Ghizlane

& Driss

Travel information

We are currently

Activities we are interested in:

Teaching French, English & Arabic; childcare: homework, activities, games, outdoor learning; hiking, trekking, camping; art, cooking, baking, gardening, farming, landscaping, DIY and animal care.

Description

We are Ghizlane and Driss, a Canadian couple who share a deep passion for cultural exchange, meaningful human connections, and discovering the world beyond the usual tourist path. For us, travel is much more than visiting new places. It is an opportunity to learn, grow, challenge ourselves, and connect with people, communities, and different ways of life.

We believe that some of life's richest experiences come from living simply, stepping outside our comfort zones, and sharing everyday moments with others. Whether working on a farm, helping with community projects, supporting a family, or contributing to a creative initiative, we enjoy being actively involved and making a positive contribution wherever we go.

Our journey has taken us through many countries and cultures, including six months of volunteering across India, where we learned invaluable practical skills, formed lifelong friendships, and gained a deeper appreciation for community living, sustainability, and human connection. These experiences have taught us adaptability, resilience, open-mindedness, and the importance of approaching each new opportunity with curiosity and gratitude.

We love working with our hands, learning new skills, spending time in nature, and sharing stories, meals, and experiences with people from all backgrounds. Above all, we travel not only to see the world, but to become part of it, one meaningful connection at a time.

👩‍🏫 About Ghizlane

My name is Ghizlane, and I am a 45-year-old educator, traveler, and lifelong learner who believes that growth happens when we step outside our comfort zones and embrace new experiences. Curiosity, resilience, and a genuine love of learning have guided both my personal and professional journey.

One of my greatest passions is long-distance walking. The simplicity of life on the trail, the connection with nature, and the lessons learned through perseverance have shaped the way I approach life. Whether I am hiking through the mountains, learning a new language, developing a practical skill, or immersing myself in a different culture, I am always seeking opportunities to grow and broaden my perspective.

I thrive in environments where people come together to share knowledge, work toward common goals, and build meaningful connections. I value kindness, authenticity, and a strong sense of community, and I genuinely enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds and learning from their experiences.

Staying active, contributing positively to the places I visit, and embracing new challenges are important parts of who I am. I approach each opportunity with enthusiasm, adaptability, gratitude, and an open mind. Whether I am helping with a project, sharing a meal, exploring nature, or engaging in a thoughtful conversation, I strive to bring warmth, positivity, and a collaborative spirit to every experience.

Above all, I believe that travel is not only about discovering new places but also about discovering new ways of understanding ourselves, others, and the world around us.

👨‍🏫 About Driss

My name is Driss, and I am a 62-year-old traveler, artist, and lifelong learner whose greatest joy comes from discovering new places, meeting new people, and embracing the unexpected experiences that travel brings. For me, travel is much more than a hobby; it's away of life that keeps me curious, inspired, and connected to the world around me.

I am energized by exploration, cultural exchange, and meaningful human connections. Rather than simply passing through a place, I enjoy becoming part of the local community, learning from the people I meet, and contributing wherever I can. Every new environment offers an opportunity to grow, share experiences, and gain a deeper understanding of different ways of life.

Creativity has always been an important part of who I am. I enjoy artistic projects, working with my hands, transforming spaces, and bringing ideas to life through art, design, and practical projects. At the same time, I am equally happy helping with everyday tasks, supporting community initiatives, or lending a hand wherever it is needed.

Patience, kindness, and a strong sense of responsibility guide the way I approach both work and relationships. Whether assisting a family, working alongside volunteers, helping with a renovation project, or sharing stories around a dinner table, I value collaboration, respect, and genuine human connection.

Above all, I believe that some of life's richest experiences come from staying open to new people, new cultures, and new perspectives. I approach each opportunity with enthusiasm, gratitude, and an open heart, always ready to learn, contribute, and create meaningful memories along the way.

