Tag Archive for interview

Interview with my dear Lola DiMarco of Lola’s Travels

August 13, 2012 interview, travel, USA 6 comments
Alex and Lola at Cape Cod enjoying the pool

Meeting up with this crazy and funny girl Lola was a destiny I believe! I went to visit Boston when I was in the US and just broke up with my boyfriend so spending time with Lola there was my Independence Day from my ex boyfriend.  We got along so well that then we spent some time in Cape Cod too. Until the end of this year we will reunite again, first in Spain in September and later in some more places. 🙂 I just love this girl!

Alex and Lola at Cape Cod enjoying the pool

Alex and Lola at Cape Cod enjoying the pool

 

Find out more about my lovely friend Lola via her answers:

1. Who are you? Tell us something about you.

I’m Lauren DiMarco but my travel persona is Lola.  The name of my travel blog is Lola’s Travels – where in the world is lola? I’m a gal from the United States – Texas to be specific, but I’m a wanderer at heart and love traveling the world. With my blog, Lola’s Travels, I relay “fun tips for quick trips” in a playful yet informative way. My stories are about what I see, do and learn to encourage people to travel even if only for a short trip and what to do to get the most out of your time away.

 

2. What is your favorite place, city and country and why? (All three of them)

My favorite place I’ve found so far is St. Barts, a beautiful French island in the Caribbean. I love St. Barts because I’m an island girl, love the sun and especially love the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean sea.

My favorite city would have to be Paris. I love its architecture, food, fashion – everything about Paris is like eye candy for me. It’s been a while since I’ve visited but I’ll be returning in late November and I hope Paris doesn’t disappoint.
AND my favorite country I’ve visited would have to be France. Can you notice a theme?? French island, Paris & France! I just adore all things french and the french lifestyle. It suits me…I AM Lola after all!!

 

cute sassy Lola with boa as usual

 

3. If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would it be and why?

I should probably say a far-flung destination that I’ve never been to but, if I’m being honest, it would be St. Barts. It is my happy place. If I had to pick where I would spend the rest of my life at this very moment, it would be here.

 

4. What do you love the most about your home country?

I love that I have the freedom to BE and DO anything!

 

5. How travel changes you?

Traveling makes me realize more clearly how similar we all are in our basic needs in the world. It blurs borders & religions for me. It has made me feel more like a citizen of humankind. I love seeing and doing new things but my passion is with people. We all have something special to offer and my wish would be to meet as many lovely people around the world as possible.

Thank you so much my dear friend for this interview! Cannot wait to see you again soon in Spain 🙂 Miss you lots!
Love,
Alex

Interview with Monette Fernandez of Flip Travels

August 9, 2012 interview, Philippines, tips, travel 2 comments
me with Monette and Marky at Captain Morgan Party in Manila 2011

I met this nice and beautiful girl Monette at Captain Morgan Party in Manila in November in 2011. It was sooo much fun! She is really sweet so I am sure next time when I am in SE Asia we will meet again 🙂

me with Monette and Marky at Captain Morgan Party in Manila 2011

me with Monette and Marky at Captain Morgan Party in Manila 2011

 

Find out more about Monette via her answers:

1. Who are you? Tell us something about you.

My name is Monette Fernandez. I work as a senior training manager for a third-party healthcare provider in the Philippines. I have been travelling for over five years and have been blogging with my travel partner, Ron Cruz, for over four years at Flip Travels. On regular days, I am a homebody. I enjoy ordinary bus rides to and from the office to save money for my trips. I am fuelled with caffeine, I devour books, and I breathe music. I do not know how to swim but love to go to beaches. As much as I enjoy traveling with Ron, my friends, and my significant other (together or separately), I am most blissful when traveling alone. Oh, and I hate frogs…

 

2. What is your favorite place, city and country and why? (All three of them)

My favourite place is by the beach. I’m not sure why as I don’t know how to swim… I just know that it gives me so much peace to sit, stare, and imagine what is over the great beyond. Or it just might be the beer… lol!

