Welcome to The Why Not Theory!

Introduction & Backstory

I'm Nicole, a professional traveler (and vacation consultant!). The Why Not Theory was designed to be an inspirational travel blog, stemming from my particular interest in helping others experience their lives in new ways. The old version of me would never believe it is her future self writing this now. You may be wondering why. The answer is simple... the old version of me would say no to most things I would never dream of saying no to now. In fact, I find it very difficult to say no to things these days. I crave new experiences all the time. My brain gets bored of the same old routine.

Why does this information matter? Well, it's helpful to know where I am coming from so you may also know where I am now, and where I want to be going. My goal with this blog is to guide individuals to be the best version of themselves. I was sitting in the airport as I wrote this introduction. I'm on a ski trip in Banff with my father. That's yet another prime example of me being unable to stay in one routine or place for too long. I have developed the reputation of a person who is always planning her next vacation. What a pleasure it is to be known as the girl who loves to leave the country!

The Why Not Theory Explained

One thing I feel I must mention before we move on with the first topic of the Why Not Theory is that it took me a long time to get to where I am today, and I want to share my story to hopefully instill the confidence (that I must admit I lacked at the beginning of my career journey) with my readers. If you're reading this and it sounds like something you could possibly relate to, welcome to The Why Not Theory where I share all my highlights and insights from my personal travel experiences!

Now, you may be wondering what the concept of the Why Not Theory is. Simply put, it's the art of switching one's mindset from "oh, I don't know about this" to "you know what? why the heck not?" This will obviously be a journey and most likely won't happen overnight and everyone's journey might look a little bit different. Also, I am in no way providing professional guidance on mental health. I'm leaving that to the experts of the psychology world. My expertise are in the travel industry, and I so wish to share my passion with others so that they may see the good in the small things, and all the reasons you SHOULD travel, because there is a lot of the world to see, and it isn't going anywhere. In fact, it's waiting for us to decide whether we want to see it or not. Nothing is forced...

Banff National Park Ski Trip - the college student version

The first topic, that I think is 100% appropriate for the Why Not Theory is my current ski trip in Banff National Park. We arrived yesterday, in the dark, after a three hour delay pushed our arrival time in Calgary to almost 9pm. Banff is about an hour away from Calgary Airport, so we got here and I had to finish off a couple of assignments before I went to sleep. School is the current priority for me, and I explained that we might have to start skiing a little bit later than anticipated so that I could be free from academic stress.

As you can imagine, last night was a night of very little sleep. However, there is one thing that will NEVER change about the drive into Banff. I will always be awake. Why? The mountains have this peculiar way of making me feel so happy and carefree, almost like my younger self. See the photos I took from the car below:

There aren't really any words to describe how I was feeling in this moment when I took these photos. I suppose an overwhelming feeling of contentment washed over me. That's the best way to describe it. It's moments like this that make me forget about everything else and admire the nature surrounding me. It's an opportunity to reflect and feel at peace.

This morning, despite the lack of sleep, I completed an assignment that had been bugging me for quite some time. Then, I proceeded to walk out of the hotel, ski boots in hand, ready to go ski with a big smile on my face because I am so grateful to be where I am. I completed assignments before anything else and that meant that I could just ski and enjoy the fresh mountain air and sunshine at Sunshine Village Ski Resort. Not to mention, yet again, THE VIEWS!! It was windy, sure, but that did not take my breath away. The scenery did (and the skiing did at times as well LOL - 'perk' of being an East coast skier in Alberta).

With this story, I want you, readers, to understand the essence of a true work-life balance while on vacation. It might seem impossible at the time. If you have the intention, and the motivation to get everything done and balance it out with a little fun every now and then, I personally think you're set for life. Why the heck can't you? I feel far less overwhelmed for taking the time to change my mindset and approach to everything in my day today, March 1st, 2026. I did some things that last year's version of me would be proud of. I followed my dad to the "big, scary moguls" and had the most fun I have had in a long time!

Now I have a really important question to ask:

What are you going to do that's outside your comfort zone this week?

Let me know in the comments!