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Ziner in the Spotlight!

PETER PAYAN
with Joyce at a First Nations Reservation
on Quebec's Lower North shore.
Stop sign is in Cree and French.

It is a familiar story. The 'travelling days' for Peter Payan of Montreal, Canada really started when his son was old enough to leave at home alone. But since then he and his wife Joyce have not stopped.

Like many Ziners, Peter is a thorough researcher and planner. For his first trip outside Canada, he did his own research and presented the travel agent with a complete itinerary right down to the telephone numbers of the hotels where they wished to stay. All the agent had to do was to make the arrangements he had listed and to issue the airline tickets and the bus tour information. But there is still room for spontaneous planning. While on the bus tour, they added theatre at each stop. His wife would pick up the 'what's on' brochure while Peter collected the bags from the bus. They would call the theatre for tickets, then Peter would chase down the tour manager to arrange for an early supper so that they could go to the show.

Peter and his wife are now full time Canadian explorers. After traveling twice to England and once to Europe along with three cruises (Alaska, Bermuda, and the Caribbean) they spend all of their time travelling domestically and have decided to forego passports, electrical adaptors and foreign currency altogether! Even so, Canada is a large and diverse country with enough to interest just about any traveller as Peter's many many reports to the Zine (most recently on Wolfe Island and Cape Breton Island) can attest. "We've also been to the Magdalen Island in the Gulf of the St Lawrence River where we had to practice our French!"

They adhere to the "one bag" philosophy. Regardless of the duration of the trip, everything for both of them is packed in one large backpack (which Peter gallantly carries). They also keep things simple by rarely flying, preferring transport by car, bus, train, ferry and freighter. With no checked luggage, they are quickly away from the station on arrival. Their favourite accommodation is at a bed and breakfast where often they are the only guests. Peter says, "Everywhere we've gone, we found friendly people welcoming us to their homes and towns."

Peter is the photographer in the group. He takes his 'Olympus D-580 point & shoot' digital camera with a 256 mg camera card, preferring to edit the pictures every day, keeping only the best. Peter is not a slave to technology however. He carries a cell phone but often forgets to turn it on.

Peter, we are glad that you "turn on" TheTravelzine and have become a valued contributor and member!