Interview With Mark Wiens Of Migrationology
Mark, please give my readers a background about yourself. What made you want
to start migrationology.com?
I had been traveling for a while when I decided to start blogging. Originally
it was merely to remember my own travels and share information with my family
and friends - I was terrible at taking time to write e-mails to everyone, so I
thought that if I had a blog, it would be easier for me to update people.
Before I started blogging I actually really didn't care to use the internet much. I would disappear from the online world for months at a time.
In all of your travels, in your opinion what country has the best food?
and the worst food?
As a huge foodie, that's a tough question, but I've got an Asian tongue. Thai
food (http://migrationology.com/2010/03/100-best-thai-dishes-to-eat-in-bangkok-ultimate-eating-guide/),
Malaysian food, and any/all forms of Chinese food. Living in Thailand, I'll
say that Thai food is my favorite country for eating in the world.
I don't have a country with the worst food, but as my personal preference, I always prefer rice and seafood as opposed to chunks of meat and bread. Uruguay had awesome meat...but I need my rice.
When you first started traveling, did your family support your decision?
I come from a family that moved around the world when I was growing up. My parents
actually live in Africa, so they had zero problem with my desire to cruise around.
Did you always have a love of travel or did you develop your passion for
traveling as you got older?
Yah, as I just touched on in the last question, I grew up in a family that moved
around quite a bit for my Father's work. I guess when I was younger I just followed
my parents and when I finished with university, I wanted to continue traveling
as I had previously done. My love for traveling and other countries continues
to develop and evolve.
What impact has migrationology.com had on your life?
I spend a lot of time on the internet, a lot of time taking photos, and quite
a bit of time thinking and writing...and I love doing it all. Running Migrationology
has allowed me to think a lot deeper about countries I visit and to strive to
learn more through traveling.
What has been the least exciting destination you've traveled to?
To be honest, just about every country I've been to is on the same level of
excitement - I can't say there's a lesser exciting place that I've been...maybe
Singapore? I'm not one to go out and do all the touristy things in a country,
so exciting for me has to do with meeting locals, eating food, and just hanging
out.
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.
Great question. One of the things that I love about visiting a new destination
is a first day in a new country when all previous mindsets of imagination are
flushed and you are submerged into a culture you've never experienced.
I guess I would say Vietnam. I had already been living in Thailand for a year when I visited Vietnam. Being not too far of a distance from Thailand, I was expecting it to be similar, yet I found Vietnam to be extremely different especially culturally.
If you had to decide which destination has been the most influential in
your life, which destination would you chose?
Thailand, mostly because I've spent a lot of time here, it's my home base. I've
been living in Bangkok (http://migrationology.com/2011/07/cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand/)
for about 2.5 years now and it allows me to travel to destinations around Asia
easily.
Mark, if you could travel with any celebrity for one week, who would you
chose and why?
Hmmm...I don't know too many celebrities, but I do know that I'd love to hang
out and eat with Andrew Zimmern. He is the star of Bizarre Foods, and I can
just tell that he is genuinely passionate about food and what he does. I'd love
to travel with him and try to keep up with his eating habits!
What advice would you give to a newbie traveler?
Keep your goals at the front of your head and keep them alive at all times.
If your goal is to travel around the world, write down the steps it would take
for you to accomplish it, then start working on each step - all the way until
you complete it.
Instead of trying to do every single tourist attraction when you travel, choose your own hobby or specific niche that you are really interested in and really focus on that.
Example: I am highly interested in food from around the world, so if I visit Cambodia and miss seeing a famous temple but try a bunch of different foods, I consider my travels successful!
In 10 years, do you see yourself still traveling or slowing down?
I see myself still traveling...but at a nice easy slow pace. I may still be
based in Bangkok and just take monthlong trips. I think in 10 years I don't
plan on being a nomadic traveler, but I will definitely still be traveling!
Thanks Mark for the interview. Visit his blog @ Migrationology
Follow Him On Twitter and Friend Him On Facebook !
Please visit Marks new website about Thai food !
Guilin Rice Noodles and Dumplings: Legendary Chinese Comfort Food
Tea Drinking Ceremony in China: Taking Local Beverages to the Next Level