I think I learned more about Dave and Deb from their answers to the Lucky 13 than anyone yet to date. This was one of those interviews I read when I got it back and thought to myself, “I never would have known this and that about them.” And in this case, I have gone from really wanting to meet Dave and Deb in person to…. really, really wanting to meet them.
Yea, beware of my linguistic toolbox.
So here are a couple other facts about this cool travel couple. They have bicycled down the length of Africa, climbed Kilimanjaro, and made it to the Everest Base Camp. Recently, they’ve done China extensively and are planning on doing the Mongol Rally later this year. They are tough to keep up with.
So go check out their great website, ThePlanetD, and follow them on Twitter — and in the meantime, check out their truly interesting answers to the Lucky 13:
1. Where do you want to retire to?
Canada of Course. Home is always where the heart is. While we will always travel, we would like to have a cozy home in Canada near our family and friends.
2. What is your favorite room in your house and why?
We’re homeless so this is a tough question. But it used to always be our bathroom. We made sure that our places had a Jacuzzi tub. Our favourite times were sitting in the tub with a glass of wine chatting. It was the one place where we could always relax. Now that we are travelling, we definitely miss having regular baths.
3. Word or phrase that makes you cringe every time you hear or read it.
Lovely. We both mutually can’t stand that word. I can’t stand hearing someone say, “it was lovely” or “isn’t it lovely.” If you meet us, please use another word. Any word.
4. Largest dinner tab you have ever been a part of?
One that we’ve paid for?
We’ve had some giant tabs on other people that we thank our lucky stars we didn’t have to pay for. But did pay a huge tab once that made us feel ill. We took out Dave’s boss to a restaurant that our friends brother was the head chef at. We thought that we would for sure get a discount because we knew the chef. But no such luck. Over $500 later we were walking out and calling it a night. We didn’t eat out for a couple of weeks.
5. Fill in the blank: “I married the greatest person on the planet, but I cannot stand when they __________.”
Deb – Mumble. Dave used to be a drummer and I swear he is half deaf. He hears himself just fine in his head, but he is a low talker. I think his ears are plugged. You know how when you plug your ears, you sound louder in your head? That’s what I think Dave hears.
Dave – Tells me to speak up. I can’t stand that she is always saying, “pardon? what did you say? Huh?” Sometimes I think she is hard of hearing.
6. Someone gave you $10,000 with the two conditions that you spend it frivolously and not on travel. How do you spend it?
Only $10,000? We’d go shopping for clothes, our wardrobe is pitiful.
7. Location of the last place you went skinny dipping.
The St. Lawrence River in Brockville, Ontario. It was at our friends Shanna and Kevin’s wedding. The water was beautiful and even the bride stripped out of her wedding gown for a midnight swim.
8. What is the best career break you have ever gotten?
Dave – Coming back from Thailand in 2000 and having the phone ring the next morning. I was offered my first Rigging Gaffer job on the movie Turn it Up with Jason Statham and Ja Rule. It was the beginning of a successful movie career as the head of lighting in feature films. Just for kicks, you can check out my film resume at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0100210/
Deb – Coming back from Asia in 2004. I received a call from YTV to be the make-up artist for The Zone. I was about to quit the film business, but YTV rejuvenated my career. I stayed there full time for 4 more years and had a blast.
Awww, who could hate this cutie
9. I have no idea how _________ got rich and famous, since they have no talent whatsoever.
Ashton Kutcher – We hate that guy.
10. What is the best Bond movie?
Casino Royal. Sorry to the die-hard Bond fans, but we loved the first installment from Daniel Craig. Dark and filled with action, loved it. Too bad the second one sucked so much.
11. What is the most romantic gift that each of you have gotten from the other?
Our wedding rings. We picked them out together.
Brangelina arriving for dinner
12. Most overrated country?
India.
13. What is your ideal dinner party, you and 4 others.
Deb – Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt – I love them both for their humanitarian efforts and their cool movies.
Dave – Ansel Adams, James Hetfield
Cheers,
Deb and Dave
Was interesting to read.. although India – overrated?! Me no agree.
Probably the winning candidate for nicest travel bloggers ever. I owe so much to these two with all their help with my never ending questions.
And shame on your Michael, Canadians could never imagine retiring anywhere but their home country!
they are amazing — soooo can’t wait to meet them in person
You betcha Ayngelina. It’s Canada all the way for retirement near friends and family.
I’d go clothes shopping too with the money and buy myself a lovely wardrobe 😉 Great interview! Learned even more about you guys…totally didn’t realize you didn’t fully jive with India. Hmm.. 🙂
India is the one spot in the entire world where I have only heard “love it” or “hate it.” Not a lot in between there, from the 20 or so folks I have talked to that have done it. Odd.
Thanks Shannon. Here’s to a new wardrobe. Yep, didn’t love India. We gave it three months so nobody can say we didn’t try:))
Oh, they’re sooo wonderful!! You guys have done so much. I could read about you all day! I remember meeting you for a hot second after TBEX was over in NYC and being jealous that my friend Liz (Travelogged) had gotten to hang with you guys in Alaska. So good to get to know you better this year!
Thanks Abby, I had forgotten that you are friends with Liz. Great gal. We had such a blast on that trip and now she is a new mom. So happy for her. TBEX was such a whirlwind for us since we flew in for the last day. We felt like we were trying to play catch up the entire day. But it was good to be able to chat with everyone even if it was only for a second:)
Oh, it’s great to learn more about these duo. One of the very first travel blogs I’ve followed… love this interview series, btw…
Thanks You guys. We love this interview series too. It is refreshing and fun.
