The Planet D

Dave Bouskill & Debra Corbeil, Co-Founders

Paris, Ontario, Canada

2025

The Planet D wants to get you out of your comfort zone

Since 2008, The Planet D has inspired thousands of readers to live a life less ordinary. With one of the most recognized travel blogs around, founders Dave and Deb have used Google’s ad network to keep their content entirely free.

Bring adventure to everyone

In the early 2000s, Dave and Deb were in the middle of Toronto’s thriving film industry. As crew members, they helped bring to life beloved Hollywood blockbusters like X-Men, Chicago, and The Incredible Hulk. Naturally, this job involved busy 16-hour days, most of it spent on their feet. And while the work was intense, it did offer one benefit — lots of time off to travel.

Soon enough, Dave and Deb had one foot in the film world and the other in the travel world. They were setting off on major adventures, leaving behind frigid Canada for trips to Asia, Africa, South America, and Central America. In 2004, they took a seven-month trip to Southeast Asia that served as a turning point: they knew travel needed to be at the center of their lives.

Four years later, they signed up for the Tour d’Afrique, the world’s longest cycling race. And in no small feat, Deb took home the honor of women’s champion of the race. While their muscles might have been sore, their creative juices were flowing. They got home and immediately started their blog, The Planet D.

The blog has given readers a front row seat to Dave and Deb’s many adventures — from climbing to Everest Base Camp to kayaking through Antarctica. Over the past seventeen years, the blog has continued to grow. They have 600,000 social media followers, grew to over a million monthly visitors, and were even named one of the Top 10 Travel Influencers in the world by Forbes Magazine.

Their mantra is simple: Adventure is for Everyone. You don’t need to be uber-rich or ultra-athletic to experience all the world has to offer. Their site’s detailed city guides, personal travel tips, and inspiring stories have opened up travel to a wider audience. And as it continues to grow, Dave and Deb have found creative, effective ways to turn their popular site into a reliable source of income.

Free to read, free to roam

From the beginning, Dave and Deb wanted to make travel accessible to everyone. That meant they didn’t want to put their work behind a paywall and only appeal to people who could afford to pay for their content.

“It is important to offer free content,” says Deb. “After spending years doing sponsored travel and partnerships, we didn't want to rely on sponsored travel because it was important for us to travel to the destinations we chose rather than rely on tourism boards and companies to pick places for us. Instead, we wanted to share our experiences more organically.”

Dave and Deb decided to turn to Google to monetize their content while keeping it entirely free. Today, they use AdSense on YouTube, and work with Raptive, a Google Certified Publishing Partner, to manage ads on their blog.

“Thanks to ads, we’ve grown exponentially,” says Dave. “Before using our ad network, we made a solid six-figure income, but thanks to a mixture of ads, affiliates and partnerships, we were able to push that into 7 figures.”

The income has also allowed them to grow their team over the years. They now employ an editor, some writers, and a website technical manager who can handle the ins and outs of site maintenance. That way, Dave and Deb can focus on their true passion: seeing the world, one adventure at a time.

“Thanks to ads, we’ve grown exponentially. Before using our ad network, we made a solid six-figure income, but thanks to a mixture of ads, affiliates and partnerships, we were able to push that into 7 figures.”

Stepping into the unknown

As Dave and Deb approach two decades as travel bloggers, they’re grateful for those moments with readers who’ve been inspired by their content.

“We love talking to people who tell us that they didn't think they could accomplish a trek, hike or adventure, but after seeing us do it, they were inspired to try it themselves,” says Dave. “They said ‘If you can do it, I can do it too.’”

To Dave and Deb, travel isn’t just a box to check off your bucket list or a thing to flaunt on social media. It’s a reminder that life can be exciting — that stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things can change your life for the better.

This inspiring message has earned The Planet D “Best Travel Blog” honors in Reader’s Digest, BBC, and AdWeek. They’re also two-time gold medal winners for travel blogging at the Society of American Travel Writers, and also earned two gold medals for travel blogging at the North American Travel Journalism Awards. Dave’s photography has earned plenty of awards, too, including back-to-back gold in Best Photo Illustration in Travel at the Bill Muster Awards.

With 130 countries and all seven continents under their belts, Dave and Deb have no plans to stop anytime soon.

“We are still going strong and are always ready to pivot to stay relevant and share our experience with our readers and followers,” they say.

About the Publisher

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are a Canadian couple who founded the travel website ThePlanetD.com in 2008 after cycling the continent of Africa. With a passion for adventure, they have visited 130 countries on all seven continents. Recognized for their influential work, Forbes Magazine listed The Planet D among the Top 10 Travel Influencers in the world. The duo has also garnered numerous awards for their blogging, photography, and video skills. With a guiding philosophy that "Adventure is for Everyone," they provide valuable insights, motivational content, and conscientious travel advice, assisting others in planning their adventures. They have been featured by the likes of BBC, National Geographic, and Lonely Planet and have worked with some of the biggest tourism boards and brands, including American Express, Expedia, Sony, and Exodus Travels. To follow Deb and Dave's adventures, you can visit them on The Planet D.com, YouTube and Instagram.