Entries about talkingtravel

In this month's Talking Travel series we chat to respected TP blogger and photographer Jonathan Shapiro (aka jonshapiro). A semi-retired psychologist, Jon has travelled all of his adult life. Wanting to spend more time on the road, however, he left his full time practice seven years ago to undertake a nine month journey to Central and South America. Since then he has also spent time teaching in China, traveling in Southeast Asia, Burma, India, and most recently in Europe, Morocco, and Turkey.

He lives in an old house in upstate New York with his wife of many years, Nanette. He has two grown children, both girls, one of whom is a therapist in California, and the other a surgical resident in New York City. When at home, Jon teaches English to Burmese refugees, writes and edits his blog, Vagabonding at 60, and spends as much time as he can outdoors, hiking and skiing. He also spends time fantasising about—and planning—his next adventure.

Jon in the Trinity Alps, California

What does travel mean to you?

I travel because there is a world out there, far greater than my own, and I want to experience it first hand. Why not just read about it and experience it from the comforts of my living room? Why do I go to out of the way places and put myself out there? Why take the risks? Isn't that the point; to go beyond your comfort zone so that you can have a fuller understanding of yourself and how you cope with experiences and cultures that are alien to you. How can I, and you the reader, really understand your own culture without getting outside of it? How can you understand yourself?

So I travel to gain this understanding. An understanding that can only come from deliberate dislocation. This dis-location creates the space for me to see what I could otherwise only intuit; what it is like to be a foreigner, to be "the other." Of course, many people experience this as immigrants or refugees, often under duress. My experience will never be that and yet it gives me some insight into their lives, not so different than my own ancestors. It is so easy to forget what their lives must have been like. I see the children of my Burmese ESL students, already so American in the few short years they have been here and so different than their parents, who will always remain foreigners. Perhaps if I was not two generations removed from the immigrant experience, I would not be so eager to seek it out. And yet, unlike my forebears and my literacy students, I can and do return home. I climb down from the rarefied air of the high mountains of travel and return to the everyday, the mundane, the easy ways of the familiar. I bore my friends with stories and pictures of where I have been. I resume the everyday chores of cooking and cleaning, and the not-so-everyday projects of filling in a large area of erosion and building a retaining wall, so that the stream on my property does not swallow up more trees along its steep banks. I hurry to take care of other neglected areas, both inside and out, in order to maintain my old house before the winter sets in and before I set out on my next journey.

I consider the ways in which my extended trips have changed me. I find that with the richness of my experiences of the past few years, the real question is not 'why travel', but rather, why stay home? And home doesn't feel quite the same. Despite living here in upstate New York for more than 35 years, I find myself less attached. Perhaps it is partly cutting way back on my work life, but perhaps some of the bonds have been loosened by being a vagabond. The paradox is that I'm somehow more connected to any number of places and people but less so to my home.

13,000 feet above sea level on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

A question that I am often asked is, after being away from home for long periods of time, am I really glad to be back? "Well," I hesitantly answer, "in some ways, but not in others." "Aren't you glad to see your children, your family, your friends?" "Of course, but...." It's hard to explain to someone who has not had the experience of long term independent travel. Many of my friends have traveled, but not in the same way. The people who do understand are out there traveling, working or wandering, and perhaps creating new homes in far off places. In some respects I feel more of an affinity for that community than to my own. These folks understand the ambivalence of ending a journey and yearning to plan the next one. No need to explain. Perhaps some of them choose to become permanent expats, or else wanderers living on a shoestring, avoiding all but temporary attachments. Are they just running away? No doubt some of them are, but aren't all attachments temporary?

And my own attachments? My wife, Nanette, comes with me when I travel, and my children have visited me abroad. My extended family has never been that close. My close friends are still here, but the peripheral relationships seem less important. Yet I have made some new and important relationships both with fellow travelers, and with the local Burmese refugee community, which I never knew existed before. My attachment to things, to stuff, was never that great, but it is even less now. Living out of a backpack and wearing the same clothes for months on end makes it easier to realize how little I really need. Okay, so I do have five pairs of skis in my garage. And yes, I'm attached to my house. It's been here a long time, 200 years or so, and I want to see it loved and cared for. Yet in some respects it's become an albatross, preventing me from getting away and taking up my time. My cat Nala, very recently deceased, was another impediment to getting away. On the other hand, she held a grudge if anyone moved her, and was known to counter-attack hours later. Now, her death serves as another reminder of my own mortality. Another reminder that I can't wait too long before setting off on the next journey. Is this a temporary, fleeting stage of my life? No question, but one that I feel blessed to have, thankful for what I have seen and done, and looking forward to the next great adventure.

