You're a traveller, not a tourist.
We invite you to be a traveller in the Annapolis Valley. Slow down, meet a local, take part in a FoodArtNature experience. Finding the road less travelled is one which involves planning your itinerary to stop in different communities, use your hotel or Bed and Breakfast as a base camp, and look for some suggestions that you get you “off the beaten path”.
Why?
As a guest to the Annapolis Valley, there are some well-trained Experience Hosts and guides who would love to meet you. They will share our hidden gems in small groups, so that you get a rewarding and insightful visit. These local guides are competent, passionate folks who live here, love hosting guests, and will give you an “insider’s” take on the food, art, nature and cultural significance of this region.
Getting off the beaten path
After relocating to Nova Scotia over 10 years ago, I found myself wishing the same things. We’ve spent care and time getting involved with the community, making connections with interesting people and places around me. People and places that I'd like to share with you. In fact, I coached over 15 new experience partners to shape their story into experiences. I’ll help you understand where they are, and what makes them ideal hosts for your time in the Annapolis Valley.
An itinerary built for you
For the past 30 years, we’ve been developing customized experiences and itineraries for travellers. Each itinerary is built to reflect your interests, while taking you to places you'd never know to go, or why it might be exactly what you are looking for.
How It Works
You’ve got an idea of what you’d like to do, and we’ve got the inside track on suggestions for how to make it happen. We’ll work together to explore and suggest different visitor experiences that are unique to the Annapolis Valley that are for small group sizes. You will have opportunities to plan to meet people who live here, who have stories to share, and who have created inspiring half-day experiences. We can provide suggestions for where to eat and recommend unique ways to combine experiences into a single day, or two to three-day itinerary.
When developing an itinerary, we always consider the following:
Guides: People who live here and are passionate about sharing their craft.
Discovery: Opportunities to appeal to your interests and learn new things.
Authenticity: Creating space to connect personally with informative hosts and learn about the Wabanaki (Acadian) forest, coastlines, art, culture, and food unique to the Annapolis Valley
Storytelling: The hosts we recommend have all taken time to develop their stories into experiences that are immersive, and hands-on, and offer insights about their life, work, and the place they call home.
Sustainability and Regenerative Practices: Conscious efforts are made to develop zero-waste itineraries, opportunities to give back to the community, and suggestions for having a low-impact trip.
We charge a trip planning fee which includes:
1.5-hour consultation by video conference (Zoom), which enables us to share maps, web links and travel routes.
We will send you a suggested itinerary, contacts, and links to where to book your experiences.
Based on this consultation and suggested itinerary, you will be easily able to then book your experiences in relation to where you stay, and the length of time you are visiting.
The fee for this online consultation and summary itinerary is $150.00 + HST.
Where do I start?
It begins all begins with an idea. You might be interested in learning about local plant and wildlife. You may have heard about the Bay of Fundy and want to watch the tides. You might have a personal connection to the Acadians. You could have a diverse group of people who want to explore nature or permaculture, or foraging. Or perhaps, you’re interested in meeting local farmers, artists, or makers.
Whatever it is, we'll work with you to build something special as your itinerary.
What's possible?
We have an ever growing list of local experts to add to your experience.
Birding specialists
Master Herbalists
Makers (Book-makers, potters, print-makers, botanical castings, and more)
Chefs
Foragers and Permaculture growers
Naturalists
Organic Farm Producers
Winemakers featuring organic grapes, or bio-dynamic operations
Songwriters
Book my Planning Call for a Custom Trip Itinerary
1 - Take a couple of minutes to send us your ideas of what you want to do (click on the ‘Request Booking’ button below)
2 - We will contact you and have a call to discuss what you have identified and respond with some suggestions.
3 - We will co-create an itinerary based on our conversation with you, that meets your needs for the time you will be visiting the Annapolis Valley area. A short written itinerary will be sent by email with an invoice for $150 + HST. Payment can be made by e-transfer.
4 - Once you pay by e-transfer, we will develop and deliver the program.