Introduction
Today’s interview is with German blogger Caroline Lohrmann. Caroline studied journalism and started her German travel blog 8 month ago (http://shavethewhales.net). It is surprising that she became a world traveler as she gets lost easily, she is impatient and she loses stuff wherever she goes.
She says it would probably be best for her to stay home, but there is something that always tells her to go out again. To go where the adventures are. On to the interview!
Interview
How long have you been writing/blogging about travel and why did you start?
I started my first blog when I went abroad to Argentina in 2008. It was full of stories of how much I failed to find a flat, how often I got lost in this massive city with 800 different bus lines and how much I hated to be in a crowded metro.
The whole blog looked awful. I had crappy pictures in the middle of a text blog and in reality the only people who read it were my friends and parents. But then, as time progressed, the stories got better, incredible things started happening and I learned so much from being there.
What was your first memorable travel experience/trip?
A school trip to France where I had to stay as a guest with a family. I was in the countryside and this family took me to see churches while everyone else was going to Disneyland. I hated it and I told my parents I would never leave Germany again when I came back. I was so wrong.
Can you tell me what makes your blog unique?
Hmm. I like to find weird things in every place I go. They are everywhere, really. Little bugs in the middle of the jungle in Borneo that sound like police cars or chain saws and that wake you up at night. Voodoo religion in Togo where people put dead animal’s heads on their doors. A festival in Sydney where pigs dive off towers or a sausage dog parade in Poland where the longest sausage dog wins a price. It just shows how weird life is, in general, I like that.
What is your absolute favorite place in the world and why?
I can’t really say that, because my favorite places are all beautiful in their own way. I loved Mexico, I lived there for a while and fell in love with the friendliness, traditions like Day Of The Dead (Dia de los Muertos) and all the incredible landscapes that no one in Europe even knows about.
Can you share a useful travel tip with my readers? Something that you have learned through your own travel experiences?
1. Try everything at least once. Do things that you are scared of. You will regret it one day if you don´t.
2. Travel by yourself. Go somewhere where nobody knows you. Most people tend to think about other´s expectations too much. You might be someone different when nobody is looking.
What inspires you?
People that do their own thing. Regardless of what others think or say. People that see a world full of opportunities and not a world full of dangers and problems.
What is your overall favorite travel experience and why?
Looking back, mostly not the pleasant ones. I once missed my train in India because of traffic and then went on the wrong one, it took me to a completely different place where nobody spoke English. I had to spend one night in a train station but I got to the city where I wanted to go (3 days later). On my way, I met the most incredible people.
I don’t always want life to be smooth all of the time. That gets so boring after a while. I want life to scare and confuse me and to spit me out changed.
Why do you continue to travel?
To learn. I’ve learned more from the world than I ever did in school or university. (Caroline made an amazing video about what she has learned through travel. I highly suggest checking it out.) Travelling has taught me that I´ll find my way at one point. I just try everything I might like until I find what I love.
Backpack or suitcase and why?
I used to have a backpack because the countries I visited early on didn’t have real roads to roll suitcases on. Now that I travel to more developed countries, I use a suitcase.
Do you have anything else to share with my readers?
Go out and see the world. It is so beautiful. You are one of the few people who can, who will get a visa for any country. And you live in a time of endless freedom. Earlier generations have fought for it and sometimes I think it would be ungrateful not use it.
Conclusion
I want to thank Caroline for participating and sharing her experiences with us. If you haven’t yet, I highly suggest checking out her website Shave The Whales. It is in German, but her pictures tell stories all on their own and Google Translate works very well.
Have a great weekend!
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Thank you Shawn!