Mark Stewart

Hi, I'm Mark — I suppose that's obvious enough.

I'm on a never-ending quest of curiosity in the strange and wonderful thing we call the human experience.

My lifestyle is unconventional. It's a bit scattered. Eclectic might be a better word for it. It's followed veins of routine from time to time but not always. I sacrifice normality for something bigger.

I've travelled to over 40 countries and have lived in 7. The experience I've gained from this has been the most profound education imaginable.

When I'm not on the road, my home base is Edmonton, Canada. It's where I grew up. It's where most of my family — friends included — live, and I enjoy being close to those I love.

I'm a former professional cook (Chef sounds fancier, but those in the industry know the difference).

In culinary school, I met a girl. She had a job at a great restaurant in another province (state) after graduation. A few weeks after meeting, I moved away with her. We've been married for over 10 years.

That girl and I took a gap-year and spent 6 months backpacking through Southeast Asia followed by another 6 months living in a car in Australia. (If you truly want to get to know someone, travel with them -- bonus points for living in a car together)

After discovering travel, I needed a change. The professional kitchen is a chaotic, fun and incredible place to be. But it doesn't pay well. And I wanted to travel.

So I made a shift and became an electrician. It wasn't a fancy career path, but it paid well and allowed the time off for travel.

When I leave, I tend to leave for extended periods of time. The longest I've been away is 18 months.

When I started travelling seriously I began blogging about it. That's when I first learned how to build websites.

I'm obsessed with emerging technologies and how they will shape our future -- things like blockchain and artificial intelligence.

I was living in Colombia when Covid struck. My wife and I left on one of the last flights out before the country locked down.

Since then, I've focused on learning, building and creating as much as possible; trying to find a balance between normality and the subtle chaos I love so much.

A few random facts about me:

My story will continue to evolve. And I will share the interesting bits here.