a new series in which i interview bloggers about their travel and their aspirations. i hope you enjoy reading what my fellow nomads are up to!
today’s blogger is ally, from go, seek, explore.
tell us about yourself! how did you get started traveling?
My name is Ally and I write at GoSeekExplore.com, where I help millennials create a work + travel lifestyle. My first overseas experience was at the age of 19 when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy for six weeks – my family would take vacations in the US, but we had never ventured outside of our country…which is typical for many Americans.
Needless to say I caught the travel bug after that, so I returned to Italy for six months after graduation to work as a Travel Guide for a company that has weekend trips for study abroad students. I got a TON of valuable work experience, learned a lot, made some great friends, and got to travel to 11 countries in Europe. All of the travel was paid for because we were running the trips, so I was literally getting paid to travel. I never could have afforded to travel around Europe for six months alone, but working made it possible. I wrote about it here if you’re interested in learning more.
Since I’ve returned to Europe and Asia to work at international education conferences, which have been so much fun and added a lot to my travel experiences. Basically, I’m addicted to traveling, and living a work + travel lifestyle has made my travel goals attainable. 🙂
what is your favourite destination, and why?
This one is so hard! I loved the French Riviera. It’s seriously one of the most beautiful places in the world. Looking out at the Mediterranean as you drive along the coast is breathtaking.
I also love Munich, Germany because I had the best time at Oktoberfest. Seriously – GO TO OKTOBERFEST. I didn’t even like beer at the time. But IT WAS SO MUCH FUN.
Shanghai, China was another cool city and I wish I had more than a few days there. Xiao long bao (hot soup dumpings) is some of the most delicious food you’ll try.
And I’ll always have a spot in my heart for Italy, Washington, DC and Southern California.
The more I travel, the more I can’t narrow down my favorite destination! I’m sure other travelers feel the same…
what is your ultimate travel destination? have you been there, or do you have plans to go there anytime soon?
My top three are: Iceland, South Africa, and Australia. If my summer plans work out (I’ll find out in a few months), I’ll be able to get to Iceland and maybe South Africa. And I’m just dying to get to Australia. I’ve only heard amazing things and all the Australians I know are really cool people. I’m thinking I’ll get to Australia between November – January…we’ll see!
what is the craziest travel-related thing you have ever done?
Anything that happened in our apartment in Florence when I was working there. Probably best to not share these stories publicly, hahah 🙂
do you prefer to travel solo, or with someone? why?
I like both! I’ve only solo traveled once, to Paris for a few days, and I liked the freedom that came with doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. But I like traveling with friends because you have more of a shared experience. It depends on the trip.
If anyone is thinking about solo traveling, or really wants to travel but has no one to go with, I highly encourage them to do it. The older you get it’s almost impossible to align schedules with friends or family, and if you wait for everyone’s timing to work out, you’ll probably be waiting forever. Just do it! If you end up hating it (though I doubt you will), then you never have to solo travel again.
if you travel with friends, do you think your friendship is stronger for that reason?
Yeah! You get to know each other better because you’re literally living with the person, and often sharing a hostel or hotel room with them. You also learn each others ticks which definitely come out when traveling or in tough situations. I’ve had a really fun time traveling with friends and the memories are always fun to look back on!
what’s on your travel agenda for this year?
In terms of travel, I’m crossing my fingers that the Iceland, South Africa, and Australia plan will work out!
In terms of personally, I’m creating an online course for millennials who want to live a work + travel lifestyle. Currently, my intro (and free) email course about the topic about working abroad is live! If I’m not currently traveling on a big trip, then writing and talking about traveling will suffice in the meantime 🙂
you can follow ally on facebook, twitter, instagram, and pinterest. thanks for sharing, ally!
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