Interview With Matt Saydam of Matt the Roaming Canucks Travel Site
Please give my readers a background about yourself. What made you want to start matttheroamingcanuck.com?
I'm an IT professional that has a huge passion for travelling. In 2008 I quite my job and started travelling the world. To stay connected with family and friends, I blogged about my travels. After some time I wanted to have a website of my own so I can share my experiences with not just my friends but with everybody around the world. Last year, I created the website matttheroamingcanuck.com.
In all of your travels, in your opinion what country has the best food? and the worst food?
Out of all the countries from my travels, I think the food I ate in the Middle East was the best. I have Turkish heritage so maybe that was a factor in this but it was amazing. The worst I can probably say would be Scandinavian countries. Unfortunately the people in these countries eat food so they wont starve rather than considering to enjoy it.
When you first started traveling, did your family support your decision?
My family members were the only ones that didnt support my decision.
Did you always have a love of travel or did you develop your passion for traveling as you got older?
My father was a nomad himself. Whenever he would sit down and talk about his travels, I would wish one day I could do the same. He even told me that I had to pass his record of countries he visited( which I did) :))
What impact has matttheroamingcanuck.com had on your life?
Not much has changed. I mean yes there are still people reading my blogs and wondering what I am up to, where I am but in terms of impact there isnt much.
What has been the least exciting destination you've traveled to?
The least exciting place I visited was probably Vienna. Travellers pry about Vienna but for me its nothing different then any other German city.
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.
I think Poland. I've never even considered of going to Poland but since I was traveling thru eastern europe, its hard to go around such a big country. But I'm glad I did go thru, had one of my best travel experiences in my life.
If you had to decide which destination has been the most influential in your life, which destination would you chose?
I would say Japan and Jerusalem. I've learned so much from the Japanese people and there culture during my 2,5 month stay. Jerusalem because even with all the fighting and war 20 meters away, I found Zen at the Dome of Rock.
If you could travel with any celebrity for one week, who would you chose and why?
Never thought about this but maybe Jeremy Piven. Why? I think I'd laugh my ass off the whole time with him.
What advice would you give to a newbie traveler?
Always make sure NOT carry more than you can handle. You dont need much while your traveling. And if you do need something, you can always buy it. Also always have enough money to get you back home for safely.
In 10 years, do you see yourself still traveling or slowing down?
I'll still do some travelling but not as much as I did in the past. With age you cant walk 20km days with a pack on your back. You start to feel the pain in your spine and hip. Getting old sucks lol...
Thanks Matt for the interview. Please visit Matt blog @ Roaming Canuck's Travel Site