Chasing Wonder

One mom, two kids, one hundred countries: From one of Canada’s most followed travel storytellers, a gloriously imperfect story of family life on the road.

Born and raised on Cape Breton Island, Lesley Carter grew up in the embrace of a big, loving family with a tight-knit sense of home. However from a young age, she couldn't help wondering what lay beyond the island. Enraptured by stories from international visitors to her grandparents’ bed and breakfast, and finding escape in novels, she eventually set her sights on becoming a teacher. It seemed like the perfect way to keep one foot on the ground while funding a life of adventure. Like so many of the unforgettable tales shared in Chasing Wonder, things did not go quite according to plan.

Taking us from Nova Scotia to California, Fiji, Uganda, Antarctica, and beyond, Lesley tells the story of going from teacher to travel blogger and building a successful business out of thrill seeking while tackling the biggest journey of all: becoming a parent. The adrenaline rush of new experiences now had to be balanced with caution and routine. The solution? Take her daughter, Athena, and son, Max, along with her to 100 countries across five continents—and create home for them on the road.

This is not a guidebook on how to sell your belongings and move your family into a suitcase. Chasing Wonder is an account of the detours, belly laughs, spectacular mishaps, and awe-inspiring moments that became family legend. It’s about the resilience and gratitude that travel can foster in children who are still occasionally feral enough to lick a museum railing while their mother yells, “Please don’t!”. And it’s about finding wonder at home when a transatlantic flight isn’t in the cards.

Full of warmth, hilarity, and hard-won wisdom, Chasing Wonder is an irresistible invitation to remain curious, embrace the unexpected, and recognize that adventure—both small and grand—belongs to us all.