I love to stay in so many cities, but my ultimate choice has got to be Luang Prabang. I love its people’s almost whisper-like footsteps in the morning. I crave for its baguettes and brewed coffee sold on streets. I miss how this city warps time to make the hours passing really slowly, or stretches time to make the hours last longer. This place could lift me in its arms and cradle me to sleep.
My favorite country is Indonesia. I’ve never felt so close to one culture as this place. I feel comfortable moving along its streets and mingling with its people. I love how its food imitates my craving for home. I can feel its art as I trace my hands along its amazing islands. I can’t wait to go back there!

Monette in Muine Vietnam

3. If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would it be and why?

Switzerland for the Alps, chocolates, and cheese. Oh! And there is a guy who lives there who stole my heart and hid it somewhere in his basement… 

 

4. What do you love the most about your home country?

I especially like the fact that my family and friends, at least most of them, live in the Philippines. I don’t feel powerless. Also, I like how people get to squeeze in mall-ing, three-hour coffee breaks, and drinking during a work week!

 

5. How travel changes you?

Travel changed me profoundly in such a way that I always come out of every trip being better version of myself. There are always new things to discover, especially culture. I know now that people from different countries are no different from me. The more I meet people, the smaller my world becomes that I can practically wrap around my arms around the world.

 

Monette, you got me with Switzerland and their chocolate and cheese, I cannot get enough of them either 😀 Thanks for the interview!

 

Love,

Alex

 

Interview with Ron Cruz of FlipTravels

August 2, 2012 interview, Philippines, Singapore No comments
me with Ron at Singapore airport

After I walked around Singapore for 2 days and enjoyed night photography in there, on my way to Hong Kong I met Ron at Singapore airport for a coffee and a chat. We missed each other in the Philippines where I went after, so I guess next time 🙂

 

me with Ron at Singapore airport

me with Ron at Singapore airport

 

Hope you enjoy to get to know Ron better below:

 

1. Who are you? Tell us something about you.

I have lived in different corners of the world, but I still call the Philippines my home. Currently living in Singapore, I am an artist who has trained as a nurse, and currently works as an investigator.

I am the traveler and story teller of FLIPTRAVELS.COM, where you can read my escapades (naugthy and otherwise). I am recently joined the cast of the first reality travel web series in the Philippines, PHL360.com.

 

2. What is your favorite place, city and country and why? (all three of them)

place – My favorite place to date is that small corner on the bank of Mekong River in Luang Prabang. It’s so peaceful I forgot the whole world was moving. A place I will always want to visit over and over again to do nothing but drink a bottle of ice-cold beer.

city – I’m not really a city person, contrary to the fact that I live in one, which is the bustling metropolis of Singapore. But my favorite is the long abandoned city that was the glorious Angkor, the first densely populated city in history. I fell in love when I first saw it. The sight of the gopura behind the trees, almost made me drool. I swear, I heard a choir of angels singing symphony #9.
country – I love my home country, the Philippines. There’s so much to see and the 7,107 islands will never get short of things to see and experience, not to mention the colorful and welcoming people that will make you want to stay longer.

 

3. If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would it be and why?

Morocco. I have never been there but it has been sitting in my bucket list for the longest time. I vividly dream of the Medina and I swear I can smell the myriads of street food grilling and brewing that it made me want to stay asleep until I get the time and money to fly there.

 

4. What do you love the most about your home country?

I love my home country, the Philippines. It’s amazing how a plethora of colors, cultures and anthropological textures co-exist under one flag. The flavors, sights and sounds can excite the most jaded senses.

 

5. How travel changes you?

I realized that traveling is more than just posting the pictures in Facebook and telling the whole world that you’ve been there. It’s a dynamic learning experience. The world is a beautiful creation, a gift from Someone and we shouldn’t miss it. Our planet is a book, and we can only flip its pages if we travel.

 

Was nice meeting you Ron and I enjoyed your answers. Thanks again!

 

Love,

Alex

Interview with cool Monika Molnarova I met in Bangkok

July 30, 2012 Cambodia, Europe, interview, Slovakia, Thailand 2 comments
me and Monika in flooded Siem Reap

I used Couchsurfing when I visited Bangkok for the first time in October 2011 and surprisingly found 2 Czech girls and 1 Slovak girl in there. We soon became friends, especially with the Slovak girl Monika. After exploring Bangkok with her for a few days and having fun in a rooftop swimming pool with the view of whole Bangkok (for free), we took our adventure to the next level and went to explore Cambodia and a bit of Siem Reap and breath-taking Angkor Wat. It was a lot of fun with the area flooded. Just check out our photo together in Siem Reap when trying to find our hotel Mandalay Inn 😀

 

me and Monika in flooded Siem Reap

me and Monika in flooded Siem Reap

 

Afterwards, we reunited with Monika in Thailand again and then in Slovakia and we are very good travel buddies so I am sure more trips together will come soon 🙂

 

Find out more about this funny girl:

 

1. Who are you? Tell us something about you.

Cool chic with diverse background, lived in 5 different countries for past 6 years. I love traveling and getting to know new people.