You've travelled extensively in South America and Asia - what are your most memorable experiences?

In terms of most memorable experiences, it's always hard to pick out particular ones to focus on, but here goes: at the top of the list would have to be our Jeep tour of the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. When we left on our trip to South America, neither of us had heard about the Salar.

Snow falls during Jon's tour of the Salar

Tell us more about your motto in life: 'Take risks and experience as much as you can'.

My years of working with patients as a clinical psychologist got me thinking about what it is that many of my patients had in common. I won't bore you with too many clinical details but suffice it to say that most of them were risk-averse. They got stuck into patterns of self-defeating behavior and relationships because in the end, that is what was familiar and yes, comfortable for them. To some extent we all do this. We stick with what we know because it is easier and it feels safer, and yet it is very limiting, and often the feeling of safety can quickly evaporate. My personal experience with this came 15 years ago, at age 48, when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I felt like my body had betrayed me, despite the fact that my father died of the same disease when he was 70. However, I took better care of myself, or so I thought. I ate right; I exercised—how could this happen to me?

I liken it to being in the Garden of Eden and taking a bite of the apple: all of a sudden, I knew I was going to DIE. This really shouldn't have been news but it was. I knew I was going to die not in some abstract, far off way, but now I felt it viscerally and immediately. Of course, that didn't happen, or I wouldn't be writing this now, but it was a wake-up call. It made me realize that SAFETY IS AN ILLUSION; anything can happen at anytime, no matter how safe and secure we feel, and no matter how careful we are in how we live our lives. And what is the price to be paid for living a 'safe' life? It means that there is so much that we don't get to see and experience. There is so much that we miss out on because we opt for what is only an illusion.

Some of my friends might argue that I am an adrenaline junkie, that I deliberately put myself in harm's way—I guess it's all a matter of degree. I'm certainly not an extreme athlete—never have been—but I do want to get out of my comfort zone, because as I mentioned earlier, the alternative life is simply not as interesting. I don't really think there are any big answers to, as Guy Noir puts it, 'life's persistent questions'. I'm not religious and so for me, if you will, the meaning of life is to be found in living it to the fullest and experiencing as much as I can while I am on this earth; experiencing what this life has to offer in all its richness. I guess if there's something to experience later on, I'll find that out, but I'm not counting on it, and I'm not waiting around in the meantime.

Even when you're not travelling you post vivid entries about past trips. Do you have any tips on keeping a blogging routine?

In terms of my blogging routine, I never blog when I am actually traveling. The reason is that I want to take time to reflect on my experiences, and then to cull out parts that are not so interesting and highlight others. It takes a lot of time to edit what I write about, and it is very difficult to do this on the road. I do take copious notes and of course photos, so I can go back later on and reconstruct what I have seen. This gives me a little distance from the trip and, I think, makes for a better read. At times I take out whole sections of my notes, add other things that I might have forgotten, and I can take time to edit my pictures. It also gives me the opportunity to relive the experience a second time.

Dali Rocks, on Jeep Tour of the Salar

Will there be more wandering in future? 'Vagabonding at 70' has a ring to it…

There will certainly be more vagabonding in the future. I am currently blogging about our last trip in the Spring to parts of Europe, Morocco, and Turkey. The neat thing about this trip was that we set up our itinerary to visit several friends that we met on previous excursions—that was great. This winter we are planning another trip to Southeast Asia, which we have already visited a few times. After that I want to get back to the Himalayas, while these old bones will still carry me up there. That journey will probably include Sikkim, Bhutan, and possibly Lo Mustang in Nepal. I always say, 'never end the last trip without thinking about the next'. That way, I always have something to look forward to.

