“I was born in the favela of Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, in the mid 1960s. I was one of four daughters and we, along with my parents, lived in a very very poor house. It was in front of an open ditch. Every time it rained a lot we would lose everything, and this is something I’ll never forget. The ditch would overflow and inundate my house bringing rats and garbage. We needed to sleep in other people’s houses and keep our clothes in bags etc. But despite this hard situation, I also remember we were always happy as a family. We were very close.

My mum used to work as cleaning lady in a private school and my dad was a shoemaker. My parents were both alcoholics but they were never violent. They were very kind and nice to us and I have them as an example of great parents.

I started to go to school at 6 years old. At that time there were no public pre-schools, but as my mum worked in a private one, my sister and I had the chance to start early. At that time, Rocinha was much poorer than today so we had an enormous privilege. My dad was also very attentive to us and always said that we were poor and black but if we had education we could make a difference. You always have to do your best!

My dad loved to read and even had a Greek mythology book collection that stayed on top of his wardrobe, just in case the rain was too strong. He always said that books are life as you can go wherever you want, get to know other cultures, live a character and he would always encourage us to read.

When I was 12 years old I started to teach other kids from the neighbourhood. Study and reading were things that we loved to do. But I had to leave school at 14 because I got pregnant. A few months after my daughter was born I got pregnant again, as I thought because I was breastfeeding I couldn’t get pregnant. Even though it was tough, I started night school, as I’d never wanted to leave school.

I waited for my children to grow so I could get back to study. I finished high school and graduated as a primary teacher. I am in college now, in the third year of pedagogy. After, I want to do a post-graduate degree in psychomotor.

The thing I am most proud of? I am very proud of having raised my kids. To raise kids in a place like Rocinha, which is very big and has a huge appeal for good and bad things, is not easy. I always told them how important education is. Be generous and always say the truth. Education without values doesn’t has much value. The words I always told them were please, thank you and sorry! I am very close friends with my children and I am very proud of the people they are today.”

Roupa Suja Project is improving the lives of the families living in the favela in the Roupa Suja neighbourhood, through education. The Intrepid Foundation is pleased to support this great organisation and your donations via the Foundation will be doubled* by Intrepid Travel.

* Donations will be matched by Intrepid Travel up to AU$5000 (or equivalent) per donor and a total of AU$400,000 each financial year.

Photo: © Roupa Suja Project

“Known as the Grand Maket or ‘Grand Model’, it is the one of the most unusual museums of Russia. It’s an incredibly interesting miniature depiction of my country and it is in my city, St Petersburg.

I remember when they first announced the construction of the huge model of the whole country. I was excited, but thought it is another propaganda project that will not be finished. But we’ve been able to watch it grow while they’ve let people view its progress on weekends and after years of work it’s been successfully completed!

Some will proudly claim that it is the largest scale model in the world, with a layout area of 800 square metres. Well, Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, that inspired this project, is still marginally bigger. But the difference is not that great, when considering how difficult it is to create such completely new museum in Russia.

Some fun facts about Grand Maket:
100 people were making it for 4 years.
750,000 LEDs imitate the changing of day and night.
11,500 kg of plaster were spent on making the land shaft.
There is over 2km of railway track.
Besides Moscow and St Petersburg, there are 12 other regions depicted in the model.

There are always a couple of workers nearby the model. They are observing the visitors and helping them with info, they put back any fallen items and fix the trains if there is collapse. People who work there seem to be proud of their museum – and this is the best advertisement.

One of the workers told me that the creator, Sergey Morosov, had a small car-washing service near by when he got the idea of the model. He bought the building next to his car-wash and started to make the model in it.

The first area to be finished was Russkiy Island, which is in the far east part of the country. At that time there was a new suspension bridge just opened to the island – one of the largest in the world. So it was proudly depicted in the model.

Still, after the years of constructing the model, according to the worker, all the ideas have to be passed by the owner. He personally controls the whole construction of the model. And there are many things to be overseen: the thousands of metres of railroad and car roads. Trains run all over the model and there are depots were the engine leaves the train. All the trains are managed from the computer center and require the running of many programs to operate.

The cars traffic is even more tense. All the cars move chaotically: they have got censors to stop and turn, but still there are car incidents and traffic jams. Exactly like in real life!

