How a Musical Turned Into a Newfoundland Adventure

Every trip has a beginning, and surprisingly, ours started at the theatre.

Last year, my sister and I went to see Come From Away, the musical based on the true story of what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, during the events of September 11, 2001. When U.S. airspace was closed, dozens of international flights were diverted to Gander, a small town that suddenly found itself welcoming thousands of stranded passengers. 

After the show, we went out for dinner and, naturally, we began talking about Newfoundland.

I mentioned how much I love it there. I've been fortunate enough to visit several times over the years, and every trip has left me wanting to go back. There is just something about the place—the rugged coastline, the colourful communities, the history, and especially the people.

My sister had only been to Newfoundland once before. It was a quick weekend trip to a town on the west side of the island, so she really hadn't had the chance to explore much of what Newfoundland has to offer.

I said, "We need to do a sisters' trip to Newfoundland."

And just like that, the wheels were set in motion.

We asked our other sister and our cousin, who is more like a sister than a cousin anyway. Not surprisingly, they were immediately on board. It didn't take much convincing.

Before long, plans were being made  

We looked at maps, travel blogs, social media posts, and countless photos. Different itineraries were created and revised. Lists of must-see places grew longer and longer. Every time one of us discovered a new lighthouse, hiking trail, fishing village, or scenic lookout, it got added to the list.

The problem was that Newfoundland is a very big island.

With only two weeks available, we knew there was no way we could see everything. Some difficult decisions had to be made and we reluctantly had to cross them off the list.

Eventually, we settled on an itinerary that would take us through some of the areas we most wanted to experience. We chose our dates carefully because there was one thing we all hoped to see: icebergs. June was chosen as it is in the middle of iceberg season.

Flights, rental car, and AirBnbs were booked  and suddenly the trip that had started as a conversation over dinner became very real.

Before long we'd be standing on dramatic cliffs, spotting icebergs offshore, exploring tiny outports, and making memories that would last long after we returned home. .

And it all started with a musical, a dinner conversation, and a simple idea.