The beauty of a great travel story is that it can fulfil two purposes: maybe it inspires and guides you through a trip of your very own… or maybe it offers a fun little fantasy escape from the comfort of your sofa. Either way, these Western Living travel stories, selected by our editorial team, are here to help.

The Most Memorable Travel Stories of 2025, According to Our Editors

Nelson, B.C.

Despite how much I love reading about my colleagues’ trips, it’s hard not to choose a story of my own for this round-up. Because when I re-read about my escape to Nelson (which ran in the July issue of Western Living), I’m brought right back to what I loved so much about my first visit to the Kooteney region town. The charming historic downtown core had everything I want in a city—a cool bookstore, cooler coffee shops, laid-back boutiques with Eve Gavel shirts; I’m a simple woman with simple pleasures—but really what I fell for was the palpable sense of community. Though we were just there for a few days, I could immediately feel why someone would want to build a life there. I’ll be back. —Stacey McLachlan, senior editor

Bowen Island, B.C.

This piece just reaffirms the love I already have for Bowen Island. Bowen is one of the best weekend getaways from Vancouver (and I will die on this hill!). I know this firsthand, having gone several times to visit a friend who lives there. It’s extremely accessible, there are activities year-round and it’s just the perfect cabin vibe (again, year-round!). Now, I have new inspiration for the next time I do the weekend trip. I might just have to drag my Bowen friend to a yoga retreat, which seems like a great idea for a girls’ trip anyway. Even if you’re not reading this for the destination or the yoga, writer Alyssa Hirose weaves in her amazing sense of humour at just the right moments in this story, that it’s worth a read for the storytelling alone. — Sandrine Jacquot, editor, BCLiving

Love and Grief at Middle Beach Lodge, Tofino, B.C.

When I asked writer Matt O’Grady to put together a piece for us on Middle Beach Lodge in Tofino, a place I knew he regularly visited, I didn’t expect him to get as personal as he did. But the best travel stories are those told from the heart, and his ode to a destination that’s been his form of therapy for the past dozen or more years is a beautiful read. Whether he’s lamenting the loss of a job or, as on his recent trip, grieving the loss of his dad, the remote spot right on the water in Tofino has been the balm that helps him process. “Some come west to ride the waves,” he writes, “others come to let the waves wash over them.” —Anicka Quin, editor-in-chief, Western Living

Where Grizzlies Roam and Helicopters Land: B.C.’s Ultimate Eco-Lodge

Vacation, for me, is rarely adrenaline-adjacent. I’m more nap-adjacent. I once wrote a whole Whistler winter story that didn’t involve skiing (yes, I just referenced my own work, sorry to everyone including me).

That’s why Stacey McLachlan’s spring travel piece hooked me fast: bears, helicopters, luxury resorts, oh my! It opens with a sanctioned bear encounter, but still, she’s standing about 30 feet from a grizzly and her cub, which is exactly where my soul would leave my body.

With humour and honesty, Stacey and her husband, Max, take a wilderness-heavy West Coast romp that’s exclusive in the most literal way (you need a helicopter) and surprisingly sweet, with little glimpses of their relationship tucked between the thrills. Just not too close. We don’t want to spook the bears. Or the McLachlans. —Kerri Donaldson, assistant editor

Family Fun and Snowy Adventures Delight at Silver Star

As a mom to a now-four-year-old daughter, I look at all getaways through the lens of: will my family enjoy this? In motherhood, there’s a fine line between growing your own hobbies and making sure the little ones in your care are getting what they need, too. That’s why BCBusiness editor-in-chief Darcy Matheson’s story really stood out to me: learning to ski at the age of 40 while on a family vacation. It’s a mix of thrills for all ages (like a mini-sled experience), finding the right spot for a family apres and standing on your own two feet—make that skis—while learning something new. —Kristi Alexandra, managing editor

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