Traveller of the Month: Cindi from An Easy Journey
Welcome back to Traveller of the Month! I’m so excited to bring back my monthly interview series in 2021. Each month I’m featuring a fellow travel blogger and world traveller to share their stories and travel wisdom with you!
Without further ado, meet January’s Traveller of the Month: Cindi!
Who are you, where are you from and where are you now?
Hi, I am Cindi Korpacz from An Easy Journey LLC. I am from the Washington DC area (here currently as well).
What’s your travel story? How did you get into travel and what kind of travel are you doing now (or were you doing pre-pandemic)?
Ever since I can remember, my family traveled, locally here in the USA & internationally to see our family in Italy & Germany. I have the travel bug too!
I love planning travel & traveling even more!! For many years, I was a marketing manager for IT companies and would travel weekly – both in the US & Canada too (love Canadians & Vancouver!). I would say this even if you weren’t Canadian. Love Aussies too!
When did you start your blog and what sort of stories do you share there?
We have really started to focus on our blog this past year even though we started it in 2017. Our desire is to help people make their travel dreams a reality affordably & even if they have challenges. Our daughter has life threatening food allergies & we were told early on by doctors that our vacations should be to Disney World, as they could handle this very real & challenging disability. As soon as I heard this, thought, “Game On!” I really wanted my children to experience their heritage & that meant international travels. We have become adept at traveling with children & overcoming challenges associated with food allergies. If my daughter eats anything with peanuts, heavy soy, chickpeas (or foods processed with those ingredients), she could literally die.
What do you do when you’re not travelling or writing about travel?
I’m thinking about traveling! Or I’m cooking, usually Italian. I want to bring people together, either through traveling or around the table, making lifetime memories!
What’s your best travel memory of the last five years?
Taking my moms (yes 2) to Italy! They made friends everywhere & had the time of their lives! On the plane from Rome back to Dulles Airport, they saw people we spent the day with in Tuscany wine tasting! We still keep in touch with them & the winery family too!
What is your most unique travel moment?
So many!! We have seen Daniel Craig on a beach in Italy, gotten to fly in co-pilot seats on an airplane in Belize, fed sharks on a scuba dive, stayed in the house where Harrison Ford stayed when he shot the movie Mosquito Coast, to name a few!
If you had $100 to spend for a day in your favourite place to travel, where are you and what would you do?
I would be in the small town where my family is from in Italy, riding a bright red Vespa along ancient roads to a family run winery from the 700’s & enjoying their lick-your-plate delicious wine pairing lunch! Yum!
How does your daughter’s severe food allergy impact the way you travel?
We have to consider & plan for every aspect of our travels. On the plane, we need to board early & wipe down/sanitize the seat, seatbelt, tray table, etc. Just the touch of any peanut product could send our daughter to the ER. Food for an 8 plus hour international flight? We have to pack snacks, dinner, breakfast, lunch. We have to think about what she likes/will eat, how to keep food fresh, possible travel delays, etc. Once we arrive, are grocery stores open? Is it a national holiday & we can’t get food supplies? How do we cook on European stoves? How many translations of peanut & nut are there??
What do you want to inspire other travellers to do?
Follow their travel dreams! Have you always wanted to reconnect with your family in Austria or Poland or Puerto Rico? Plan it!
How can the travel industry or blogging community be more inclusive? What travel stories are we not hearing?
Great question! I think there are so many stories to tell. We feel like we are encouraging others to travel despite their challenges – our son also has a disability; he was born with a smaller right arm & 3 fingers. All sides have learned from our travels. Food allergies are almost non existent in Europe (with gluten insensitivity excepted). We have taught Europeans about food allergies & people with disabilities being able to do things other people do as well: mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, etc.
How have you been coping as a travel blogger during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I feel even more blessed that we have shown our kids & our travel agency clients the world.
What is the longest trip you’ve ever been on? Shortest?
The shortest was dinner in San Francisco or breakfast in NYC. The longest trip was 3 months in Europe.
What advice do you have for newbie travellers? Aspiring travel bloggers?
Newbie travelers: Take half your clothes/what you’ve packed. You won’t need it! Stay longer, so you can have more local, authentic experiences.
Travel bloggers: Find an encouraging tribe! A rising tide lifts all ships! Also, others can help you & you can help others.
Best food you’ve eaten on the road? Worst?
So many delicious meals! The Zuppa Pomodoro (tomato soup) at Banfi Winery is lick your bowl delicious. Not kidding! Can someone distract the waiter?
Worst has to be the Sneeballs in Rothenburg ob der Tauber! Probably only for the tourists!
Travelling has made me…
Appreciate the culture of a place & not try to put my American culture in its place. I try to emulate locals in their dress and customs (dinner at 9 pm? No problem! That’s what late afternoon Apertivo is for – keeping me from starving!).
What’s one thing people don’t understand about travel blogging?
It’s so much harder than they think if you want to be good! And there’s always something to do!
What destination would you go back to over and over again? What destination would you never go back to?
Always want to go back to Italy! I just feel at home there. Not sure I would say never but really not interested in going back to Paris (have been twice).
What destination totally surprised you? What destination totally let you down?
Island of Elba totally disappointed me. Roads were horrible & people were not friendly.
