Real-Life Stories
Every traveller has a story to tell. Some have discovered hidden gems off the beaten path, while others have encountered unexpected adventures that changed their perspective forever. In our Guest Q&A series, we invite fellow travellers from around the world to share their experiences, favourite destinations, travel lessons and future dreams. From bucket-list destinations to surprising disappointments, these real-life stories offer inspiration, practical advice and perhaps even ideas for your next journey. Sit back, grab a coffee and meet travellers who are passionate about exploring the world and eager to share their stories with you. Today, professional photographer and documentary filmmaker Jeff Topham (and my cousin) shares his travel experiences with us.
Travel Experiences with Jeff
What is your name, where were you born & where do you live now?
Jeff Topham: Born in Thompson, Manitoba
At N 55°, a place so consistently cold, it’s a prime location for major automobile manufacturers’ cold weather testing stations.
I currently live in much warmer East Vancouver, Canada.
Website: jefftopham.com
Instagram: jeff_topham
What sort of traveller are you?
I guess you could say I travel for stories, not postcards… (Well, sometimes my photos get made into postcards!)
How do you fund your travelling?
By convincing someone else to pay for it?
How long have you been interested in travelling & give us a quick, bullet point list of some of the places you’ve been.
My family moved from Yukon to West Africa when I was 5. I remember being in the Canary Islands when I was 6, and my little brother peeing on the Acropolis when he was 3. Since then I’ve been to 70+ countries on all 7 continents, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, with a few stops between…
Where is the best place you have ever been and why?
Oh jeez. Tough one. I used to work as a photographer on an expedition ship that took people to Antarctica, often with a stop on the island of South Georgia. (a prime spot for countless BBC wildlife documentaries, for a reason…) The Southern Ocean region is literally like being on another planet. A photographer’s dream. Although, East Vancouver these days is a pretty good place, too…
Where is the worst place you have been and why?
Ahh, no worst places – only undesirable circumstances… And even then, those are always the trips that make the best stories. 3 days crossing the Drake Passage in 40ft seas. 17 hrs in the Sahara Desert sardined in the back of a Land Rover trying to get to Timbuktu. 6 hrs trapped on the tarmac in Calgary with a planeful of high-school girls’ basketball teams…
Do you have a Bucket List? Give us the top 5 on that list.
Not really, I just try to work as much as I can with my superstar travel writer pal Robin Esrock – who actually writes ‘bucket list’ books (together we’ve transited the Northwest Passage, sailed to Antarctica, and ridden Harley-Davidsons around BC…) So I just try to get the upgrade to sit next to him. That said, I would still like to ride the Trans-Siberian Railway. (Are you listening, Robin?)
What 3 things (apart from the essentials – food/water etc) do you always travel with?
Hmmm. Pretty sure it’s only essentials by now. Cameras. Good headphones, and a good soundtrack. Extra contact lenses. Q-Tips!
What was NOT a good travel experience & why?
Once I was assigned a magazine article on ecotourism in Puerto Vallarta. The Mexican tourism board booked us on a ‘Green Jungle Tour’ in a giant, exhaust spewing, 6×6 Unimog. I remember rumbling past a burning garbage pit full of plastic water bottles and one of the guides telling me he thought ‘eco’ was short for ‘economical’…
Where was your most recent trip? Tell us a little about it.
Thanks to Robin, we spent a week eating and drinking ourselves to near death (a literal bucket list trip…!) on a luxury canal boat in France’s Loire Valley. 99-point wines, a private chef, stops at Michelin-starred restaurants, and scenery like a Monet painting… I think my blood still runs 50% fine Burgundy. Great for photos, bad for the heart. (You can find the story, pics and exceptional wine and cheese list here.)
See more of Jeff’s work here.
🌎 Loved this traveller’s story?
Every traveller tells a different story, and our growing collection of Guest Q&A features introduces you to fellow explorers who have travelled the globe and are eager to inspire your next adventure.
Discover more fellow travellers and compare:
✈️ Their favourite destinations
🏖️ Their biggest travel surprises
❌ Places they wouldn’t return to
🎯 Bucket-list dreams
📸 Their most recent adventures
👉 Browse our entire Guest Q&A collection and see where their journeys may take you next. You might even discover your own next return ticket.
🧳 Meet Another Traveller
➡️ Karla & Elliott from UK: Asia, Australia, Bali and more
➡️ Kelsey from Canada: USA, Europe, Australia, Iceland and more
➡️ Jeff from Canada: Visited more than 70+ countries including Antarctica
“The world is full of stories waiting to be shared. Every traveller may help you discover your next destination.”
With every trip, we offer feedback to travel companies along with honest views for you, the reader. We rate adventures on a scale of one to five tickets, judged on quality, service, memorability, and price. A perfect ‘Ticket Rating’ of a five-ticket score means the experience was flawless. Your desire to go back is the ultimate measure of a trip’s worth. Exclusive to My Return Ticket. These articles were provided via guest travellers.
