São Paulo – They have more than just full photo albums from all over the world and their passports are stamped like few. They have great stories to tell, and they are always experiencing that feeling, typical of super travellers, of returning home different after a trip. Because they give priority to coming and going in their lives, they have become a reference for family and friends when it comes to tourism. They also create blogs to share with internet users the things that only those who have been there can know.
Such is the case of economist Adriana Miller. Currently living in London, United Kingdom, she has already visited 42 countries. She tries to set foot on the road every month. “Everything is so close in Europe, so I take at least one weekend trip to some city in the United Kingdom each month,” she says. When it comes to vacationing, she prefers to take a few days at a time and travel more routes throughout the year. “I think it is better than spending a whole month away from home at once and then having to wait another full year before travelling again,” she explains.
Adriana claims that travelling is what she “enjoys most in life.” For it, she gives up all other types of consumption.” On her list of unforgettable trips, she highlights her honeymoon in Asia and a tour of Morocco with two friends. “My honeymoon was not by any means your typical romantic, ‘spoil me’ trip. We spent 25 days backpacking in Asia completely independently. We went to Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam,” she recollects.
Morocco, on its part, will always remain in her memories for the two weeks she spent there with a backpack and “virtually no money at all,” “staying in tiny lodges” and “travelling by train.” “It was an experience like no other, my first real independent adventure,” she claims.
Other Arab countries to which Adriana has been include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. “In the Emirates, I went to Dubai, which is impressive for its wealth and opulence,” she says. “Everything there is so over-the-top that it gets to be charming: the world’s tallest building, the world’s most expensive hotel and the combination of traditional and modern,” she explains.
Adriana posts these and other experiences on her blog, Dri EveryWhere, created in 2004, when she went to Europe to study.
Also a blogger, dentist Bia Venturi Bonelli posts information on her travels on the virtual journal "Achados e Perdidos da Bia" (Bia’s Lost and Found). Like Adriana, she, who has been to 12 different countries, tries to split up her vacations and use extended holidays and breaks such as the end-of-year holiday to go to new places. “I travel at least three times a year,” she says. “Occasionally, such as this year, I will take seven trips,” she claims.
Bia divides her time between foreign trips and tours of Brazil. She teaches: “Whenever I can, I will go on vacation during the off season, which means emptier places and lower prices.”
When asked about the importance of travelling in her life, she does not hesitate: “Travelling is what gives me the strength to get up at 05:30 am everyday and often return home at 11:00 pm,” she says. “Each trip is a way of learning from the differences, misses and hits of other civilizations. It makes us better persons.”
To be able to travel around, Bia set up a “travel fund” of sorts, meaning that she saves money specifically for that end. Besides, she invests in “everything that may generate mileage: credit cards, partner companies, promotions.” Want more tips on how to organize in order to travel more? Bia teaches: “I make reservations for everything well in advance, which really lowers costs. I made reservations for this month’s trip back in February, and I already have everything scheduled for Carnival.”
Bia’s unforgettable routes? “Spending Christmas and the New Year in Italy, in 2009 and 2010, was one of the most thrilling experiences in my life,” she says. “I have watched the Misa de Gallo in Rome, seen the high tide in Venice (the gondolas go into the squares!), walked around the romantic landscapes in Florence, and enjoyed the New Year in Milan (as cheerful as in Brazil). It was just perfect,” she asserts.
The same questions
Civil servant Fábia Liang also has memories of perfect trips to recount. She, who has travelled abroad once a year for the last eight years and takes short trips at least every two months, claims that she “has fun whenever she spends a weekend out of São Paulo,” where she lives. She mentions São Francisco de Xavier and Ubatuba, respectively in the mountains and the coast, 155 and 250 kilometres away from the capital, as refuges for quick stops.
Fábia’s passport bears stamps from South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the United States, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan and Nepal. “I prefer the more unexplored routes,” she says.
For Fábia, travelling is a priority in life and a source of learning. “You learn even before you leave, as you start doing research on the cuisine and culture of the place you are going to,” she explains. Besides, taking a break from the routine to explore other sceneries is a way of reflecting on human issues. “That is when you realize that deep down, we are very much alike,” she claims.
The next routes to be travelled by Fábia include Arab countries such as Egypt and the Emirates. “I really want to get to know those two countries,” says she, with the enthusiasm typical of those who know how good it is to live on the road and have the world as your limit.
Tourism blog referred by the travellers :
http://achadoseperdidosbia.blogspot.com/
http://www.conexaoparis.com.br/
http://drieverywhere.net/
http://inquietosblog.com.br/
http://www.matraqueando.com.br/
http://www.viaggio-mondo.com/
http://www.viajenaviagem.com/
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