👫 About Us

We are passionate about slow, immersive travel and believe that the best way to experience a place is to move through it at a human pace. Long-distance trekking has become an important part of our lives, allowing us to connect deeply with nature, local cultures, and people from all walks of life.

Over the years, we have completed several long-distance trails and pilgrimages that have shaped who we are today:

Camino Francés – Camino de Santiago (1,000 km)
Beginning in France and crossing northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, this journey taught us endurance, resilience, humility, and the beauty of human connection. Along the way, we shared unforgettable experiences with pilgrims from around the world and discovered the power of simplicity and community.

Via Francigena (1,300 km)
Following ancient pilgrimage routes through France, Switzerland, and Italy, we immersed ourselves in local cultures, traditions, and rural life. This experience deepened our appreciation for cultural exchange, hospitality, and the kindness of strangers.

Lycian Way, Turkey (700+ km)
One of the most spectacular coastal trails in the world, the Lycian Way combined breathtaking landscapes, rich history, and unforgettable encounters with local communities. It challenged us physically while rewarding us with extraordinary experiences and lasting memories.

Canada and United States
We have also completed numerous challenging hikes and backcountry trails throughout Canada and the United States, developing strong outdoor skills, navigation abilities, self-sufficiency, and confidence in remote environments.

These journeys have taught us far more than how to walk long distances. They have strengthened our adaptability, resilience, patience, and ability to thrive in unfamiliar situations. They have also reinforced our love for simple living, community life, and meaningful cultural exchange.

Whether hiking through mountains, volunteering on a farm, sharing meals with a host family, or working alongside local communities, we approach every experience with curiosity, respect, gratitude, and an eagerness to learn. For us, travel is not about checking destinations off a list. It is about building connections, embracing new perspectives, and growing through the experiences we share along the way.

Interests

Technology

Self development

Sustainability

Farming

Culture

Charity work

Writing

Plant care

Languages

Music

Photography

Cooking & food

Gardening

History

Drawing & painting

Astronomy

Yoga / Wellness

Nature

Camping

Mountain

Dancing

Outdoor activities

Hiking

DIY & crafts

Languages

Languages spoken
Arabic: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner

More details about my language interests
We are very interested in teaching French, English, and Arabic, and we also enjoy learning other languages such as Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, though we are open to others as well. We love practicing with locals while travelling, as we believe language learning is one of the best ways to connect with people, understand cultures, and fully immerse ourselves in a community.

Find a language partner

Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn

We're interested in:  

Charity Work

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Some knowledge of:  

Being an elderly companion

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Able to teach about:  

Art Projects

Languages

Eco Projects

Teaching

Light gardening

Creative DIY projects

Animal Care

Life at a Farmstay

Babysitting and creative play

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Helping around the house

Hospitality/Tourism

Light maintenance

Helping with Computers/ Internet

House & pet sitting

More details about your skills

👩‍🏫 About Ghizlane
I hold two Bachelor's degrees in Economic Sciences and Educational Sciences, as well as a Master of Education in Educational Administration from the University of Ottawa, Canada.

I have more than 13 years of teaching experience in Canadian public schools, working in both English and French Immersion programs. Throughout my career, I have taught and supported children from diverse backgrounds, creating positive, inclusive, and engaging learning environments where students could thrive academically and personally. I am patient, organized, adaptable, and passionate about helping others learn and grow. My professional background has also strengthened my communication, leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.

Beyond my teaching career, I have a deep appreciation for community living, cultural exchange, and lifelong learning. During my travels and volunteer experiences, particularly over six months of volunteering on farms and community projects across India, I developed a wide range of practical skills that complement my professional experience.

I enjoy gardening and organic farming and have hands-on experience with planting, weeding, watering, composting, soil preparation, mulching, harvesting, tree planting, garden maintenance, and caring for medicinal and edible plants. I have also learned about regenerative agriculture, cacao cultivation, and the complete bean-to-bar chocolate-making process, including harvesting cacao pods, fermenting, drying, sorting, and processing cacao beans into chocolate.

