Dr. David Hepburn is a popular expert in the highly debated field of medical cannabis. With over 30 years of experience, he has worked in roles ranging from the military to some high-level sporting teams. For instance, he took part in the Persian Gulf War during 1991 as a military physician. In 1996, he went to the Olympics where his skills were used to treat athletes who competed. Afterward, he connected with some sporting teams including the Canadian Jr. National Rugby team. Not to forget that he has been treating a few hockey teams who compete professionally. Before building a lucrative career, Dr. David Hepburn went to the University of Ottawa. This is where he received his Doctor of Science Degree in Medicine in 1986. 

What is your favorite thing about traveling?

I enjoy it because it is one of the only ways that I can learn without actually feeling like I am studying something. When you work as a doctor for over 30 years, you eventually reach a stage where you are learning about new things on a daily basis. Nevertheless, you usually know that this is taking place because you spend hours conducting in-depth research or reviewing professional journals. 

Whenever I travel, I can interact with the locals in the most casual way and still learn a ton about their culture and norms. This helps me relax and recuperate my brain while still keeping it active enough to maintain the necessary levels of critical thinking. Once you throw in the fact that you also get to meet amazing people from all over the world as a byproduct, it seems obvious that traveling is one of the most purposeful and exciting hobbies out there. 

Is traveling something you consider a hobby or a lifestyle? How did you get started?

I do not consider it either one of those two. The reason why is the fact that I do not travel enough to label it a “lifestyle” nor a “hobby.” In my opinion, a lifestyle is something that guides the way in which a person goes about their day-to-day activities. Well, other than medicine and patient care, not a lot of things can really impact my daily ventures. 

Although hobbies are different, I still believe that there has to be a consistent level of interest and involvement related to something for it to truly be a hobby. I certainly have the necessary interest in traveling. Engagement, however, is where I fall short as I do not have enough time to travel whenever I want to. 

What are some travel tips you’d give to an inexperienced traveler?

I would advise them to always listen to a live person’s advice over things like online research, travel magazines, and other cold sources. The reason why is that most of these can be affected by explicit or implicit biases. For example, a lot of travel writers are sponsored by brands who pay for them to positively review certain regions. If, however, you go and talk to a person that you know has been to some location where you would like to go, the odds of them giving you any misleading information are quite low. 

Where would you like to go?

I would really love to visit Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein. Azerbaijan has always been on my bucket list as a destination that is characterized by incredible history dating back to more than 4,000 BC. Going there could be an outstanding opportunity to see this part of Eastern Europe and Western Asia since I have never been anywhere even remotely close to that area. Liechtenstein, on the other hand, is in the center of Europe right between some of my favorite countries, Austria and Switzerland. Going there would be a fun experience as the entire country is merely 62 square miles! Nevertheless, the beautiful scenery could take days to fully absorb and experience. 

Where would you like to revisit?

I would love to go back to Rome. Visiting Italy was an outstanding experience that I will definitely have to repeat at some point in my life. Additionally, since my visit to Rome, I actually had a chance to take a course on some basic Italian. I did this to practically force myself to go back there one day as I knew that I would want to test my speaking abilities. I would further like to go to other areas in Canada soon as a lot of my professional associates reside there. Not to mention the fact that Toronto would be an awesome destination now that they have become the new NBA champions! I bet that I would still get to taste some of their celebratory moods while catching up with important partners and friends.