Hi, I’m Dalene Heck.
In 2009, my husband Pete and I quit our corporate jobs, sold our house, filled two backpacks, and took a one-way flight to South America.
What we thought would be a one-year journey turned into almost eight. Fully embracing the digital nomad lifestyle, we built multiple businesses while travelling slowly around the globe, visiting 60+ countries along the way. We returned to Canada in 2016 and now reside in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia.
You can read more about our unconventional story here.
About the Businesses
It all started with HeckticTravels.com
What began as an online travel journal for family members evolved into a thriving business, also serving as an essential platform to launch other ventures.
My brand of personal storytelling, combined with Pete’s exceptional photography, has enabled us to work with exciting destinations and travel brands alike. It took us to the Kingdom of Jordan, in a campervan around New Zealand, across the Serengeti, and so much more.
We have been well-rewarded for our work, including being named National Geographic Travelers of the Year. Other accolades include BlogHer Voice of the Year (twice) and Best Independent Travel Blog medal from the North America Travel Journalist’s Association. Because of the blog, I have written for BBC Travel, National Geographic, Business Insider, and more.
I am proud of all of our work, but client samples I especially love can be seen in the gallery.
Then came HMI Marketing
At a conference in 2013, attended by a thousand content creators, I sat next to a tourism board representative who said: “I want to work with bloggers, but I don’t know where to start.”
Pete and I sprang into action, merging our business skills (both of us hold Bachelor of Commerce degrees) with our loves of travel and new media. We soon launched HMI Marketing, a boutique agency specializing in influencer, social media, and content marketing. I took on the role of CEO and led us to securing long-term contracts with some of the world’s largest travel brands, including Viator, Trover (Expedia), Great Canadian Trails (World Expeditions), and many more. We’ve also worked with tourism boards big and small, including Tourism Nova Scotia, Costa Brava Tourism, Tourism Lethbridge, and dozens more.
I am especially proud of our Creator House influencer marketing concept. Working with destination marketers, we vet and invite valued creators and influencers to live, breathe, and explore the destination from the comfort of a well-chosen base. We cycle them through via a consistent schedule so that the buzz created doesn’t miss a beat. This award-winning concept has been executed in six locations over nine different campaigns, and is beloved by destinations and creators alike.
Thanks to my work with Hecktic Travels and HMI, I am a sought-after public speaker. Read about my topics and more on this page.
We also created new blogs
As our expertise grew in the areas of web marketing and SEO, we embarked on three new website properties: Road Trip Alberta, Road Trip Manitoba (in partnership with Winnipeg-based writer Brenna Holeman), and Travel Trivia Challenge.
Not only did these properties grow to provide essential revenue, they also gave our team a playground to learn and test new strategies before passing them onto our clients.
The most successful of the three – Road Trip Alberta – earned a bronze medal for Best Independent Travel Blog by the North American Travel Journalist’s Association. It has been visited by over 3 million unique readers, and visitors have booked over 7,000 hotel nights via affiliate links since its inception.
And finally, we turned our childhood love of games into our very own!
When COVID-19 caused the world to shut down in early 2020, many of our clients followed suit; it was not exactly a good time to be in the tourism industry. With ample time on our hands, Pete and I worked side by side to create Trip Chaser and launch it in November 2023.
Our Canadian inventory sold out in a mere three weeks and has continued to sell strongly. In 2024, we expanded to include related travel accessories. Game #2 is in the works, and not only has this been an extremely enjoyable side hustle, but we’re hoping to make it a significant part of our company’s future.
More About Me, Personally
Just a small town girl who took on the big world (literally).
I was born and raised in northern Alberta and moved to Calgary to pursue further education, graduating with a business degree in 1998. I stuck around the city, rose quickly in my corporate job, and had a promising future. I met Pete soon after graduating, we married in 2001, and both focused heavily on our careers and discussed starting a family (as you do).
In 2007 we were blindsided by a barrage of personal tragedies, including the discovery of our inability to have kids. It was then that we made the decision to upend our “normal” life and turn to travel.
After almost 8 years on the road, we were blindsided once again.
While housesitting near Seattle, the sudden appearance of unusual symptoms prompted a visit to a nearby emergency room. Two days of tests later, I was diagnosised with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Severly life-threatening at the onset, I rushed back to Canada for treatment and received the quality care I needed to beat it. My oncologist declared me cured five years later.
We debated nomadism again, but then COVID-19 hit.
Shortly after finishing all treatment and regaining my strength, we debated our next steps. Nomadism was on the table once again, but then COVID-19 made the decision for us. Instead of hitting the road, we plotted a permanent move from Alberta to Nova Scotia. We have been happily settled on the East Coast ever since, while still travelling as it suits us.
Fun Facts About Me…
>> I was once a competitive curler, but am currently obsessed with tennis.
>> I have an uncanny ability to turn distressed pets into happy cuddlers.
>> I am a repeat The Office trivia champion.
>> Pete and I recently starred in a new house-hunting style TV series called Oceanfront Property Hunt on A&E.
>> After visiting 60+ countries, favourites include Türkiye, the Faroe Islands, Slovenia, Mexico, and Argentina.