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Check out these recent interviews in the Talking Travel series:

• Talking Travel with Naomi Dickinson (worldweave)
• Talking Travel with Matt Watson (Watson5)
• Talking Travel with Glynn Hammond (nzhamsta)
• Talking Travel with Rebecca Barnshaw (bex76)
• Talking Travel with Mike Riley (vegasmike6)

In this month's Talking Travel series we had the pleasure of chatting to Naomi Dickinson (aka worldweave). One year, 17 countries, 44 blog entries, and almost 5000 photos later, Naomi's round the world weave has entertained readers with a range of cultural and gastronomic delights. A curious traveller, Naomi takes inspiration in the words: 'Life is precious, live it well!'.

You have recently come back from a 12 month round the world trip, tell us more about this?

Taking a year to myself was just what I needed. Although I am well-travelled through my profession, my career had involved international transfers, which created a holiday-like change but in the end was never really a proper break where I could switch off completely. After the sudden death of my brother in 2009, I had a burning desire to embrace life and live well. So it was an easy choice to travel around the world in the end. I'm a curious person by nature, forever intent on understanding and appreciating the world around me, and I was keen to go somewhere completely different, possibly learning a new language along the way. South America had always been a dream, as had Antarctica, so I quickly laid out my plans to facilitate getting to these places. I also hadn't been back to Germany in five years, so I was keen to meet up with dear friends over there and pretty much planned the route I took to accommodate all of this. For the first time since I was 18, I felt like I was stepping into the big unknown, and this was scary and exhilarating for me. My love for language, culture, and especially food helped me immerse myself in the countries I visited, and provided the kind of depth I like when meeting people. Being a talker, I learn languages pretty quickly, and I found that I was welcomed pretty much everywhere I went.

What I loved about the year is that I had no real goal. I could pick and choose what to do each day with no time pressure. If I wanted to sightsee I did, and if I wanted to follow any of my interests like cooking, hiking, or cave diving, I did. If I wanted a day off from my holiday, I would simply lounge about my accommodation, chatting with fellow travellers and making new friends. I made a conscious decision not to think about working at all, not until I stepped foot back in Melbourne...and only then a month later after the Melbourne Food and Wine festival was over...mission accomplished!

Your trip covered many different destinations and cultures. What were some of the cultural lessons you learned while travelling?

I learned a lot more about the history of the places I visited, rather than specific cultural lessons. I really began to understand 'whoever wins the war, writes the history'...especially with Australia's British influences in our schools, and tabloids not focusing on this part of the world, so I had a lot of catching up to do.

Although I loved all of the countries I visited in South America, the two that stood out for me were the two I least expected to: Chile and Mexico. The other countries were fantastic holiday destinations, especially Bolivia and Colombia, where I felt completely safe and could have spent much more time chilling out with the locals. I only intended to spend about 2 weeks in Chile but left 3 months later, speaking pretty good Spanish for a beginner. Chile is incredibly diverse in its natural environments, immigration history, and culture. My time there triggered my yearning to explore the history of the continent, the influences on the land, the people, and the political history, with all its complexity. Now, Mexico just made my heart bloom! My only goal for Mexico was to complete the highest level of my cave diving training, in one of the most famous and spectacular cave diving regions in the world. But Mexico grew on me. I went from indignation towards the cartels and the blatant corruption, to seeing the warmth and pride of an accommodating folk. The strong sense of identity and expression moved me. It is truly an amazing place and one I would easily spend a lot more time in. I guess the big cultural difference for me as a single female traveller, were people's reactions to me and utter amazement that I was travelling alone and for so long 'without a man' - for the umpteenth time! The further north I headed, the more the women would giggle at the thought. Generally, I found people to be curious, kind and protective towards me.

Cave diving in Mexico

The Italian influence in Argentina was evident, and I couldn't walk down the street without some guy cat hissing at me...a bit disconcerting at first but you get used to it...it's meant to be appealing...yep.

Chilean men and women are amusing...criticising each other constantly. I was intrigued to learn that many Chileans simply don't marry, preferring de facto relationships...and this is apparent in marriage trends dating back a good 50 years. It was here that I felt the strong German and British influence...whilst walking to school each day I'd see people cleaning their windows and footpaths, I could buy kuchen (cake) at the bakery, and listen to German-influenced music!

