75 Questions Every Traveller Should Answer

I’m going to keep things short and sweet because we have a lot of questions to get to! Read on for 75 questions every traveller should answer. I’ve left my answers below but would love to hear yours!

What’s your favourite place so far?

This is one of the toughest questions every traveller should answer. How do you pick just one? I always say that London is my favourite city in the world but I also love Pender Harbour, our annual family vacation spot.

If you could swim with dolphins or go shark diving, which would you pick?

I’ve actually done both! I did a dolphin encounter at Atlantis in the Bahamas and went shark cave diving in Durban, South Africa. But both were in enclosed spaces with animals in partial-captivity. If I get the chance to do it in the wild, I’ll pick the dolphins!

What place is top of your bucket list?

New Zealand! Or maybe India 🙂

What can’t you travel without?

I hate to say it, but probably my phone or something to take pictures with. But I would love to travel to a place without a phone or camera one day. It’d be tough but I’m sure it would be a really cool and different experience.

Do you prefer solo travel or with someone else?

A bit of both!

Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat?

I have not been to either, which sucks. But I will be going to Angkor Wat in January and I’m so excited about it! Machu Picchu is on the list but I haven’t made it there yet.

Who is the person at home that you miss the most?

When I’m not travelling with him, I definitely miss my partner Colin. And we miss our dog, Ellie, when we’re away without her. I also miss my parents a lot when I’m abroad, because I often wonder what they would think of wherever I am.

What home comfort do you miss the most?

Probably just curling up on the couch with Netflix and take-out. Not that you can’t do that when you’re travelling, but I feel guiltier about it when I do, even though I know travel breaks are important!

What has been the most interesting item of food you’ve tasted?

Such a good question! I wish I had a better memory because I’m sure I’ve tasted some weird foods. I have tried guinea pig, alligator and crickets. But interesting would have to be baba, which was this awful rum soaked pastry I ate in Naples.

What food from your home country do you miss the most?

Being in Vancouver, I can eat pretty much food from every cuisine here. So I usually just miss whatever I can’t get. I craved salads and sushi when I was in Swaziland. And I craved pizza when I was in Korea.

Which country makes the best coffee or tea?

I wouldn’t know! I’m not a huge fan of either. Though I did really love the ice coffee in Vietnam!

What’s been your scariest moment?

There have definitely been some scary moments in getting lost or having strange men follow me.

Toilets: squat or Western?

Western, please! I was in China for a week and managed to avoid ever using a squat toilet. I’m just terrified I’ll lose my balance and hit the floor!

How many foreign words have you learnt so far?

Lots! I know a good number of words in French and Spanish, plus a few in Mandarin. I’m no where near fluent but I know some words.

How many different currencies are you carrying?

Currently, just Canadian. Though we do have a dish with pounds and euros in it.

What have you brought that you haven’t used?

It’s always clothing. Or shoes. Lugging around something I don’t want to wear.

What has been the most useful item you’ve brought?

Bringing a power bar is super useful when you’re travelling with someone. I so often find that hotel or hostel rooms just have one plug in a convenient spot. So instead of fighting for access to charge your phone, laptop, iPad, etc; pack a power bar and you can charge it all!

What’s the best piece of travel advice you’ve received?

I think the wisdom to just enjoy the moment and forget about the blog post you’re writing in your head, the photos you’re going to share and the likes or follows you might get on social media. Travel because you love it. Enjoy the moment for yourself and not for some digital audience.

What’s the worst piece of travel advice you’ve received?

There’s this thought in the traveller community that you need to see and do absolutely everything as fast as possible. You need to check off every country on your bucket list. And you only need to travel to get a passport stamp, take a photo of that one iconic site and then move on. That’s not my kind of travelling. It’s not a race.

How do your relatives feel about your travels?

I think everyone in my life is very supportive and excited for my travels. I love when I’m catching up with friends or family and the first thing they ask me is, “So, where are you going next?” It’s so cool to have that reputation for being the traveller. I’m sure there are times when some of my friends and family members would prefer I was around more, but on the whole I think they’re happy about my adventures.

What’s the longest you’ve been away from home?

Well, that’s a hard one to answer. I left my home of Toronto for school at UBC in 2010 and never really went back – so eight years and counting?

What’s your dream job?

A travel writer! I’m kind of living it. I’m doing freelance writing and social media full time, as well as travelling as often as I can.

