Luci & Mike at Machu Picchu
Enjoy Luci & Mike’s travels. Follow @1000fights.
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“Marry the right person. My grandmother told me to marry someone you could spend the rest of your life talking to at the breakfast table. I did. “
You met in the third grade. Do you remember what your initial thoughts/reactions were upon meeting each other?
Luci: Mike and I grew up in the middle of nowhere. So when new kids came, it was a big deal. I remember seeing Mike in second grade when he moved to our school and thinking, “What a scrawny looking kid with an ugly head gear.” My first real memory of Mike is him taking a game away that I was playing with during recess in the third grade.
Mike: I can’t remember that far back.
A reader of your blog commented “I’m single, but reading your posts make me hope to find someone to travel and fight with. =)”
Why do you think they said this? What makes traveling as a couple unique compared to traveling alone or traveling with a friend?
Mike: Comments like this make it all worth it. Granted, no one else in the world is going to find someone as perfect as Luci…so just give up. We started our little blog with the hope that our story would inspire more couples to leave their kids at home with grandma, and spend some quality time together discovering a new place. We encourage couples to renew their relationship by exploring together.
Luci: I was so excited to see that post! What a great comment. When you travel by yourself, you get to be the boss. When you travel with friends, it’s all fun all the time. But when you travel as a couple you have to discuss, fight and then compromise about what you are going to see, do, and eat. It’s like real life except you are somewhere different!
You take turns in planning where to go. In what ways are your personal travel choices usually different?
Mike: Luci and I are very similar in our interests. We both have a passion for history, culture and off the beaten path locations. I do tend to pick some of the more extreme locations (see Amazon Jungle & Swaziland). We do recommend that couples take turns picking the locale. If you have to compromise on a location, then both of you end up going to a place you don’t want to go. Be open to new places and ideas, you will learn a lot from your spouse’s choice.
Luci: Well, when I pick the location, we actually stay in places with running water and clean sheets. I don’t like roughing it and Mike has hauled me some places that I would have never picked on my own. Mike tends to be more adventurous in his choices. My criterion is simple: amazing food, breathtaking scenery, historical significance, and ability to walk around without feeling like someone is going to mug you.
What’s the most romantic place you have ever visited? Why?
Luci: Easy. Paris. Everything about Paris speaks love. However, I don’t feel we ever get that when we are there because Mike doesn’t do public displays of affection (PDA). I end up watching a lot of other people have PDA and yell at Mike for not kissing me in public.
Mike:That’s really a hard one. So many choices! I would have to say Tuscany, Italy. We stayed in a little bed and breakfast there. It was out in the countryside, on a cedar lined drive. The B & B was on a hillside overlooking vineyards and orchards. After checking in with our welcoming hosts, we took a stroll at sunset along an old country road. The sunset was incredible! The sights, smells and company were perfect. Words cannot describe the intense beauty of that evening. I wish I could bottle that and share it with every couple.
Thinking back to when you first started dating and your relationship today - In what ways has traveling together impacted your relationship?
Mike: Much like every country you visit, you get a passport stamp, imprinted on my mind forever are these wonderful adventures with my sweetheart. One of our favorite shows is the “Notebook”. Without giving the storyline away for those unfortunate people that have never seen the show. The crux of the movie is the husband sharing with his wife all of the great memories of their life. Luci and I have had some wild and incredible adventures. Memories have been made together that we will never forget…ever.
Luci: It keeps us married. I don’t want to divorce because I’d miss next year’s trip. Seriously, it’s the only time in our year where we can unplug from work, our kids, and life at home. I get to remember why I married Mike and see some great sites at the same time!
What’s one place in the world, where you could see yourselves living for a very, very, long time? Why?
Mike: China. I am little biased. I speak Chinese and love the: food, culture, history, people and food. Candidly, I think that I could live just about anywhere. We chose to live in the Pacific Northwest. It is a great place to raise a family.
Luci: Hmmm. That’s a really good question. I love living in Idaho. It’s home. But if I could live somewhere else for a very long time, I would want to live in Slovenia.
