Saturday, January 11, 2014

Interview (15) - let me introduce you to Jenn

My name is Jenn, I'm from Australia and I'm 28 years old. 

My biggest loves in life aside from my beautiful family and friends are music, cars, skydiving and having adventures. I have been travelling eastern europe with a stop in London for 7 weeks and I'm heading back home on Sunday! It has been the absolute best. My mind is so much more open my head almost hurts :) 


My life motto: "Let go" and "Just do it" (Thanks Nike). I think of life as the biggest opportunity and you can really do most things that you want to. The world is also such a big and beautiful place, and travelling is amazing. It really helps you form a good perspective and also grow as a person (in the best way!) 

What was your inspiration or the event/idea that made you want to travel? 
I decided that I needed to leave my comfort zone and see the world. Its a big place with lots of adventure opportunities. I have also seen pictures of the most beautiful places and decided that I wanted to start seeing these places in person. I wanted to see and feel it. Pictures aren't enough. 

What was your first travel experience? 
I travelled to Thailand with my Mum when I was 8 for five weeks. Mum got to see her Mum who she hadn't seen in over 10 years. I'll never forget how happy Mum was and that experience because she passed away a year later. 

Have you ever felt lonely travelling solo? 
Surprisingly no. 


Do you have any fun stories of things that happened to you that you realized even at the time, “This never would have happened if I had been traveling with someone else?” 
I can't think of specific fun stories. Most of my time has been fun! travelling alone is good, it pushes you to meet, talk to different others and even share some travel experiences together. More so than what you would if you were travelling with someone else/friends!

What was your best travel experience? 
Ohhh I have two best ones! The first one was driving a turbo charged mini cooper from London to Salisbury last weekend. A little pocket rocket, music, fresh country air and lovely views...perfection. Second was rowing a little canoe with some friends to the church in the middle of the Lake Bled, Slovenia. Got to ring the church bell and make a wish as well as exercise my arm muscles :). 

Is there anything you would have done differently/ any regrets, if you could do it over again? 
No i don't have any regrets. Just next time, i would play it less safe and make sure to adventure more in places outside the city. 

What was your worst travel experience? 
Just landing in a few rooms where I slept near a human bear aka a loud snorer. Other than that nothing was too bad! 


What’s the strangest situation you have found yourself in? 
Perhaps trying to break away from a strange man who helped me at the tram stop, only to have him keep following me until he finally got the message! I guess you have to be careful sometimes being nice.... 

Where will you never return to? 
I can't think of anywhere that i wouldn't return to as yet. 

What advice would you give women traveling solo to your home country? Venture away from the cities! They are nice maybe for a short time, but travel outwards, theres lots of great places! If your coming to Melbourne, make sure you include clothing for all four seasons as you may experience this in one day :P 

What are your future travel plans? 
I'm actually wanting to find some of the finest roads around the world and have driving adventures. This includes Switzerland, Scotland, England and Croatia (all through recommendations) but I'm sure theres many more places! I'm also wanting to find the best places to skydive once i have my ticket. 

What are your top three tips for women traveling solo? 
1.Travel lightly 2. Wing it sometimes 3. Try to make the most of your time (though there will be some days you will want to sleep all day!) 


What would you tell women who are looking to travel alone but worry about their safety? 
Just exercise the same precaution as you would normally. Just be a bit cautious of people before you tell them about yourself and your travel plans, especially the over-friendly. Sometimes though, they really are just a bit friendly. You get a good sense for this after a while. 

Couchsurfing..what do you think about that? 
Undecided about how I feel about it. 

How do you pay for a life of travel? 
I have no interesting answer for this. Work hard (hopefully doing something you love!) and save up. 

Tell us about the best food you have ever eaten on your travels? 
Ok wait for it....a hot dog. In Hamburg at a little hut near the main train station in the city. Best Hot Dog. Ever. You'll see the picture ;) 


What is the most breathtaking view you have ever witnessed on your travels? The water at Lake Plitvice in Croatia (World Heritage Area). The water so clean and clear you can see the little fishies swimming in it. Beautiful. 

What do you miss about your home when you go traveling? 
My bed and my car. My car is generally my side-kick. 

What item will you always carry in your backpack
Toothbrush :) 

Who was the kindest or most generous person you met on your travels, and what did they do? 
Friends of friends that live in Hamburg were kind and perfect examples of gentleman. They came to see me almost everyday and showed me around, picked me up (by car and bicycle) and would wait for me to get on the train before leaving! This is nice I think. 

What have you learned from travelling? 
1. I have learned that you should travel lightly and also apply this to life itself. Keep and use what you need. Discard what you don't. 2. Do things and surround yourself with those that make you the happiest. 3. Keep your mind open always. 4. To be grateful for everything i already have. 

Who inspires you? What other travellers do you look up to? 
People who are good. People who take risks. People who live their lives. I look up to people who open their mind through travel experiences, especially those who travel to risky countries or countries that most people don't think of.

No comments:

Post a Comment