Interview With Brooke of Brooke Verses The World
•Brooke, please give my readers a background about yourself. What made you want to start brookevstheworld.com?
Back in 2006, I decided that extended world travel would be a part of my life. I became obsessed with planning and with the idea of taking off for a year or two. I started my website, and I started saving and dreaming like crazy.
It wasn't until the end of 2007 that I actually set off. My first trip was a month long adventure on the Spanish island of Menorca (not Mallorca) where I worked on an archaeological dig. After that, I set off for a couple of months to Central America where I studied Spanish in Guatemala and touched base in both Mexico and Honduras.
After returning home for a short while, I venture off again, ultimately to spend 5 months in Central Asia. I studied Russian in Kyrgyzstan and took a couple of jaunts to Kazakhstan. After that I found a job in Ukraine teaching English. However, I had 6 weeks to kill before my job started where I hung out in the Baltic countries, eventually meeting my Australian boyfriend. Obviously, I only lasted 5 months in Ukraine before deciding to make the move to Sydney in March of 2009, where I currently live!
During my time in Sydney, I've traveled to many places in Australia while setting up residency with my boyfriend. I've ventured to New Zealand twice, to Malaysia, America and recently back to Kyrgyzstan for a month of intensive Russian study.
•If you had to choose one favorite destination, which one would you chose?
Kyrgyzstan has been a huge part of my travel life, and it is a place that is very special to me. I have now traveled there twice, and I plan to go again in the spring with my boyfriend. I'm excited to get the opportunity to show him this amazing jewel in the middle of the -stans.
•What has been the least exciting destination you've traveled to?
Did you develop your love of traveling when you were a child or did you develop your love for traveling as you got older?
As a child, I loved road trips. I loved them so much I would have my little suitcase packed up days in advance. From that point, I think the travel-loving gene has always been there, but it took my first taste of overseas travel in high school to really bring it out into the open.
•What impact has brookevstheworld.com had on your life?
When I started blogging years ago, I never knew that blogging would become such a huge part of my life. I now make my living as a travel writer and blogger, contributing to my other site (herpackinglist.com) in addition to the BBC travel blog and the OneTravel blog. I worked for 1.5 years on the Bootsnall Travel Network's Australia travel guide, WhyGo Australia (www.australiablog.com). All of these opportunities have come about from working on brookevstheworld.com.
•What do your friends and family think about your world adventures?
Some understand it; others don't. There was a funny experience recently where I met up with an old friend from high school. He told me that when I initially left to travel -- after quitting my job -- he thought I was crazy, but now... now he thinks it is really cool and inspiring.
•I just came back from Italy a few weeks ago with my family. Which cities in Italy do you enjoy visiting the most?
Well, I haven't been to Italy since 2004 when I studied abroad, but then I loved Verona (where I studied) and Rome. Rome is a place with so much history, and having studied Latin in high school, it definitely holds a special place in my heart. However, Sicily was one of my favorite places to travel to back then because it felt so different from the mainland. Plus, it's where they sell cannoli everywhere.
•If you could relive one traveling experience, which experience would you chose?
I think I just did that last month when I returned to Kyrgyzstan to get a Russian language refresher and experience the country again.
•What has been the most surprising destination you've been to? Meaning, you had a specific mindset about a certain destination but it was totally a different experience than you had imagined.
That's tough. I guess I would have to say Kyrgyzstan! I really didn't know what to expect before traveling there in 2008, but it really is like a little oasis in the middle of nowhere. The major city is quickly modernizing and has most conveniences you might find in more well-traveled countries.
If you had to decide which destination has been the most influential in your life, which destination would you chose?
Australia. I always had this vision of living there one day, but never did I think that when I set off to travel that I would find my Australian boyfriend and move there permanently.
•What advice would you give to a newbie traveler?
Slow down. It's one thing to travel, but another to really experience a location. Slow down, visit in the off-season and get in touch with locals.
•In 10 years, do you see yourself still traveling or slowing down?
Still traveling, hands down. Obviously, the method might be different, but I will also have wanderlust and always seek the adventure that travel provides. Some people are born travelers; I am one of those people.
Brooke Schoenman is the travel blogger behind Brooke vs. the World, Her Packing List and the Female Travel Underground Newsletter. Connect with Brooke on both Twitter and Facebook.