Hello everyone ,Happy Thursday and its time again when I introduce an amazing travel blogger aka #ThursdayTraveller to you all. This week spotlight is on Jen from The Trusted Traveller. Born and raised in beautiful Sydney, Australia, Jen lives with her husband Mick who is her partner in crime (travel) 
. She works full time in administration to help pay the bills and fund her shoe collection ( wow!! I already love her. ), but most of all, to fulfill her need to one day visit every corner of the world. Together with Mick, she has visited over 100 cities, towns and regions in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and USA. Now that is impressive.
So Jen, what does Travel mean to you? What is the inspiration behind.
Travel means discovering new places, tastes and people. It’s all about getting out there and seeing as much as I can by making the most of my time on this earth. I think I am very lucky to be able to just hop on a plane and be somewhere new, exciting and interesting in just a few hours. Travelling has taught me more than years a school ever did.
I totally agree with you on this. OK name 3 things you can’t travel without?
- My husband who is the best and most laid back travelling companion I could ever want.
- I walk a lot when I’m travelling especially in big cities so a good comfortable pair of shoes is very important.
- I love taking photos and then coming home, showing people and flicking through them for years to come. So I definitely couldn’t travel without my camera. I think if I lost all of my photos I’d be devastated.
What do you think has been the biggest thing you’ve learned while traveling (about yourself, a culture or travel itself)?
As I mentioned earlier, I have learnt so much in my travels around the world. And I have changed so much too. I’ve always been very uptight and ridiculously organized. Travelling has mellowed me a lot in this respect. I remember planning our first trip to Europe in 2010 and everything was planned to perfection. But those plans ended up causing us a few problems along the way because when something came up unexpectedly I just didn’t know how to handle it. Since then, I’ve travelled to over 20 countries and on each trip I have been less organized and had more and more fun. Travel has really taught me to relax and just let things happen. That’s when you have the best experiences in my opinion.
Since you have travelled so much, Your top 3 destination experiences you’ve ever stayed to date and why?
- New York! Oh I just love New York. Just thinking of it makes my heart ache in longing. I am a city girl and love exploring concrete jungles and New York is one of the greatest of them all. I felt a sense of belonging and opportunity there that I haven’t felt anywhere else in the world.
- Japan was an incredible country to travel around. My overall experience in Japan was probably the best three weeks travelling I’ve had to date. The food, the people, the cities, the heritage, the quirkiness, the landscapes, the cleanliness and efficiency, I could go on forever listing the things that made Japan so awesome for me.
- After visiting London for a week on our first overseas trip back in 2010, I just knew I have to return and live there one day. Six months later that dream came true and we spent 2 amazing years living and experiencing as much of London as possible. It’s a city of endless possibilities with something new and interesting around every corner. I loved every minute of it and would be back there in a heartbeat if it were practical.
Have you got lost whilst travelling? What happened?
Definitely, I get lost all the time. Sometimes by accident but other times on purpose. There are certain cities that you should just put away that map and get lost in like Venice or Rome. The first time we got lost by accident was as soon as we got off the plane in Moscow on our first trip in 2010. I had everything prepared, maps, written directions etc. but everything was in the English alphabet not Cyrillic so it was useless. It’s the first big mistake I made travelling and at the time it felt like the end of the world, now it’s a great story to tell. It ended up taking us 4 hours (in the rain after a sleepless overnight flight) to get to our hostel when it should have taken about 1 hour.
What’s your most practical tip for travelers?
Do what YOU want not what others want you to do or what is popular. For example, I’ve spent about a month in Paris and have never been to the Louvre. I don’t like art galleries and just because it is supposed to be one of the best in the world doesn’t mean I have to visit it. Make a plan of the things you love and you will love your trip too.
Who plays you in the movie about your life?
Good question! If Bridget Jones were a real person I think she would play me perfectly without having to change too much. Almost every day I have a ‘Bridget’ moment where I embarrass myself by saying something before thinking or find it incredibly difficult to say no in situations where I should be saying no. And then there’s the constant chatter in my head which certainly rivals that of Bridget.
Finish this sentence: The funniest thing that’s ever happened to me while traveling is…
Walking around two European cities with a pair of my (clean) underpants half hanging out the side zipper of my backpack. We were leaving Interlaken in Switzerland heading for Lucerne for the day before finishing up in Zurich that night. It wasn’t until I got to Zurich that I realized my underwear was hanging out of the bag. As I hadn’t been into my bag all day, the only explanation was that they had been there all day.
Hahahhaha that is hilarious. There is so much that I can relate to. Japan is surely on my bucket list. And I will suggest to all my readers , if you looking for reliable travel tips and inspiration to get out there and see the world in the most prepared way possible, look no further, The Trusted Traveller is your best companion. You can follow Jen on her amazing jouney on:
Website : http://thetrustedtraveller.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTrustedTraveller
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/trustedtravel/
Twitter :https://twitter.com/TrustTraveller
Instagram: http://instagram.com/thetrustedtraveller
Trover: http://www.trover.com/u/trustedtraveller
Thanks so much for having me Kanika!
Interesting