What’s the secret to having an awesome marriage? : )
Mike: The secret to an awesome marriage? I wish I knew. Marriage is a lot of work. I admire couples that have been together for 40+ years. Do we realize what an accomplishment that is? There are a couple things that I have learned along the way: 1) Marry the right person. My grandmother told me to marry someone you could spend the rest of your life talking to at the breakfast table. I did. 2) Be the right person. Marriage takes hard work. You must constantly try to be a better spouse. Never take your loved one for granted.
Luci: Uh, why are you asking us this? I think we have a good marriage, but we are in search of a great marriage. My advice is take time to be together as a couple. Kids grow up. Jobs change. Friends move. But if you focus on your marriage, you can weather life’s changing circumstances. So go take a trip without your children!
Luci & Mike kayaking at Hilton Head.
Marilyn at the Plitvice National Park in Croatia
Enjoy Marilyn’s work at Intelligent Travel. Follow @Marilyn_Res
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“The world is a beautiful place, go out and see it.”
How did your love of travel start?
I guess in college when I went to live and work in Antwerp one summer, and when my job was over I traveled down the Rhine and through the Black Forest to Switzerland, went hiking in the Alps and then explored along the Loire, staying in hostels.
When I say…travel, what’s the first thought that comes to mind?
Airport. Passport.
You’ve been the Chief Researcher at National Geographic Traveler Magazine for 10 years, what’s one of your favorite travel stories that you’ve covered?
One of my very favorites is “Bus to Antarctica” by Andrew Evans, that was published in our September 2010 issue: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/bus-to-antarctica/trip-essay-traveler/
It’s about Andrew’s quest to travel by public buses from National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, DC to the tip of South America, in order to board a boat to Antarctica, tweeting and blogging all the way.
It was fun to work on because I’d been in on it from the beginning, when Andrew first proposed the crazy scheme to our editor Keith Bellows and he (amazingly) agreed. It was a tremendously exciting project, and I followed Andrew’s tweets through some pretty hair-raising adventures, not all of which made it into the magazine story.
Thinking back to the person you were 10 years ago, in what ways has travel and being part of National Geographic Traveler changed you?
Working at Traveler has greatly expanded my knowledge about places and has made me insanely hungry to go out and explore more.
Favorite travel book?
I am absolutely floored by Freya Stark’s books, especially “The Valleys of the Assassins”, about traveling in Persia on foot as a single woman in the 1930s.
We included it in our Ultimate Travel Library, which has many other great travel narratives:
http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/travel-books/intro-text
I also enjoyed “The Orchid Thief” by Susan Orleans, who I think is a terrific travel writer.
In your experience, what qualities/characteristics make a good travel writer?
Someone who is curious, observant, adventurous, and humble. Who does a lot of background reading before going on a trip. Who has a story idea in mind before going, even if that story idea doesn’t pan out. Who takes the time to talk to people. And who loves telling stories. And as a fact checker, I really appreciate a writer who takes good notes and tells the truth!
You’re a very active twitter user. What do you think about Twitter? Specifically, the impact it has on the news and journalism?
When it comes to breaking news, I usually find out about it on Twitter before I read it in the paper or hear it on the radio. It’s an incredibly fast and handy tool for finding out information on the ground.
If you could tell the whole world one thing - - What would you tell them?
The world is a beautiful place, go out and see it.
The Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia.
Taken by Andrew Evans for his “Bus to Antarctica” story.
Mike & Jürgen in Bolivia.
Read Mike & Jürgen’s blog. Follow @for91days
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“It gives us four locations in a year, which is enough to be exciting, but not overwhelming.”
You’ve just arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia - initial thoughts & feelings?
The city feels a lot more affluent than other places we’ve visited in Bolivia — clean streets with wide sidewalks, nice houses and a lot of expensive cars. Not too many tourists make it to Cochabamba, which is surprising, since it’s fairly huge. It’s known as Bolivia’s breadbasket, with its best food and most markets — on our first day, we got lunch in a marketplace. An incredible plate of meatballs, pasta, rice and potatoes. All the carbohydrates you could ever need, for 15 Bolivianos (€1,50).
