip for me. I've done pretty much every touristy thing in the city and still find myself going back.

A memory Hitting a lifetime high of close to 50,000 steps in a single day of sightseeing: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and a Broadway show (Aladdin and The Great Gatsby).

California, USA

I visited not too long ago, absolutely loved it, and already hope to go back. Biking the Golden Gate down to Sausalito, the farmers market at the Ferry Building, and City Lights bookstore were all highlights.

A memory On Alcatraz, we eavesdropped our way into an impromptu tour a guide was giving some exchange students of the restricted underground dungeon, well above my ticket, and stayed until the island closed to watch them demonstrate locking the cell doors for the night.

Best bite Tony's Pizza Napoletana. (And In-N-Out is extremely overrated, I'll die on that hill.)

Florida, USA

Pretty nice and cool. Most of our time there was spent around the beach and walking Ocean Drive.

Florida, USA

A few days at Universal Studios with my cousin. Harry Potter world was so cool, though I mostly just walked around, since I'm deathly afraid of roller coasters.

A memory Buying a wand at Ollivanders on Diagon Alley.

Florida, USA

Family were living here at the time, so we spent a couple of weeks with them and explored nearby Tampa and Cape Coral.

Pennsylvania, USA

A nice, short visit, just a day for my girlfriend's niece and nephew's dance competition. I got to see the UPenn campus and finally try Raising Cane's after hearing people rave about it.

Best bite Raising Cane's: the sauce was good, but Chick-fil-A is still better.

United Arab Emirates

I was born and raised in Dubai until I was 7, when my family and I moved to Canada in 2011. I'm a third generation immigrant to the Emirates, from back when Dubai had just a few high rises and was mostly an internationally unknown sand and fishing village. Much of my family still lives there and I've travelled back several times since. My latest trip was a last minute one: a project I'd built with a friend from UofT gained interest from the VC firm Oraseya Capital, so I flew out to meet them and spent the rest of the week doing touristy things with my girlfriend.

A memory The desert safari I insisted on taking my girlfriend on: dune bashing, riding camels, and eating a lot of sand while sandboarding. It brought back memories of ATV races in the middle of the desert with my cousins.

Spain

First time here, I got to watch the last El Clásico where both Messi and Ronaldo scored, with Suárez and Bale scoring too. Ronaldo left for Juventus soon after, so it was an incredible way to wrap up an era. I still remember the fans cheering Iniesta on as he walked off for his last El Clásico. I've been back since for places like Park Güell, the museums, and some delicious Spanish food.

A memory Dragging my badly overweight luggage across the cobblestones of the Gothic Quarter to catch a train, a wheel busting clean off on the way, and then missing the train anyway. The one we finally caught had some of the deepest laughs of my life.

Best bite The best kunafa I've ever had, during a blackout at a restaurant that later closed down.

Spain

Here first with all my family and cousins for a wedding, and back again later for the museums, the galleries, and some delicious Spanish food.

A memory My cousin's wedding at a beautiful castle in Toledo, just outside the city.

Italy

This city was like a maze in the most enjoyable sense possible. My favourite bits were getting lost in the alleyways trying to find our way back to the hotel, a boat day out to Murano, Burano, and Torcello, and hanging out for hours on the Grand Canal bridge watching people go by. I later fell down a rabbit hole and learned the squares were purposely designed to double as drainage that fills the wells you see everywhere.

A memory Watching a glassblowing demo in Murano, then failing to track down the "555" house in Burano (my girlfriend likes that number), and laughing at the same man arguing with ten different strangers by the canal.

Austria

One of my favourite places I've experienced. I'd flown out to meet my girlfriend and her friend, who'd come to see Taylor Swift, but the show got cancelled for safety reasons a few days before. To make up for it we got tickets to Coldplay at the same venue a week later, a concert I'd wanted to see since I was a kid, and it was good enough that we went to their Toronto show the next year too.

A memory A tour through the underground crypts and catacombs of St. Stephen's Cathedral, where I learned they used to store royals' hearts and organs separately from their skeletons.

Best bite Schnitzel at Erzherzogtum in the Naschmarkt. Get the potato salad too.

Germany

I spent a month here on a UofT summer abroad program, living in Berlin and cramming a full year credit into one month. It was challenging, but it took me out of my comfort zone, got me making new friends, and had us research, design, build, and pitch a whole system from scratch.

A memory One of my favourite nights was going to Tempelhofer Feld for the Long Night of Astronomy to catch the Perseids meteor shower (we didn't), then camping out in a nearby park until the morning.

Best bite Currywurst. I've heard people call it German poutine, which I find to be an insult to poutine.

Germany

A jam packed solo day trip from Berlin: the English Garden, a tour of the Residenz, the clock tower at the Neues Rathaus, food at the Viktualienmarkt, and the view from the top of the Alter Peter church tower. I came back the year after for a concert.

A memory Seeing Adele live and hearing Skyfall, one of my favourite songs. One of my favourite concerts ever.

Best bite A multiple pound bucket of gummy bears and worms from the Haribo store.

Germany

I visited my aunt here. We checked out the Speicherstadt area with its brick buildings and cobblestone streets, walked along the St. Pauli Pier, and stopped by the restaurant she used to own and the chocolate shop she worked at.

Netherlands

A very interesting city. I found it fascinating how many bikes there were and how uncommon cars felt, with some places completely inaccessible by car. I got a bit obsessed with how well the intersections are designed for pedestrians and cyclists, then came home to find UofT had just built the same protected intersection at St. George and Bloor while I was away.

A memory My favourite part was The Amsterdam Dungeon, a fun, interactive show about the dark history of the city.

Switzerland

I loved Zurich. The highlights were a tour of the Lindt Home of Chocolate, walking through the beautiful old town, the walk along the lake, and the different parks and churches.

Best bite Lindt, at the Home of Chocolate.

Switzerland

Quieter than Zurich, and I loved it just as much. I walked along the river to the observation decks that look out over the old town.

A memory Visiting the Einsteinhaus, where Einstein lived, and learning about all his contributions to the world beyond the physics he's known for.

Dominican Republic

The first trip my family took after moving to Canada, with my three cousins, aunt, and uncle. One of my cousins is the same age as me, so we had a super fun time hanging out and swimming in the pools. I've been back many times since with family and friends.

Mexico

A fun place for resorts that I've been to a few times over the years with family and friends.

A memory I made some close friends from England on this trip, Jack and Grace, who I've still yet to go visit.

Best bite The Lebanese restaurant Habibi at Moon Palace. Years later I still remember how delicious its labneh, fish, and kunafa were.

Costa Rica

A fun trip that was really all about the excursions: whitewater rafting (more fun in hindsight than in the moment), taking ATVs and dune buggies through parts of the rainforest, and climbing a waterfall.

A memory Getting sat next to Lindsay Lohan and her boyfriend at a hibachi dinner one night, and ending up having dinner with them.

Jamaica

Another nice resort trip with my family and our family friends, with a stop in Kingston.

A memory The most notable part was visiting the museum of the legendary Bob Marley in Kingston.

Australia

I have cousins who were born and raised down under, so visiting is always a tonne of fun. Melbourne is a very nice, large city that sort of reminded me of Toronto, and I came back a second time for my cousin's wedding.

Best bite A Halal Snack Pack from Glenny Kebabs, an Australian twist on doner, at a food stand in a gas station lot that doubles as a JDM car meet.

Australia

There's less to do than in Melbourne, but I had a great few weeks with my cousins and there's some nice hiking outside the city. My first visit, with my sister at fourteen, was the first international trip I ever took without my parents.

A memory Pokémon Go had just come out when I first went, so we found plenty to do regardless.