Meet Natasha from Mindful Feet

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In the latest interview, get introduced to Natasha from Mindful Feet!

My name is Natasha from the Mindful Feet travel blog. I am a “serial expat”, moving countries every couple of years or so with my partner. I write about sustainable travel options and finding authenticity abroad. 

How Long have you been blogging for? Why’d you decide to start a travel blog?

I’ve been blogging for about 1 year and I’ve been living abroad and traveling for over a third of my life. I started traveling a bit before mass tourism hit when weekend trips were not a common thing.

And then I moved abroad.

Being on the road so to speak is hard and also really transformative. Travel is really a privilege.

It opened my mind and I wanted to share some of that with people. I talk about mindful travel and slow travel, which is not so commonly portrayed on social. 

Do you have any tips for new travel bloggers/Aspiring travel bloggers?

Hmm. Do not be afraid to start but know WHY you want to do it. Have a point of view.

Don’t contribute to the noise. Be ready for a lot of work.

What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started traveling?

I used to worry a lot. About tickets, money, how I’ll handle things if I get lost… I lived with anxiety for years.

If I could go back and tell myself 1 thing, it’s to have confidence and faith in myself and people.

Yes, there are some not-so-nice people in the world, but most will be there to help if something goes wrong.

I got totally lost once in S. Korea, I was in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal, I had zero language skills and I still got back safely to my hotel thanks to the help of locals. 

Why do you love to travel?

I love to learn new things. I really like to learn holistically, from all sides, not just a single story about a place.  I have a unique opportunity to actually live at a place and I become a sort of local. I find a lot more authenticity and connection this way. 

What’s your best and worst travel experience?

My best travel memories are about meeting old friends abroad or hearing stories people sometimes tell me. In Japan, I met an older gentleman, an artist doing woodblock images.

I stopped by his workshop and he told me about his father and his grandfather doing the same profession and some stories about his work. 

The worst would probably be issues with my passport at the airport and it’s always traveling to North America. I have an EU passport, but people don’t really know it, I guess.

I was never taken to security, but I was harassed and called out in front everyone by the staff just before boarding the plane. They had to let me go in the end. 

Do you prefer solo travel or traveling with other people? Why?

I normally travel with my partner, which does bring some challenges sometimes, but it’s really great. We have some very different interests and some similar ones.

We grew up on different continents, so our conversations get very interesting and multi-layered.

I also like to travel solo or go explore on my own. It gives me more time to observe and reflect on what I see.

What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to? Why?

It would probably have to be Copenhagen, though it is hard to choose just one. I have visited several times now, and it fits my lifestyle well.

I like the unassuming architecture, the lack of in-your-face marketing, and a chill – come as you are atmosphere. I really enjoy eating fresh hearty food and biking everywhere.

Biking in Copenhagen is a bit unsettling at first, but so organic once you plug into the wave of commuters and other fellow bikers (I have a guide on how to bike in Copenhagen on my blog).

It feels was like the city is built and designed around how people live and live well, like it is all in service of people. 

What’s your biggest travel tip?

Biggest? I have learned to personalize my itinerary. The trip will not be worth your money if you are seeing stuff you don’t really care about, but are on someone else’s must-see list.

I make sure to ask everyone going with me, what are the top 3 priorities for them. In this way, everyone is included and then we have some free time to explore and there is less FOMO in the end.

Is there one specific thing you like to do, see, or buy in every place that you visit?

I try to visit local farmers or art markets everywhere I go and pick a souvenir from there. It’s normally something practical, that I can wear.

I also like buying spices to take home some of the local flavors. And I send a postcard to my mom.

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?

So many.  I started to really like mochi’s when I had them fresh in Japan (I wasn’t the biggest fan before).

I also loved Korean bakeries, it’s just really delicious and also something people do not think about when visiting Korea.

There are some things like British scones, Danish apple glogg, macha tea, pate feuilletée, peanut butter cookies, mousakka… that I’ve had abroad, found a recipe and make at home on a regular (If you want to see some, I have a Pinterest board just for that).

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All photos used throughout this post are taken by Natasha from Mindful Feet.