“We’ve lived in quite a few countries, but I don’t think we’ve ever encountered such compelling faces as in Bolivia.” Can you elaborate on this?
The trials and tribulations of life are etched into the indigenous people’s faces here. Most of them have been hard at work since childhood, often in dangerous professions such as mining, and their faces are weathered and rough. At the same time, there’s an exuberance, or possibly defiance, that comes across in their eyes. Also, there’s a lot of variety in the faces of La Paz — in La Paz, you see rich whites of Spanish descent walking their dogs past criollo (mixed-heritage) businessmen and indigenous Aymara women in traditional dress selling sweets.
When did you two fall in love with travel?
Mike: My family moved around a lot when I was young, and I probably got infected with restlessness during childhood.
Jürgen fled a future career in insurance by moving to the States as an au pair — a sudden decision which surprised everyone, including himself.
When we met in Boston, we immediately recognized in each other the love of travel, and embarked on a lot of adventures — China, biking through Scotland, exploring Lanzarote, Christmas in Moscow. The more we see and do, the more addicted to traveling we become!
You move to a new city, once every 91 days. How did you decide on 3 months?
Three months felt like the right amount of time to really get to know a place, and also not get bored by it. It gives us four locations in a year, which is enough to be exciting, but not overwhelming. Also, it’s useful in terms of Visas, which are often 3 months in length.
When choosing your next place to live 3 months in, what things do you consider?
There are definitely practical matters (such as our account balances!) that come into consideration. We choose Asturias first, because we were already in Spain, and it was an easy place to start. Likewise, since we were already in South America, Bolivia felt like an easy jump after Buenos Aires. Weather, too, is a big consideration… we want to avoid cold winters as much as possible. But mostly, we go for places that have captured our imagination, for whatever reason. Buenos Aires had always had a strong pull on me, for example, and I knew we’d go there during our first year.
You’re 6’6”. In what ways does your height make your travels a bit different, compared to someone who’s 5’6”?
Jürgen: Well, living in Bolivia is tough!! Mike is 5’11”, and even he feels like a giant here. I don’t know how many times I’ve hit my head, and there are times when I’ve refused to get onto a bus because it’s too tight. Also, I tend to cause a commotion in countries where being so tall is rare. In general, though, it’s not something that causes a lot of stress — I’ve lived my whole life at this altitude and am used to dealing with things.
What’s one of your absolute favorite travel memories?
Mike: Ice skating in Moscow’s Gorki Park the day after Christmas is something I’ll never forget.
Jürgen: The Lucha Libre fight here in Bolivia was crazy — I’ve never been a fan of wrestling, but I just had a blast here. The image of La Loca throwing a chair into the crowd will never leave my mind.
What’s an interesting meal you’ve eaten while traveling?
Mike: Just the other day, I ate cow tongue. I mean: the whole tongue. It was delicious, as long as I closed my eyes and didn’t think about a cow licking the inside of my mouth.
Jürgen: Chef Jerome’s Old School Diner in Savannah, GA! That was such a great experience, not just the food (all fried, of course), but being able to meet the Chef and hear his stories.
James in the Philippines
Read James’ blog. Follow @JourneyingJames.
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“Think of secret lagoons, unexplored coves, sparkling turquoise waters, fine white sand, spectacular limestone karst, fresh seafood and lovely people.”
You’ve been backpacking all over the Philippines. What are some things that make the Philippines special to you?
Well, obviously, it’s my home country. Other than that, I think it’s an underrated Southeast Asian destination.
One of your goals is to write a book called Backpacking the Philippines: The Cheapest way possible.
Without giving away all your budgeting secrets, what are some ways you’ve managed to save money while traveling the Philippines?
Yes, and maybe a travel show someday! Who knows?! I always do couchsurfing, the absence of it; I bring my hammock where I sleep. I just ask some locals where I can set it up. Food is very cheap here in the Philippines, a dollar is enough for a meal.