The museum doesn’t have any signs – it is an ideological moment. You can take the audio guide in a choice of languages if you want some more explanations. But generally there are so many ideas and the fantasy of the constructors is so rich, that it is a great pleasure just to walk from one place to another, observing the incredible detail. Every single model of a person has its own role in this huge theatrical performance: a woman is throwing bags from the window and the man is waving his hands ready to catch down below. Young people are kissing on a park bench and an old woman is passing by with her dog. There is a fire and the special fire brigade is already rushing to the scene.

Every 12 minutes the day begins to become night. In some northern regions it even starts to snow. On the south you can hear the thunder – heavy tropical rain is coming.

The only limit to the creators’ imagination is what it costs to produce such a display. But the museum is still developing and they continue to put new figures in different areas, new parts of the country are added to the model. And they are always keeping an eye on their German competitors. In Hamburg they recently launched the large model of the airport, so you can probably expect to see one in the St Petersburg model soon.

The Grand Model of Russia museum is probably not the must-see site in St Petersburg, but it is definitely a unique experience and a very special place to visit in the city.”

* photo by Jana Shaffner – Intrepid Photography Competition

Have you visited Grand Maket or any other unusual museums around the world?

“This journey was a long time coming, but even with all the anticipation my Intrepid adventure still exceeded my wildest dreams. I finally found myself on the Vietnam Express trip going south from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. After a day or two adjusting to life in South East Asia, we left the kinetic pace of Hanoi behind for the serenity of Halong Bay.

At port we saw the misnamed Junk boats that would become our home for the next two days. Contrary to being “junky”, these wooden ships turned out to be one of the most luxurious highpoints of the trip!

We boarded and found our way to our cabins with port views and en-suite bathrooms, then we hurriedly dropped our luggage so we could lounge in the sun on the top deck and admire the stunning scenery of floating fishing villages and limestone karsts, for which this bay is famous. Meanwhile, the crew cooked up some of the freshest and most delicious Vietnamese dishes that we had anywhere in the country – what an amazing feast!

Later that day we docked to explore one of the many caves and even had the chance to kayak on the emerald green waters. We enjoyed another amazing meal that evening and probably a few too many bottles of wine, but that didn’t stop me from waking up early the next morning to indulge in one last moment of tranquility in Halong Bay before heading back to the mainland for the next exciting stage of our adventure!”

To find out more about travelling with Intrepid and for your chance to WIN a trip in every edition, subscribe to Intrepid Express, our free e-newsletter. Plus you can become a fan of our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter!

* photo by Natalie Majewski – Intrepid Photography Competition

Tip 1 – Repack your bags
OK, this suggestion might seem rather hellish at first, but hear us out. We’re not saying you need to scatter your dirty underwear all over the boarding gate lounge, but a quick repack can make the next leg of your journey just a little bit more manageable. Heading for a change in climate? Time to take out that warm jacket for when you arrive. Where are your headphones? Could you find them in a dark aircraft cabin when the baby in front of you starts screaming? What about your passport? You’re going to need to be able to find that when, after said baby has kept you up all night, you suddenly find yourself in a foreign passport control. We might sound like your mother here, but an efficient packing strategy can stop you being ‘that guy’ who accidently threw his boarding pass in the bin with his packet of corn-chips.

Tip 2 – Get out
For whatever reason, some travellers seem to adopt the airport as a kind of temporary prison. “I once did 22 hours in Dubai”, they say… as if it were a badge of honour to have spent the best part of a day staring at the roof of the terminal. This is a strange thing to brag about, especially when you consider that Dubai international airport is about a 10 MINUTE cab ride from downtown Dubai. So while they sat there eating Mcdonald’s alone in a food court, they could have been… eating something much more exotic at a much BIGGER food court. But the fun doesn’t stop there – as long as immigration rules permit or you can grab a quick tourist visa, your options are endless. I once had a friend who, when faced with a 3-hour layover in Detroit, went straight out the front door, got in a cab and asked the driver to take him to his favourite restaurant. They drove around the corner to a local diner and ate a Coney Island Hotdog while chatting about the recent housing foreclosure crisis. He still claims that he learned more about the U.S.A in half an hour than he did in his entire trip.