Where would you most like to live in the world?

I’ve always dreamt of living in London. If I had the budget, I would love to live in London and New York. Living in New Zealand would be amazing too! And a resort in Bali. Okay, I have quite a few places on my list!

How many countries have you visited?

33 and counting!

What’s your favourite travel childhood memory?

I have some great memories of going to the Dominican Republic with my dad. I remember he had to go up on a stage during a show and I was so embarrassed! And I have memories of going to Disney World with my family for Christmas one year.

How are you documenting your trips?

Right here on the blog 🙂 I also love to keep a trip journal and take all the pictures.

The sea – on it, in it or stay on dry land?

Ooo I would have to say in it. I get kind of seasick so being on the sea isn’t usually for me. But I do love walking along the water edge and wading in if it’s not too cold.

What has surprised you about yourself?

This is a tough one. I feel like I’m so in my own head that I don’t realize when I’m doing something different or surprising. I guess whenever I accomplish something I wasn’t sure about – usually a physical feat.

Have you learnt to play any new games?

I’m sure I’ve learnt some new games on my travels but I can’t think of any, which is sad.

Dorm or private room?

Private room, please!

Tea or coffee?

Neither but I’ll go tea or a flavoured coffee.

What’s your top travel tip?

Be present. I know that sounds super hippy-dippy but that’s not how I mean it. Be present – put away your camera, forget about your cellphone and ignore social media so that you can really appreciate and enjoy what you’re doing/seeing/eating. And be present in that you should be aware. I think a lot of travel mistakes happen when people lose awareness.

If you wrote a novel, what would it be about?

Ah, my dream! I would love to write a novel, or many novels, one day. I think I’d like to write a fiction novel based on some of my travel experiences.

How much stuff have you lost?

I think I’ve lost an iPod and a scarf. Those are the two I really remember.

How much stuff have you mailed home?

None! I’m pretty good at packing small and being frugal. When I moved out to BC, I did have my dad pack a suitcase for me but I’ve never had to mail anything.

What travel scams have you heard about?

A lot of them! The one where someone tries to help you buy a metro ticket and then pickpockets you seems to be a big one.

Do you call yourself a traveller or a tourist?

I usually say traveller but I hate when people get all high and mighty about being travellers and not tourists. I say traveller because that sounds more authentic and because I don’t think I fit into that mould of two week annual vacation, guided tours and hop-on-hop-off buses. But I totally go to the tourist sites! They’re popular for a reason.

Do you call yourself a traveller or a backpacker?

Again, a traveller. I do travel with a backpack but haven’t been on a long backpacking journey for a while now.

What would you like to be famous for?

I’d love to be a well-known author. Not getting stoped in the streets famous but just a well known name. I think that would be so cool!

Train or bus?

Train

Fan or air conditioning?

Air conditioning every single time!

If you won the lottery, what would you spend the money on?

Travel? Of course! Colin and I have this conversation all the time and it’s so fun to dream about what we would do with the money. We’d definitely start by paying off any debt and putting away a good chunk for retirement, savings and our future children. We’d love to be able to give some money to our families as well. I think it would be awesome if we could buy a rental property. And then, travel! I’d love to do a huge round the world trip for a year and just see and do everything. I’d also love to take time off work and work on a novel.

What would you do if you didn’t have to work?

Write! I would definitely work on a novel. I’d also like to think that I would spend more time on fitness and cooking.

What’s the most reliable source of travel advice?

I love reading travel blogs and asking for feedback on travel groups on social media. You can check out some of my favourite travel blogs here.

How many gadgets are you carrying on a trip?

I usually just go with my cellphone and possibly my laptop if I have to work. I don’t have a fancy camera or any other cool gadgets.

What do you wish you’d brought that you haven’t?

I would actually love to travel with a great camera and know how to use it well.

What are you doing for your next birthday?

Who knows? I love celebrating my birthday out of town but since we’ll be gearing up for our UK move, I don’t think I’ll be able to swing a big birthday trip.

Do you send postcards?

I love sending postcards! Snail mail is the best. I can’t wait to be somewhere long enough that we can send postcards that will arrive back home before we do.

Strict schedule or go with the flow?

A bit of both! I love planning trips. I think half the fun is looking up all the things you want to do, getting deals ahead of time and making plans. To me, it extends the trip because I get to have all of this fun trip time at home. But I definitely like to leave some room for spontaneity.

