Exploring your own backyard
Coming back from 10 days on the road for a sustainable exploration in the province of Quebec with Village Monde, or if you prefer: 1 250 miles sprinkled with laughs, enchanting accents, breathtaking landscapes and memorable meetings. Here’s what you can experience by traveling your own region off the beaten paths.
Two incredible explorers experienced it for you: Léa Fricot, French with a pure heart, designated driver who gave birth to this exploration and Gabrielle Payette-Bédard, a young head-in-the-cloud Quebecker and part-time explorer. They both went on the road to the discovery of fair and sustainable destinations in Quebec.
Léa and Gabrielle, explorers for VILLAGE MONDE
A sustainable exploration consists in visiting accommodations located in remote areas which generate positive and sustainable impacts in the region, whether they are social, environmental and/or economical. After the visits, the destinations meeting Village Monde’s criteria are promoted on its collaborative platform and instantly opened to reservations. Lea and Gabrielle, with their complementary points of view, got together and discovered their lovely Quebec off the beaten paths. Both were constantly surprised by everything, everywhere!
You never really know what to expect while visiting your own region. Most of the time, you do not expect surprises or amazement just as visitors from other countries. Let’s face it: living several years in your region makes you believe you know every corner of it. Nevertheless, you quickly come to realize you know so little of it and yet many beautiful hidden places are yours to discover! A good example is Petit-Saguenay, in the middle of the Fjord, where you suddenly feel so small and amazed. You feel like a child when the host tells the story of St-François-du-Lac and his friendly rivalry with neighbor Pierreville. Moreover, you get excited like a child on Christmas when you get to the elf’s crossing point in St-Elie-de-Caxton… just to mention a few surprises!
There a many different place where we would all stay longer, such as Domaine Notcimik, where you quickly feel as part of the host family, or in La Baie, laying on the rocks looking at the sunset and observing the belugas for countless times with tears in the eyes. In short, 10 days are not enough to visit our great Quebec.
The experience of exploring your own region is unique and can be done sustainably! It is an opportunity to visit places you would never have thought of going before. It is also your chance to be nicely surprised by destinations such as hotels and lodges generating a positive impact in its locality. Some are helping artists of the region; others are planting trees or supporting youth suffering of depression and so much more. Those accommodations have everything to please travelers who want to go off the beaten path and leave a positive mark. In the province of Quebec, those initiatives are really diversified: you can find fair and sustainable camping sites, lodges, youth hostels and hotels. The options are endless!
If you are looking for a last-minute getaway and want to remember that summertime when you were getting on the road with your family to discover your own backyard, don’t wait one more second! Those small vacations will make you feel good and curious while supporting those local initiatives. There still are places out there waiting to be discovered, only a few miles from your home. During our sustainable exploration, we never got bored within the one we call the « Belle Province ». Because yes, let’s be honest: Quebec is really charming (and extremely large)!
Gabrielle Payette-Bédard