Tip 3 – Take a walk
If your layover isn’t quite long enough to go gallivanting around a city, don’t despair. There’s still plenty of exploring to do in the airport itself. If you’re in a country that’s a little bit exotic, head to the domestic terminal. That’s where you are more likely to find the stalls selling weird and wonderful food. For a start, try and see what the locals are eating. If you’re in Vietnam, eat some Pho. Stuck in Mexico City? You can bet your pesos that there will be a taco stand around somewhere. I’m also a massive fan of the trains that go between terminals. The one in Kuala Lumpur is pretty awesome. It might only kill 15 minutes or so, but it definitely beats staring at the departure gate. If all else fails, try walking really fast on a long travelator and pretending you’re a cyborg. It’s the closest you can get to feeling like Usain Bolt, or that liquid Terminator who chases after Arnie’s car in Terminator 2.

Tip 4 Buy a newspaper
If you can get your hands on a newspaper written in English, buy it. Even if it’s not in English, buy it anyway and look at the pictures. Newspapers are goldmines for wasting time. Most have crosswords, which are a godsend for those with nothing to do but sit and think. If you’ve followed tip one, your pen should be in an easy to reach pocket. And if you don’t have a pen, we’re willing to bet a nearby staff member or passenger will. If you manage to finish the crossword, we can highly recommend getting a few cheap laughs by drawing moustaches on all the pictures.

Tip 5 Write something
All great novels are born from some kind of adversity. War & Peace, Jane Eyre, To Kill A Mockingbird – all about people experiencing testing circumstances. So why not add your tale of airport woe to the literary canon! What about reviving the ancient art of postcard writing? Is there a computer nearby? You could start a blog detailing your airport movements. Maybe you’ve even got some tips of your own to add in the comment section below. We’d love to hear them!

* photo by Inge Turelinckx – Intrepid Photography Competition

Dani’s love of food and cooking came from watching her Mum work the wok to create delicious meals for the family. Chinese food has influenced Dani’s style, as her ancestors were some of the first Chinese settlers to come to Australia. After finishing high school, Dani spent seven months voluntarily teaching English in Vietnam. Here she discovered street food, ate as much as she possibly could, and experienced an amazing and intriguing way of living.

In 2006, Dani first visited Sri Lanka to film a documentary project for university and she has enjoyed a special love affair with the country ever since…

“Sri Lanka has become a place close to my heart, not only did I fall in love with its food and people, but also found my partner of over six years, whom I met on that very first trip. Sri Lanka is an inspiring place where magical things can happen, its food is honest and diverse, its people strong and beautiful, its history destructive and enlightening. I have been fortunate to be able to share my love of Sri Lanka through food on MasterChef Australia. One of my absolute highlights of this experience was cooking Sri Lankan vegetarian curries for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and winning the challenge.”

Dani’s motto is “eat, laugh, live” and this is evident in her infectious personality and great passion for food. We’re so excited to be working with Dani and can’t wait to hear about her foodie adventures. You’ll be able to follow the posts on this Intrepid Express blog and via Twitter and Facebook. Plus Dani will be sharing her tantalising experiences on her blog at danivenn.com.

Dani will also be joining Intrepid at the upcoming 2013 Good Food & Wine Shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth in June and July, so stay tuned for more info and lots more Intrepid Foodie fun!

The Real World Food Tour that Intrepid Travel produces in partnership with Daniel and Mirra, the dynamic duo behind The Perennial Plate, won the ‘Video Webcast: On Location’ category.

The win won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been following Daniel and Mirra’s travels through Japan, China, India and Sri Lanka with Intrepid. We’ve met blue fin fisherman in Japan, rice growers in China, seed savers in India and learnt how to eat a coconut nose to tail in Sri Lanka.

Spain and Italy videos are just around the corner and Daniel and Mirra are currently filming in Turkey.

The underlying message in all the films is about sustainable and adventurous eating that connects us to our food source. It’s a subject we’re passionate about at Intrepid and our new Food Adventures aim to unveil the local culinary delights and specialities of the destinations we visit whilst treading lightly.

Please join us in applauding Daniel and Mirra. Their trophy cabinet is filling-up and it’s turning into a huge year for them. They also recently won a Saveur Magazine award and were nominated for a Vimeo Award. And of course, Daniel got down on one knee when they were Italy. What a year. We are thrilled to be a part of it!

*as described by Intrepid Travel’s resident Intrepid Foodie and doyenne of our new Food Adventures, Erica Kritikides.

Photo: © Perennial Plate in Sri Lanka

“I arrived at the Sun Gate at the end of a grueling four-day hike and took my first look at Machu Picchu. As the stone walls pierced the early morning fog, and the entire Inca city unfolded before me, the tiredness melted away.