Island of Sardinia surprised me in how much a paradise it is: fantastic people & so beautiful!!
What is the best accommodation you’ve ever stayed in? What’s the worst?
We stayed in a mansion overlooking Whistler, BC! There was a hot tub on the deck as it was snowing, beautiful snow on trees, hearing small avalanches! Or Ritz Carlton St Thomas!!
Worst place: Home rental in Southern Puerto Rico – mould, bugs, dust, not as described at all!
If you could live abroad, where would you live?
Without a doubt, Italy! But London & Munich call my name too!
Do you have any goals for your travel blog?
My goal is to be able to replace my husband’s salary, so that we can afford to live off our blog’s earnings!
How do you cope with travel burnout or bad days on the road?
A bad day traveling beats most days in the office!
Which celebrity would you want to travel with and where would you go?
Ina Garten in Provence. Think of the food we would eat!!
What’s your favourite travel snack?
I make a cheese, prosciutto, fruit, veggie, small baguette plate & then just order a glass of red! Maybe some sparkling water too!
What is the best local festival you’ve attended?
My German cousins took us to a local festival in the neighboring town in Bavaria & we were the only non-locals! My kids ran around & played games with the German kids all night & they learned some of the local songs. It was a VERY fun night! They tried all kinds of foods & to this day, my son loves Sauerkraut!
Where would you recommend someone go on their first trip out of your home country?
For Americans, I would suggest another English speaking country like most of Canada or the UK. Easy flights, no language barrier.
What is the best weekend trip you’ve been on?
I love the beach! Driving to the Delaware shore & smelling the sea breeze, going crabbing…best weekend trip ever!
What is your favourite travel-related movie or TV show?
I love the Emily in Paris Netflix show. Also, movies: Monte Carlo (girlfriends traveling the world), A Good Year (everyone’s dream to be left a Provence winery!), and Letters to Juliette.
What travel experience is over-hyped? Under-hyped?
Overhyped: Leaning Tower of Pisa! Crowds & nothing inside the tower, only 30 minutes at top. Under rated: Oktoberfest! So little time, SO many great beers!!
What food instantly transports you back to a favourite travel memory or place?
Homemade mozzarella brings me to Italy – creamy, smooth, hint of salt…along with some delicious wine & bread. Heaven!
Lastly, where can we find you online?
Blog: www.aneasyjourney.com
Twitter: An Easy Journey
Facebook, Pinterest & Insta: An Easy Journey
Thank you for joining my Traveller of the Month series, Cindi! Head on over to Cindi’s blog to check out more of her adventures and travel tips, and stay tuned for February’s Traveller of the Month!
What a fun and interesting article on traveling and blogging! Great questions and also great answers too!
I must say, Cindi is a wonderful and knowledgeable travel consultant. Upon my arrival in Rome she told my car service that her client had never been to Italy and didn’t speak the language… my apartment was kinda far off and the driver was told to bring the client right to the door, which meant he actually went via a pedestrian zone! I must say that I was very happy to be driven to the front door literally! She also secured semi private tickets for a fascinating tour of the Colosseum!
I have also used her for planning my trip to Alaska, which is unfortunately on hold due to Covid and the pandemic. I highly recommend her services to anyone! She is knowledgeable, smart, humorous and really knows her material or researches it! You will not be sorry! Use Cindi from An Easy Journey!
What high praise! Thanks for checking out the post 🙂
Great article, Cindi. I think you covered any question your readers may have and some they never thought of. Ina Garten, totally agree! Love her!
Glad you enjoyed Cindi’s interview, Vicki!
Such a lovely and readable article! I love to travel too and I like to learn about good travel tips, especially ways to do it on budget and save money!
We used Cindi to help plan a family vacation to Rome and Tuscany! She is very knowledgeable and knows many people in the industry. My favorite memory of that trip was a wine tasting and lunch. It was truly amazing, insightful and delicious! And of course all the fine good, wine and Gelato! Thanks for the reminder to use her for future travel planning!
Thanks, Elle!
Will keep many of these tips in mind once we resume travel again! Very good tips on traveling and saving money. Also good to know is the info about food allergies. I have some food sensitivities and issues so I always find articles on this helpful to me as well. I love the idea of the cooler backpack! Must get one! Thanks for this great article and providing us with this insightful blogger!
Thanks so much, Fred! So glad the allergy topic was useful for you.
I really like this segment of traveler of the month! What great questions you ask of the featured blogger! Cindi sounds like she and her family travel a lot and know what they’re talking about! Great photos! Really makes you feel and see what she was trying to capture!
I will read more of your blog articles and I will also check out an Easy Journey as well!
Thanks so much!
Cindi, you are one of a kind! Cindi helped me plan a backpacking trip around Europe. Without her advice, I would have landed in Nice which was just awful. She directed us to a smaller town outside of Nice called Antibes. It was by far one of the best locations we visited!! Delicious food, beautiful sights, and lots of bubbles!
Great to hear it, Patricia!
Thank you for sharing all of these tips Cindi! It was great a great read and will surely come around your blog for more travelling inspiration! I can’t wait to resume travel and visit more of Italy after all the pictures!
So glad you enjoyed Cindi’s interview, Cristina!