Traveler Tuesday – Allison of Sassy Urbanite’s Diary
Back to it this week with another travel blogger spotlight, this time Allison Wong of Sassy Urbanite's Diary, a Kuala Lumpur corporate banker with an appetite for the world. Having worked at a bank for three years, it is something I can completely understand! Like myself, international business trips were her gateway to getting out and exploring and a 2-year work assignment in China allowed her to go deep.
Allison is also an expert on the street food scene. I've only been to KL once in my life for a week-long business trip and I can tell you the food was memorable!
Let’s meet travel blogger Allison!
[1] When and how did you become a traveler?
Ever since I graduated and started earning my own money, I’ve been travelling whenever I can. My parents were not big on travel when I was young, but I think I caught the travel bug when I started watching all the travel shows on television and wanted to see all the places myself.
[2] What kind of traveler do you define yourself as?
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Mid to luxury travel is my current travel style. I've never been a backpacker or solo traveller, and prefer to splurge a little here and there when travelling, just to enjoy some of the finer things in life. I’m also attracted to historical and cultural sites around the world. If I’d have to choose between city breaks or island getaway, I’d probably choose city breaks for those wonderful cities filled with history, culture, and food!
[3] What do you love most about traveling?
The never-ending opportunities to see and learn new things, meet new people, and of course all the wonderful local food only served best in their home city.
[4] What do you dislike about traveling?
The packing and unpacking. I do have the tendency to over-pack so that’s one area that needs improvement. As for the unpacking, usually, I’ll be so tired after a trip hence I might take days to slowly unpack all the stuff in my luggage.
[5] Why should people travel?
Rather than watching travel shows on television or reading travel articles on the internet, nothing beats the real experiences when you travel to see the world yourself.
[6] What famous person would you like to travel with?
Andrew Zimmern! I love his Bizarre Foods series and how he interacts with locals to bring out the best experience wherever he goes. I’d imagine a road trip with him around the US would be a great fun!
[7] Travel essentials – 3 things you always travel with.
iPhone, Sony RX100M3 and Power Bank. iPhone is the utmost essential travel item for me as I have so many apps that make my travel experience better, such as Google Maps. Meanwhile, my Sony RX100M3 is the best travel camera in my opinion which is small and light, yet takes amazing pictures on the road. So, internet and technology do help to make our lives better especially when it comes to travel, but that also means that Power Bank is now a constant feature in my bag for all my power hungry gadgets!
[8] If you’re a foodie, what's your favorite food city? Do you have a restaurant recommendation?
My home city, Kuala Lumpur! Kuala Lumpur is well known as a food heaven, due to Malaysia’s unique blend of racial harmony among Malay, Chinese and Indian. If you want to try some famous Malaysian street food such as satay, chicken rice, curry noodle, oyster omelette, bbq chicken wings, and rojak, Jalan Alor (a.k.a. Alor Street) is the best place to go! Daily from 5pm until late night, Jalan Alor is buzzing with continuous food stalls along the road, you will be so spoilt with choices! My top pick in Jalan Alor is Wong Ah Wah Restaurant, as their bbq chicken wings are just absolutely yummy and addictive at the same time.
[9] What's one location on your bucket list?
Tibet. This mystical part of China and also nicknamed the “Roof of the World” would take quite a lot plannings to get to. I just want to explore and immerse in its deep and rich religion, cultural and historical sides of Tibet.
[10] Do you have a piece of advice for bloggers starting out?
Write about what you love to do and you will never get tired of blogging. Also, a good network of support from other bloggers is crucial too, as we help to motivate one another.
Allison's Lightning Round of Favorites
Airport: Changi Airport, Singapore
Mode of Transportation: Car
City or Country: Japan
Travel Gear: iPhone
Travel snack: Snickers
Book: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
Movie: Dances with Wolves
Song: The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
Thanks Allison!
You can keep up with Allison on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and of course on her blog. Wherever you catch her, I am sure you will enjoy her travel adventures!
How about you? What would you like to know about Allison?
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I agree with you, Allison, I would love a trip with Andrew Zimmerman. His show gets me so interested in world travel, not sure I could eat all the food he does though because I am not all that adventurous when it comes to food. Bloggers supporting other bloggers is so important. I don’t think I would still be blogging today if it weren’t for others in my niche who have helped me. This is such a great idea to highlight other travel bloggers!
This is really interesting. I have always wondered what it is like to be a travel blogger/writer. I’m pretty sure it is my dream job. As I love to travel so much. I just wish my budget would allow me to travel farther and more often.
I love this guest post and really love that you do these great interviews. I am total travel mode right now because we are getting on a plane tomorrow morning to head to Mexico for some beach time!! I cannot wait. I hope that now that our kids are a bit older we can keep doing these travels as a family.
I enjoyed this interview. I share so many similarities with Allison. I consider myself a luxury traveler and I can’t go without my iPhone! It’s my must-have item no matter where I go. Thanks for sharing this, I loved it!
I’ve never been a backpacker, either. I LOVE to travel, but, please, give me a pillow at night.
I’m from Italy so I’d ask to Allison if she has ever been in Italy and if so, which city is her favourite.
I love Fleetwood Mac too! I’m planning to travel a lot next year, so I’ll go check her blog for inspiration!
I really love to travel anywhere I can. It’s such a great way to really learn more about people and the world. I too enjoy seeing the historical and cultural sites and getting a glimpse into something new.
Traveling is such an amazing learning experience. I love to travel myself as well as to hear more about other people’s travels. My bucket list is long and I can’t wait to embarking on even more adventures as time goes on.
I love blogging about my travels! My parents traveled a lot with my Dad’s job. They took us along and it has made me want to give my children the same experiences. We love backpacking, camping, hiking, but we also like to stay in hotels. When I am not with my children I like to stay in Boutique hotels. Some of my favorites were in Chicago! I just love new people, places, and things. This means I will travel about anywhere!
So fun! I’ve always dreamed of being a travel blogger, or even just traveling all over and not blogging about it. Hoping that that will be my reality sooner than later. But, real talks, isn’t packing and unpacking a pain? I so need to get a great tiny yet powerful dslr-ish camera for trips. My main camera is a bit big and bulky with all my lenses for trips. Thanks for sharing!
Really cool stuff, I like japan too! And kuala lumpur
I’m with her about the packing and unpacking. The last two times that I’ve been to Chicago, I still haven’t fully put away everything I used and brought back for both trips. I don’t have a Power Bank, but I think it’s something that I can benefit from when I travel.
I would love to travel. I love history and meeting new people. I love seeing how other cultures live. I am so happy for you. Thank you so much for sharing this part of your life with us. God Bless
I would give anything to have the ability to travel, blog, & hit the foodie scenes in different countries. When I was young we did not have the social media of today- makes me wish I was young & just out of college again! This would be my dream life.
one day i will travel and share with the world. thank you!