Hey, I’m Linda...

An award-winning Canadian journalist who left the world of Toronto media behind for the tall trees of Victoria, British Columbia.
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Linda Barnard
Linda Barnard
Member of

Travel Media Association of Canada

Canadian Chapter of

Society of American Travel Writers

Member of

International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Assn

Member of

Toronto Film Critics Association

My Professional Story
A bit about my journey...
I followed my heart and left my long career in Toronto media for the tall trees of Victoria B.C. in 2018. It was a tough decision to say goodbye to a lengthy career in newspapers, where I’d reported on everything from health and politics, to movies. But like many other people living in these challenging times, I felt the need to make a change. I wanted to chase different stories, ones that focused on two personal passions: travel and food. I’ve spent the last 10 years as a freelance food and travel writer and I hope my words and photos will help inspire your next meal, trip or obsesson.
Linda Barnard in a colorful dress holding a TMAC award certificate for
Linda Barnard with carry-on luggage
Linda Barnard and Hans Pellikaan at the Abbot Pass lookout, with Mt. Victoria in the background.
As Featured In
There are a lot of travel writers out there. So let me help manage your expectations.
What you won’t get from me:
  • I don’t believe in counting countries.
  • I don’t backpack.
  • I look for deals and share them liberally, but to be honest, I need a hot shower and a decent bed at the end of the day.
  • I will never write the words “bucket list.” Except for this bit here.
What I do write about:
  • Food, chefs, markets, culture, beautiful places and not-so-beautiful places, wellness, nature and the outdoors.
  • Pop culture rings my bell.
  • I love the offbeat or downright weird.
  • I’m drawn to set-jetting stories, helping people get to places where beloved movies, series or books are set.
  • I think Japanese onsens are the greatest thing on the planet.
  • I do my own research and only write travel stories and blog posts about places I have visited and things I have experienced.
A dish of scallop ceviche with leche de tigre made from Amazonian cactus fruit called sanky at Mérito Restaurant in Barranco
An ant is served as a garnish at Leo, one of Bogota’s best restaurants
A bit more about myself
My curiosity and appetite for a great story has taken me from eating ants in Colombia, to going up against a roomful of challengers in a soba noodle-eating contest in Japan where I was destroyed by a table of ultra-lean office workers on their lunch break.

We Canadians are a travel-hungry bunch. About 67 percent of us have a passport. And all it takes is a photo ID to visit the fantastic 10 provinces and three territories that make up our home, from sea, to sea, to sea. I am besotted with the beautiful solituide of Canada’s most remote places, including the Arctic and B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest.

When I’m not travelling or writing, I’m at home amid those lovely tall trees with my Dutch-Canadian partner Hans, a freelance graphic designer, and our two rescue cats, Bob and Fred.
View My Portfolio
Got a fresh food or travel story that needs telling?
I'm an award-winning freelance food and travel writer and a career journalist with more than 40 years experience. Your destination will be part of a well-written, accurate story that truly reflects the heart of a place and its people.
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