Traveler Tuesday – Naomi of Probe around the Globe

I'd like to do a lot more train travel. I have bucket list train trips that I am not sure I'll ever get to! I think I need to spend some time with Naomi Probe around the Globe because she's a bit of an expert when it comes to that type of transportation, and she doesn't mind going it alone!

Plus, as you check out the images accompanying her interview you'll see she loves colorful glasses just as much as I do!

Let’s meet Naomi!

[1] When and how did you become a traveler?
I’m not sure if I ever became a traveler. Maybe I was always a nosy and curious person who found my own country too small so I started to explore abroad. My first solo trip was when I was 15 years old and I went to London with my brother. When I was 17, we went to Rome and Naples for 2 weeks. I was hooked immediately, but I did not make it my life’s purpose until I was in my twenties.

[2] What kind of traveler do you define yourself as?
A jack-off all trades I suppose. I am a travel-style chameleon. I travel solo, I travel with family or my significant other. I love train travel but planning a road trip excites me like a 5-year-old in a candy store. I love to laze by the beach but I want to explore and culturally immerse myself in a new culture too. Budget-wise, I try to save as much money as possible, so I can splurge on one luxury accommodation or expensive food tour.

[3] Which country do you come from/call home?
I’m Dutch and I’ve lived in the Netherlands for almost my whole life. I think I could live in a lot of different places, but being home is just so much easier, which leaves the energy to explore other cultures.

[4] What do you crave from home when you are traveling?
My bed probably. I have a super comfortable bed and on the last day of my trip, I usually look forward to sleeping in my bed at home.

[5] Tell us about your blog
Probe around the Globe is my creative outlet and memory pod in one. I try to write about my experiences and sprinkle in as much practical advice as I can remember. I write long detailed trip itineraries to help others plan their own travel too. I try to be more strategic about my writing but I love so many different destinations and travel styles, I just want to tell all my stories.

[6] What do you love most about traveling?
Probably that I’m way funnier than at home. I’m less shy and more curious. I love to see pretty things and compare them. My travels are mostly ignited by my FOMO so I stuff them with as many sights and things to do as I can.

[7] What do you dislike about traveling?
How exhausting it is. I have Crohn’s disease, IBS, and a slow-working thyroid. Add in a full-time job and a full-time blog and I guess it is no wonder I’m chronically tired. I hate it when I want to explore more, but I’m physically exhausted and need to sleep and rest sometimes.

[8] How do you prepare for a trip?
Meticulously! I love trip planning. If it’s a whole new country, I buy a guidebook and read about the history, cultural and political environment and I read blogs for insight information. I make my own itinerary and do feasibility studies (aka can I afford it). Then I spend hours booking accommodations and researching cool things to do. I usually show up at the destination with a travel pass of the city or region in my hands, a Google Maps map full of interesting places and recommended food places and I know what I’ll be doing per day.

If I’ve been to a destination before, or it’s a short trip, I book my flights and just go. I might research some new things to see and do or make some pencils scribbled ideas in my head, but usually, I just wing it.

[9] You have won the lottery, now tell us where you want to live.
I guess I’d still live in the Netherlands. Only in a bigger house with room to park a brand new RV kind of vehicle where I would take my new dogs and other pets to drive around Europe and the rest of the world for a month. The Netherlands is not a bad place to have a home base but I’d love to live a couple of months in Rome or a place like Canada. Just for the experience. I might purchase a beach house, or two, in some warm climate.

[10] Travel essentials – 3 things you always travel with.
My phone has become my biggest travel companion for sure. I store all my info and data on it and it guides me everywhere I need to go.

I always bring a scarf wherever I go, travel abroad or locally. To keep me warm, to protect me from the sun, to use as a pillow and cover up when needed.

The third item would be my medication. I need it for my Crohn’s disease and I need to take it every day. It is prescribed and expensive, so I cannot just get it abroad. This also means I cannot travel for more than 3 months at a time as that is the maximum quantity my insurance is willing to give me my medication.

[11] What is your favorite article of clothing?
A scarf. I have over 20 different ones. Different sizes and materials, but my green scarf is my absolute favorite. I wear it or bring it every time I leave the house.

[12] Your single most treasured personal possession.
I want to say my laptop and phone but those are not really personal. I have very few possessions and don’t buy a lot of stuff. I never buy souvenirs when I travel and I feel that everything I own could be replaced or I could live without.

[13] Do you have a piece of advice for bloggers starting out?
Make a plan before you start. You have to determine what your goal is with the blog and what you need to do to reach that goal. I started the blog to share my stories and make money from it. I could have gotten to that point a lot quicker if I hadn’t lost myself in the quicksand that is social media. The biggest time suck with the lowest pay-off. Now, with everything I do for the blog, I ask myself: will it help me reach my goals and is it worth it.

[14] What are three other blogs that inspire you?
Over 15 years ago, a Dutch travel couple set out with a one-way ticket to Bangkok. No plan, no itinerary, and only a bank account with money. They lasted 2 years traveling the world and blogged about it. It was then that I got inspired to share my travel stories online.

Other inspirations are the travel style and writing of Alex from Lost with Purpose. And I admire the storytelling ability of Lia from Practical Wanderlust.

[15] Your favorite travel resource on the web?
Google. Your best friend. Google almost always knows the answer, you just need to know what questions to ask it. It baffles me to see so many questions from people on forums and FB groups, asking really widely available information. I seriously wonder if they ever tried typing in their question in Google. Maybe I should google that.

Naomi's Lightning Round of Favorites

Airport: I hate airports. I haven’t found any that I liked, but the smaller the better. Less haggling and rules and regulations.
Mode of Transportation: 100% train. I love train travel. It is scenic, it is relaxed, the swaying of the carriage on the rails.
Window or aisle: window. Always.
City: Rome
Country: Turkey. Or maybe Spain. Or Iran, I loved Iran. Or Italy.
Travel Gear: I love my Vaude day pack. I use it every day. Even when I don’t travel.
Travel snack: ice cream. I think lunch is overrated and eats away room in your stomach to try the local delicacies.
Book: The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani. Basically, the reason I was intrigued to travel to Iran.
Movie: Last movie I saw was Bohemian Rhapsody which I absolutely loved as I’m a huge Queen fan. I do have a Christmas tradition to watch Slumdog Millionaire on Boxing Day.
Song: I keep playing Shallow from Lady Gaga over and over again recently but I don’t listen to a lot of music.
Quote: Nothing happens unless first a dream – Carl Sandburg

Thanks, Naomi!

You can keep up with Naomi on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and of course on her blog. Wherever you catch her, I am sure you will enjoy her adventures!

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