For McCool Travel’s 193rd travel interview, I am pleased to present Christopher Mitchell. You may have also caught Christopher Mitchell presenting at a travel conference or are connected with him on any of several social media platforms.
Read on to learn more about the excellent travel writer, who currently lives ion Canada but calls the world his home.
Christopher Mitchell’s bio:
Christopher Mitchell is an award-winning travel writer from Toronto, Canada. He is the founder of travelingmitch, cofounder of Ultimate Ontario and We Explore Canada, as well as This Week in Blogging—the popular weekly newsletter for bloggers and creators.
Travel Interview With Christopher Mitchell
HOMETOWN …
Toronto, Canada
ON EVERY TRIP I MUST BRING …
A pair of sunglasses that I’ll be quick to throw on, regardless of season, temperature, or location.
3 FAVORITE HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME PLACES …
Istanbul, Seoul, and Oslo—all actual former homes, but Istanbul takes the cake there, as I lived there for 3 years.
A FAVORITE TRAVEL MEMORY …
Well, I’d probably have to harken back to riding in “the bubble car” on the Rocky Mountaineer, which many will know is a train that runs in the west coast of Canada. I was just a kid at the time, but I remember looking out the bubble car and seeing the mountains, and recognizing that if my own country had the ability to wow me like that, I ought to get moving on exploring the rest of the world.
And here I am 85 or so countries later!
3 FAVORITE TRAVEL BRANDS …
3 MONEY-SAVING TRAVEL TACTICS I USE …
- using a no fee international credit card (and a variety of cards that accrue points)
- being open to travel off-the-beaten path, which means you can better avoid paying top dollar tourist prices
- also travelling outside of a location’s high season
3 WAYS THAT I HAVE FUN WHILE TRAVELING …
- finding local breweries and distilleries
- locating live music venues
- eating delicious cuisine that’s representative of where I’m visiting
8 WORD (OR LESS) TRAVEL MANTRA …
“When I’m on the road, I’m making memories.”
FAVORITE NON-TRAVEL WEBSITE …
MOST MEMORABLE SOUVENIR …
It’s a tough one, but the Canada scarf that I have from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is currently something that I love looking at in my office. That being said, my office in Toronto is starting to feel like a museum, as it’s filled with things I’ve nabbed along my travels.
FAVORITE CHEAP EAT …
It’s hard to look past the passed pho in Vietnam on this one!
RECENT DISCOVERY …
How cheap and delicious the wine in Portugal is.
I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE MET …
Rick Steves! I actually ran a podcast with fellow travel writer Stephanie Craig reviewing Rick Steves Europe episodes not so long ago.
I WOULD LIKE TO MEET …
David Attenborough, hands down.
Thank you so much Christopher for sharing your travel advice and inspiration.
Follow Christopher Mitchell on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and travelingmitch,
McCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes travel interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons.
Previous 5 Minutes travel interview: Lori Sorrentino.