Meet Lara from Both Feet On The Road
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Say hello to Lara from Both Feet on the Road for this travel blogger interview!
Hi, my name is Lara from Both Feet On The Road. I’m a mid-twenty, clumsy, sarcastic Dutchie with zero photography skills. Who, just as any other girl next door loves traveling, food, and meeting new people. Though I try to use my “skills” to share an honest and practical budget, and sustainable travel tips!
Interesting in keeping up with Lara’s adventures elsewhere? Be sure to follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
How long have you been blogging for? Why’d you decide to start a travel blog?
I’ve only been blogging since September 2019, so almost a year now. Though I only started to be more serious about my blog at the start of 2020.
Do you have any tips for new travel bloggers/aspiring travel bloggers?
Don’t be afraid to invest money in your blog and yourself. In time you will see a return on that investment. Another tip I got from the ProBlogger Podcast was this one:
Do something imperfect today.
It may sound like a weird tip, but for someone like me, who always wants to know exactly how to do something before I try it, this was a really helpful tip. Because at least you will do something and learn from it, instead of always postponing something you think is difficult.
What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started traveling?
That traveling is a desire that will never be fulfilled.
Why do you love to travel?
Oh boy, there are so many reasons why I love traveling, let’s see if I can summarize them in a short paragraph.
I love the freedom of waking up in the morning and doing whatever you feel like doing that day. I love walking around a new city, sitting on a bus in a new country, or hiking in a new national park. Seeing things I have never seen before. Exploring new areas, discovering new places, and learning new skills.
I love talking to people with different backgrounds and cultures because they always show me a new way to view the world and think about the world. I love that there are no social expectations when you’re traveling, you can be whoever you want, and no one will tell you that you have to be different.
I love the spontaneity of traveling, random trips, random nights out, and a visit to a museum you never thought you would be interested in. A type of food you never thought you would try (such as an elote loco, corn on the cob with spicy sauce, mayonnaise, and cheese).
If I have to summarize why I love traveling in one sentence, it’s because it makes me feel happy and at peace.
What’s your best and worst travel experience?
Honestly, I am not sure if I can pick the best travel experience. I loved my trip to Uganda with a friend, and I loved my trip through Central America alone and all the amazing people I met on that trip.
And perhaps that trip was also my best travel experience because I realized that I wasn’t ready for a 9-5 job yet; I needed to experience more of that freedom travel gave me.
Ironically, my worst travel experience also happened on that same trip.
I broke my back in Guatemala because I jumped on a bouncy blob on Lake Atitlan and managed to break one of my vertebrates. Miraculously, I didn’t end up paralyzed after that jump, they managed to get me off the bouncy blob without dropping me in the water and without damaging my spinal cord. I was taken to a hospital, had surgery, and my parents came to help me out.
It was definitely a bad experience, and I still haven’t recovered fully. But this experience also showed me that solo travelers are the best people to have around when something bad happens.
Seriously, I was surrounded by amazing people that day helping me make something out of this experience. Which is how my worst travel experience became part of my best travel experience.
Do you prefer solo travel or traveling with other people? Why?
For long-term trips, I prefer to travel solo simply because it allows me to plan my trip exactly how I want to. But I also love my trips with friends or my mom, though those are shorter trips.
Traveling with other people is also a lot of fun, plus you end up doing things you probably wouldn’t have done if you were by yourself. So for me, a combination of traveling with other people and traveling alone is the best.
What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to? Why?
Oh wow, that’s an impossible question to answer. I can see the beauty (and the ugly) in everything. And it really depends on what mood I’m in, what experience I’m looking for, and who I’m with.
I love big cities such as Amsterdam, Dublin, and Sydney, and I would love to live in New York City once. But Uganda, Mexico, and Guatemala are also countries that I fell in love with. I don’t think I am able to pick a favorite place.
What’s your biggest travel tip?
My biggest travel tip is to remember that it’s your trip and your trip only. Sometimes I feel like traveling has become a competition.
Who’s seen the most countries? Who’s been somewhere the longest? Who’s been to the most offbeat places? Who has the most followers? Who has the most beautiful pictures on Insta?
But remember, there is no right, wrong, or best way of traveling. Alright, maybe when you’ve forgotten that it’s your trip and you’re only doing things you don’t enjoy you’re not traveling the right way. But if that’s how you like to travel, then you are doing it the right way.
Whether you enjoy seeing a lot of countries in a short period of time or staying somewhere for a longer time, it’s both okay. Whether you prefer to see and do things alone or meet a lot of other travelers, it’s both fine. Whether you’re spending a lot of money on booze or on organized tours, go for it.
It’s your trip, and you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing (but please go do what everyone else is doing if that’s what you like).
Is there one specific thing you like to do, see, or buy in every place that you visit?
At University I took a course in Rome about world heritage in Rome, and ever since I have been fascinated by world heritage sites. What makes them special? Why are some extremely popular tourist activities whereas others aren’t even known among the local population?
So now I always try to visit all the world heritage sites in the places I visit. I really enjoy it because there are so many random UNESCO sites that I otherwise would have never visited.
Is there one particular food that you’ve tried while traveling that you loved? What food was it and why do you love it so much?
In Mexico, they make these snacks called Marquesitas, which is like a crunchy crepe. They’re delicious, and you can get all sorts of toppings. A typical Mexican topping is a combination of the two things I love the most, but the ones that I would have never put together.
Cheese and Nutella.
Yeah, that’s right, they eat a crunchy crepe with cheese and Nutella on the same marquesita. I was quite hesitant to try it the first time, but wow, that’s amazing.
I still miss my marquesita with cheese and Nutella every once in a while. It’s the best thing to eat for people like me, who can never decide if they want something sweet or savory.
Seriously, anyone who’s visiting Mexico, please give it a try and you will be amazed by this weird combination!
Quick Questions
Plane or train? Train
Hotel or hostel? Hostel
City or nature? Ooooh, so many impossible questions in this interview. If I had to choose, I would go to the city. I love nature too, but I would take day trips from a city.
Popular site or off the beaten path? A combination? Popular sites are popular sites for a reason, so I do want to see them, perhaps not when it’s high season. Getting off the beaten path every once in a while is also a lot of fun, but being the only tourist all the time, get’s a little boring too.
Suitcase or backpack? Suitcase (I had to switch after I broke my back)
Fast travel or slow travel? Slow travel
Professional camera or iPhone photography? iPhone (I take equally terrible photos with both, so I’ll take the lighter iPhone)
Warm or cold weather? Warm (and one week of cold weather for skiing)
All photos used throughout this post are courtesy of Lara.
