Thank you for checking out my blog!
Hello, I am Marie. Traveller. Blogger. Photographer. I was born in New Brunswick, Canada and now I am living in the province of Ontario. I have traveled to over 30 countries around the world ever since I started traveling at the age of 6.
I hope this blog will give you some inspiration and useful tips to pursue your adventures. Let’s find some beautiful places to get lost!
What does “Msurlaroute”? It’s French for M on the road. Why a French name? Because I’m French-Canadian of course!
My mission? To show fellow adventurers, especially my fellow ladies, that solo travel isn’t just possible – it’s downright exhilarating! So, buckle up and join me on this wild ride as I navigate the globe one solo adventure at a time. Because let’s face it, waiting around for someone else’s schedule is so last season.
Want to know more? Read the Most Asked Questions!
Most Asked Questions
First of all, it’s important to note that I am not a full time traveller. I’m actually a University Professor who travels on her spare time. That means that I go on as many adventures as I can on the weekends and during my vacation time. For me traveling can be as simple as exploring the hiking trails around my city, or as elaborate as trekking the Sahara desert on camel back.
In the mid 2010s, I created a blog called Entre2escales. This was my very first experience blogging and on social media. After a difficult split before the pandemic, I had to close it. It broke my heart. When we were on lock down during COVID I decided to take on photography again and created my Msurlaroute Instagram page. It’s only very recently that I decided to start blogging again and I’m so excited for this new blogging chapter.
I absolutely love solo traveling. I love the freedom it gives me and it’s a way for me to step out of my comfort zone. Over the years, I’ve become a pretty experienced solo traveler. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy going on trips and adventures with my fiancé. We both love going on hiking trips around the world! I’m doubly lucky that he also supports my love of solo traveling.
About Partnership
Yes! I love collaborating with tourism boards and I’ve worked with many across the world over the years. My services range from creating social media content, photography and writing blog post for my blog or for tourism board’s websites. As a bilingual content creator, I am as comfortable creating content in French and English.
If you are interested in working with me, please email me at msurlaroute@gmail.com !
I am always interested in posting sponsored posts on my blog. However, my priority is always to share my honest thoughts with my readers.
I also only write on places and experiences I’ve tried myself!
I am! Photography is a passion of mine and I’ve created photos for many different brands and destinations.
If you are interested in hiring my as a photographer for your destination please email me at msurlaroute@gmail.com.
Follow me on Instagram!
Some places you visit and forget about a week later. And then there are the ones that stay with you.
I had never heard of the Phantom Piper before I went to Kincardine. Someone mentioned it in passing - « there’s this thing with a piper and a lighthouse at sunset » - and I filed it away as something to maybe check out if I had time.
I had time. And I am so glad I did.
I’m not going to tell you too much because I think this is one of those experiences that deserves to be felt rather than described. What I will say is that I stood there on the shore of Lake Huron as the sun went down and the pipes started playing and something about the whole thing - the water, the light, the sound carrying across the harbour - just got me.
This summer marks a milestone anniversary of a tradition that has been happening in this small Ontario town since the 1990s. And if you ask me, that’s reason enough to finally make the trip.
This year the Phantom Piper will run every day of the week (except for Saturdays) from 1 July to 31 August.
Have you ever witnessed the Phantom Piper?
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#kincardine #phantompiper #exploreontario #ontariotravel #ontariobucketlist
If someone asked you to name an Ontario weekend getaway right now, Lanark County probably wouldn’t be the first thing that came to mind. Maybe not even the fifth. And honestly, that’s exactly why I want to talk about it.
It sits right between Ottawa and Kingston. About hour from either city. And somehow, most people drive right past it without ever stopping. I did too, for years.
Then I actually went. And I’ve been recommending it to everyone since.
Because what’s here is the kind of thing you don’t expect to find so close to home. A thermal spa tucked into the forest. A restaurant with one of the best patios in Ontario. A town that looks like it was designed for a Hallmark movie. Rivers and lakes that beg to be paddled. A treehouse on a peninsula with water on every side. And enough charm per square kilometre to make you feel like you’ve properly gotten away, even if you were home by Sunday night.
Lanark County is the weekend getaway that’s been right there the whole time. Swipe through for everything you need to plan it.
Have you been to Lanark County before? Is it going on your list this summer 👇
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#lanarkcounty #ontariogetaway #exploreontario #ontariotravel #ottawaweekend
When I walk into a space for the first time, I’m not really looking at the room. I’m looking at the light.
Where it comes in. How it moves through the curtains. What it does at 7am versus 4pm. That’s what tells me what kind of story I’m going to be able to tell.
Closs Crossing gave me a lot to work with.
The morning light through the treehouse windows. The deck faced east so the sunrise came in early and golden, through the trees, catching the string lights just right. By late afternoon the whole property turned amber. The hot tub at sunset, the hammock in the trees, the still water reflecting everything back, I was basically chasing light from one corner of this property to the other and I didn’t want to stop.
The interiors were just as beautiful. Every room had its own personality: the wallpaper, the vintage furniture, the carefully chosen details that tell you the people behind this place genuinely care about how it feels to be here. That kind of intentionality shows up in photos. You can’t fake it.
This is the kind of property that makes my job feel less like work.
If you own a cottage, a rental property or a stay and you’re looking for someone to capture it, this is what I do. Feel free to reach out. 🌿
Which shot is your favourite? 👇
A huge thank you to my friend @melina.e.l.i.a.s for helping me capture this one, some shots just need a second set of hands and she was the best person to have behind the lens. 🤍
Thank you to @closscrossing for hosting me.
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#closscrossing #lanarkcounty #ontariophotographer #travelphotography
Ontario is big. Like, really big. And most of us end up visiting the same handful of cities on repeat, which honestly makes sense because they’re great.
But this province has so many towns and cities that fly completely under the radar and I have been on a mission to find them.
Some of these I stumbled across by accident. Some were recommended by people who clearly had very good taste. And a few of them genuinely surprised me in ways I didn’t expect.
Swipe through and tell me how many you’ve actually been to. I have a feeling most of you will surprise yourselves.
Drop a number below : how many have you visited? 👇
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#exploreontario #ontariotravel #ontariotowns #ontariocities #canadatravel
Muskoka. Algonquin. Haliburton.
Three of Ontario’s most beautiful regions, and most people visit them separately, on different trips, in different summers. But do them together as one loop and something clicks. It just makes sense. And it is so good.
363 kilometres of waterfalls, lakes, hikes with, wildlife encounters you’ll be talking about for years. And some of the most beautiful stays in Ontario tucked right along the route.
Save this, summer fills up fast and this loop deserves a spot on your calendar.
Have you done this loop before? What was you favourite stop?
🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.
#muskoka #algonquin #haliburton #ontarioroadtrip #exploreontario