Deb and Dave sound quite lovely–oops!–wonderful. I’m rofl’ing over the fact that they both hate the same word. Love that they’d have Brad and Angie over. I’d love to be a fifth….
I think we spend too much time together:)) Thanks for your lovely comment:))
If we had a kitchen, we’d have you over for dinner anytime.
My ideal dinner companions would include Deb and Dave. It would be just lov***. Oops! I mean fabulous! Great interview!
Thanks Margo. Let’s do dinner sometime!
Great interview questions Michael. It’s nice learning more about our virtual friends.
i love your interviews, you bring out the people behind the blogs
many thanks Zablon!
I’ve always been a fan of planet d and it’s great to learn more about them!:)
Great interview. I’m with you on the wine and the tub – well, with you figuratively not literally. *shifts uncomfortably*
Hehehe. Andy, you always have the best comments:)
Hubby Shaun used to be in a heavy metal band as a guitarist and sometimes I wonder if he really is hard of hearing (unless he has the male selective hearing thing going on)…. I digress –
Ansel Adams and James Hetfield are definitely one of the most random pairings I’ve ever heard. I guess if they provide inspiration I shouldn’t knock it. 😛
That’s awesome, Dave and Shaun will have to jam one day.
Great interview by Michael wonderful replay by couple Dave and Deb.
Awww loved this interview! You guys have lived one hell of a life! Such a shame you weren’t smitten with India, I didn’t want to leave!!! But to each their own. I’m still laughing that Deb wants Brangelina at the dinner party and Dave wants Ansel Adams hahahaha. What a mix!
Go Brangelina!
Random yes, but they both inspire me in different ways:)
Oops, that was in reply to Erica about James Hetfield and Ansel Adams. Don’t know what I did there.
Great Interview. I feel as if I know The Planet D a bit better.
I love reading more about people – must be my nosey side! 🙂 Great interview I hate it when Poi mumbles too… maybe it is a boy thing!!
Agreed – It must be a guy thing:-)
Really enjoyed this, other than it’s made me really self-conscious about using the term “lovely”–which I do quite a bit!
That’s okay Christine, you can call me on the amount of times I say eh. I use that great Canadian word far too often:-)
Oh Dave and Deb! I love these guys so much! They are some of the first (if not the first) friends I had on twitter and one of the first travel blogs that I read! We had a lot in common as we are Canadian and all work(ed) in the Film and TV biz! They helped me realize that my happy medium of work, travel, work, travel is very possible!
They are also hilarious! Deb saying Dave Mumbles and Dave saying she hates her asking him to speak up, so funny you two haha
Lets plan a trip together!!
Thanks Cailin. And we also share our mutual admiration for Bruce Willis, let’s not forget that! We bonded instantly on Twitter and then when we met you we loved ya more, I know we would have a blast together on the road. Let’s do it…just as long as you take my side and tell Dave to speak up when he’s mumbling:)
You know, I would really like to attend that dinner party as well. Quite the mix!
I’ll refrain from saying that was a ‘lovely’ interview 😛 I tend to use it a lot but then it’s a British influence creeping in.
Always fun to read about Dave and Deb – such inspirational travellers!
Thanks Corinne. Your comment is ‘lovely’ too and much appreciated.
We’re one of the really fortunate ones who’ve met them personally when they came to Paris. Seems we were their first tweet up 😉 Loved ’em. Real folks, funny, no egos, so comfortable with each other. Would have them over at our place again given the chance. They’ve been rather inspirational too. eh, Dave, Deb (wink wink)
Thanks for the kind words Michael. Hopefully we will see you again soon. With the Mongol Rally fast approaching I’m sure we will! And yes, you were our first tweet up. The first is always the most special:-) We had an amazing time with you and Marlys, you two are great people too!
Confession: I’m an abuser of the word, “lovely” … I shall mend my ways prior to us ever meeting in person.
Hahaha, We are never going to live the lovely comment down are we:-)
What a “lovely” interview. I kid, I kid. But, seriously, these two travel bloggers rock my world. Fantastic questions and equally fantastic answers!
Haha why do you hate Ashton Kutcher so much!?
Wow, it’s not every day that I make appearance in the comments! This is very exciting!
After spending 2 fantastic weeks with Dave & Deb in Alaska, I still learned a lot from this interview as I had no idea that they hate both the word “lovely” and Ashton Kutcher! I will have to make sure not to bring up “the lovely Ashton Kutcher” next time I see them — which I hope will be sooner rather than later. Come back to NYC, guys!
Oh, and I did not notice any hearing problems with either of them 🙂
I have come to know Dave and Deb through their blog for some time now and I must say they have to be Canada’s Loveliest “OOPS” couple…I really meant they are Canada’s example of what a loving couple is and should be…they are the best people you can ever interact with, ..So they are Canada’s most loving couple, …, simple, humble, appreciative and yet very smart and talented..They can even laugh at themselves which is an excellent quality to have.
Being a Canuck myself…I nominate Deb & Dave as Canada’s traveling Ambassadors par excellence.
Really enjoyed this, other than it’s made me really self-conscious about using the term “lovely”–which I do quite a bit! I could read about you all day!
Great Interview! Yep Casino Royal all the way, new bond leaves the rest for dead!