Interview with Gypsy Heart Travels

This week we are featuring Becky from GypsyHeartTravels.

Here’s our travel interview with Gypsy Heart Travels. Becky is passionate about travelling the world and teaching. She blogs on Travel , Lifestyle and her amazing teaching experiences from around the world. Do check out her blog I am sure you’ll love the magic she creates through her style of writing.

Questions for the Interview

1) Introduce yourself and your blog to our readers.

Blog: GypsyHeartTravels.com 
Instagram: @Gypsy.heart.travels
Facebook: Gypsy Heart Travels (@gypsy.heart.travels.blog)

Hello! I’m Becky,Gypsy Heart Travels!
When I was a little girl, my mum used to say I was born with a ‘Gypsy Heart’, because I was always the ‘wild soul’ of the family with a curiosity to explore and travel far and wide! This always stuck with me, and when I started to Instagram my adventures in 2014 I chose this name for it! Now, I use this name for everything, including my blog! It’s really special to me, and I think it represents who I am as a person… a gypsy heart!

 

I have been documenting my travel adventures through Instagram for a few years now, however I only just recently started to blog them on my website! My blog is really new but I’m really pleased with the support I’ve had so far.

The thing that inspired me to start blogging most is loving other people’s blogs! I’ve been following several influential travel bloggers for years, seeing their adventures and lifestyles and thinking to myself, ‘wow, they really inspire me to want to live like that!’

For exactly that reason, I wanted to start my own blog – to inspire others to live a life they truly love and can be grateful for. My blog isn’t just about travel, it’s about living a full and happy lifestyle and also How I get to take all of these adventures through being an English as a Foreign Language Teacher.

On my blog you can find posts about my adventures (from travel tips to inspiration), lifestyle posts (from crafty tutorials to thoughts and recipes) and finally posts to help you start on a travelling teaching journey (from lesson plans to how to get into TEFL yourself!)

I started the blog to encourage other travel lovers and creative souls to take the leap of faith and follow the adventures they’ve been craving for and to share the happiness that this lifestyle gives me, in the hopes some of it will rub off on my readers!

2) What’s your style of travel?

My favourite style of travel depends on the country I have to admit!

I’m a big fan of ‘roughing it’ – backpacks, hostels, tents and a super busy schedule jam packed with hundreds of adventures day and night. When I first started to travel, this is all I craved, I love the hustle and bustle. However, since I met my partner, I have enjoyed going on some more relaxed trips and staying in hotels/air B&Bs. but I’ll never truly give up on those adrenaline fuelled, hostel staying, busy daying backpacking trips!

3)Which place are you from? What are the top 3 must visit places in your city?

I’m originally from a small town called Widnes in the north of England. It’s close by to Liverpool.
If you’re headed to Liverpool you MUST visit the albert dock, it’s a great place to pass some time and see the ships that are in dock and there are lots of museums, bars and restaurants to explore here! Liverpool is full of museums, so I would recommend dedicating a whole day to wandering around the cities streets and visiting all the museums on offer. There is also ‘The Beatles Story’, which is an exhibition dedicated to the rising fame of The Beatles and is quite interesting for music lovers! Another must see is the beautiful Liverpool Cathedral.

Now I live in Madrid, Spain… and I couldn’t possibly give you a top 3 places to visit because there are just too many beautiful spots! But, you for sure have to spend a lot of time in the famous Retiro Park!

4)Do you like travelling Solo or with a Travel Partner. Why do you choose so?

When I started off travelling I loved travelling solo. I loved it because at this point I was finding my own style and discovering myself. Travelling solo forced me out of my comfort zone, taught me an awful lot about who I was, and who I wanted to be and allowed me to make a lot of really amazing friends. Now, I love travelling with friends, family or partner. I love sharing the experiences with those close to me!

5) Your top 3 blogs on your website ( You can add upto 3 links from your blogpage).

10 Reasons to Travel

10 Reasons to TEFL(Teaching English as a Foreign Language).

Day trip to medieval toledo spain

6)What is the message that you have for all aspiring Travel Blogger.

JUST DO IT! Don’t be shy, don’t worry about what others will think, just go ahead and write. Even if your page reaches out to one person, that’s one person you have left inspired, and that’s a great achievement. And be authentic and true to yourself, you don’t have to fake it to make it in this industry. Find people that inspire you, and aspire to make your followers feel how they make you feel!

7) The best piece of advice that you can give an amateur travel blogger aspiring to earn a passive income through blogging.

Right now I would class myself as an amateur travel blogger! Hahaha, I would love to hear any tips that anybody has to offer!

8)Do you have any funny/strange travel story?

I have MANY! But most of them are too long to write… so I will tell you about the case of the broken flip flop.

In 2014 I was in south India during monsoon season, I was staying with a host family and so I was walking around the local village. I seemed to venture a little too far and realised I was a long way from home (and a little more than lost) when low and behold… the heavens opened! The rain was SO heavy and creating gushing streams in the streets!
I decided to take shelter to see if it went off, and of course it didn’t… so I started on my quest back to the host family. About 5 minutes into my venture, my sandal completely snapped off my foot and went flying VERY FAST down the street with the stream of rain water…

I was in a local village and nowhere near a shoe shop, and so I had to walk the rest of the way home with one shoe on in the pouring rain. Got some questionable looks that day hahaha.

I think every traveller has a similar story to this, with a ‘Case of a Broken Flip Flop!’

9) If you could go back in time. Which ancient ruin from around the world would you choose to visit and explore. Why?

