About | Pina Travels

I’m Erin, a Canadian travel writer, creator, and podcaster.

I’m on a mission to help you travel in a way that is better for people, and the planet, and leads to meaningful travel experiences.

I started backpacking solo at 19 years old, and haven’t stopped since (although these days I mostly travel with my partner!). Early in my travels, I began to question how travel and tourism impacts our ecosystems, cultural heritage, history, development, and communities. I’ve been on a mission ever since to learn about both the good and the bad that comes with tourism. And now, I use my blog, writing, podcast, and social media to share everything I’m learning with you!

On Pina Travels, you’ll find guides covering responsible travel topics, like how to avoid overtourism and understanding travel privilege. And, you’ll find lots of destination guides packed with mindful travel tips that are based off of my own experience and my own travels.

I have community of 85,000+ on social media! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or YouTube:

How I got into travel

I actually didn’t travel internationally all that much as a kid. My family mostly went on summer vacations around our home province, Ontario. But my parents had backpacked together before having kids, and so I grew up hearing their travel stories.

They definitely instilled in me and my siblings a sense of curiosity about the world, and the idea that going to new places and learning about other cultures was a valuable and educational experience.

When I turned 16, my parents sent me to visit my extended family in The Netherlands. This was my first flying experience on a plane, and I did it completely alone! I remember ahead of that trip, my mom taking the time to carefully talk me through what the airport would be like. It sometimes amazes me to think that she trusted that I could navigate an airport for the first time alone, so young, but she prepared me well!

That trip to The Netherlands was what sparked my love of travel. My Dutch relatives brought me all around the country, showing me famous landmarks and historic cities. But the little things amazed me just as much. I remember wandering through an Albert Heijn grocery store and being completely fascinated by the shelves, the packaging, the snacks I’d never seen before.

It was the first time I experienced another country, and that trip opened my eyes to the world beyond home. I’ve been curious about the rest of the world ever since.

After that trip to The Netherlands, I was obsessed with the idea of traveling in Europe. I saved up over the next two years, and when I was 18, I announced to my parents that I was going to spend a few weeks backpacking Italy, Germany, France, and Spain, along with a friend. My parents were super supportive!

Blonde women traveler standing in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican with the central obelisk in Rome.

Travel blogger sitting on a brick wall taking photos at ancient Roman ruins in Rome, Italy.

Some photos from that first backpacking trip! I was so young!!

Since that backpacking trip, my travels have never stopped. I’ve visited nearly every continent, and I’ve lived in 2 countries (Italy and The Netherlands).

The way I travel

My travel style has evolved a lot over the years as I’ve gotten older. In my twenties, I was a classic budget backpacker, staying in hostels, squeezing as much as possible into every trip, and trying to make my money stretch as far as it could.

Now that I’m in my 30s, my approach to travel has shifted into what I like to call “middle travel.” I’m not backpacking on the absolute cheapest budget anymore, but I’m also not traveling luxuriously. I’m somewhere in the middle, choosing comfortable places to stay, prioritizing meaningful experiences, and traveling at a pace that actually lets me enjoy where I am.

For me, travel is less about ticking off destinations and more about understanding the places I visit. I love returning to places and do it often.

These days, I have a home base in Toronto, Canada. I love this city and so it’s important to me to be here most of the year. In my 30s, I have found a nice balance between travel and home life.

That said, I do always crave longer trips, so every few years, I try to go on a long-haul trip, that’s several months long. My last “travel sabbatical” was in 2024!

A woman with braided hair and a black backpack stands on a narrow, grassy mountain ridge, looking out toward mist-covered hills as a winding trail and small hikers stretch along the ridgeline ahead.

A woman with braided hair and a black backpack stands on a narrow, grassy mountain ridge, looking at the camera with mist-covered hills behind her.

Hiking in El Valle de Anton, Panama, in 2026.

Why I focus on responsible tourism

I first started thinking critically about travel when I was living in Venice, Italy. I was 20 years old and working in a hostel, in what were still my very early days of travel. Like a lot of people, I had completely romanticized what life in Venice must be like. Living there for several months quickly changed that perspective.

I experienced the realities of the city in a way most visitors never do. I saw how Venice floods every spring, and how residents have to adapt their daily lives around the acqua alta. I experienced the huge crowds that descend on the city, especially when cruise ships arrive and thousands of visitors pour into the narrow streets all at once.

Woman standing barefoot in floodwater during acqua alta in Venice, Italy at night. — *Walking through a flooded street in Venice, Italy. Some of the streets are lined with these tables so that you can walk on them, instead of through the water.*

It was the first time I really understood that tourism isn’t just something that exists for visitors. It shapes the lives of the people who live in these places every day. I was experiencing that first-hand. I started to know the cruise ship patterns, and would avoid going out to do errands during times of day that the ships would be docked.

I also learned alternative routes for navigating the city, so that I could avoid the huge crowds of day-trippers in the summer months.

Seeing and experiencing this first-hand made me start asking bigger questions about tourism. How it affects housing, local businesses, infrastructure, heritage, and communities. And as I continued to travel after leaving Venice, I started to take notice of these things, and realized that it’s important to understand the impacts of tourism, both the positive and the negative.

This is what has led me to angle this blog, and all the content I create, through the lens of responsible tourism.

