EuroTribe’s interview section is richer now from our conversation with Dave and Vicky of acoupletravelers.com. Be sure to follow their adventures around the world on their social media sites too: Facebook and Twitter.
1. First of all, hello Dave and Nicky! Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your website?
Vicky: I am a major foodie with a passion for all things edible. After college I worked as an accountant in DC as well as ran a catering company with several friends. I am responsible for the photography and, in addition to our travel blog, run a food blog at Avocadopesto.
Dave: After graduating college with a degree in Applied Math I went to work in financial services for two years. It was a great introduction into corporate life style but I still had a calling for something more adventurous and set off with Vicky on our two year journey through Asia and Europe. I handle most of the technical and website side of things as well as being responsible for most of the writing on ACoupleTravelers.
Our blog is called ACoupleTravelers and it chronicles our journey through Asia and Europe, highlighting activities we do, interactions with locals, and mishaps along the way. It’s primarily focused on traveling on a budget but we think there’s something there for everyone.
2. I must say you guys have a very interesting ‘about us’ page on your website. Where was your first trip abroad as a couple?
Our first trip abroad as a couple was to Italy. We were there for 12 days and went to Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, and Turin. We had just graduated high school but managed to navigate around just fine unchaperoned. After that we knew we were great travel companions.
3. Where are you located now? And what are your plans for the future?
Right now we’re in Burma and still have more traveling in SEA to do. We’ll head back to Thailand for a bit to go up North, and then spend a month in Laos and another month in Cambodia.
4. Your favourite country thus far and why?
We were both huge fans of Vietnam. We did a bunch of organized tours that we really loved. The people were really kind and hospitable and had no ill feelings of the war. The country is beautiful in a tropical way, which was new for us. Lastly, the food is delicious.
5. Dave I’ve read that you ate an insect in South East Asia and that you used to be a stand-up comedian. First tell us what was that insect like? And what other things are you looking to accomplish in the future?
The insect was actually a worm patty so it was like worms mixed together with something else, maybe a bit of egg? It didn’t taste much like insect but the whole mind over matter thing made me only eat half. We’re both always looking to try new things and have a long bucket list to accomplish. I hope to try some extreme activities like bungee jumping and sky diving since Vicky has done both.
6. What about you Vicky? You did bungee jumping, tell us bit more about it and what else is in your bucket list?
The summer of 2009 I had an internship in Sydney and over a long weekend flew to visit some friends who were studying abroad in Auckland, NZ. Over the course of 4 days together we all went bungee jumping and sky diving for the first time. It was an adrenaline packed few days and both experiences were nothing short of amazing (with bungee jumping being significantly scarier than sky diving). As for other bucket list activities, I would love to try hang gliding, kite surfing, scuba diving, etc.
7. Which cuisine do you enjoy the most?
We both love Japanese food i.e Sushi (but really all things Japanese) as well as Thai food. It’s hard to choose just one. We found the quality of Japanese food to be top-notch with the freshest fish we’ve ever tried. As for Thai food, there are so many different flavors between the different curry pastes and stir fries and we love the lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves which seem to be used to add flavor to almost every dish.
8. What kind of travelers are you?
For the most part we’re budget backpackers although that doesn’t mean we ALWAYS go for the cheapest option. It just means we take our budget into account and limit some of the activities we do if they are too pricey. We do a lot of Couch Surfing but if hostels are cheap we’ll also get a private room, since for a couple it’s not that expensive per person.
9. What travel blogs do you like to read?
Before we started our trip we read a lot of Uncornered Market, The Road Forks, Nomadic Matt, The Planet D, – mostly very established blogs.
Now that we’re on the road we like to read about people who started around when we did or maybe a bit before like Traveling9to5, LandingStanding, 20YearsHence, NeverEndingFootsteps, and TravelingLiz.
10. What is your favourite thing about blogging?
Our favorite thing about blogging is knowing that we’re preserving all our stories and pictures in an organized way. It’s great to know I can relive any event with the click of a button.
11. Did you manage to work with some travel companies and how was the experience like?
We’ve worked with a few companies while traveling such as our Halong Bay Cruise in Vietnam. Generally this works that the company offers a discount on the activity in return for a review on the blog. It’s great because it allows us to do more activities since they are lighter on the budget, and therefore we can bring more stories and tips to our readers.
