Interview With Traveller Steven

• 1. WHAT KIND OF A TRAVELLER ARE YOU? A BACKPACKER OR A LONG HOLIDAY TRAVELLER; BUSINESS TRAVELLER OR DO YOU LIVE AND WORK ABROAD

Travel is our passion and any excuse will do- we’ve had holidays for a few months, few weeks or more often than not quick weekend getaways. We’re a couple of Aussies who have also been fortunate enough to have moved to London for a couple of years- let’s just say, Europe has definitely been explored with 200+ flights in the 2 years we lived there. We’re currently focusing on the Asia Pacific with recent trips to Vietnam, New Zealand and importantly, Australia. The travel definitely needs to a touch of luxury and/or unique experiences, there’s nothing better than relaxing, comfortably, after a long day exploring!

• 2. HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAVEL? HOW DO YOU FUND YOUR TRAVEL (SAVINGS/ TRAVELLING IS PART OF YOUR WORK/OTHER)?

We travel as much as practically possible! Working full-time certainly helps fund our travel, but we have some helpful tips to make the most of your time on our website- definitely check it out.

• 3. TO WHICH PLACE DID YOU TRAVEL FIRST AND AT WHAT AGE WAS IT? PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE IF YOU REMEMBER TO HAVE INSPIRED YOU IN ANY WAY

I travelled a bit when younger- the first international trip would have been when I was around 15 years old with my parents when we were looking to relocate from South Africa- map in hand we explored London and Paris before returning. Shortly after we moved to Australia at the age of 16 (best thing that could have happened!).

Having fallen in love with Jenna- our first big trip together was to Thailand for our honeymoon which was Jenna’s first overseas holiday- we haven’t stopped since!

• 4. DID YOU EVER HAD ANY BAD EXPERIENCES WHILE TRAVELLING?

I wouldn’t really say any experience is a bad experience. There may have been challenging or difficult times, but they are the things you learn from and gives you a chance to change things and do things differently. For example, misreading a Swiss rail ticket departure time which resulted in us nearly missing our Boxing Day flight back to London!

• 5. COULD YOU MENTION A BEST AND The WORST HOLIDAY/PLACE YOU HAVE VISITED AND WHY IS IT SO?

The best is a hard one. For us it would depend on the season and type of holiday – ski /beach/city/ country – there are too many to choose from! Probably one of the most memorable would be our two sunrise hikes to Preikestolen in Norway. Jenna is scared of heights so this was a big deal for her – it is over 600m drop down to the fjord and she managed to do the hike twice! But if we had to choose our best holiday destination, Italy would be up there as the favorite country, closely followed by Norway.

As for the worst holiday destination…. If I had to pick one…. It would probably be Brussels. We visited a couple of times and each time it just didn’t do anything for us!

• 6. WHICH IS THE MOST CHERISHED MEMORY OF ALL YOUR TRAVEL THAT YOU WISH TO HAVE MORE?

Oh there are too many to choose from! The first time we experienced snow, jumped out of a plane or simply saw the natural beauty the world has to offer.

We have had some incredible holidays, all of which have a special piece in our hearts. It is always lovely to get to know the locals and try and understand their culture.

Here are the list of ecotourism destinations in Kerala. Visit them all !

• 7. ACCORDING TO YOU WHAT ARE THE MUST-HAVES WHILE PLANNING A HOLIDAY

The way we travel has certainly changed over time- we used to plan our trips to the second but now it’s simply a rough idea of what there is to see, make sure you have enough time to tick the ‘must see’ off the list, but also some downtime to take in the culture and simply relax.

Other helpful tips would be to check public holidays, and also if there are any days when all the shops are shut in town (we’ve learned the hard way when we spent a day in a town with absolutely nothing open!).

• 8. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER TRAVELLED OR HAD ANY HOLIDAY TRIP?

Find something that you’re passionate about and work that into your holiday. If you’re passionate about nature, pick a destination that has beautiful nature, such as Norway or New Zealand. If you’re concerned about traveling far from your home, pick somewhere close to home until you feel comfortable with traveling! You learn so much about yourself and others when traveling and it gives you a new appreciation of life.

• 9. WHAT ARE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY KEPT IN MIND FOR THE FIRST-TIME TRAVELLER?

Be aware and prepared. For the first time traveler, I would recommend having an itinerary so you know what you’re doing and when. This will take a lot of the stress out of the holiday. The second piece of advice does not overpack!!! If you’ve forgotten something, you can pick it up where you’re going and you will probably pick up a few souvenirs or do a bit of shopping so always leave space for those things.

• 10. WHAT DO YOU EXPLORE WHEN YOU VISIT ANY PLACE – THE CUISINE, LANDSCAPE, LIFESTYLE, ETC. WHAT DO YOU TAKE ALONG WITH YOU TO YOU ARE BACK HOME?

We try and fit as much as possible into our holidays. We research all of the landmarks and anything of significance. Depending on the destination, we will look into hikes and walks as well to get into nature a little. Our tradition is to pick up a Christmas decoration from each destination as our souvenir. It is nice when putting up our tree at Christmas time as we can reminisce about our holidays as we put each ornament up.

• 11. WHICH MODE OF TRANSPORT DO YOU PREFER THE MOST? YOUR FAVORITE AIRLINE?

Flights and Taxi’s over rail any day- unless it’s the Eurostar from London to Paris. No one likes suitcases on public transport.

Convenience is absolutely key- the only time I would catch a train to the airport is when it’s peak hour in that location and we need to stay off the roads. In terms of our favorite airline(s)- it would be British Airways, Emirates and then Qantas (probably in that order).

• 12. YOU NEXT MOST AWAITED HOLIDAY DESTINATION AND WHEN ARE YOU PLANNING TO VISIT IT

We are in our planning stage at the moment! We have a few short holidays booked over the next couple of months such as Byron Bay, Cairns and Port Douglas here in Australia. As for our next big trip, we are thinking either Hawaii or Japan!

• 13. ANY PARTICULAR PLACE YOU WOULD RECOMMEND AS A MUST-VISIT DESTINATION TO ALL TRAVEL LOVERS

Italy. Definitely Italy. You can get many different holiday experiences from Italy such as beaches, coasts, villages, countryside, and cities. You can get everything you need from one country! Don’t forget about some of the islands in Italy such as Sardinia and Sicily – both are absolutely incredible.

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