When and how did your love of travel start?
It started when I was on my college years; I’m always drawn on the small Philippine map that I bought. I always say to myself, that someday I will be traveling the country. I also have a map of Asia, so maybe that’s my next destination.
What’s one of your absolute favorite places in the whole world to visit? Why?
Abroad, I would say it’s the Angkor Wat Complex in Cambodia. It was magical and the temples really turn to gold during sunset. Scenic is an understatement.
Here in the Philippines, hands down, Palawan! Think of secret lagoons, unexplored coves, sparkling turquoise waters, fine white sand, spectacular limestone karst, fresh seafood and lovely people - these things are just a fraction of what you can experience in El Nido.
What’s the most delicious thing you’ve eaten while traveling? What were the ingredients?
Oh, there’s a lot! I guess I always love fresh seafood. We “kinilaw” in the Philippines where the fresh catch, usually fish is de-boned and soaked in vinegar with spices like chili, pepper, garlic, onion, calamansi and salt.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about visiting the Philippines for their next adventure?
C’mon over! You are very welcome here. Choose from any of our 7,107 islands. If I have time, I can even show you around. Choose your adventure (except for snowboarding)! Water sports? Mountain Hiking? Diving? Our beaches are out-of-this-world!
Salamat po ng marami! (thank you very much)
James in El Nido.
Robert in La Paz, Bolivia
Read Robert’s blog. Follow @leavyrdailyhell.
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“Well to me, photography is about what I see more than what is there. So if someone looks at a photograph of mine and his comments even hint at what I was going for when I captured the photo, I know I hit the mark.”
You’ve visited and documented more than 30 countries since 2005. If you were able to spend 2 weeks in one of those 30 countries, which one would you choose?
That’s an extremely difficult question! This would be all expenses paid or not?
All expenses paid : )
Brazil then, definitely. Although Brazil isn’t my very favorite of the countries I’ve visited, I would love more time to enjoy it without dealing with its exorbitant costs. Brazil was more expensive than anywhere else in Latin America by a long shot and as an independent traveler, high costs limit what you can see and how much you can do.
With two free weeks there, I could much more easily gain an understanding of the country than I could on my own, at this stage.
What are some things you would do/see during those 2 weeks?
Well, I would head up to Salvador along the northeastern coast, somewhere I didn’t get visit the previous time due to logistics. I’d also head to the Amazon Basin, having already gotten Rio and São Paulo out of the way. If I had time I’d probably also visit the capital of Brasilia, known to be one of the best-planned cities in the world thanks to its having been built mid 20th century.
When and where did the travel bug bite you?
As an adult, it happened the first time I was in India, in March of 2009. The U.S. was still reeling from the first stages of the recession and being unemployed myself (I traveled there on savings I luckily had), I was reeling too. In any case, I often climbed up onto a cliff face at the north end of Palolem Beach in Goa state. One night I climbed up there, and something about the rhythm of the tides coming in made all the imagined bullshit of the real world fade away the whole time I was watching and listening.
Wow…must have been a moment you will always remember.
Yeah! It was very profound. It calmed and comforted me in a way even my closest loved ones couldn’t.
Although I’d taken a few trips to Europe before then, it wasn’t until I started craving conscious serenity and transcendence that I knew I needed to roam the world.
But to be honest I flew on a plane before my second birthday and had lived in four houses by the time I was 10, so I’ve been wanderlusting almost my whole life.
In addition to being a travel writer, you are also a photographer. What is your favorite subject to photograph?
That’s difficult because as anyone can see viewing my photos, I photograph just about everything. But if I had to narrow it down, it would be people and children, specifically. While adults tend to put on a “Facebook” face and be super aware when they’re being photographed — more so in the developed world but increasingly in other countries — children are generally more expressive and real and often not even conscious of the camera. I practice photography to capture the present moment as accurately as possible, and human children are by far the most present and conscious creatures in the world.
