Canada’s Most Dynamic Duo: Modern Day Globe Trotters, The Planet D

Who among us would not relish a life of travel and adventure?  When one month includes a gruelling two day mountain trek to see the cultural richness and clan completion at the  Bhutan Highland’s Festival and the next,  perhaps seeing polar bears in their natural habitat in Manitoba, Canada. For most of us, these types of experiences are only a fantasy but for one dynamic duo, it is just  another day at the office.

When it comes to both adventure and lavish travelling, Dave Bouskill and Debra (Deb) Corbeil have become true connoisseurs of almost every corner of the globe. Known and loved collectively as The Planet D, the couple are a dynamic travel influencer couple from Toronto, Canada, who decided to break away from the daily grind to pursue what they truly love: travel.

But, the beginning of their travel career wasn’t an easy feat. Following over a decade of hard work and graft in the Toronto film industry, the couple began to fall out of love with their careers. Not only this, they noticed that they had begun to drift apart from each other. With their separate, busy schedules and lengthy projects, spending quality time together had become a luxury for the pair; a luxury they discovered through adventure travel.

Then, in 2008, they had an epiphany. “There’s way more to life than just work and just thinking about the next movie and the next career”, Deb recalls thinking before the pair decided to pursue their dream life. Dave and Deb later left their film careers behind and took their first step towards a life of exploration and excitement: a four-month cycling tour from Cairo to Cape Town, Africa.

“We wanted to do a television show being ordinary people doing extraordinary things”, says Dave when explaining their initial plan for their African cycling tour. Whilst this idea was certainly nothing short of extraordinary and a huge physical and mental challenge for the duo, they discovered that they generated more interest from starting a blog to share their experience with the world. Thus, theplanetd.com was born, where Dave and Deb began to inspire folks around the world from any economic background to travel to their dream locations. “You don’t have to be an ultra-athlete.You don’t have to be super rich in order to be an adventurer. You can be a normal everyday person just like we were”, says Dave. Their aim of wanting to be relatable, as well as their motto ‘adventure is for everyone’, was just the beginning of The Planet D’s future success.

Two years of unpaid travel later, Dave and Deb’s unwavering commitment to building their brand earned them an offer to become official travel ambassadors for American Express Credit Cards. From then on, the couple’s success skyrocketed. As their blog began to grow, so did their social media presence.

Fast forward to 2020, The Planet D’s blog is now the ultimate gold mine of information full of nuggets of wisdom on how to plan and prepare for one’s next destination. Over the past decade, they have also created their multiple social media platforms – including YouTube, Instagram and Twitter – in addition to their blog to reach their audience in different ways. Using video, photography, writing and marketing, they promote evergreen content for their following.

Over the years, The Planet D’s success has been colossal. Their undying passion for travel has taken them to a staggering 110 countries and counting across the world’s 7 continents. This couple are so dedicated to their work that they have been awarded Forbes Top 10 Travel Influencer in the world. They are also four-time Gold winners of Best Travel Blog, awarded twice by the Society of American Travel Writers and twice by the North American Travel Journalists Association. In addition to this, The Planet D have featured on the likes of National Geographic, CNN, the BBC and more. “This journey that we’ve been on for the past ten years has been nothing short of amazing”, Dave exclaims.

One of the couple’s favourite past travel experiences was in 2016, where they indulged in the crystal-clear waters and soft, sandy beaches of the Maldives. Situated in a stunning overwater-bungalow overlooking the divine horizon on a private island, Dave and Deb still made sure to incorporate a little bit of adventure into their stay. Scuba diving, dolphin-watching on a yacht and scenic flights were on their list of thrilling pastimes during the day, followed by a succulent lobster dinner in the evening. “We still feel luxury and adventure can go hand in hand”, says Deb, elated at the perfect balance between the two during their visit.

Up next, the pair plan to return to Africa in the near future. More specifically, they intend to go to Uganda and then Rwanda to see its glorious gorillas in an exhilarating jungle walk.

For the seasoned traveller, advice from The Planet D is sure to stay. “Always add an element of adventure into your travels”, frequently urges Dave. “Do something that scares you a little, because every time you do something that scares you a little, you grow”, adds Deb. The pair also encourage travellers to immerse in the culture of a particular destination and meet the people. Beyond the hotel, resort, or hike, The Planet D firmly believe that the people are paramount to the quality of one’s travel experience.

From the very beginning of their journey to now, The Planet D have already accomplished so many phenomenal things. From this moment on, who knows what the pair will achieve next.

Written by Melina Notidou