Bolivians seemed to be really nice and gentle. This country is a real gem in the heart of the continent. Although I had seen a great difference in the economic diversity in the countries visited so far, it seemed that no matter how poor, the Bolivians had a solid house. I really admire their stone masonry and couldn't help but think if I were Bolivian, I'd be using this to my advantage; in my mind they are the builders of the continent.

Colombians were amongst the most welcoming people I met and keen to encourage safe tourism.

Then the peace of Mexico....in fact all the attention I had been getting in South America stopped dead when I got here. It took a few days to register this, and much to my joy I started to observe family and friends walking down the road, simply digging each other...fabulous and refreshing. Just like the food!

Across all the countries I could see a great depth in communication and thought, with many notable Nobel Prize Winners for Literature. Music and dancing were integral to the cultures of each country.

Where's your favourite place in the world?

I guess being a Melbourne girl, I'm in a pretty peachy position to be born in such a great city with so many offerings at my doorstep. There are numerous places I could mention that I love here but I think I'm going to have to start a new blog to do just that! Off the top of my head, the Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens are stunning and I spend a lot of time there. Right down south of my state (and the country) is Wilsons Promontory...it is beautiful on so many levels and the place that our locals love to get to.

In the end I am intrigued by the world, and I don't really spend my time trying to contemplate or compare which place is better than the next. Each place I have ever been to has been beautiful in its own way. I'm a strong believer that you can find beauty if you simply look and see. When a local shows you something that they are proud of then there is a reason for it, and it's my job to respect this and understand why. That they actually took the time and interest to show me, is something I cherish and enjoy giving back.

Naomi has a King Crab thrown at her in Chiloe, Chile

Your blog entries include many beautiful (and delicious!) photos, what is it you love about travel photography?

Photos can express so much. If I manage to capture what I am experiencing at that moment, then I can't help but be pretty pleased with myself. I'm more of a snap shot taker than a photographer. It's an obsession really..I'm like a kid in a lolly shop sometimes, taking one of those, and those, and ooh yeah..that one too. Admittedly, I have far too many photos of the same thing but I also had a lot of fun taking those shots. Using Travellerspoint to write my blog and publish photos, provided me a forum to experiment with both writing and photography for the first time. It has been inspiring for me to see the perspectives and skill that other users have, and my style and interest in photography has developed in the course of the year. It has been really encouraging and welcoming to receive feedback from fellow TP members, and I feel like I have blossomed as the year has progressed.

My food shots really took off for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I have a food obsession (including cooking my way through each country as well as adding to my already mammoth cookbook collection, as I went). Secondly, it was easier taking photos of the recipes than writing it all down in a language I was just becoming accustomed to. Food is great. I'll try anything, and on my trip I was fortunate enough to sample the most amazing fresh produce..how could I not take a photo of it?

Delving into Spanish cuisine in Barcelona

Something that I thoroughly enjoy when travelling is really seeing what is going on around me. So many of us get busy in our lives forgetting to take a moment. When I'm walking through a city, I might stop for a second and stare at the buildings around me...after the initial impression of the magnificent architecture, I start to see the detail that someone put a lot of thought into when creating the building, and it's the sum of all these parts that led to the overall beauty...before I knew it, I found myself, capturing these moments. Now that I'm back, I'm planning to take a professional course with the aim of getting to know my new camera and improve the quality of my shots.

Do you have any tips for travellers contemplating a RTW trip?

This really boils down to the individual trip the person is taking. Anybody is welcome to write me a message if they have specific questions about places I visited.

My concerns were around safety and finances mostly. I'd heard many a horror story and even seen a documentary or two but in hindsight, these came from people who hadn't actually been to the places where I was going. Having said that, I arranged a travel card, so that if it was stolen or I was kidnapped that my main finances weren't going to be hit. Further, I updated my Will..a bit of a sombre topic for some but I gained a lot of peace doing this. After all, I didn't expect anything to happen but I knew that everything I wanted had been clearly regulated if something did. Of course I had travel insurance. Mostly I found, like I do in life, that respect goes a long way. If you are genuine, ready to learn, and listen, and especially treat people as you would hope they do you, then you'll find that they are usually wonderful, welcoming and caring. I have found this everywhere I have been in the world.

