Travel Shaper Parker Heuser, Vancouver – High On Life
This month, in Travel Shapers, I feature Parker Heuser, YouTuber, adventurer, globetrotter, and a gem of a friend. Check out his work on the YouTube Channel ‘High On Life’. His channel has a subscriber base of, hold your breath, over 640,000!
I met Parker in Reykjavik three years ago. He was there as a conference speaker in Trablin (a Travel Bloggers Conference). No, it will be wrong to say ‘he’ was there. More like ‘he with his two friends’ was there to speak in the conference. And what a speech that was. In fact, what a performance that was. They jumped around, cartwheeled, and somersaulted – not as a gimmick, but to make a few points! One of the days during Trablin, Parker and I bonded over a few drinks at my Airbnb. And have followed each other’s travels ever since. Read on to know Parker, the man, the traveller, the travel shaper; and get inspired!
Who is Parker?
My name is Parker, and I started a YouTube channel with some friends after highschool. We never intended to make a career out of it (this is back in 2009), but a couple of years later, we had decided to do some major travel BEFORE we got settled into a career. Being that we had camera equipment and a deep passion for creating videos, we decided it was a great idea to film and document everything we did along the way on our journey.
At that stage, there were very few online personalities that were filming their travels, so we saw a lot of support in terms of audience growth. During our big trip overseas, we got in touch with a company that was capitalizing on influencer marketing before ‘influencer marketing’ was even a term. Once we had our first taste of a partnership with a company with big money behind them, we started looking at ways we could not only continue this trend, but even earn an income and create a career out of it.
What interests Parker?
My areas of interest in travel are wide and ever-growing, but to narrow it down, my passion has always been exploration, natural beauty, new experience, and a deep-rooted lust for adrenaline and exhilaration. However, through travel, I have opened up new doors and passions that I didn’t know I had, and it has given me a greater sense of purpose because the more I see and experience, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I as an individual grow, and the more I grow, the more fulfilled my life becomes.
Parker’s Favourite Destinations
Ask any traveller what their favourite destination is and they’ll tell you it’s very difficult to choose. I usually respond with a small list of favourites. Thai and Greek islands were often at the top of my list because they were your typical ‘warm, sunny beaches’ that I didn’t get to see much of growing up in Canada. Over time, however, I began adding new countries to the list. Iceland is hovering near the top, mainly for geological reasons like the scale of waterfalls, vastness of snowlands, ice caves, geysers, unique rock formations… but for me, people, language, and culture also play a big role.
I’m passionate about learning new languages and living like the locals do. Indonesia is on my top 5 list for these reasons. It’s hot and sunny, you’re surrounded by a beautiful ocean, the wildlife is fascinating, the people are kind, the language is simple to learn, and there is no shortage of adventure and exploration.
Parker Heuser’s Interaction with Destinations
Most of my greatest experiences through interaction with others come from trying to learn the local language. There’s something about showing that you care and want to learn the language/culture that people can feel and respect. It shows appreciation, vulnerability, and respect. You will make more friends by showing interest in others than you will by talking about yourself. By learning even a few words/phrases, you immediately stand out above the rest, and this has proven to lead to more opportunities and fresh adventures.
Parker Heuser’s Bucket List
Some bucket list destinations of mine are Australia/New Zealand because they’re English-speaking countries on the other side of the world from my home, Morocco because I’ve never been to Africa, I can communicate in English or French, and I’ve read about Morocco in several books (like The Alchemist), and Myanmar because I keep seeing gorgeous posts of it, and I feel that it’s not a widely sought-after travel destination yet. Sri Lanka makes this list too.
Recent Travel
My most recent trip was to the Baja region of Mexico in November 2020. It was a collaboration with 5 or 6 other content creators (most of whom were already friends of mine) and we were working with Los Cabos Tourism, doing fun, exciting activities and creating videos to help boost travel in the region.
Travel amidst the pandemic
The current pandemic has affected my travel plans a great deal. I had to cancel a major trip to Australia back in April, and I have almost been forced to stay home during a time of year where it gets colder, and I usually travel somewhere else. On top of that, any potential travel now comes with worries and anxiety about trying to avoid catching the virus and getting sick. I travelled to Mexico during the pandemic and found that just about every business was taking heavy precautions with guests/clientele. Popular tourist spots were much quieter, and some were desolate. It felt strange, but it didn’t feel dangerous.
Where Next?
I have trips planned for the future, just nothing concrete yet, as nobody knows how the pandemic will shape itself in the months to come. I have replanned my missed Australia trip for the following year, but even now, cannot say whether it will be safe to travel in April. The plan is to see family in a location somewhat central to everybody attending, so it’s important that this trip comes to fruition soon, but at this point, I can finalize nothing. My fingers are crossed, though.
Wisdom Pearls
My advice for any profession is to do what you love and to work hard for it. Nothing comes easy. Learn from the best, study relentlessly, and earn the life you want to live. Fancy equipment can improve your work, but your mind, your drive, and your set of skills is what will inevitably lead you to success.
