I just love the tag line Kris from Nomad by Trade has – ‘A travel blog for the kid at heart’. It just draws you in to want to find out more about her blog! We all just want to be a kid at heart, don’t we?
From featuring posts of her interstate travels to international adventures to exploring Disney. There is something for everyone on Nomad by Trade. I really like how everything is categorised on the site- Leisure travel, Evening tourist, Tips, Disney and Michigan Love. Really mixes it up and is a nice change from having everything listed as destinations. It also makes you want to find the gems of information listed in these categories.
I’ve mentioned more times than I can remember that Iceland has long been on my bucket list and it seems every Globetrotter we’ve had recently has been to Iceland. Cue – huge amounts of jealousy! Kris has recently explored this magical country so has so much Iceland content that I’ve been scouring her blog for lots of insight and planning advice for when I do finally get myself over there. My favourite post (there was sooooo many to choose from), however, was this one as a huge photography lover and someone who would sell her left arm to see the Northern Lights it is such practical advice to make sure you get that dream capture of this beautiful phenomenon. Her amazing picture of herself, mum and sister is a winner and you’ll get to see it below.
Reading Kris’s answers I love how open she is especially when describing her blog. She knows her voice, what to share and what she wants to say which is so important when creating your own space in the blogosphere. We can all get a bit bogged down in comparing ourselves to others especially other travel bloggers who seem to have it all travelling the world. But like Theodore Roosevelt once said ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’. To know yourself and be true to yourself is what every blogger should do. Kris epitomises this and is something I really respect.
All links to Kris’s blog and social channels will be listed below and I can’t recommend enough that you head on over to check them out.
Let me hand you over to Kris
I’m Kris and as a frequent business traveller, I hop from one city to another throughout the United States. As a lifelong traveller, I’ve been to five continents and 45 US states with a goal to hit them all someday. When I’m not travelling, I’m likely to be on Pinterest planning another trip or cuddling my dog, Artoo.
What do you enjoy most about travelling?
I love exploring new places more than anything else. There’s no better feeling than stepping out of an airport in a new city full of things to do, foods to try, and sights to see.
Why do you think travelling is important?
I think travelling is the best way to create positive global relationships. Going out and seeing other countries and meeting their residents firsthand is the best way to eliminate misconceptions and ignorant stereotypes. You learn so much about other cultures as well as your own that it’s hard not to come back wiser.
What is your favourite photograph from your travels?
I love this shot of my mom, sister and me in front of the Northern Lights that I took with a mini tripod and self-timer in Iceland. The Lights were spectacular that night and I got the idea to have us stand really still in front of them. We’re a little blurry because I was using a long exposure, but it was just SO cool.
Do you have a pre travel ritual? If so what?
I’m an obsessive planner. I spend weeks or months researching attractions down to their opening hours, admission fees, and addresses. I also try to learn as much as possible about the place I’m visiting ahead of time. If it’s somewhere where another language is spoken, I’ll learn a few useful phrases (“Do you speak English?” is key), figure out the exchange rate, and research driving laws and road signs if I’m renting a car.
Who do you usually travel with?
I travel by myself a lot for work, so I have a lot of adventures on my own. Lately, I’ve been travelling with my mom and sister a bunch because they actually get vacation/break time. I’ve also taken a couple of really fun trips with my boyfriend the last couple of years.
If you were to give one piece of travel advice what would it be?
Just do it. Whether you’re going for a weekend trip somewhere close or booking a month abroad, it will be worthwhile. Set a budget for yourself and save if you need to, but make it happen. I promise that the new experiences will be more worthwhile than a new pair of jeans or shoes.
Tell us the funniest story or a miss hap from one of your adventures?
When I was in Iceland a few months ago, my mom made the car rental reservation and I never looked at the booking. She’d rented a small SUV for the week and said it was only about $400. That seemed fairly reasonable since I usually get weekly rates when I’m renting cars for work and they’re a touch under $200. We rented the car, had a blast on the trip, and returned it to the airport before our flight. The problem was that when she made the booking, she somehow only did it for one day. The daily rate was $400. we’d had the car for seven days at that point. I was a little queasy since I was supposed to be sharing the cost. Luckily, they negotiated with us and only wanted an additional $900 on top of the $400 we’d already paid, but it was still staggering. I’m still baffled by the fact that they hadn’t tried to contact us (or the police) when we kept the car for an extra six days, but I guess they figured we couldn’t take it very far on a relatively small island.
Where is your favourite place that you’ve been to?
Probably Iceland. Despite the mishap described above, I absolutely adored every corner of the country. I’ve never seen so much natural beauty in such a small area. Every corner seemed to be more beautiful than the last, and our days and nights were filled with incredible sights. If Iceland isn’t on your bucket list already, it should be.
Where was one place that didn’t live up to the hype?
Nassau, Bahamas was pretty disappointing, as well as the whole cruise we were on. I love exploring new places and learning about the local culture and trying new foods, but Nassau felt just like a run-down American beach town. Our ship docked at the same time as two other huge cruise ships, so just getting off of the dock was an ordeal. We spent the day on the beach right next to the cruise docks with a commercial shipping centre to our left and a scraggly sandbar in front of us. It was far from the picturesque Caribbean scene I had imagined, and we ended up re-boarding the ship way earlier than expected.
Tell us one place/experience on your bucket list?
I’ve been wanting to go to New Zealand for the longest time. Every picture I see there seems gorgeous and I love exploring nature. It just seems like the kind of place that I would love.
What is the one thing you wouldn’t travel without?
Aside from the obvious socks and underwear kind of stuff, my main necessity is my camera. I’ve always taken tonnes of pictures and I love trying to snap unique shots.
What can readers find on your blog?
Lots of fun stuff! I’m really just an overgrown kid, so I try to write posts for grown-ups who like the same kind of goofy fun stuff that I do. I’m never going to be the picture-perfect travel blogger or Instagram star, but I love writing about things like ridiculous ice creams and posting pictures of my head on a giant Pez dispenser. It took me a while to find my voice, but now that I’ve figured out who I’m writing for (and it helps that my target audience is also myself) it’s a lot more fun.
Do you have a favourite blog post? What is it and why?
It’s hard to pick just one, but I really like my post called “25 Pictures to Put Iceland on Your Winter Bucket List” It was nice to get a chance to show off some of my photography, and it’s one of my most viewed posts. I’m also really fond of a couple of Disney posts that I wrote. One is about visiting the parks solo, which I’ve done on numerous trips, and another about my favourite fireworks show that ended its 13-year run last month.
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