When I reached that peak on an early morning in January, I joined my hiking group in a series of hugs, high-fives and ear-splitting grins, but then pulled away for a moment of silent reflection. It had not been an easy journey, and there had been a moment when I’d seriously considered turning back. I’m not an athletic person by anyone’s standards, but I felt I should still be able to experience the Inca Trail.

While it was the hardest, most physically challenging thing I’ve ever completed, the Inca Trail is a very realistic goal, even for inexperienced hikers. Here’s how to do it.

Hire a porter
There’s no shame in hiring a porter. In fact, I’d say anyone starting the Inca Trail without some training should take advantage of this service. Many people try to push themselves to do the trail on their own and end up burning out after one day. It may not seem like a big deal, but carrying your backpack full of snacks and clothing, with an attached sleeping mat and bag, adds up to a lot more weight than you may think.

My entire experience changed on the morning of the second day, when I decided to take the advice of my guides. “If you don’t hire a porter, you’re not going to make it to Machu Picchu,” they told me. The moment I slipped off that bag and handed it over for 80 soles (US$35), my entire mood lifted and I finally started to enjoy the hike.

Not only was I able to change my personal trail experience, but by hiring a porter I was supporting a local family. Each trekker on the Inca Trail is obliged by law to sign up with a guided tour. While this includes a set number of porters who carry all campsite gear and food, you have the additional option to hire someone to help carry your personal belongings. These porters depend on this fee to help support their families.

While each tour group varies greatly, there are specific companies that pride themselves on their ethical treatment of porters, providing them with clean uniforms and ensuring they receive a fair wage. Booking a tour with such companies can cost a bit more, but think about who that money is going to help.

Select your gear
The gear you’ll need depends on the season. I went in January, the peak of the rainy season, and had to account for that.

Rain gear
Waterproof hiking boots, pants and a solid raincoat are essential, but what really saved me was the poncho I decided to buy last-minute in Cusco. Get an oversized version that fits over your backpack and gear. When you finally reach the campsite after hiking all day at 14,000ft, and your sleeping bag is still dry, you’ll appreciate that $2 plastic poncho.

Walking sticks
Many people choose to purchase walking sticks, especially for the two-hour downhill stretch on day 3. I had a solid half hour of deliberation over taking one, but in the end decided against it. While I did have a few moments of “How the hell am I going to make it down that cliff?”, I chose to go slow and used the three-points-of-contact rule.

This meant I was pretty much crawling down a mountain, but I found a rhythm after a while and eventually felt pretty confident. If your balance isn’t great, I’d advise the sticks. Otherwise, ask yourself if this is really worth the extra weight. When you’re hiking for eight hours, every pound counts.

Clothing
After hiking those eight hours, I was happy I’d had the foresight to dress in layers. Hiking at 5am can be pretty cold, but after a few hours of uphill climbing I was sweating. Bring base layers that are good insulators. Then add a second t-shirt and hiking pants and bring a light jacket or raincoat. Make sure to add layers for your extremities for nights at camp. My last-minute purchase of an alpaca hat and gloves earned me a few extra hours of warmth in my tent, and saved me from nights of shivering sleeplessness.

Cusco lives off the tourism industry of Machu Picchu. Its streets are lined with shops offering hiking gear for rental at very fair prices. If you’re not sure you want to commit to an expensive pair of hiking boots or a North Face sleeping bag, save yourself the money (and having to lug those boots around on the rest of your trip) and go the rental route. The shops are eager for your business, especially during the off-season, so don’t be afraid to bargain. I paid 10 soles a day for my insulated sleeping bag, which totaled just $15 for the entire trip.

Consider food
The porters accompanying each group are responsible for carrying enough food for each trekker, and cooking it as well. I was surprised at how many gourmet chefs double as porters! There were some nights I was so tired from the hike I’d fall asleep in my tent before dinner. Don’t make that mistake.

Your body is burning calories at a much faster rate than normal and needs to be constantly nourished. Plus, the provided meal choices are super delicious, with options like honey-covered pancakes, vegetable soups and chicken with rice.

Snacks
It’s also important to bring along some snacks for the road. Nuts and power bars are good to keep energy levels up, but don’t forget to pack some cookies for a rush of sugar and carbohydrates.

