'I put my whole life on hold': B.C. man embarks on Arctic to Antarctica trek

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

Yassine Nouah arrived back home in B.C. this week after trekking to the Arctic Ocean in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories.

The 29-year-old told CTV News travelling the world was his childhood dream, and after years of saving money while working as an accountant and taking on a second job in retail, he could finally fulfill it.

“I put my whole life on hold, and it’s a lot scarier than people can imagine,” he said.

“But thankfully for me, the excitement of doing this trip was bigger than the fears of what might not happen in my life.”

Since Sept. 12, 2024, Nouah has been documenting his journey on his Instagram page and the challenges he’s faced, such as running out of gas in the Yukon and relying on a stranger's kindness to provide fuel at a rest stop.

Nouah has showcased Canada's beauty. He has captured rainbows, pristine lakes, waterfalls, wildlife, and glaciers in British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.

“I could have flown in, but I wanted to see different parts of B.C and tell that story,” said Nouah.

His intention is to only use rental vehicles, transit, trains or anything that moves on the ground or water. His mission is to avoid air travel on his way to Antarctica.

The distance is roughly 22,000 kilometres from Northwest Territories to the southern tip of Argentina.

Nouah plans to finish his trip in March by staying with friends along the way, or in hotels or hostels. He estimates the trip will cost more than $20,000 even with cost-saving measures.

“See the world differently, meet new people, get out of my comfort zone, get in touch with wildfire, and to be honest, eat more and more and more,” said Nouah.