Give yourself time to go with the flow. Nothing really works out as planned but as it should be. The rest you learn as you go. So, just do it!

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Check out these recent interviews in the Talking Travel series:

• Talking Travel with Matt Watson (Watson5)
• Talking Travel with Glynn Hammond (nzhamsta)
• Talking Travel with Rebecca Barnshaw (bex76)
• Talking Travel with Mike Riley (vegasmike6)
• Talking Travel with Margaret Metcalfe (margaretm)

In this month's Talking Travel series we chat to Matt Watson of the adventurous Watson5. Over 86 days, 4100km, 8 towns, 15 "homes", and 500L of bottled water, Matt toured Turkey's ruins (and ice cream parlours) with his wife and young children - aged 5, 3, and 18 months! The family's blog of the three month journey continues to attract visitors interested in their balance of cultural travel and child-friendly holiday.

The Watson family waiting for a dolmus in Cesme

Tell us about your trip and what led to the decision to take your family to Turkey.

The opportunity to travel occurred after I sold my business. My wife and I decided it would be great to make the most of the time off work and take the kids away to show them what a wonderful and diverse world we live in. The destination we picked was Turkey as it had everything we were looking for: magnificent landscape, incredible history, and a culture which is very family orientated and child friendly.

Initially some friends doubted that the trip was a good idea. Looking back, is there anything you would change? What do you think your family gained from the experience?

We had a mixed response from family and friends when we told them of our plans, it was either one of great excitement or utter horror - no in-between.
The trip was quite well planned 'though we didn't book anything outside of the first few weeks. We wanted freedom to travel about without having a fixed itinerary and this worked well. There's not much I would change, some things got the better of us but that's life when you're travelling whether you have kids or not. I wouldn't take a car seat for Bella if we did it again, as it proved cumbersome to carry around along with luggage and 3 children.
As far as what the kids got from the trip, they amazed me with their resilience to long haul flights and lengthy bus trips. The opportunity to try new foods, culture, religion, and language they all adapted to and accepted. Their interest in the mosques and ruins surprised me. A year later they still count to 10 in Turkish, recreate cave houses of Urgup at home playing, talk often about camel rides, hot air ballooning, scorpions, and the friends they made.

Making new friends in Istanbul

You left well prepared yet travelled lightly - what are your tips for travelling with kids?

My tip for travelling with small children is "keep it simple". We had to mix sightseeing and day trips with down time. At their age they can't go on day after day so with being away for 3 months we spent longer periods in towns taking our time. We also made things fun. Visits to mosques and ruins were balanced out with ice creams in the parks or a swim in a pool. Where possible we stuck to their usual routines in terms of the times we ate and bedtime. As long as kids feel safe and loved they will be fine.

The kids enjoy a Roman bath in Selcuk

You documented the whole trip with a popular and entertaining blog. What advice do you have for other travel bloggers wanting to share their experiences?

The blog through Travellerspoint was fantastic. We were able to connect with all our family and friends at once. It was great for posting our photos and sharing our stories with everyone back home. We ended up having over 12,000 views so we had a few others checking out our trip also.

Where's next for the Watson five?

As for what's next, I recently published my book on our trip. It's called "Hot Sun and Scorpions" and is available on Amazon Kindle or through [self-publishing company] The Copy Press. It's a humorous take on what life is like on the road with a 5, 3 and 18 month old!
As for the next trip, well that's booked. We head off on the 7th May for Vietnam and Cambodia. This time for 2 months. I'm really looking forward to taking the family away again, especially with the kids being a bit older - Holly is 7, Toby 5, and Bella 3. It will be a bit easier not having to worry about nappies, baby formula, and finding cots for Bella.
We will be using Travellerspoint to start another blog to document our travels again - so stay tuned!