Beer or wine?

Can I get a cider? Or the sweetest white wine.

What’s been the best street food you’ve ever had?

Do food markets count? I love food markets, stalls and food trucks. The Borough Market in London is one of my favourites. I can’t wait until our trip to Southeast Asia next year to try all of that street food.

What destination have you found to be overrated?

I haven’t been too many places that I didn’t enjoy. I guess I have had some bad travel experiences in Switzerland and China, but I wouldn’t say it’s because those places are overrated.

What destination have you found to be underrated?

I think Annecy, France is extremely underrated! We stumbled into this little French town and absolutely fell in love. It’s so cute! Durban, South Africa is also a really cool place.

What was the most challenging thing you’ve ever done?

Well, that is a tough question! Immediately my mind goes to physical things, which are not my strength, like climbing the CN Tower or making it up a few mountains. But I’m sure there’s been some emotional or mental challenges I’ve had to overcome. I guess deciding to leave my 9 to 5 and strike out as a freelancer was a pretty big challenge.

City or countryside?

City for me

Do you prefer to walk, take public transport, or take private transport?

I love to walk if that’s an option!

What was the last book you read?

I read a novel about expats in Hong Kong back in July. I’m currently working on a Bill Bryson book about Australia, a book about an FBI profiler, as well as a Charles Manson non-fiction book. Interesting reads but I’m definitely not getting through them quick.

What was the last film you saw?

A Star Is Born

Which country has the best weather?

I hear it’s Colombia. Apparently Medelin is the city of eternal spring. My ideal weather is between 12 and 25 degrees Celsius.

Which religious or spiritual sites have you visited?

Many! I love visiting shrines, temples and churches. I think they’re just so beautiful and have so much history. Churches in Europe are all so beautiful and ornate. I can’t wait to check out all of the temples in Thailand as well as Angkor Wat in Cambodia next year.

What’s your favourite pizza topping?

Just one? I guess chicken. But my ideal pizza is chicken, green pepper, bacon and pineapple on a BBQ sauce base with a stuffed crust. Yum!

Window or aisle seat?

Window, please! I’m the weirdo who doesn’t get up to pee or stretch during a flight so please just let me have the window.

What’s the longest single journey you’ve ever taken?

I’ve flown from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia, which is 15 hours. But I also flew from Toronto to Korea way back in the day and I swear that flight was super long too.

What’s the best thing you’ve bought abroad?

I love buying local snacks to bring home and local art to remind me of my travels.

Do you think you’ll stay friends with the people you’ve met abroad?

I hope so. I’m not the best at keeping in touch with people. My mom is so good at this. I should get better at it because it would be awesome to reconnect with people all around the world.

Would you rather see a lot of places or get to know one really well?

My inner country counting snob just wants to see a lot of places. But I know that’s not the point. And I know that kind of travel might look nice in an Instagram bio but it won’t actually fulfill me. I would much rather settle down in one place for a few weeks or months and really get to know it. I’d love to say I’ve lived in a place and not just stopped by for a night or two.

Do you prefer hot, cold or temperate places?

Temperate. I’m not great in the heat. And probably not great in the extreme cold either.

What’s the most interesting animal you’ve ever seen?

I’m sure I’ve seen some weird ones at zoos. In the wild, it would have to be the enormous spider/tarantula that cralwed into our room in Swaziland and the koalas I saw in the wild while driving the Great Ocean Road.

Who at home emails you the most often?

Probably my mom 🙂

What was the best place you stayed in?

I think it would have to be the BnB we stayed at in Simon’s Town. It was super cute but also super luxurious. The bathtub was huge and they had this giant spread of fresh fruit for us for breakfast. There was an infinity pool with the most amazing views. And I think it was a “splurge” at like $50/night.

Who is your dream travel companion?

Depends on the trip!

What is your dream travelling experience?

I’d love to do a round the world trip with enough time to really experience a bunch of new places. Doing a road trip across New Zealand and spending some time in India are also top choices. But the dream trip would have to be Antarctica! Gotta get to that 7th continent!

Are you usually early, late or bang on time?

I think I’m usually on time!

Bungee-jumping – yes or no?

No, thanks!

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Creative, kind & sassy

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Whew! You made it through the 75 questions every traveller should answer – plus my responses! I’d love to hear you responses too! Let me know in the comments below or take this post over to your blog and tag me in it.

 

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