Travel Tips and Tidbits w/ Jay

I am delighted to share with you all the adventures of Jay, of the blog From There to Here. She blogs about her life as an expat and writes a great series called Expatriated, where she interviews other expat bloggers. 
Without much further ado,

1. Tell us a little about yourself:

Hi!  I'm Jay and I blog over at From There To Here about our life overseas.  Originally a teacher from Canada, my husband and I packed up our lives to move abroad for his job.  We started off in Gabon, a country on the West coast of Africa, where we were challenged beyond belief yet learned more than I could ever explain.  Currently, we're in Norway and although our future here is a bit uncertain, our fingers are crossed that we get to stay and experience a few years of life in Scandinavia.

Seville, Spain

2. When/Why did you start blogging:

I started my first blog, Into West Africa, in the spring of 2010 as a way of keeping in touch with family and friends as we lived overseas.  Beforehand, I had been sending out mass emails and blogging seemed like a good alternative.  As time went on, my readership grew beyond my family and I realised that I really loved writing it.  Our time in Gabon was coming to a close and we weren't going to be 'Into West Africa' anymore so From There To Here was born.

3. What is your dream trip:

When in Gabon, my dream trip was anywhere that had stable electricity, hot, running water and good food.  Now that I'm in Europe, I think I'd have to say the Maldives.

via

A hut perched on stilts over clear, blue water, cocktail in hand, spa treatments booked - it all sounds like paradise to me.  (We've been talking about booking this trip in 2013 to celebrate the year we turn 30.)

4. Where is your favorite place in the world:

This one is really difficult for me and I don't really have a clear winner.  I love our university town, Edmonton, Alberta.  It's where I met my husband and some of my best friends and I identify it as 'home' more than any other place.  Abroad, I love Cape Town.  The city is stunning.  There are so many funky little areas to explore, the history is rich, wine country is around the corner - both my husband and I fell in love with that city and I yearn to return.

Chapman's Peak Drive, South Africa

5. Favorite food/ where do you find it:

I have to start with my favourite drink - if I could sustain my body on it, I would.  It's called a "Caesar" and it's the Canadian version of the bloody mary.  I've been in love with this drink since elementary school (yes, while my brother & sister were ordering Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers, I was ordering a virgin caesar, extra spicy.)  Unfortunately, it's near impossible to find outside of Canada and it's the one thing I miss the most from home (and the first thing I order when I step foot in a Canadian airport.)

As for 'real' food, I love a spicy, vegetable Pad Thai.  Unfortunately, I've never been to Thailand but I long for the day where I can eat it every day and I will make it my personal mission to find 'the best' pad thai out there!

6. Any great travel tips/ secrets?

I'm a researcher.  When planning a trip, I'm a TripAdvisor addict.  While I take the reviews with a grain of salt, I love hearing others first hand experiences.  It helps me to know what to expect and occasionally, you find some great advice to help plan the trip.

Most importantly...

Don't procrastinate - if there's a trip you want to do, save, research and book it.  I can't imagine ever regretting spending money on a trip because the experience will always be invaluable.  

Paris, France

Thank you Jay! 

*I have a little guest post/interview on travel over @ HM if you want to pop on over! *