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Check out these recent interviews in the Talking Travel series:

• Talking Travel with Glynn Hammond (nzhamsta)
• Talking Travel with Rebecca Barnshaw (bex76)
• Talking Travel with Mike Riley (vegasmike6)
• Talking Travel with Margaret Metcalfe (margaretm)
• Talking Travel with Tammi Jonas (tammois)

In this month's Talking Travel series, we chatted to regular TP contributor Glynn Hammond (aka nzhamsta). A prolific traveller and blogger, he has mapped over 40 trips and shared more than 2000 photos. Glynn is an avid believer in making the most of travel opportunities, having spent his life balancing work with long trips overseas, and takes his inspiration from the Mark Twain quote: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Glynn with the Great Sphinx

Most recently you spent four months travelling through Europe and the Middle East both on organised trips and also on your own. What do you like about organised travel and what do you like about making your own plans?

I like to use organised travel for places that are less “easy” to travel around independently. Some of the Middle East falls into the “easy” category (Dubai, Oman (wonderful place by the way), Egypt), whereas in other places it falls into the “less easy” (on this trip, Syria). The use of an organised tour can eliminate all the headaches regarding transport, accommodation, arranging guides and so on. The downside is that you are with a group and that does not suit those people who do not like being herded, having to be ready by a certain time or be left behind, group meals and so on. The make up of the group is also very important.

The trip went to all the places I wanted to go (with the exception of the Western Desert oases) and was well organised with a decent standard of transport, accommodation (notwithstanding Egyptian plumbing), guides and food.

With regard to the balance of the trip, I had spent many years in the UK and so had travelled to Europe several times. This trip therefore cherry-picked several places that I had not gone to before (Athens, Verona, Split, Krakow and so on). I spent a lot of time planning, booking early to get the best deals on flights and trains, hotels etc. Being the type of person I am, I do like to have things organised in advance. I came to grief many years ago when I did not have bookings and thus could not find anywhere to stay when I arrived late in the evening and I had to crash out on a relative’s floor. Not appreciated by anyone. So I suppose you could call the first section and final section of my 2011 trip an “organised tour”, but organised by me for me that suited my interests.

A felucca on the Nile, Egypt

Planning things for yourself allows you to choose where you want to go, the type of accommodation you like (a nice hotel in some places, hostels in others) and so on. However, if something goes wrong, then it is up to you to fix it. You cannot call a travel agent or tour company to complain and get them to fix things. Luckily, all my bookings were honoured and everything worked fine.

Was there anything you wished you had seen?

I would have liked to have spent more time in Poland and Germany as there is a fair amount of history and culture (and excellent beer!) in both places. However, given that I had a fixed itinerary, changing it would have been both time consuming and costly. But having missed out this time, both places go back onto my list for next time.

Your motto on your TP profile reads "Life needs adventure…". What has been your most memorable adventure?

I define adventure as being anything not ordinary. Thus a weekend away in Sydney and Canberra meets the definition (although a lot of people in Australia would hesitate to define Canberra as adventurous!). The definition also can be used for elephant trekking through the Thai jungles, cruising down the Rhine looking at castles and crossing Canada on a train.

Best adventure so far... travelling through the old Soviet Union back before a certain wall fell over.

Where's the best place you've visited so far?

You cannot beat Angkor Wat at dawn, sitting in front of the main temple with the mug of hot coffee so thoughtfully provided by the chair rental people, watching the sun come up from behind the temple. Also, sitting in a cafe watching the chaotic traffic in Hanoi, walking along the Great Wall of China, slobbed out on the beach at Phuket, and sitting by the Rhine on a beautiful summer’s evening with a large stein of excellent beer also rate highly.

Angkor Wat

What do you like about TP?

I found TP by mistake. I was looking for some information about something and a blog was listed on the Google search results. I then rummaged around the site and thought that this would be a great way to record my travels. I did have my own site but was concerned about how I was going to update it. I would need photo editing software, web design software all loaded on my laptop. I tested TP with my Fiji trip, liked what it did and so decided to start using it properly. I have since taken down my old site, saving myself $10 per month hosting fees.

I like the way it does everything that one would need to record one’s travels. It looks after the photos, creates decent maps (how are my enhancement requests coming along guys?), is easy to tweak the layout, colours etc. The organisers answer your queries and solve issues promptly. I have yet to use the accommodation booking part of the site yet. It is also great to read what other people are doing, where they are going and what they think of the places they go to.