Animal care has become another passion of mine. I have experience feeding, bathing, and caring for dogs, cats, cows, calves, and other farm animals. One of the most meaningful skills I learned was milking a cow and participating in daily farm routines, including caring for livestock and delivering fresh milk to neighboring families.

I have a strong passion for cooking and food preparation, especially traditional home-style meals. I enjoy preparing Moroccan, Mediterranean, Canadian, and French dishes, as well as baking bread and creating fermented foods and dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, butter, buttermilk, and pickles. I love sharing meals with others and believe food is one of the best ways to bring people together.

I am also interested in traditional and sustainable living practices. I make my own natural soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and other homemade products, and I enjoy learning skills that promote self-sufficiency and environmental responsibility.

In addition, I have experience with housekeeping, hospitality, landscaping, mural painting, pathway construction, creative projects, and general maintenance tasks. I am comfortable helping wherever needed, whether indoors or outdoors, and I take pride in being dependable, hardworking, and willing to learn new skills.

Above all, I value kindness, meaningful human connections, and contributing positively to the communities I join. I approach every experience with curiosity, gratitude, enthusiasm, and an open heart, and I look forward to sharing my skills while continuing to learn from the people I meet along the way.

👨‍🏫 About Driss

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and have more than 20 years of professional experience in accounting and financial administration. Throughout my career, I have managed finances, maintained accurate records, prepared reports, and ensured the smooth organization of daily operations in a variety of professional settings. This experience has given me strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, as well as a keen attention to detail and a high level of reliability.

In addition to my accounting background, I spent five years working as a substitute teacher in English and French public schools in Canada. This experience strengthened my communication, adaptability, and interpersonal skills while allowing me to work with children and people from diverse backgrounds. It taught me how to remain flexible, think quickly, and build positive relationships in new environments.

Beyond my professional career, I am a creative and hands-on person who enjoys working on artistic, practical, and community-based projects. I have experience in painting, mural work, sculpture, decorative arts, and a variety of creative projects that help transform and beautify spaces. During my volunteer travels, particularly across India, I contributed to landscaping projects, pathway construction, farm improvements, and other creative initiatives that combined art with practical work.

One of my favorite projects was designing and painting a large mural for the opening of a community café. It was incredibly rewarding to create a piece of artwork that became part of a space where people gather, connect, and share experiences. Projects like this allow me to combine creativity, attention to detail, and a love of working collaboratively with others.

I enjoy working with my hands and am comfortable assisting with repairs, maintenance, DIY projects, painting, basic construction tasks, landscaping, and general property upkeep. I take pride in finding practical solutions, learning new skills, and helping wherever needed.

I am dependable, hardworking, respectful, and easy to work with. Whether contributing independently or as part of a team, I approach every project with enthusiasm, patience, and a willingness to learn. I enjoy meeting people from different cultures, sharing experiences, and using my skills to make a positive contribution to the communities I join.

👫 About Us

We are a friendly, hardworking, and adaptable couple who love learning new skills, meeting people from different cultures, and contributing meaningfully wherever we go. Over the years, we have gained experience in a wide variety of volunteer roles and have developed a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, and a genuine appreciation for community living.

In Canada, we worked with children in summer camps and after-school programs, helping organize activities, lead games, supervise outdoor learning, and support students with Math, English, and French. We enjoyed creating safe and encouraging environments where children could learn, grow, and have fun.

During our long-distance walking journeys through Spain and Italy, we volunteered in hostels, assisting with housekeeping, reception, guest relations, and daily operations. These experiences taught us flexibility, teamwork, and the importance of creating welcoming spaces for people from all walks of life.

