Visiting the Polar Bear Capital of the World had long been on my bucket list - a mythical town, quite literally at the end of the line, but one I associated with winter and snow. Little did I know what the long days of a Northern summer would hold for the intrepid traveler.

The source of the spark that created my Yachana. A breathtaking adventure of mountain passes, lush jungle trails and encounters with unique individuals. Along with the opportunity to inspire young, impressionable minds and create lasting friendships. Take a glimpse and what can happen when you step out of the everyday and open yourself to something new.

A country of contrasts, seen in the stark contrast of the skyscrapers of the cosmopolitan metropolis of downtown Panama City sitting alongside the red-tiled roofs and white-washed walls of the Casco Viejo, the old town whose illuminated churches define the night sky. And on the northern coastline, a few miles offshore in the Caribbean Sea, a surprising discovery awaits.

I'd always imagined what my first experience of Africa would be like, yet nothing prepared me for the onslaught on my senses. Like the impact of diving into freezing water, the sights, sounds and smells of Accra and the subsequent places we visited across Ghana took my breath away.

One such location was Mole National Park, a place with an abundance of nature where I saw over 100 bird species in one day for the first time in my life, and had a moment when nature got a little too close for comfort. For the full account, read the story of my Ghanaian adventure.

The images of this incredible trip are indelibly captured in to my memory. Here is just a taste of some of the sights we saw.

For generations, the British have maintained a military presence in Cyprus. Frequent training exercises take place in the deserted village of Paramali, abandoned during the Greek-Cypriot War of the 1960s. And for 2 weeks, village became film set as we recreated a conflict zone and the experiences of prisoner-of-wars to help British troops understand how to deal with the real-life situations they would face on deployment.

People have traveled through the trading hubs of Muscat for generations. Home of one of the world's oldest souks (markets), it is a place where ancient history and global commerce live side by side. Much of Oman's current wealth comes from natural resources, providing the perfect location for members of a community in northern British Columbia to experience the direct impact of having a liquefied natural gas facility in your backyard.

Moving to Canada in 2010 to work with a video production company, I've had the privilege to capture many stories focusing on Indigenous people across the country. On the frozen shores of James Bay, I met members of the Moose Cree, the subject for a story about energy conservation. On the surface, we fulfilled the client's brief, highlighting a program that is improving the standard of living in First Nations communities throughout Ontario. But through chance meetings with local people, I got a glimpse into what it means to live in remote parts of Canada.

A town shaped by industry, nestled in the mountains at the head of the Douglas Channel, is the backdrop for one of the largest mega projects on the planet. LNG Canada is creating a liquefied natural gas facility and marine terminal that will export Canadian gas to markets in Asia, helping to reduce the amount of coal consumption and help the transition to cleaner, renewable energy. Over 5 years, I worked with the LNG Canada team, making many visits to the community to capture the journey that led to a landmark announcement.

In a time of dramatic decline and hardship for the natural resources industry in Alberta, emerging company Razor Energy saw an opportunity. They invested in derelict oil patches, restarted the pumps and used new technology to capture new sources of energy, and bring renewed to a small community that had fallen on hard times.