I created the “Travellers’ Tales” section to give my readers and other travellers an opportunity to talk about their travels. Today I would like to introduce you to Tamara and Daphne, travel blogger friends based in the Netherlands. Visit their blog at “ Girls Wanderlust ”.
I would love to hear about your travels too. Go to “Travellers’ Tales” , fill in the quick questionnaire and email it to me with your blog links.
Tamara: I’m Tamara, a 22-year old Dutch girl who has a passion for travelling, photographing and writing about my travels. After doing a Bachelors study in Tourism Management I now work as a travel consultant at a travel agency in the Netherlands. In my free time, I love to spend my time working on the blog, but I also love to meet up with friends, plan some fun things to do (like day trips) and have a nice night out, for example.
Daphne: Hi, I’m Daphne. Just like Tamara, I am 22 years old and Dutch. Ever since I was a little girl I have been deeply passionate about travelling. I’ve spent most of my life fighting an incurable case of wanderlust. When I was 16 years old I ventured off on my first trip overseas to do voluntary work in South Africa. From that moment on, I was addicted to travel.
I studied ‘International Tourism Management’ the past four years in the Netherlands and currently I am studying a Master of Science in Tourism, Leisure and Environment at the Wageningen University in the Netherlands. I like to travel, photograph, write, read, hike and watch adventurous travel movies to get inspired.
Tamara: When I was four years old, I went to Disneyland Paris together with my parents and sister. I can remember some little pieces of that trip. Furthermore, I can remember some things from my holiday to Austria when I was, 8 years old, I think. Those are my earliest travel memories.
Daphne: My earliest travel memory is when I was 5 years old. I went with my parents and brother to Turkey and spent all day playing in the pool on my inflatable green crocodile and in the evening, you could find me dancing and singing with other children in the kids’ disco.
Tamara: I recently made a trip to Tallinn, Estonia, to visit a friend. I went there in the first weekend of November and really enjoyed my time.
Daphne: I was backpacking this spring for three months through Scandinavia. I mainly travelled through Sweden, but also visited Norway, Finland and Denmark. It was amazing!
Tamara: I think the first day when we went exploring the old town of Tallinn was the best. I found the city centre so pretty and cosy, I loved it. We also had a great lunch. It was snowing and I just had a nice time together with my friends.
Daphne: Doing voluntary work on an ecological farm in Sweden. This is not particularly a famous tourist attraction or so, but I really enjoyed my time on the farm. It was a great place, located in a little village which was surrounded by a lot of forest. I did several things like taking care of the animals, maintaining the forest, creating vegetable gardens, helping in an Antique shop, and cooking.
When not working we were having barbecues at the river, enjoying saunas, hot tubs, baking cinnamon buns, watching movies, or playing billiards. I had enough free time to explore the surrounding. I took a four-day hike to the top of Areskutan in Are, did some kayaking on the Harkan river and often went for a bicycle ride or walk with their dog to the forest or nearby lake. Overall, a great experience!
Tamara: My best holiday ever was the one to Suriname! I travelled to the country for two weeks and have seen so many places. We visited the city (Paramaribo) and went into the inland (and the jungle). We did so many different things. We did an adventurous activity in the middle of the jungle (canopy tour), we went by boat over the Suriname River many times, we had some parties in Paramaribo and we climbed Brownsberg. These are just some examples from the many thing we did and places we explored. I had the time of my life!
Daphne: Pff this is a hard question to answer! So far, I’ve enjoyed every ‘holiday’, but I think I enjoyed my backpacking trip to Nepal in March 2016 the most. This country is so diverse and I experienced a lot of new things! I got the chance to bathe and massage elephants, participated in a jungle walk, did paragliding, experienced the Holi festival, partied in the bars of Pokhara and enjoyed a seven-day hike through Nepal’s Langtang National Park and Himalayas.
Tamara: This is a hard question, but that would be Japan I guess. Two years ago I travelled to Japan for a short time. I’ve seen some places (Kyoto, Hakone, Nara, Tokyo..), but haven’t seen so many other places yet! I was stunned by the culture, the beauty of the country and the kindness of the people. Japan is also very versatile: in Tokyo you can explore a big, modern city, although in Hakone you can explore the serene, traditional places. I’d love to go back some day and to explore much more of this beautiful country.
Daphne: Bali, Indonesia! I have lived in Bali for seven months and enjoyed every minute of it. The island is known for its beautiful rice paddy fields, amazing beaches, astonishing temples, volcanic mountains, nice weather and surfing. Not to forget, the amazing local people!
Tamara: Have an overnight in a traditional Ryokan. In this kind of hotel you walk in a kimono and sleep, just like a Japanese, on the ‘floor’. It is a very unique experience which you shouldn’t miss.
Daphne: After living for seven months in Bali, it is hard to mention just one sight of the thousands sights I have seen, which you should definitely visit. I think the Mount Batur sunrise trekking was the best thing I did. You will start hiking the active volcano in the middle of the night to watch the sunrise at a height of 1717 meters. Meanwhile you can prepare your breakfast and cup of tea on the hot steam coming out of the volcano. After the hike down, you can relax in one of the many natural hot springs which are located around the volcano.
Tamara: My sister. When we’re travelling, we love to do and see the same things. That makes it much easier.
Daphne: To be honest; me and myself! I love to travel by myself and make new friends along the way. In the past, I’ve travelled with many different people and I got along with everybody very well, but since my backpacking trip this summer I experienced the freedom of travelling by myself and I really love it!
Tamara: A good book!
Daphne: My camera! I always bring my Go Pro with me. It is amazing to be able to take pictures and film everywhere you go… under water, while paragliding, in the mountains... it works everywhere! =)
Tamara: Just enjoy your time travelling. Don’t stress about things. When you’re travelling you can make some great memories on which you can look back when you’re back home. J
Daphne: You are never alone! There are so many other travelers in every destination, but also many local people who are interested in you as a person and your travel reasons and plans. It is very easy to meet people when travelling and spend time together. The best thing is to meet locals, so you get to know the hidden spots.
Tamara: There are many! But number one on my bucket list is New Zealand.
Daphne: Oh, this is hard. I have quite a lot on my bucket list, 150 places at the moment… I think the one I would love to visit the most though, is Machu Picchu.
Blog: https://girlswanderlust.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/girlswanderlust
Instagram: www.instagram.com/girlswanderlust
Twitter: www.twitter.com/girlswanderlust
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/girlswanderlust
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuqnLAcnwGqJg5y21kKTT0Q/
Thank you, Tamara and Daphne, for sharing your fascinating travels with us!
I would love to hear about your travels too. Go to “Travellers’ Tales”, fill in the quick questionnaire and email it to me with your blog links.
Who will I feature next? I’ve got an exciting line-up ahead. Make sure you subscribe to the free newsletter so you don’t miss out on some exciting travel tales.
Sara Essop is a travel blogger and writer based in South Africa. She writes about family travel and experiences around the world. Although she has been to 50 countries thus far, she especially loves showcasing her beautiful country and is a certified South Africa Specialist.
This is a very good tips especially to those new to blogosphere, brief and accurate information... Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.