Right before you take a photo, what are you usually thinking?
Well, it depends. If I am shooting a landscape or something that is otherwise still-life, I’m extremely conscious of the composition, how I’m framing the shot and the lighting aspects of the shot. If someone or something is moving past me, I think about what shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings I should use, very haphazardly adjust them and get immediately to capturing the subject, knowing that I can always tweak technical problems, but I can never re-capture something once it’s already passed.
So I guess the long answer to the short question is: “What am I photographing and how long do I have to photograph it?”
“I can never re-capture something once it’s already passed.” A good thought on really living..
What to you makes a photograph special?
Well to me, photography is about what I see more than what is there. So if someone looks at a photograph of mine and his comments even hint at what I was going for when I captured the photo, I know I hit the mark. I also have a soft spot for photos that portray motion, emotion and ordinary people living their daily lives.
Best meal you enjoyed while traveling?
You are a tough interviewer! The 33-course, home-cooked dinner extravaganza I enjoyed at Yu’s Family Kitchen in Chengdu, China, without a doubt. Although individual meals I’ve had may have been tastier or more enjoyable, I have never experienced anything of such a spectacular scale elsewhere, food or otherwise. Selections included both traditional Chinese fare like Peking Duck and regional Sichuan specialties, as well as Yu’s signature puff-pastry-and-pork “paintbrushes,” which were delightful. It was difficult for my dining companion and I to even walk to the taxi waiting area, but totally worth it.
I could see why!
Yeah, it was uncomfortable. I imagined it was what a pregnant woman must feel like.
What were the desserts like? As far as ingredients?
Very much like the main courses — a mix of traditional Chinese elements as well as some Western. I was pretty dazed by the time dessert rolled around — I was drinking tea, mostly — but I do remember a red bean dish and one with cold, white rice and a sweet, colorless gel on top.
The desserts certainly weren’t as show stopping as the mains — and they probably don’t spend as much time on them knowing most people will be too full to enjoy them
What’s a travel memory that you have, that to you is a good example of why you love to travel?
I visited Israel in September 2010 and I’m not going to lie: It was a terrifying experience. I will leave my personal politics out of this interview, but let’s just say that I felt pretty attacked as a solo, male, non-Jewish traveler, being held up by the border and questioned almost everywhere. To make matters worse I got to Jerusalem so late at night that the hostel I’d booked was closed for the night and I couldn’t find any others with open reception. So, I took to the streets and began taking photos. After a few hours of that I found a spot to sit near Jaffa Street, the city’s main road, and got to writing. A young woman passed by me a few times and eventually came back and asked me what someone like me was doing on the streets. I half-expected her to report me to the police but instead, she invited me to her and her boyfriend’s apartment, made me a ridiculous quantity of food and allowed me to shower, all while telling me about her life and how she views the world. If it hadn’t been for this girl, whose name was Nilly, I’d have written Israel off entirely. This situation illustrates one of the most important lessons I’ve learned on the road: travel is about individual experiences more than it is grand trips. And more about people than about governments, ideology or borders, something I also learned while traveling through Israel’s neighboring Arab states, favorite targets of the American media.
What would you say to someone who really has a passion for photography and is just getting started?
Buy a DSL-R. The camera you use isn’t everything, but being able to shoot in manual mode gives you a level of control over photographs a point and shoot never will, which allows you to impose your perception onto your subject — and hopefully onto your viewers. Beyond that, I’d say photograph everything and take your camera everywhere. Don’t be afraid to photograph people as they pass by and even if they’re not looking. Learn photography by photographing and you will gain an intuitive knowledge of what actually makes photos good, rather than what the textbook consensus on what a good photo is.
Don’t get delusional and think everything you shoot is good, but don’t be afraid to show off your best shots. Learn to differentiate quickly and easily between good and bad shots. And to drive the point home: Take as many photos as possible of anything and everything you see.
How you portray something is way, way more important than what you’re portraying.
A good photographer should be able to make a piece of white paper look interesting.
Robert in Singapore.
