Travel inspiration & tips for travelling to new places
If you’re anything like us, we’re itching to set off on an adventure somewhere new. While you might have to hold on and plan for a little while longer, you can get inspired and plan all the places you would love to visit. Our Osprey Adventurers have given us an insight into their life traveling around the globe for their work and their top tips for making the most out of travelling to new places when you can. We remind you to always respect the environment and others by following your local Government COVID guidance.
Anna @travelbuddyanna’s
Tell us a little about yourself?
“I’m Anna, a 26 year old German girl that caught the travel bug when I was 16! I have lived, studied and worked in many places such as Greece, Mexico and Spain. I started writing my travel blog in 2017. Two years ago I started working full time in a travel startup based in Hamburg. We’re running a platform where you can find travel buddies, it’s called JoinMyTrip. I use every free second to go traveling and explore the world, my secret hobby is café hunting!
Where have you travelled to and where has been your favourite place?
“I’ve travelled through Mexico and Costa Rica, many countries in Europe (especially Austria, Spain and Greece), Morocco and South East Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia). The country that totally amazed me was Myanmar - many places are still so untouched! The country is so diverse and you can explore so many different things there. The people are so nice and friendly - and the food is delicious! You definitely have to try the tomato salad!”
How are you exploring locally now?
“I’ve been exploring many spots around my hometown Bonn, I have been on a lot of hikes and little day trips with friends. You don’t need to go far to feel like you are somewhere new. I have also explored the north of Germany and the Harz on a road-trip with my boyfriend.”
Where do you plan on travelling when you can?
“I’m actually in Portugal right now and I’ll stay here for almost a month to work remotely. For now I will just explore inside Europe. My first destination outside of Europe would be Sri Lanka or South Africa and Tanzania!”
What tips do you have for making the most out of travelling to new places?
“Plan ahead, use Facebook groups, Instagram and all the amazing blogs out there to find useful information and also secret tips! When you are in the destination make sure to speak with locals, they always have the best tips. The most important thing is, enjoy and go with the flow!”
James Norbury @jamesnorbury_
Tell us a little about yourself?
“I’m a producer and content creator living in Chamonix, in the French Alps. I started my Production Company, Zebrafish Media, in 2015. Since then I’ve been producing music videos and commercials for some global artists / brands as well as creating my own photography and video content of my trips and travels.”
Where have you travelled to and where has been your favourite place?
“One of my most memorable trips was hiking in the Annapurna Region of the Himalayas, Nepal, a few years ago. We spent two weeks in the mountains and I fell in love with the amazing landscape and the wonderful locals. It was incredibly humbling to feel so small among the Himalayas and the Nepalese Sherpas are some of the kindest, most good natured people I’ve ever met.”
How are you exploring locally now?
“I feel very lucky to be based in Chamonix, in the French Alps. Whilst we’re never short of big adventures, with the Massif du Mont-Blanc on our doorstep, I often find that there’s a huge amount of exploring to do without having to venture to far. We recently spent an afternoon roaming all over the local forests and fields picking plumbs to make gnôle for the winter. I love these days out just as much as the big mountain adventures.”
Where do you plan on traveling when you can?
“My girlfriend (who is also my photography partner) and I had a big trip to Namibia planned in May which we had to cancel. I’ve always loved travelling to Africa so we hope to go again next year and spend a month driving around the country and exploring the deserts, coast line and game reserves. Aside from that I’ve been asked to join a 6 person team to race across the Atlantic (sailing) in November. If I’m honest the idea terrifies me as I’ve never sailed before and I’m much more comfortable on solid ground. But if the race goes ahead I think I’m going to cross my fingers and go for it!”
What tips do you have for making the most out of traveling to new places?
“I have two tips that I swear by when travelling to new places and they completely contradict each other (so best taken with a healthy pinch of salt.)
- Have some kind of a plan. I’ve done my fair share of footloose, fancy free, follow-my-nose wanderings and I love them. But having the spine of a plan or at least some idea of places you want to visit or things to do is the best way to kick off a trip for me. I usually spend a few hours digging into blogs on the internet to find some unusual or ‘out there’ experiences as I’m not a huge fan of tour guide buses and busy ‘sight-seeing’.
- Be prepared to scrap the plan completely. Without a doubt the best memories I have from travelling are of plans that have gone completely astray to be replaced with good old improvisation. My friend and I got lost in northern Vietnam last year, missed our bus back to the city and spent 2 days motorbiking along the border of China. We had an unforgettable experience that would have been impossible to plan for. For me, I find that just taking things as they come and following a whim or idea that feels good is a super fun way of cultivating new and authentic experiences.”
Kathrin & Dominik @vacay_mood
Tell us a little about yourself?
“We’re Kathrin & Dominik from the travel blog Vacaymood. We are from Germany and work full time jobs, but when we have days off, we love to travel. What we seek on our journeys is wildlife, nature and adventure. We both love photography and share our pictures with our followers on Instagram. We also run our own travel website, where we share recommendations, travel tips and how to bargain and save money for travelling to exotic destinations.”
Where have you travelled to and where has been your favourite place?
“In the recent years, we have done plenty of travelling. Last year we took three months off and travelled through China, Fiji, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Cambodia, Vietnam and South Africa to name just a few. We also experienced the campervan lifestyle on Australia’s west coast.”
How are you exploring locally now?
“When we were in complete lockdown this spring, we took daily long walks along the river with our camera and took pictures of the water birds. At the beginning of the summer, we were able to do some shorter trips in our region and experience a lot of what we missed out on due to our bigger journeys over the past couple of years.”
Where do you plan on travelling when you can?
“We want to return to Western Australia and rent a 4WD to explore all the remote areas that we were unable to reach last time. Another plan is to visit the Azores – one of the best places in the world for watching whales. Last but not least we are planning to return to Southern Africa to admire the incredible wildlife there.”
What tips do you have for making the most out of travelling to new places?
“We always try to avoid the crowds when visiting main tourist attractions. Travellers often tell you to be spontaneous and not to plan in advance, but in our experience being prepared and doing a good amount of research about your destinations is essential. This protects you from finding yourself on a daytrip boat with hundreds of other tourists or not getting a good night’s rest because your accommodation is noisy or dirty. These are things that can ruin every experience.
Always book your stays, transports and tours with local and sustainable companies, to help save jobs and allow them to make a living from their job.”