Most recently, we spent six incredible months volunteering across different states in India, an experience that transformed us both personally and professionally. During this time, we worked on organic farms, cacao plantations, community projects, and eco-living initiatives. We learned a wide range of practical skills, including planting, weeding, watering, composting, soil preparation, landscaping, mural painting, animal care, milking cows, maintaining gardens, caring for dogs and other farm animals, and supporting various construction and DIY projects.

One of our most rewarding experiences was learning the complete bean-to-bar chocolate-making process, from harvesting cacao pods and fermenting beans to drying, roasting, and producing chocolate. We also participated in community events, nature activities, and cultural exchanges that allowed us to connect deeply with local communities.

Throughout our travels, we have met wonderful people who welcomed us into their homes and shared their knowledge, traditions, and way of life. These experiences have taught us patience, resilience, adaptability, teamwork, and the value of meaningful human connections. We are not afraid of physical work, getting our hands dirty, learning new skills, or stepping outside our comfort zone.

We bring enthusiasm, curiosity, reliability, and a willingness to help wherever needed. Whether working with children, caring for animals, assisting guests, helping on a farm, contributing to creative projects, or simply being part of a community, we always give our best and approach every opportunity with gratitude and an open heart.

🌍🤝 Together

We are a versatile, hardworking, and enthusiastic couple who enjoy contributing wherever help is needed. Over the years, and especially through six months of volunteering across different regions of India, we have developed a diverse range of practical skills and learned to adapt quickly to new environments, cultures, and projects.

We can assist with a wide variety of hospitality and housekeeping tasks, including cleaning, organizing, laundry, room preparation, bed making, reception support, guest check-ins, customer service, and creating a welcoming atmosphere for visitors. Through our hostel volunteering experiences in Europe, we learned the importance of attention to detail, teamwork, and making guests feel at home.

We are passionate about cooking and kitchen projects. We enjoy preparing Moroccan, Mediterranean, Canadian, and French dishes, and we have experience with baking and fermentation projects such as bread making, yogurt, cheese, butter, pickles, and other homemade foods. We are comfortable cooking for families, groups, and volunteer communities.

Our experience in India greatly expanded our knowledge of farming, sustainability, and animal care. We have participated in organic farming projects involving planting, weeding, watering, composting, soil preparation, mulching, harvesting, tree planting, garden maintenance, and caring for medicinal and edible plants. We have also learned to work with cacao, including harvesting pods, fermenting, drying, sorting beans, and understanding the complete bean-to-bar chocolate-making process.

We are comfortable caring for animals and have experience feeding, bathing, and looking after dogs, cats, cows, calves, and other farm animals. One of the most rewarding skills we gained was learning how to milk a cow and helping with daily animal care routines, including delivering fresh milk to local neighbors.

We enjoy creative and artistic projects and have contributed to mural painting, decorative painting, landscaping, pathway construction, sculpture, design projects, and general beautification of community spaces. We particularly enjoy projects where we can combine creativity with hands-on work.

For building and maintenance projects, we can assist with painting, trail building and maintenance, landscaping, pathway construction, simple repairs, DIY projects, restoring spaces, building basic structures, and other practical tasks. We are physically fit, enjoy outdoor work, and are not afraid of getting our hands dirty.

We also have experience working with children through summer camps and after-school programs in Canada, where we organized activities, led games, supervised outdoor learning, and provided academic support in Math, English, French, and reading. We enjoy helping children learn, grow, and build confidence.

In addition to practical skills, we bring strong communication abilities, cultural sensitivity, patience, reliability, and a genuine desire to connect with people. We love community living, cultural exchange, meaningful conversations, and learning from the people we meet along the way.

Most importantly, we are quick learners, adaptable, positive, and always willing to take on new challenges. Whether it's helping on a farm, supporting a hostel, caring for animals, working with children, contributing to creative projects, or assisting with daily tasks, we approach every opportunity with enthusiasm, gratitude, and an open heart.

Age

45 & 62

What else ...

