Introducing the “Passport to People Series” where I’ll take you around the globe, via inspiring, creative souls I’ve met while on my travels!

Meet Paige Brown, the brilliant mind behind the travel blog ‘For The Love of Wanderlust.‘ I first met Paige five years ago in Florence through a good friend I had traveled to Morocco with. We immediately clicked over a shared love of traveling and studying Anthropology. Since then, she’s traveled the entirety of the United States (mostly by car), hiked the Inca Trail, and recently, completed a three-month Southeast Asian backpacking stint this past spring. This summer, she’ll be embarking on the biggest journey yet: getting married to the love of her life! Peep their wanderlust-themed engagement photos here. She’s also the person who inspired me to start travel blogging so I have a lot to thank her for. I caught up with Paige who’s busy working to save up for her wedding and next big trip…

Hello Paige! Thank you for being our first featured interview! So, I have to start with this question: what is your favorite thing about traveling?

I love that every single day is an education. I learn more on the road than anywhere else in the world and each and every experience is an opportunity to learn!

What’s your go-to place for travel inspiration?

This is tough… Pinterest is always a go-to in general, but I love the blog Another Walk in the Park to get my hiking inspiration and I love Matador Network for a more overall travel site.

What’s your travel mantra?

My travel mantra is probably “Explore. Dream. Discover”. These three things are my very favorite things to do on earth and I think that they really encapsulate the essence of travel. You must explore to travel, dreaming gets you going and keeps you going and discover reminds me to keep an open mind to seeing and doing as much as possible.

What’s a song that puts you in the traveling mood?

I have a whole list of these, but ‘World at Large’ by Modest Mouse always gets me wanting to hit the road and the song ‘Diamond Cutter’ by the Wilhelm Brothers makes me want to get outside and explore.

What’s been your best travel-related investment?

My Arc’teryx pack. It fits me so perfectly and I’ve taken it on all kinds of adventures from backpacking SE Asia and hiking down into canyons in Arizona.

How do you cheer yourself up on a bad day?

Talking to my fiancé, Matt. If I’m away from him I Facetime him, but even if I have a bad day while traveling with him I just have a real conversation with him and he always makes me smile within minutes.

The key to a successful trip is…

Being open-minded. Why travel if you’re going to stick to your own routine? Try new things, talk to people who live a different life than you, eat a new food, get lost in nature, get out of your comfort zone!

What was a memorable ‘first’ abroad? 

When I was in The Philippines I went spelunking for the first time. We did the Cave Connection in Sagada and it was such an amazing experience and something that I will always remember.

Best foreign word you know and why? 

Even thought I feel like I should say ‘wanderlust’ I really love another German word ‘Waldeinsamkeit’ which is the felling of being alone in the woods. I am an avid hiker so this word resonates with me on such a personal level.

You have just won a trip around the world! List twelve cities on your flight path.

This is tough! Jaipur, Kathmandu, Marrakesh, Lhasa, Reykjavik, Quito, Easter Island, Siem Reap, Prague, Mexico City, Havana and Luang Prabang. A mix of new and a couple of mega-favorites.

What do you “know now” that you wish you “knew then”?

I can do this. There are so many moments in the past that I held myself back from something as small as an experience to as big as an entire trip. I have discovered that I’m a pretty strong person and even if something scares me at first or stresses me out, I can get through it.

Here are some pictures taken on Paige’s travels…

What is a good place to travel to but you would never want to live there?

Sweden. I really thought I would love it there because I had been practicing fika (the amazing act of having coffee with friends and savoring the moment), I have a good friend who is Swedish (I stayed with her family for a month there) and I love nature, which is plentiful in Sweden. However, it just wasn’t a country that spoke to me. I don’t think I, personally, would ever feel like a free spirit there if I lived there.

Tell us about your worst vacation experience.

My worst vacation experience is almost every experience that includes me being on a night bus in Southeast Asia. They are brilliant, but it seemed that every one I was on had something bad happen on it from being dropped off on the side of the street in Laos at 3 a.m. to having a girl vomit in our shared bunk at the back of the bus to getting in a confrontation with a man trying to force me to sleep in the back of the bus (a space shared with 3 others instead of my own bunk.) I could write a book on night bus rides. But guess what? I’ll still take them again the next time I’m in SE Asia.

What’s a travel book you most wish you have “lived through”?

Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald. Aside from the fact that India is the top of my list, this amazing journalist explored India via religions – talk about my dream come true! She paints a beautiful picture of such a unique and diverse country through her experiences trying on different religions and diving deep into the culture. (This book was the “Good Read” for October! Read the review here.)

Thank you so much for your time Paige!

Be sure to check out her blog and social media!

Travel blog: For the Love of Wanderlust

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