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Check out these recent interviews in the Talking Travel series:

• Talking Travel with Rebecca Barnshaw (bex76)
• Talking Travel with Mike Riley (vegasmike6)
• Talking Travel with Margaret Metcalfe (margaretm)
• Talking Travel with Tammi Jonas (tammois)
• Talking Travel with Bill Lehane

In this month's Talking Travel series, we chat to long-term TP member and avid traveller Rebecca Barnshaw (aka bex76). She loves travel, photography, snorkelling, film, reading, swimming and football (watching not playing!).

Rebecca at the top of Table Mountain

You're a Mancunian living in New Zealand – how did you make the switch and which hemisphere do you like better?

I initially went over on a one year visa as a backpacker in 2005, but met a Kiwi guy and ended up staying longer than expected! I’m actually in the process of moving back to Manchester, mainly to be closer to family but also because I miss the travelling opportunities that living in the UK brings. The lifestyle in New Zealand is great and on the whole I have loved living there, but it’s not the best place to be based if you want to travel regularly. I’ve enjoyed travelling in NZ, Oz and three of the Pacific Islands (The Cook Islands, Fiji and Samoa) and I’m now looking forward to exploring lots more of Europe, in particular the former Yugoslavian countries which I think sound fascinating. I love that within a couple of hours I could be somewhere which is culturally and linguistically different, something which isn’t possible from NZ!

Skydiving in NZ

You recently went to The Cook Islands – what are you must-see and dos there?

Rarotonga is the main island and offers some fantastic snorkeling, right off the beach. It’s possible to explore the pretty interior by 4x4 jeep, and the island also has some excellent restaurants. Aitutaki is a beautiful island and can be visited on a day trip from Rarotonga. The Cooks are a great place just got get away and relax for a few days, especially during the NZ winter which is what plenty of Kiwis do.

What do you love about travelling and what kind of traveller are you?

I love experiencing and learning about new cultures, seeing how people live and meeting people from all over the world, both locals and fellow travellers. I’m fascinated by the varied history of everywhere I go and whenever I’ve been somewhere I’m always inspired to read more about that country, so I love the fact that I learn a lot from my travels too. I try to support the local community wherever possible, so I’d rather stay in a small and friendly family-run guesthouse than a large, multi-national five-star hotel chain, not that I can afford that anyway! I generally like to pack in as much as possible when travelling – I’ll save my relaxing for weekends at home. While I think flexibility is important on any trip, I do love the planning as for me that’s a big part of the fun; reading and researching a place gets me even more excited about going!

You've been a TP member since early '04 – what do you love about the site?

I like the friendliness and sense of community that TP has always had, something which I feel few other forum websites have. I feel as if I know a lot of the regulars even though there is only one I have ever met; hopefully I’ll be able to meet more TPers in person one day. I think both novices and experienced travellers alike feel comfortable posting on the site, because the reaction from others is almost always positive and helpful. It’s a pleasant and user-friendly site to use and navigate around which always helps. TP also offers lots more as well as the forums such as photo storage, accommodation bookings and blogs so it’s almost a one-stop place for all travel needs.

Rebecca at Iguacu Falls

Where's next?

Of course I have to do some travelling before I settle down in Manchester and get back to reality and job hunting! So my partner and I are going to spend a few weeks travelling in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal from mid December. I’m really excited because although I’ve travelled extensively in other parts of Asia it will be my first time in the Indian Subcontinent. Sri Lanka in particular really appeals to me as it’s still relatively unspoilt and looks beautiful. I’ve wanted to go to Nepal but for a time it wasn’t stable, so it’s taken me a long time to get round to going there. India I’m sure will be fascinating, and I’m very much looking forward to the amazing photo opportunities that I think it will offer. I’m considering spending a few days in the Maldives before Sri Lanka too – I think it would be rude not wouldn’t it, seeing as they are so close to Sri Lanka?!

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Check out these recent interviews in the Talking Travel series:

• Talking Travel with Mike Riley (vegasmike6)
• Talking Travel with Margaret Metcalfe (margaretm)
• Talking Travel with Tammi Jonas (tammois)
• Talking Travel with Bill Lehane
• Talking Travel with Inspiring Travellers (JohnAndrea)