Joel Balsam

Read the latest articles by Joel Balsam at Thrillist

Nation

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Travel

Explore adventure guides and design a custom itinerary for the destination of your choice in and around the city.

Best Travel Guides, Cool Hotels and Interesting Events - Thrillist

After 17 long months of being closed to non-essential travel, Canada threw open its doors to fully vaccinated Americans in August and residents of other countries in September.

Canada Is Finally Reopening to Americans. Here’s Where You Should Go First

Yingna Cai/Shutterstock

Canada’s Prince Edward Island isn’t exactly off the beaten track.

This Gorgeous Red-Sand Island Is Even Better in the Fall

Photo by Stephanie Foden

The Secret Island Getaway Most Canadians Have Never Heard Of

The Great Escape

We’re creating a modern guidebook for connecting to nature, inviting people from all walks of life and of all experience levels to join us on the trails

Thrillist Presents 'The Great Escape' Guides to the Outdoors

Image by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist

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Summer is finally here, and with coronavirus restrictions lowered across the country, it’s time to stick your head out of a fast-moving car and char the heck out of some marshmallows over an open fire.

How to Elevate Your Road Trip Game With Car Camping

Illustration: Maitane Romagosa/Thrillist; Photo: Murat Can Kirmizigul/Shutterstock

They say there are two kinds of Canadians: those who live in Toronto and those who hate Toronto.

Fall in Love With This Vibrant, Underrated Canadian Metropolis

Photo courtesy of Alexa Fernando

Go ahead and ask someone from Toronto about the city’s most famous dish.

The Best Restaurants in Toronto, According to Local Chefs

Weed

Everything You Need to Know About Legal Weed, Smoking, Edibles, CBD and More

Emily Carpenter/Thrillist

On October 17, 2018, Canadians from coast to coast fired up comically large joints to celebrate becoming only the second nation to legalize recreational cannabis.

Toronto Is Making a Play to Become North America's Cannabis Capital

Unsplash/DESIGNECOLOGIST

Congrats America: A bunch of states are jumping on the legal cannabis train.

How to Have a Very Good Smoke Sesh in Toronto

Late Checkout

Thrillist presents 'Late Checkout,' bringing you the most unique Airbnbs, bucket list hotels, and extraordinary places to stay around the world.

Late Checkout: Airbnbs, Hotels & Where to Stay Around the World

Photo courtesy of Quetzalcoatl's Nest Airbnb

In the woods outside downtown Mexico City, an ethereal serpent winds through the trees and up into the green hills.

You Can Rent This Kaleidoscopic Snake House on Airbnb

John Fowler/Unsplash

On April 12, New Mexico became the 17th state to legalize weed—meaning that an already weird place is about to get a hell of a lot weirder.

 This Beautifully Trippy Southwest State Just Legalized Cannabis

The Roaming '20s

The Roaming '20s is all about embracing the nomad in each of us. With tips for working remotely, relocating, and exploring the great outdoors, we're reinventing the way we live, work, and travel.

Thrillist Presents 'The Roaming 20s': Embracing the Nomad in All of Us

Andrey Armyagov/Shutterstock

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Among the once-dorky things we reassessed last year, RVs were second only to sweatpants.

Traveling by RV? Here's What to Know Before You Hit the Road

Sean Pavone / shutterstock

John Denver was on to something when he declared West Virginia "almost heaven" in “Country Roads," despite never having been there when he sang it.

Canada Is Finally Reopening to Americans. Here’s Where You Should Go First

Oh, Canada! How we missed you.

This Gorgeous Red-Sand Island Is Even Better in the Fall

Goats, ghosts, and crimson leaves add to the autumnal vibes.

The Secret Island Getaway Most Canadians Have Never Heard Of

Windswept hills, secret beaches, Acadian culture, and the freshest seafood like, ever.

How to Elevate Your Road Trip Game With Car Camping

Trade hotels and logistics for spontaneous adventures under the open sky.

Fall in Love With This Vibrant, Underrated Canadian Metropolis

Consider this your ultimate travel guide to Toronto.

The Best Restaurants in Toronto, According to Local Chefs

From jerk chicken to boozy egg tarts, here’s what to eat in Toronto’s culturally rich food scene.

Toronto Is Making a Play to Become North America's Cannabis Capital

The Canadian city is positioned to become the Denver of the Great White North.

How to Have a Very Good Smoke Sesh in Toronto

Where to buy it, where to smoke it, and where to eat once you hit the stratosphere.

You Can Rent This Kaleidoscopic Snake House on Airbnb

Just outside downtown Mexico City, stay in an Airbnb literally built for a god.

This Beautifully Trippy Southwest State Just Legalized Cannabis

Art, hoodoos, and aliens are everywhere.

Traveling by RV? Here's What to Know Before You Hit the Road

Traverse America in the noble land yacht.

America’s Newest National Park Is Packed With Scenic Wonder and Eerie Ghost Towns

New River Gorge finally gets its due.