Saturday Chat with Hannah from Eat Sleep Breathe Travel
After a short break (would you trust me if I said I forgot it was Saturday?), I’m back for another Saturday Chat with a blogger who always puts a smile on my face with her posts.
Hannah Logan is a 20 something solo female traveller and blogger from Ottawa, Canada. She is constantly on the lookout for a new adventure and aspires to be as cool as Indiana Jones. Keep up with her (mis)adventures at Eat Sleep Breathe Travel.
1. What is your favorite place in Europe and why?
What an awful question. How can I pick one!? Haha
Honestly, I think I’m in a never-ending romantic relationship with Europe and I have yet to dislike anywhere I have ever visited. In terms of people, nothing has yet to compare to the kindness I experienced (multiple times) in both Ireland and Scotland. In terms of natural beauty, I was surprised when Slovenia found its way into my heart after three short days. But if I had to pick somewhere that I feel I will always go back to, that would be Venice. I don’t care that people think it’s an overpriced cliché. I found the real Venice, and it stole a piece of my heart. (For anyone who thinks I’m crazy for saying that, come back with me and I will happily change your mind!)
2. What is the strangest thing someone has told you about traveling solo?
As a solo female traveler, I get a lot of strange advice. Everyone seems to worry that I’ll get kidnapped and sold into the sex trade (I think they watched Taken one too many times). Aside from the ‘wear the fake wedding ring’ advice that I’m sure every girl has been told, the weirdest thing I have heard is to avoid promoting the fact that I am Canadian; no Canadian luggage tags, no maple leafs, no patches.
The rationalization behind this is because American tourists are known for doing it, and people would think I’m American. Let me be the first to say; American and Canadian accents are pretty similar, and 95% of the world thinks I’m American anyways. I’ve had some awful experiences because of it, and it’s made me sorry for my fellow North Americans travelling the world. I’m a firm believer of judging a person based on their character, not any stereotypes associated with them. So I continue to keep my Canadian flag on my bag and let people think what they want. Who cares if I’m Canadian, American, Irish, or Chinese? My nationality doesn’t make me a better or worse person, and if people want to judge me based on that; well I’m probably better off not knowing them anyway.
3. If you could go back and redo any trip, what would you do differently?
I have a (horrible) tendency to miss trains, and maybe a couple planes too. Although most of these situations resulted in new adventures and new friends, a couple times it just left my wallet empty. If I could change one thing I would make sure I booked the proper flight from Salzburg to Berlin in 2011. I, sadly, showed up to the airport a day late and it cost me over $200 CDN. That hurt.
Oh, and maybe change things so I took the proper train in the proper direction in Switzerland. Five hours extra travel time for no reason was just exhausting!
4. How do you save money for travel?
I’ve skipped around a couple jobs after getting my degree. Although I worked in my field (criminology) for a little bit, I’ve since moved onto happier things and spend my days working in a specialty bakery as a cake decorator. Its long hours, and a fair amount of dealing with bridezillas, but at the end of the day it’s a lot of fun and lets me travel.
I’ve also gotten into freelance writing, which I adore, and although it’s just a part time gig right now, I’m hopeful that one day it will pay the bills and allow me to become location independent.
In the meantime, I am not averse to earning money in strange days, and yes that includes eating a packet of ketchup on film for several pounds. Best money I ever made!
5. What’s the best thing about writing Eat Sleep Breathe Travel?
I started Eat Sleep Breathe Travel about a year after I returned home from living in Ireland. I felt like I had all these awesome stories and experiences to share, and no one to tell them to.
I was amazed when I started getting followers and comments, and then I started getting emails from other young women looking to see the world. At that point I realized my blog needed to become more than just a travel journal, so I have spent the past few months switching things up to become a resource for solo and female travelers. So far it’s been successful, and although I love to see my numbers go up, and I am always excited to work with brands and tourism boards, it’s the emails and messages from the people that I have inspired to travel that really validate what I’m doing. I only hope it continues in the future. The world is an incredible place, and I encourage everyone to go out and experience it.
Bonus question: Would you like to visit Romania?
YES! It’s actually been on my list for ages and (spoiler alert) looks like it will become a reality in 2015. I will likely be there either September or early October, so you know I’m totally going to be picking your brain when I get things figured out. I’ve heard nothing but good things from others and don’t even get me started on how excited I am to check out all the awesome castles…I love castles!