Traveler Tuesday – Noni of Noni May
I met Noni of Noni May in a Facebook group for travelers, like minds coming together to support and help each other in the travel blogging space. Noni is a digital nomad who has a lot of great free and paid content on her website, definitely check it out.
But first, let’s meet Noni!
When and how did you become a traveler?
I've always traveled a lot in Europe, with the thought that everything is so close by (from Amsterdam), why not fly to London for the weekend or ride to Paris for a good breakfast?
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But those didn't feel like proper trips. I got used to it. When I really started to travel was when I got invited by hotels as a blogger. It was my first trip alone and since then I'm more often in other places than home! The world becomes smaller the more you travel, so I'd as easily visit Sweden as Japan or Sydney as New York nowadays! People always ask me how I can travel this much, so I've created a checklist with my top tips to travel more with less money.
Where do you love to travel?
I fell in love with Australia & Fiji and I cannot wait to go back! Unfortunately, it's on the other side of the world so I'd have to save for it after my recent world trip, but I hope to visit Australia this summer again!
Most memorable travel moment:
I've had so many adventures! I can't pick one, but if I have to tell a good story I often tell stories about Fiji because it's such a different world and stories about my time in Macedonia, for the same reason haha.
What won’t you travel without?
My notebook & a camera! Such a standard answer for a writer and photographer 😉
Travel essential – 3 things you always travel with…
Notebooks, gemstones & cameras
Name one thing people would be surprised to find in your travel bag:
When I got about 17kg of overweight in the airport (I wasn't allowed to travel with a bag of 38kg – lol), the airport staff looked really surprised to find out I brought like 8 magazines and 6 books (one of them a 5kg Lonely Planet!). But when you're on the other side of the world, they have literature and magazines they don't import at home – so better make sure you bring back as much as possible.
Perfect travel day from start to finish.
Wake up early with sunrise, a healthy breakfast, some reading by the pool or at the beach, some more in the hammock, meeting up with other travelers or friends to explore the city or go for a walk and ending with a fun dinner, a campfire and cocktails! And second place: waking up in a tent, waking up early from the sunrise & proceed a multi day hike in a beautiful national park (ending with a campfire & beers!)!
What are your favorite food cities? What restaurants do you go to in each?
The best food I've ever eaten was in Indonesia. In Bali, there are a lot of healthy/gluten-free options and both local food (street food, fried rice with chicken) to ‘Western food' like gluten-free/fruit/superfood/whatever… they are both awesome and both widely available on the island.
Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different to how you imagined? If so, how?
Los Angeles was a totally different city than I imagined. I expected glamour, The Hills & Hollywood. But (I can't drive) I had to take the bus all the time, people were really rude, a lot of homeless people and weirdo's and.. I didn't really felt safe or glamorous at all.
What has travel taught you?
It's really easy to make new friends and you don't need a lot to be happy. The less money you have to more you feel proud of yourself of surviving and you'll get really creative. Oh and I also learned that I don't really need luxury, the less the happier I am!
Best and Worst place you’ve been to and why?
Best places I've been were Bamboo Backpackers in Fiji and in general Tasmania & Melbourne in Australia. Worst place? The police station in Indonesia.
Noni's Lightning Round of Favorites
Hotel: I really loved Bamboo Backpackers in Fiji (hostel) and the Hilton in London.
Airline: Emirates & Qatar Airways are amazing! The service, the flight attendants, the food… everything is just perfect, even when you're not in business or first class it feels like a 5-star hotel! (I haven't even flown in the luxury classes – as if!)
Airport: Singapore Airport is really rad with all the hangout places they've created and the super nice bathrooms including dressing tables for the girls with superstar light.
Country: Australia & Fiji
Travel Gear: My camera (a Canon Digital SLR), backpack.
Travel App: Pinterest for travel hacks travel inspiration & guides. (And see this blog post I wrote about my favorite Travel apps)
Travel Book: On The Road
Travel Movie: Into the Wild, The Beach, Wild (and okay, On The Road Again)
Thanks Noni!
You can keep up with Noni on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and of course on her blog. Wherever you catch her, I am sure you will enjoy her adventures!
How about you? What would you like to know about Noni?
You can download Noni's checklist “Travel More with Less Money” here:
Travel more with less money
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I wish I could travel like you lucky travel bloggers get to. With three kids it’s kind of not really going to happen right now. I bet Fiji is great and you have some photos of food that I would actually try. That’s another reason I haven’t really traveled and don’t think I could, I’d starve in some places. But the scenery and beautiful places in the world would be worth it.
Wow, to be a traveler is a dream to me! What fun that would be! I would love to be able to travel to so many places. Then to blog about them, would be great. Being a blogger myself, I love to write. Writing and traveling would be awesome!
SO many spaces and places I want to travel too. I am so happy that our kids are getting older so we are able to travel more often.
Your photos are gorgeous and it’s wonderful that you are seeing the world while you are young and can do and see more! I think far too many people wait until they retire and then are not always in the best health. I’m definitely going to download your free guide travel more with less money! I love to travel!
Wow! I enjoyed reading the interview. I’ve known a lot of travellers like Noni and I could really see on them the joy of travelling and its many benefits. I’d also love to visit Greenland and Tibet. Thanks for sharing!
I can’t wait to get on your level. My spirit has the desire to travel the world. I want to make a living out of it and just recently started my own travel agency. I want to be able to live my passion and make money at the same time. You have been to some fabulous places and I can’t wait to add more stamps to my passport!
Nice interview! I’d like to know how she ended up in an indonesian police station! yikes! I totally agree about LA! But I had that experience in Paris myself, I built it up to be this amazing romantic beautiful city but it was just gross! Really nice answers.
I really love these profiles you do! I think travel blogging is so dope and I want to break into the niche. I hate that her experience in LA was so horrible, but believe me I sympathize because our public transpo sucks!
Noni seems like a fun kind of girl! I love all of the pictures and I wish I could travel this much. I love the story about the books and magazines in the luggage. That’s definitely something I would do, I love books and reading and I would try to bring back as much as possible also!
there are so many places I want to travel! Sometimes, I think about packing up to Europe to live just so I can take weekend trips to Paris! I laughed outloud at how your luggage was overweight because of magazine and books! that used to be me until I finally broke down and got a e reader!!