Shauna Desmarais

How to Carve a Pineapple Shauna Desmarais

In November 2016, Shauna, her husband Clint and their three pre-teen boys sold their business, rented out their home, packed up all of their possessions and left Canada to backpack around the world. They left with nothing but a skeleton itinerary and a dream in their hearts to see the world. They touched down in sixteen countries, took overnight trains, planes and ferries and topped it off by living in the lap of luxury on a sixteen-day Mediterranean cruise. They bathed elephants in Thailand, snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and cruised sand dunes in Dubai. But, as in life, travel isn't always a fairytale. In How to Carve a Pineapple, Shauna doesn't mince words when sharing the dichotomy of her yearning for a different type of life and boredom with the American dream, coupled with disappointment at plans going awry, frustrations with teens and living in close quarters for months on end, and the sadness she encounters as the time nears to return home. Join the Desmarais family in this funny and adventurous story around the world and back again: the good, the bad and the amazing.




Hilariously entertaining, this tell all travel voyage is a must-read primer for anyone considering traversing the globe with their family in tow or those who enjoy all things original. This story doesn't shy away from sharing the perils that befall any good adventure yet inspires each of us to explore the possibility of living our own great story.