Well, I am honoured that you were curious to learn about me! Thanks for coming to this page! It probably isn’t as exciting as the blog posts but now you know the face behind all that sarcasm!
Born and raised in a small town called Cumberland on the east coast of Vancouver island in British Columbia, Canada, I hadn’t always been curious about the giant world out there and all its splendor and glory. But I have always been more accustomed to spending time outdoors whether it was snowboarding, fishing, hiking, swimming and biking. I would rather spend a night sleeping in a tent than a hotel room in a busy city — which is what you would think drew me to the life of exploring, but it did not. I can remember the exact moment it happened. I had been living in Edmonton, Alberta and working the basic 9-5 job when I befriended a traveler from Australia just passing through trying to make money to get to her next spot. We spent evenings having drinks and her sharing all her amazing tales of the world and me sitting there in awe of her, wondering to myself, how the hell can I do this too?! “If you ever decide to come to Australia, you are always welcome to stay with me.” Well, that was all it took. Shortly after that I had quit my job, gave up my apartment and sold all my items to move back in with my parents to save money. Within a year I was landing at the Brisbane airport after 3 months traveling south east Asia with a couple girl friends and starting my first long haul adventure as a backpacker. I had come to a realization in Australia as I was heading home after a year spent abroad about how big this world was and how much of it I needed to see. How was I going to do that? What is the best and quickest way to do this? Oilfield money was the answer! I headed back to Alberta, got myself a job in the oilfield and spent the next 3 years saving for trips, taking off for a few months, coming back and doing it all over again.
This was the best decision I had ever made for myself. Not only did I climb my way up the ladder at my job but i was fortunate enough to travel whilst i did it. I met my current boyfriend and together we gave up everything, lived in a room in a basement, worked 3-4 weeks straight and saved for 15 months to come up with the money to be where we are now! We each took an LOA at our jobs, moved everything into storage and boom! Here we are!
I am no expert in traveling or photography but I am learning as I go. I encourage everyone who has never travelled to step out of your comfort zone. Instead of the usual Vegas or All inclusive Mexico trip, branch out and see what else the world has to offer! Don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions you have. The world isn’t as big and scary as it seems, you just have to take that first step!
Ami Grieve Photography 