 

2. What is your favorite place, city and country and why? (all three of them)

 

My most favorite would be Mexico where I spent a year during my studies, loved the people, food and culture (*another thing we have in common with Monika and our favorite country Mexico).

My favorite city would be my hometown Bratislava ’cause I know it so well and have my family and friends based there. 

Then it’d be NYC a place I felt in love with immediately. 
Favorite country Italy ’cause the Italians are so gooood looking and they make amazing pasta LOL
My another favorite one is Monte-Carlo despite its glamour I know some nice places there and I still have some friends left from my studies.

Monika Molnarova

Monika

 

3. If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would it be and why?

Caribbean or French Polynesia but I have it on my list for honeymoon destination but if I could have a chance to get on a plane … I’ll go to NYC for some shopping or to Mexico to visit my friends.

 

4. What do you love the most about your home country?

Food, atmosphere, our passion for hockey and hospitality.

 

5. How travel changes you?

I became more open-minded, don’t judge people based on the 1st sight..maybe on the 2nd hahahaha.

 

Thank you, Monika for the answers. Will definitely see you again soon, I think in Bratislava for some party 🙂

Love,

Alex

Interview with Journeying James I met in the Philippines

July 26, 2012 interview, Philippines 9 comments
smoothie time - me and James

When I was in the Philippines in November 2011, I met this cool guy James – pretty famous one in the Philippines. He runs a travel blog Journeying James. He showed me and my friend Mica a lot more of Manila than we knew before – Chinatown and Intramuros. It was a day of lots of food. And if you know me, you should know that where is food, I love it 🙂 And we also went to the beach to Lingayen, again my thing! 🙂

smoothie time - me and James

smoothie time - me and James

James is one of those travelers showing us that you can definitely do it on a budget and that you should explore your home country first because it is beautiful!

 

I hope you enjoy interview with James:

 

1. Who are you? Tell us something about you.

I’m JourneyingJames, a backpacker and adventurer based in the Philippines. I write about dirt cheap travels in hope to inspire my fellow countrymen to explore our magnificent country. Recently, I traveled the whole Philippines for 100 days, non-stop and spent less than 1,000 euros all-in. I’m writing the book now and hopefully be published by the end of the year.

 

2. What is your favorite place, city and country and why? (all three of them)

I’m in love with El Nido, Palawan. I love pristine white beaches and spectacular marine creatures in it. I also like Puerto Princesa City because its a chill-type city, tropical, cheap foods and kind locals. Country? Of course, I love my own. But I’m fascinated with any country in Eastern Europe, I don’t know why.

Journeying James

Journeying James

 

3. If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would it be and why?

France, baby. I want to experience the Parisian life (hahahaha), to kiss the love of my love on top of the Eiffel Tower, to walk along its roads and just enjoy the sights, to drink coffee in a coffee shop, have wine and cheese. Someday, someday…

 

4. What do you love the most about your home country?

I love the weather, yes its humid but I just love summer and the beach. Ultimately, I love the genuine hospitality of the Filipinos. Everyone here smiles at you.

 

5. How travel changes you?

Travel teaches me to focus on the essentials. During long-term travel where everything you need is in your backpack, you get to learn that things don’t define a person, relationships and character do. You get to trust total strangers, you begin to find good in everyone’s heart, you begin to be awed by the simplicity of other’s life, you begin to value the intangible. Travel changed me in how I view success and richness. Nowadays, man pride himself with the money he has, the car he drives and his job and his house. But strip all those and what do you get? I have seen people without those, but when you talk to them, their wisdom, their kindness, their heart, those are their success, their richness.

 

Thank you James for this interview! You gave me goose bumps with your 5. answer! Miss you! All the best with your book 😉

Love,

Alex

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