Who Says the Sky’s the Limit?

~ Words by Vickie Sam Paget, Sky Blue Content ~

Canada clearly rules Rick Mercer’s heart—especially the quaint and quirky backroads of Newfoundland. But when it comes to travel destinations, the television host known as ‘Canada’s Unofficial Opposition’ refuses to accept that even the sky is the limit. Yes, as far as travel horizons are concerned, Rick has no limits. So while he’s patiently-awaiting the invention of the teleporter, he’s also busy planning his trip into outer space…

If you could go wandering anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go?
I would fly to my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, get a car and wander ‘around the bay’. To translate, ‘around the bay’, means anywhere and everywhere outside of the capital city of St Johns.

I love getting in the car and driving around the bay with no real destination in mind. You can wander down roads and discover coves and communities you never knew existed. The landscape is so rugged and picturesque.

On the south coast of the island you will see so many small communities. Look closely at the map and you will notice there are no actual roads connecting them, but there are boats and ferries. If you like adventure and you want something unique and off-the-beaten-path, they are great towns to explore.

A few years ago the tourism slogan for Newfoundland and Labrador was something along the lines of: ‘As far away from Disneyland as you can possibly get’. That is a perfect description of the south coast of the island.

What is your favourite destination in Canada for the fall?
Take your pick! I have kayaked in Ontario’s Algonquin Park in the fall and I don’t know if I have ever experienced anything so breathtaking. Of course you don’t have to kayak to experience the park or its colours; there are campsites and cabins and all sorts of accommodations.

And Cape Breton Island in the fall is a super-accessible and super-easy way to experience the beauty of Canada’s east coast. If you want rugged east coast beauty wrapped up in explosions of colour combined with wonderful people, travelling around Cape Breton is an experience you will never forget. Also it’s an island, so your road trip won’t involve driving from A to B and back again—you’ll drive the entire circumference of the island, so every moment and every turn is brand new.

Favourite international destination for the fall?
I have yet to experience any real international travel in the fall because of my work schedule. That said I get why Canadians like a break from our winter or a break from the heat of summer, but fall is pretty much perfect throughout the whole of Canada. If I had the window of opportunity to travel in the fall, I would explore my own country first.

Earliest travel memory?
Fogo Island in Newfoundland. Today people all over the world are familiar with Fogo Island thanks to Zita Cobb, the revolutionary woman responsible for the Fogo Island Inn. But when I was a kid, Fogo Island was every bit as beautiful as it is today, but it had yet to be the subject of fawning profiles in the New York Times. My father worked with a fellow from Fogo and when I was a kid we made a few trips there. Dad was clearly a trendsetter who was ahead of the international jet set!

Fogo is a spectacularly beautiful island. It’s a magical place filled with incredibly hospitable people. It’s rugged, isolated and unique even by Newfoundland standards—and that is saying something! It now just happens to have one of the great inns of the world with a kitchen you will never forget.

Best travel experience?
Gosh there are so many, but off the top of my head I will say the Amalfi Coast in Italy. For as long as I can remember when I needed to escape in my mind, I would look at pictures of the Amalfi Coast. Last year I finally made the trip. The amazing thing was that the roads, the vistas, the villas, the ocean, the islands and the food all exceeded my expectations.

Most surprising travel experience?
Canada’s north. I always wanted to visit the north and my work on The Mercer Report finally made that dream come true.

I expected it to be different than anything I had experienced in Canada, but I had no idea how different it would be. It is hard to believe, but I think I experienced the largest culture shock of my life in my own country, simply because the north is so otherworldly. Calcutta, Rwanda and Beijing were all less of a culture shock. I wish every Canadian could spend time above the tree line.

Most enlightening travel experience?
There are so many enlightening experiences! I can’t tell you how many times international travel has not only opened my eyes to another culture or taught me a life lesson, but has also made me realize how everyone with a Canadian passport has won the Lotto.

Spend some time travelling internationally and you’ll realize pretty quickly how great we have it. For example, you do not have to spend much time in Mumbai or Kolkata before you are truly grateful for the concept of personal space.  I was in Africa for five minutes before I realized how lucky we are to live in a country where mosquitos no longer transmit malaria.  And it is very easy for us to take for granted that we live in a country where elections not only happen, but governments change and nobody is harmed killed or intimidated. It’s good to get out of Canada but it’s always great to get home.

Why do you love to travel?
To me travel is magic. While I am still waiting with great impatience for the teleporter, the ability to get on a plane and move across the country in four or five hours is nothing short of a miracle. How lucky are we that we live in a time where we can get to the other side of the world inside of a day? It wasn’t that long ago that the domain of international travel was only for people who had all the money in the world, all the time in the world and a death wish! We are lucky.

What destinations do you still lust for?
Norway. I don’t know why exactly, but lately I find myself poking around Norwegian travel sites online. Norway is definitely in my future. Also I have heard great things about Poland. Put me down for Costa Rica, Australia and Germany. And if we are talking bucket lists, put me down for the moon—or barring that—a trip to outer space. It will happen in my lifetime and I will be booking a ticket.

Images: Courtesy of Rick Mercer.
This feature first appeared in the fall 2016 issue of Canadian Traveller magazine.