A Year in Travel Quotes

From Serge Ibaka and Bianca Andreescu to Dolly Parton and Priyanka Chopra, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite travel quotes from this year.

December 20, 2019
Dolly Parton driving in a pink car with her name on it with a cheetah running beside her

“I never feel like I’m not at home because I’m at home within myself. No matter where I go, I feel like I can fit in.” – Dolly Parton

“Of all the places I’ve lived, Toronto is home for me now. It’s going to stay that way forever. I was born in Congo, but Toronto was where I made my story.” – Serge Ibaka

“You know what? Girls need to swipe right. They need to get the first option.” Priyanka Chopra Jones

“It’s a dream come true to have my name alongside so many champions and for some of them to actually recognize me. ” – Bianca Andreesscu

Portrait of Chef Marcus Samuelsson

“In Ethiopia, meals don’t happen without music.” – Marcus Samuelsson

“I learned to surf in Sydney, and that was one of the most badass things I’ve done in my life.” – Samira Wiley

Collage of Jessie Reyez portraits sitting on a trunk

“The first time I went to Los Angeles, my mindset shifted. Out there, man, everyone’s on it, so you need to be on it.” – Jessie Reyez

A very tall artificial waterfall pouring from a multi-panelled glass ceiling inside Jewel Changi airport in Singapore.

“This was a dream project because it gave me an opportunity to do architecturally what nobody has ever done in an airport”. – Moshe Safdie

“The mind boggles at how big Canada is. Farihah and I were farther apart than if we’d been on opposite sides of Europe, and yet we were on the same path. That’s pretty wild.” – Alana Paterson, photographer

An animated gif of colour and black and white photos of David Zilber

“What I wouldn’t do for a styro container of Mr. Jerk right now.” – David Zilber

“So many people think of Toronto as a concrete jungle, but the city is a lot more wild than we give it credit for.” – Jason Logan

Rainbow colours of an art deco building in Miami

“Travel really does get those creative juices flowing. I find my eye is delighted by all the colours and moods of Miami.” – Mosha Lundström Halbert

“Rituals like these are what turn the scattered notes of our lives into a symphony.” – Pico Iyer

A black and white photo of Sarain Fox in a wide brimmed hat

“I grew up watching my mom fight to preserve our stories and identity. It’s hard not to want to be part of that legacy.” – Sarain Fox

Two paddle boarders traveling along a narrow stream in a wooded area

“It’s like dancing on water.” – Simon Whitfield

Obama seaside village

“The mistake turned out to be one of the most inspiring surprises of my journey.” – Frédéric Tougas, photographer

“Those are the steps of doom.” – Stef Gebbie, trek guide in Tasmania

Alison Roman leaning against a desk

“Someone recently told me, ‘Your food is very sexy.’” – Alison Roman

“Frogs are my favourite by the way, they are the most musical of all.” – Bernie Krause

An animated gif of portraits from around the world via Google Street View

“I find myself drawn to houses because they’re a subject so central to my agoraphobia.” – Jacqui Kenny

“Spoiler alert: I caught my clothes.” – Ted Alvarez, writer

Nicolai Ellitsgaard harvests seaweed

“Truffle seaweed. Have you tried it?” – Morten Michalsen

People gathered at the Shiroishi River during the Ōgawara Sakura Festival in Japan

“There is also the tragedy of its short life. It’s intense, and then it’s gone.” – Maynard Plant, Monkey Majik

“We are not delinquents – we only want a place to play our music.” – The Dominican Republic’s self–proclaimed musicologists

“Chefs here aren’t afraid to be adventurous and combine Amazonian, Lebanese, Japanese and Italian traditions.” – Antonio Park

A woman in a bathing suit stands on a diving board in a landscape that appears to be made entirely of water.

“My history makes me an outsider in a way, and I’ve become interested in the fringes because of it.” – Nadav Kander, photographer

“There is so much happening in Indigenous fashion, it gives me hope for the future.” – Sage Paul

Maori-Japanese dishes at Izakai Bar & Eatery

“We’ve gone from a time where it was illegal to speak te reo to Maori dinners selling out in a few hours.” – Karena Bird

“That’s my nemesis bird.” – Hannah, 17–year–old birder

Park Kyungwoong poses for selfies with his fans

“In the neighbourhood of Hongdae, the heart of Seoul’s busking culture where all kinds of performers are vying for fame, a good YouTube video is the preferred currency.” – Jeff Benjamin

“If this was a French, Japanese or Italian restaurant, there would be no problem. Why is fine dining their brand, but ours is ‘cheap food’?” – Fuad Nirabie, Damas restaurant in Montreal

A man sets up his camping gear by the riverside

“There are so few intact ecosystems left on the planet. Ivvavik is one of them.” – Dave Evans, expedition leader, Ivvavik National Park

A woman in a rain slicker looks out over a moody scene at Niagara Falls.

“Frozen in its noon, the sun beats in the slow niagara foam” – Kaie Kellough, poet

A compilation of images taken at the Wayfarer Oyster House

“I fell for this 'Northern Dining Room' hidden inside a former heating and sheet–metal shop the second I walked in – oyster–shell chandelier, octopus coat hooks, French–blue and white wallpaper and all.” – Nancy Matsumoto on dining at Wayfarer Oyster House in Whitehorse, named one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants in 2019

“I’ve performed all over the world and crowds react to the same things. If there’s a spark, we can understand each other, and music is the common language.” – Hubert Lenoir, musician and “your French–Canadian nightmare.”