Traveler Tuesday – Matt Long of Landlopers

It's time for another Traveler Tuesday, this time with Matt Long of Landlopers, a travel blogger who I take the time to read every single day!

Why?

It is hard to narrow it down to one reason. I relate to his “eye.” The photographs he takes on his trips appeal to me. A lot of them are angles I would take. He notices things I would notice. I appreciate his voice. The things he writes mirror thoughts that I have about travel, about places, about people. He is a foodie, although if you ask him he wouldn’t define himself that way, but trust me he is.

He loves Paris and has an appreciation for France. He is kind and sharing. He promotes others in his Picks of the Week, the same thing I like to do with Saturday Six, and shares travel deals as he learns about them.

You see, the list gets rather large. Matt is an all-around good guy, someone you definitely want to learn more about. And despite being crazy busy with travel and his new job at TBEX, he took the time to answer my Traveler Tuesday questions:

[1] When and how did you become a traveler?
I’ve always been fascinated with foreign cultures even at a young age. It dictated my undergraduate and graduate education and now it has become an important part of my life. Travel is important to me because not only do I get to visit amazing places and experience spectacular things, but it helps me grow as a person as well.

[2] What is travel to you in 10 words or less?
The best thing we as a people can do for ourselves.

[3] What is your favorite mode of transportation and why?
I love a good train ride, and by that I mean anything but Amtrak. There’s just something about the ease and romanticism of a well-done train journey that makes me happy.

[4] What do you typically do while traveling by plane?
Depends on the length. If it’s a medium haul flight to Europe, I just read typically. If it’s a super long haul, I split up my time between eating, sleeping, watching movies and working. I find that if you divide the time, then the long flight doesn’t seem as onerous.

[5] What is your favorite travel memory involving food?

Rather than any one moment, it’s probably my favorite food experience, which is pastry culture in Europe. From an American point of view it’s amazing to think that even in a train station cafe you can find chocolate croissants better than almost anything we have here in the States. Chocolate croissants in particular are an important part of my European travel experience and they almost always comprise my daily breakfast routine.

[6] What is one blogging tip or lesson that you have learned along the way that you can share with my readers?
More than anything consistency is key. That doesn’t mean you have to create new content every day, but it should be on some sort of schedule. I know successful bloggers who post a few times a month, but their audience expects that so it’s ok. There’s no hard and fast rule to how much content should be generated, just that it’s done on a consistent schedule.

Thanks Matt! (P.S. I could not agree with your more about chocolate croissants! Also, if I had to pick a food memory from your exploits it would be YOU meeting Ferran Adrià!)

You can catch more of Matt on his blog or Facebook page and check out his chatter on Twitter, wherever you catch him, I am sure you will enjoy his adventures! Matt is also an AFAR Ambassador so you can check out all of his Highlights and Wanderlists from around world as well.