The reporter Justin McElroy discusses his new book Searching for the Best Place on Earth: 52 Countries in 52 Weeks (Harbour Publishing, 2026), with Joseph Planta.
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Searching for the Best Place on Earth: 52 Countries in 52 Weeks by Justin McElroy (Harbour Publishing, 2026).
Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Searching for the Best Place on Earth [1] |
Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:
I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.
Justin McElroy joins me again. He’s just written his first book Searching for the Best Place on Earth: 52 Countries in 52 Weeks. It’s a chronicle of the year he left Vancouver to travel the world. It was an ambitious trip to not just see the world, and visit so-called “world-class” cities, but to also experience places and things. It’s a personal book, as we learn, Justin hardly travelled outside of North America. This would take him out of his routine too, being able to take a leave of absence from work and do this. He misses covering a provincial election, but he gains so many fascinating experiences, whether it’s conversations with strangers, new delicacies he’s tried, or the varied modes of transportation he utilised. He sees a lot, and through it all, he looks at the Vancouver he’s moved to and works in, through the various cities he’s been to. The book is often funny, and he’s candid too about his baggage, what he’s packed and what he’s brought back. As well, as how much it all cost. And the experience of a neurodivergent traveller is throughout the book, and it’s illuminating. We learn a lot about one of the city’s, if not the province’s most recognisable journalists. If you had to rank the most ubiquitous or even popular reporters, I suspect he’d be at the top. Justin McElroy is an award-winning journalist and Vancouver municipal affairs reporter. He’s been with CBC British Columbia since 2016, and before that worked at Global News, and The Province. This new book is published by Harbour. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Justin McElroy; Mr. McElroy, good morning.
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