👩‍🏫 About Ghizlane

I am naturally curious and love learning about people, cultures, and different ways of seeing the world. One of my favorite parts of traveling is having meaningful conversations with people from diverse backgrounds and discovering how much we can learn from one another.

I have a deep interest in spirituality, meditation, astrology, and personal growth. I enjoy reading books, listening to podcasts, and exploring ideas that encourage self-reflection and a greater understanding of ourselves and others. These interests have taught me to approach life with openness, compassion, and curiosity.

I am also fascinated by traditional knowledge that has been passed down through generations. Whether it is local customs, folk remedies, ancestral wisdom, or cultural traditions, I love learning how different communities connect with nature and care for one another.

Simple moments bring me the greatest happiness: sharing a meal with new friends, watching a sunrise, sitting around a campfire, spending time with animals, listening to people's life stories, or enjoying a quiet walk in nature. I believe some of life's most meaningful experiences come from human connection, kindness, and being fully present in the moment.

Above all, I try to live with gratitude, an open heart, and a genuine appreciation for the people and places that cross my path.

👨‍🏫 About Driss

Creativity has always been an important part of my life. I enjoy transforming spaces through art, design, and hands-on projects that combine imagination with practical skills. Whether working on a large mural, creating sculptures, restoring furniture, or adding decorative elements to a home, I take pride in creating pieces that are both beautiful and meaningful.

During my volunteer travels, I had the opportunity to contribute to several creative projects, including designing and painting a large mural for the opening of a community café. Seeing a blank wall become a vibrant gathering space was one of the most rewarding experiences of my journey and reinforced my passion for using art to bring people and places to life.

I enjoy working with a variety of materials and am always excited to take on creative challenges. From painting and sculpture to decorative design, landscaping features, and handmade projects, I love finding ways to improve and beautify the spaces around me. I also enjoy restoring old furniture, repainting walls, and helping transform neglected areas into welcoming and inspiring environments.

Beyond artistic projects, I bring patience, attention to detail, and a practical mindset to everything I do. I am comfortable assisting with DIY projects, renovations, and creative problem-solving, and I enjoy collaborating with hosts to bring their ideas to life.

For me, art is not only about creating something beautiful. It is about leaving a positive mark, telling a story, and helping create spaces where people feel inspired, connected, and at home.

🌍🤝 Together

We share a deep love for nature, adventure, and simple living. Over the years, our travels and volunteer experiences have taught us to be adaptable, resourceful, and comfortable in a wide range of environments. We have extensive experience with long-distance trekking, outdoor living, navigation, camping, and spending extended periods immersed in nature. Whether setting up camp, preparing a fire, navigating remote trails, or adapting to changing conditions, we enjoy the challenges and rewards that come with life outdoors.

Nature is where we feel most at home. We are especially drawn to mountains and spend as much time as possible exploring trails, discovering new landscapes, and enjoying the peace and beauty of the natural world. We are also happy to contribute to outdoor projects, including trail maintenance, path clearing, campsite improvements, and other tasks that help preserve and improve access to natural spaces.

When we are not outdoors, we enjoy activities that bring people together. We love board games, particularly strategy and cooperative games, as they create opportunities for connection, teamwork, laughter, and friendly competition. We also enjoy photography and documenting the people, landscapes, wildlife, and special moments we encounter during our travels.

Reading is another shared passion. We are particularly interested in philosophy, personal growth, history, cultures, and stories that broaden our understanding of the world. We enjoy exchanging ideas, learning from others, and engaging in meaningful conversations about life, travel, culture, spirituality, and different ways of living.

Above all, we are curious, open-minded people who genuinely enjoy learning new skills, meeting people from diverse backgrounds, and sharing experiences. Whether through hiking, cooking, creative projects, games, cultural exchange, or simply sitting around a table sharing stories, we value authentic connections and believe some of life's greatest lessons come from the people we meet along the way.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  No allergy for both of us

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  Special dietary requirements
  No special dietary requirements for both of us