Traveler Tuesday – Jaclynn of The Occasional Traveller
I met this week's Traveler Tuesday on Facebook, Jaclynn of The Occasional Traveller is a former full-time career girl who took a career break in 2011 to explore places that vacation time just couldn't accommodate. Then in 2016 she didn't again…permanently! She is a big fan of solo travel and has written great posts about her experiences on her blog as well as being the subject of several interviews externally, like this one from Business Times Weekend. I really love her about page, the “my travel style” at the bottom of the page tells me a lot about Jaclynn, but let's learn more!
Let’s meet travel blogger Jaclynn!
[1] When and how did you become a traveler?
My family loves to travel so it's something that's always been a part of my life. I don't think I consciously chose to be a traveller, but I think the way I travelled changed when I started my blog and solo travel in 2011.
[2] What kind of traveler do you define yourself as?
I'm an indie traveller who likes to do her own thing without the constraints of schedules and expectations. I guess you could call me a flashpacker – I don't like to splurge for no reason but know that experiences and some comfort is worth paying for.
[3] What do you love most about traveling?
Experiencing and seeing new things you just cannot encounter back home. Learning that the world is so much more than what is around your home, and how different yet similar life can be no matter where you are.
[4] What do you dislike about traveling?
Not being able to communicate properly because of language, cultural or political barriers. I really wish I could speak every single language in the world as I feel I am missing out on so many stories just because I lack the ability to communicate fluently. There's a lot you can learn just through gestures and facial expressions, but nothing beats being able to hear a good story.
[5] Why should people travel?
People need to realisze that the world is much larger than just what they know and encounter on a daily basis. I think people become close-minded when their worldview is so restricted, but just knowing that there are so much diversity possibilities, and alternative ways of doing things out there will go far in making people more open and make our world a much more harmonious place.
[6] What famous person would you like to travel with?
David Attenborough would be great for all the nature stuff. Imagine a live narration of animal activity right next to you – it would be pretty surreal.
[7] Travel essentials – 3 things you always travel with.
– Can't live without my iPhone which is my camera, journal, translator, maps and everything in one device.
– a thin scarf or two is super multi-purpose whether you need to cover up, stay warm, hide from mosquitoes or dress up an outfit.
[8] If you’re a foodie, what's your favorite food city? Do you have a restaurant recommendation?
I'm very much an eat to live type of person. But I love eating out when I travel because that's how you experience local culture. I usually locals for food recs and try to have the local staples in at least one meal per day. I'll try anything at least once.
[9] What's one location on your bucket list?
I can't just give you one because this list keeps growing. Antarctica is probably the highest for now. Used to be Iceland but I'm a bit turned off by the fact that everyone and their mother seems to have gone there already. Central Asia and Easter Island as well.
[10] Do you have a piece of advice for bloggers starting out?
Blog because you love whatever it is that motivates you, whether it's inspiring others or just a general love for writing. It's hard to sustain it otherwise even if it's purely for business purposes.
Jaclynn's Lightning Round of Favorites
Airport: Changi Airport (go Singapore!)
Mode of Transportation: Trains or riding a scooter
City or Country: Galapagos Islands are my top place for now
Travel Gear: A thin long sleeve windbreaker goes everywhere with me
Travel snack: Chocolates always make me happy
Book: Anything Neil Gaiman
Movie: Lord of the Rings
Song: Fix You by Coldplay
Thanks Jaclynn!
You can keep up with Jaclynn 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 Jaclynn?
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I couldn’t agree more with Jaclynn and her reasoning behind why people should travel. The world is huge and there’s just so much of it to discover! Travelling is such a great way to learn new things.
happy travels to you too Lisa! my list of places to visit keeps growing and growing 🙂
She has some great answers. I love to travel, but just don’t have the funds to do as much of it as I would like to. This is sucha great idea for a blog post.
I’ll be honest. I am not the best traveler. I am a homebody, but then I see your stunning pictures and aI want to see all the places you’ve shown us!
I am pretty sure I missed my calling in life lol. When I was younger, before kids I was a nomad for sure. Then as I became older and had children I just stopped. Maybe now that they are grown I can get back into travel again. I agree with her views on travel 100% – great informative article!
That pic is the ultimate place to be!! Wow, definitely exciting travel journeys..
Love that picture of all the bodies of water. Traveling more is definitely on my bucket list. Definitely would love to see the world with my family. My kids are still young so I am waiting until they are a little older so we can explore the world as a family.
Just FYI, that’s Padar Island near Flores, Indonesia and if you look closely, you’ll notice the beaches are pink, black and white (super amazing to see in person!)
I also hate language barrier during travels and it’s one of the top reasons why I’m scared of traveling alone or without a local tour guide. Blogging about travels is inspiring and it helps others find information they can’t learn in other sites. Everyone of us has his/her experience that’s truly unique.
I can tell that she has an adventurous spirit. I hope to travel with my kids and family one day. I like that she tries the local fare when it comes to eating. That definitely makes the experience more real.
I love the idea of the travel blogger lifestyle! I might have to wait for my twin toddlers to go go to College though, lol. Until then I can dream and enough following other bloggers! I am in love with the last photo… where is that??? And I love the idea Jaclynn scooting around the world!
I agree about communicating. I do not like not knowing what is being said out loud next to me. I only know English and a smidgen of Spanish, so I’m at a huge disadvantage.
Speaking English actually has you at quite an advantage because there are lots of English speaking countries, and a lot of tourism/tourists are English-based so you already start with a pretty wide reach. I hope it doesn’t discourage you from travelling! I’m learning Spanish now (hablo un poco español!) – my goal is to be conversant with an uber driver haha 🙂
I love what she says about traveling with out a schedule. I wish we could do that more often. I feel like every time we go on a trip we are on a schedule. I think the next time we do go on a trip we need to LET IT GO!! 🙂 Have fun with our a schedule.
I love traveling but I’ve never really thought about what ‘kind’ of traveler I am! As for bucket list, there are SO many places on it! It’s going to take a lifetime to get to all the places!
It’s so inspiring to read interviews from travel bloggers. I always feel like they have become so wise because of their many adventures and seeing the world from experiences rather than just reading about it is definitely something special. Antarctica is also on my bucket list! And chocolate definitely makes me feel better … always!
Such a great interview. We can all learn a lot of things from Jaclynn. It really can be quite difficult to define yourself what kind of traveler you are, right?
Wow I don’t have the nerve to go foot loose and fancy free. I haven’t done much travel, I do read about places, I’m sure it isn’t the same. Wow, what wonderful experience, and it sounds so exciting. But for someone like me I would need to be a trust fund recipient or independently wealthy somehow, to afford trapsing around without a regular job and worrying about retirement funds.