My LITTLE blog wins a BIG award

The idea was simple, if a little ambitious.  I’d been asked to write a guidebook in the age of Google, TripAdvisor and Expedia, which seemed like being asked to sell typewriters when everyone is buying computers.  I took the book deal and focused on storytelling in print, but recognized that information is the flip side of inspiration, and a companion website and blog would provide enormous value for readers.   For starters, they could easily access destination and tour operator links, original or curated video, galleries, reading guides, fantastic products, and tips that didn’t make the print chapter.   I could also interact with my audience, receiving suggestions and offering advice.   Outside the limitations of a long print cycle, I also could add new experiences to the blog, which in turn could feed future book editions.
 
Canadianbucketlist.com launched with the first edition of my book, The Great Canadian Bucket List, in 2013.  Thanks to a fantastic prize from VIA Rail and Fairmont Hotels, it quickly attracted thousands of subscribers.  My publisher was a little concerned the website would cannibalize book sales, but we quickly learned that essay-length stories and short snippets of online information didn’t conflict at all.  In fact, only 1 in 5 readers registered on the website, the rest arrived organically from people around Canada and the world searching for unique experiences in the country.  They'd learn about the book, and a positive feedback loop was the result.

Over the years, the smash bestselling Great Canadian Bucket List has been through a half dozen different editions. It's been updated, re-designed, focused on regions, and continues to sell well. Earlier this year Dundurn Press published the second edition of The Great Western Canada Bucket List, and next year will see the third edition of The Great Canadian Bucket List.   The website, meanwhile, went through a complete overhaul during the pandemic (I had to do something stuck at home).  Today it looks better and is easier to use, all the content is unlocked, and ads help me cover the costs.
 
Each month I continue to update the blog with new experiences, commentary, travel tips, gift guides, and news from my world.  I never understood the world of SEO, which left money on the table but kept my content authentic and real.  Hi, this is Robin.  Not an AI, not an algorithm, not a bot...just a guy with the good fortune to see and share the remarkable country I live in.

​This month, at a prestigious event in Istanbul, canadianbucketlist.com won the Lowell Thomas Gold Medal for Best Blog.  Awarded by the Society of American Travel Writers, the Lowell Thomas Awards are the Oscars of travel journalism in North America.   For 40 years, they has been awarded across multiple categories to the best writers, photographers, broadcasters and producers in the world of travel media.    To quote the SATW website:  “[The Lowell Thomas Award] is the premier competition in North America in the field of travel journalism. It has gained its stature for several reasons, most notably: it does not promote any particular destination or travel product; it does not have any membership requirements for journalists to enter; it is judged independently by the faculty at a top U.S. school of journalism.  This year, judging was overseen by the University of Missouri School of Journalism with Emeritus Prof. John Fennell and Prof. Jennifer Rowe coordinating 25 judges and 1,430 entries.

I had entered several writing awards, because I’m a writer and occasionally that’s what we do, especially when you work alone in a bubble with little validation.   I entered this blog as an afterthought, but sometimes, years of hard work can sneak up on you and pay off. 

I'm deeply humbled by the recognition, and congratulate all award winners and nominees.  I’d also like to give a shout-out to my hardworking, inspirational colleagues in travel media who somehow make it work in this bizarro industry we call home.   It's difficult to see on the outside, but we make many sacrifices - personal and financial - to have this dream job. And my gratitude to you, the nameless anonymous visitor, for clicking on a link, spending some time with me on this site, and reading this far.  Rest assured; my award speech would have been much more impressive in person.