I don’t believe there’s such a thing as perfectly “sustainable” or “responsible” travel. But I do think we can travel more thoughtfully. For me, responsible tourism is about being aware of the systems we’re participating in, learning about the places we visit, and making choices that are more mindful of the people and communities who live there.

A blonde woman wearing a green jacket standing on a path surrounded by trees that are turning red during autumn.

a woman with long blonde hair wearing sunglasses looking into the camera smiling with a river and hills behind her

Me on various adventures around Canada: Ontario, The Yukon, and British Columbia.

What you’ll find on Pina Travels

Over the years, Pina Travels has grown into a few different places where I share my work, including this blog, my podcast, social media, and my newsletter. Each one focuses on responsible travel in a slightly different way, but they’re all centered around the same goal: helping people travel more thoughtfully.

The Pina Travels Blog

The Pina Travels blog is where I share most of my in-depth travel writing. Here you’ll find responsible travel guides that cover topics like how to avoid overtourism, tips for traveling more sustainably, and explanations of concepts like travel privilege.

I also publish travel itineraries and destination guides that weave responsible travel ideas into practical advice. These guides are based on my own trips and experiences, and are designed to help you explore places thoughtfully.

A lot of my content focuses on my home province of Ontario, but you’ll also find guides covering the rest of Canada and international destinations I’ve traveled to, including Nepal, Portugal, Iceland, Panama, and Morocco.

Curious Tourism Podcast

If you prefer to listen, I also host a podcast called Curious Tourism.

On the podcast, I talk with researchers, journalists, tourism professionals, and other travelers about the bigger questions surrounding travel. We explore topics like last-chance tourism, responsible travel content creation, tourism development, travel ethics, and how the industry shapes the places we visit.

The goal of the podcast is simple: to better understand how tourism works, and how we can travel in ways that are more thoughtful and informed.

I’ve been creating Curious Tourism along with my producer, Kattie Laur, since 2019. We’ve published over 100 episodes, and the show has been recognized my outlets and organizations, including the Toronto Star, and the Traverse Creator Awards.

Listen to Curious Tourism.

Social Media

I also share travel content on social media, where I’ve built a community of more than 85,000 people. You’ll find me on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook.

Across my social media platforms, I share travel tips, reflections from the road, and conversations about responsible tourism. Social media is also where I talk more casually about travel experiences, industry trends, and questions that come up in the travel space.

If you enjoy thinking more deeply about travel, you’ll probably enjoy the conversations happening there too.

If you’d like to keep up with my writing and podcast episodes, you can also subscribe to my newsletter. I use it to share new blog posts, podcast releases, and occasional reflections about travel and tourism that don’t always make it onto social media.

My work and partnerships

I’m selective about the brands and organizations I work with. Responsible tourism is at the core of everything I do, so I look for partnerships where there’s a genuine alignment in values.

I most enjoy working with destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and tourism boards. These collaborations give me the opportunity to explore places more deeply and share stories about them in a way that encourages thoughtful and responsible travel.

A grizzly bear walking out of a river with a freshly caught salmon in it's mouth — One of my favourite recent partnerships was with Campbell River, Vancouver Island. They sent me out to Toba Inlet to go grizzly bear viewing with Indigenous guides. The goal of the partnership was to highlight responsible wildlife tourism in the region.

My goal is always to showcase destinations in a way that goes beyond the highlights, highlighting local context, culture, and how visitors can experience a place respectfully.

From time to time, I also partner with hotels and travel brands when the collaboration feels like a good fit for my audience and aligns with my values. I’m careful about the products and experiences I promote, and I always disclose partnerships transparently.

In addition to my own platforms, I regularly contribute to the broader travel conversation. I guest on podcasts, participate in interviews, and speak about responsible tourism and the travel industry. My work and commentary have also been featured in media, including Business Insider.

If you’re interested in collaborating, featuring my work, or inviting me to speak on a podcast or panel, feel free to get in touch.

A few personal facts about me

I grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, and later moved to Montreal for several years. Eventually I came to Toronto to attend graduate school, where I completed an MA in Cinema and Media Studies. I ended up falling in love with the city and never left.

I’m married to my partner Lucas, who I met in Corfu, Greece in 2010 during my early backpacking days. Travel has been a big part of our story ever since.

Today we live together in downtown Toronto with our cat. We both work full-time corporate jobs, but are lucky to have a generous amount of vacation days, which means we can travel often!

When I’m not traveling or working, I spend a lot of time doing some of my favourite things at home. I love going for runs, reading, hosting karaoke nights with friends, and seeing movies at Toronto’s independent cinemas. I also play the fiddle, and when I’m in the city you’ll often find me playing traditional Irish music sessions around Toronto.

a woman wearing a blue jacket and white hat standing on a hill with a blue van and road and mountains in the background

Want to work with me?

If you’re interested in collaborating, I’d love to hear from you.

I work with tourism boards, destinations, hotels, and brands on projects that align with my focus on responsible tourism. This can include destination features, content creation, podcast collaborations, interviews, and other storytelling projects that help travelers better understand the places they visit.

I’m always most excited about partnerships that prioritize thoughtful travel, cultural context, and meaningful experiences.

If you think we’d be a good fit, feel free to get in touch. You can reach me through my contact page or send me an email, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.