This is a tough one! I think I would chose either Machu Picchu, The Great Pyramids or Chichen Itza, all because I would love to see how the ancient civilisations who inhabited these places lived! The Incas, Mayans and Ancient Egyptians really intrigue me!

10)How does “Travel” make you feel? Can you share with us 3 top insights that you gained from your travels.

It makes me feel alive! Alive, free and lucky… so so lucky.
I have learned a lot from my travels but the top three things I have gained are self-confidence and independence, a rich understanding and empathy for other cultures and people, and many amazing friends all over the world who have taught me more than I ever learned at school!

11)Name your top 5 bucket list travel destination and why do choose it?

My top 5 bucket list destinations are:
1. Machu Picchu, because I’d love to explore the ruins and learn more about the Inca civilisation.
2. The Maldives, because it looks so dreamy!
3. Backpacking New Zealand, because I love how vast and stunning the views seem.
4. South Africa, because I really want to experience the country AND do a safari!
5. Sri Lanka, because I love southern India so much and I’ve heard its quite similar. I also want to see the rescued baby sea turtles!

12)Do you have any tips on travelling with a pet?

Sadly not, I’ve never been lucky enough to take a pet on a trip with me!

13) Where do you prefer to stay- Hotel, Hostel or AirBnB etc? Why?

It depends who I am with! Alone, I prefer hostels because I always meet such great people when I stay in hostels and find I learn a lot from the others staying there. I love staying in hostels with friends too, I feel like it strengthens a bond between two friends staying with a bunch of travelling strangers and sharing your stories!

With my family or boyfriend, I like staying in an AirBnB or a hotel so we can have our own space and be comfortable. My boyfriend and I love camping too if that’s an option!

14)As travellers we all love collecting Souvenirs. What do you love collecting? 

I’m ashamed to admit I’m not a collector! I have a really busy mind and I have to keep my space clutter free to keep my mind clutter free! I have in the past collected things, and I do keep the odd thing that is REALLY special from a trip, but I don’t collect things consistently besides memories and photographs!

15)When do you find time to blog on your travels? How long do you usually take to finish a blog?

If I have an idea, I usually make a rough draft right away as soon as I get chance. This way it makes it easier to write up the real thing when I have more time!

I like to blog while I’m enjoying something else, such as sitting in a park or at a café I’ve been dying to try. This way I don’t feel like I’m missing out too much on the experience by spending too much time online and inside!

16)Do you send postcards to your friends when you travel? If not postcards what souvenirs do you prefer to gift your friends?

I love sending post cards and fridge magnets! I like to get my mum a fridge magnet from every place I visit recently, it’s become a tradition!

17)What’s your favourite cuisine? Do you like trying out local food when you travel to places. If yes, what’s your favourite dish that you loved the most?

INDIAN. Oh my gosh, I could eat Indian for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day! Mexican and Italian are a close second!

I definitely love trying out local food, it’s one of my biggest ‘must dos’ in any city I go to. I think you can learn a lot about a culture from the food they eat and how they eat it! One of my favourite local dished I have tried is Jollof Rice from Ghana. It’s basically a super tasty and a tiny bit spicy rice made with tomato puree, herbs, spices and vegetables… delicious!

18) When do you prefer to travel to a new place – peak season or off season? Why?

Definitely during off season. I don’t have a grudge against other tourists, I am one… but I much prefer seeing a place in its natural state without being jam packed with tourists! I think it feels much nicer.

19)How do you manage your travel expense? Do you have any particular suggestions for budget travellers?

I would say if you’re on a budget, ask yourself what your priorities are before you go on the trip! What are you willing to miss out on, to see something else? Would you rather cook yourself and see an expensive museum or taste the local food and miss out on something else? This is how I plan my budgets!

Tips I have for saving money on a trip are:
– Don’t stay in a really expensive place for no reason, you’re barely going to spend any time there anyway!
– If the country you’re staying in has expensive public transport, it is worth staying in the city centre so you can walk around the city and saving money on public transport.
– Know before you go! Don’t get scammed by people by paying way more for a product than it should be. You waste money, and make this easier for the scammers to reproduce this behaviour with other tourists.
– Likewise, don’t waste money on things you don’t need! It might be cute, but the feeling of having something new will never be as good as experiencing something new.
– Make some meals yourself with local produce, especially from markets. These ingredients are usually very cheap and it’s also good for the country’s economy.
– Do free things! Every place has a huge list of free things to offer, from walking around the nature to free museums. Check beforehand if there’s specific dates that certain things are free too, this can save you a lot of money on a long-term trip!

20)If you had to draw a pie chart of your travel expenses. What would your top 5 priorities be?

1. Experiences/Tours etc
2. Cultural activities
3. Food… I love trying out different restaurants and making things with local produce!
4. Accommodation.

21) What are the apps or resources that’s been an absolute life saver during travels or planning your trip?

GOOGLE MAPS! Hahaha, besides that I use AirBnB, Hostelworld, Instagram (for the location settings to seek out unique spots) and SkyScanner for cheap flights!

Now some quick questions

Name your dream destination for each word mentioned below:

1. Historical Place- Machu Picchu
2. Culture Travel- China/Japan
3. Couple Travel- Maldives/Bali
4. Solo Travel- Australia/New Zealand
5. Adventure (Water sports, for all adrenaline junkies)-
6. Nature and wildlife (Trekking, Camping etc)- Amazon rainforest or South Africa!
7. Favourite city- Barcelona or Prague

Travel Interview conducted by COUPLE TRAVEL TALES (Achu & Unni)!

Those who wish  to participate in our travel interview series ,please feel free to contact us via email at coupletraveltale@gmail.com .