On day two, as I was still a few hours away from the top of the pass, the skies opened and I was drenched before I could reach my poncho. Each step grew heavier, and with such thin mountain air I could barely breathe. I grabbed a packet of cookies from my pocket and quickly ate two. Instantly, I felt a little better. My dizziness grew fainter, and I was able to keep walking towards the campsite.

Plan your costs
The Inca Trail is not cheap. Yes, you can very easily find tours that cost $100 less, and swap good hiking boots for sneakers, but these decisions will affect you on the trail. As a newcomer to the world of trekking, do yourself a favor and create the most comfortable and supportive environment you can. It’s worth the extra money.

Sample budget:
Hiking boots: $200 or 50 soles rental
Plastic poncho: $2
Porter fee: 80 soles per day
Sleeping bag: $15 rental
Walking sticks: 10 soles
Snacks: 20 soles

Learn more about MatadorU and special offers for Intrepid travellers at MatadorU.com/Intrepid

* photo by John Riddle – Intrepid Photography Competition

Carlo: I just spent the past half hour watching some of your videos. The latest was the coconut one you posted on your Facebook page. It’s so interesting how they use every part of, not just the coconut, but the entire tree too.

Mirra: Yeah, it’s really important to them. It’s really part of their lives.

Carlo: When you compare it to how most of us here in the West eat things like meat, like beef, we only want the so-called good cuts, then get rid of the rest. Would that [using the entire plant or animal] be a common thread you’ve seen in your travels?

Daniel: I think the less you have the more you need to make use of every part of what you have. In poorer countries you certainly see people being extremely resourceful. Like you have this self-recycling system, just because anything that’s thrown away is fetched out of the garbage and used to make any number of things or sold. Not so much waste.

C: Yeah, I think we could probably learn a few lessons here in regards to that.

How hard was it for you, Mirra, to let go of your job and become fully involved in this project?

M: Oh, it was so…easy. [Laughter]

I had worked in marketing in New York City and I kept on going from one company to the next because I just wasn’t feeling it, and I thought it was the company that I wasn’t passionate about, but it was really the work that I just didn’t feel inspired by. And then I quit…I started a dog-walking company in New York, and then I worked for the city, then I did freelance graphic design. I was just trying to figure it out…and when I moved to Minnesota I worked at a cheese shop, which was so wonderful and liberating to not be in an office every day and to just be around people who loved cheese. And then Daniel actually started working there…and that’s how we met.

C: That’s a neat story. It sounds serendipitous.

M: Yeah. It’s cute. And an even cuter story, if you want to get cuter, is: We met in a cheese shop, and we were just in Italy filming, and Daniel proposed in a parmesan cheese cake, because he thought that would be adorable in case anyone ever interviewed us about something.

C: I’ll make sure that makes it into the interview!

On your site you talk about the project being dedicated to socially responsible eating. What does that mean in the context of your travels?

D: In our day-to-day lives we try to eat as best we can. Mirra’s a vegetarian and I only eat meat that’s from a good source, while in Minnesota. I make exceptions while traveling because you’re there to learn about a culture and taste their food…to be walking around asking if this is a free-range chicken or organic whatchamacalit…it just doesn’t really work. If you’re visiting for a week you’d be missing out on a whole aspect of life, but of course I do look into some of the specialties that are served there. If something’s endangered I’m not going to eat that. So it really more applies to the videos we make and the people we search out for telling the stories, and looking and seeing who these people are and [how they are] creating a livelihood and producing food outside of industrial food systems.

C: We recently posted your “A Day in India” video at Matador and it was a pretty big hit with our readers and amongst the staff too. I’ve never been to India before but one of the things I always hear is it’s not a matter of if, but when you’ll get sick. Did you get sick?

M: We did. Thanks for asking!

D: Well, this is my third time in India, and this was the first time I’d been sick. I was there for three months before and one month before and never got sick.

M: This is actually really, really interesting, because we ate so much street food. There was some street food where they were just glopping stuff out of these huge vats, by this really hairy guy in a see-through tank-top. Places where you’re just like “hmmmm?”

C: Questioning the hygiene?

M: Yeah. But it was delicious. And I was fine, and then we went to Udaipur, which is a very touristy town. It’s beautiful, but it’s very hard to find places that aren’t focused on tourists unless you go outside the main area. We were there late and we had to go to a restaurant. We went to a really nice tourist hotel restaurant and we got sick there. Most people that we’ve spoken to, and even Daniel – because when he was in India before he cooked at a hotel – [described] how the practices are kind of shady in a tourist hotel. Where if you eat what the locals eat, that’s where you’re going to be the safest. That’s your best bet.

