Interviews Archive
Midnight In Rome: Book Review and Interview with Michael Gyulai
At 22, Michael Gyulai graduated from college and moved to Rome with a simple goal: "To really live there. To understand the place like a local." Midnight in Rome, a memoir about the time he spent in Rome, is an engaging exploration of just how difficult it can be for travellers to immerse themselves in a foreign culture.
Going Solo: Interview with Debby
Debby has travelled up and down Europe, Vietnam and Alaska on her own, and she's visited Australia, New Zealand and Iceland with friends and family. Most recently, Debby circumnavigated the Baltic Sea for a little over two weeks, squeezing in visits to seven capital cities.
Debby now blogs about her travel experiences on Beth Whitman's Wanderlust and Lipstick, a site dedicated to encouraging solo women travellers.
I caught up with her to talk about her recent trip to the Baltics and her perspective on travelling solo.
Tuna Fish Ice Cream: Interview with Phil Goldman
When Phil Goldman turned 30, he hit the road armed with a credo: Taste the tuna fish ice cream.
As he travelled throughout Asia, Phil worked a diverse range of jobs - from playing jungle guide in Thailand, to posing as a nude model. Why? To taste the tuna fish ice cream of course!
TravelBlogs caught up with Phil to learn what this fuss about tuna fish ice cream is all about.
Modern Day Nomad: Interview with Nomadic Matt
It all started after a short trip to Thailand in 2005. Returning to his native Boston, Matt knew he wasn't content settling for short holidays. So he set out to travel the world for 537 days straight.
Matt's back in Boston now, but not for long. He's planning to head off on another long-term adventure, travelling through Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
In the meantime, he took a bit of time to tell TravelBlogs about how his love for travel was born, his experience returning home and life as a nomad.
Brooke Versus the World: Interview with Brooke
At the start of this year, Brooke and her boyfriend Brian had it all planned: a long-term round-the-world trip.
But when Brian was offered a too-good-to-resist job in New York, Brooke decided to head off on her own. She flew into Poland in March, made her way through the Ukraine, and is now in Kyrgyzstan learning Russian.
I caught up Brooke to learn more about her experiences in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as a solo traveller.
Baby on Board: Interview with Alice Smudge
Ever dreamed of living life on the road?
Meet the Family Smudge: Scott and Alice, 1-year old Isabella, and Milla, the family dog. Earlier this year, Scott quit his full-time job, and they sold their house, scaling down their belongings to live in a camper. Three months later, the Family Smudge hit the road, setting out from their home in England on a long-term road trip around Europe. This isn't just a family holiday: this is a complete change of lifestyle.
In this interview, TravelBlogs talks to Alice about their decision to pack up, live in a camper, and travel around Europe.
Travel and Volunteer Differently: Interview with Anna Etmanska
Anna Etmanska likes to do things a bit differently. While most of the world is off prefers such tried-and-true destinations as France, Italy or Thailand, Anna opts to spend her days in off-the-beaten track locations - like Bahrain, or far-north Sweden. And while many people are signing up for ready-made volunteer packages sold by voluntourism agencies, Anna likes to get out there and organise her own volunteer work.
In this interview, Anna talks about volunteering, writing, and her inspiration to travel.
Road Trip from New Zealand to New York: Interview with Steve Shoppman
From New Zealand to New York in two Toyota 4×4s. That's exactly what Steve Shoppman, his friend Steve Bouey, and a changing crew of extras are attempting, living out their dreams while raising awareness of the world's diversity.
After setting out from Auckland in February 2007, Steve, Steve and the rest of the crew made their way through Australia, Asia and far north Europe before turning south and driving through Europe into Africa.
TravelBlogs caught up with Steve via email while they were in the Congo.
Honeymoon Bike Ride, from Europe to Asia: Interview with Wim and Amy Meeussen
A butt-wrenching bike ride from humble Belgium, southeast across Europe and Asia, finally ending up in China… How's that for a romantic honeymoon?
Amy and Wim are an American-Belgian couple who decided to go all out for their honeymoon. Since August 2007, they have been riding their bikes across Europe and Asia. So far, they have cycled some 8,700 kilometres, but there's more to come as they ride the final stretch from Laos to China.
In this interview, which was cross-posted on Travellerspoint, Amy talks about why the inspiration behind their epic bike ride and the experiences they've had on the road.
Volunteer Work in Ghana: Interview with Brian Hermon
How valuable are volunteer experiences? And who do they benefit the most: the volunteer or the community being served?
Brian Hermon has done his fair share of volunteering, from an early two-week experience in Costa Rica to longer-term projects in Tanzania, Vietnam, and now Ghana.
In this interview with TravelBlogs, Brian talks about the impact volunteering has had on his life, the work he is doing in Ghana, and some of the difficulties of life in Africa.