D: I think street food is your best choice.

C: That’s really interesting. The common perception would be the opposite of that.

D: You see a place that has a long lineup…people are going there frequently…and we can see it’s outside, we can see if the person is filthy or clean…

M: And make your own choice based on that.

D: And it’s probably going to be deep fried. There’s going to be a number of things that are good marks as far as safety.

M: The food turns over quickly, whereas in a hotel they’re making stuff for the taste of people who aren’t from there. You don’t know how much they have in the back and how long it’s been there. The food that we ate from that restaurant was not very good and as I was eating it I could tell that something bad was happening.

C: Those are really good points.

Through all of your travels, could you pick out something you could call your biggest learning experience?

M: I think that was a pretty big one for me: Don’t eat at a tourist restaurant. I was sick for like 5 days.

D: We learn lots of really wonderful things from people…the more humble they are, the more you have the opportunity to engage with them, generally the more wonderful they are. We’ve done shows or interviews with people who have a little bit of fame…and it can be challenging. But when you meet with just a simple person who’s living their life – the work they may be doing may be exceptional and amazing – those folks are really the inspiring people out there. We find that time and time again. That’s not just international travel. That’s across the United States and within Minnesota as well.

C: I imagine that in a lot of the places you travel people are still cooking in their traditional ways and eating and cooking “real food” – I’m wondering about processed foods and the quick and easy foods, if those are making their ways to some of these places and what kind of impact they might be having on local cultures and the people there.

M: It’s interesting…I haven’t been to Korea but we met with a woman yesterday who is from Korea and she was saying people our age now don’t know how to make kimchi, because that’s something you can now buy at the grocery store. So the things people have been cooking and passing down over the generations are slowly disappearing into the big commercial world, which is a hard thing.

D: Yeah, I think McDonald’s taking over India is a long, long ways off. There’s still so much culture and wonderful food. I think you see some of that stuff in the growing middle class and upper middle class, where people are starting to eat a more Western diet, which tends to be much less healthy. You see it with the more wealthy people who want an experience with something that is outside of India.

M: Back to your question about what’s the biggest thing I’ve learned…Daniel has traveled a lot, and I’d actually only been to three countries before we started this trip with Intrepid. For me, I’m going into it with eyes wide open and kind of in awe of everything…before each trip I have a couple hours of freaking out. Really nervous, not knowing what to expect. And I think I’m learning how to embrace that, and see it more as excitement and realize that everyone is so friendly and open.

D: People go on a trip to a country they’ve never been to before, they get nervous and they get scared, people tell them about the dangers, people tell them about the food they’re going to get sick from. Folks go out and buy gear, like these weird pants that breathe and they buy a funny-looking hat…they go to the travel store and buy all this stuff. You’re just going to a place where 10 million people live, it’s not like it’s this unknown place. It’s just another home for someone else; there’s nothing to be so worried about.

C: That’s a really good way to look at it, it’s just someone else’s home. That’s very true and I think as travelers you want to pass that message along to other people, but I guess it’s probably something you don’t really understand until you do it yourself.

D: But then hopefully once you get that, it’ll be like “Oh, I have nothing to worry about.” Like, OK, I’m not going to walk alone late at night down an alley, but I wouldn’t do that anywhere.

M: People going to the US… their parents are probably like, “Don’t go there. That place is scary.”

C: I have one more question for you. Do you see yourselves doing this for very long?

D: We would like to continue telling stories of people doing inspiring things, and we’d love to continue to travel…maybe a little bit less…and maybe continue to develop and change but we would like to continue. There’s so many wonderful and amazing people out there and stories and cultures to learn about. I don’t see that kind of experience ever ending in our lives. As it’s developed between our first and our third season, I hope that it continues to improve and change as we continue.

M: That’s very pretty.

Carlo Alcos is a Managing Editor at Matador Network, the largest travel magazine on the web.

Learn more about MatadorU and special offers for Intrepid travellers at MatadorU.com/Intrepid

“As travellers in the digital age, with every image we share, with every post we write, we’re adding to the larger narrative of how travel and place are described around the world. We become, by default, storytellers.

Whether you just want to share your travels with friends and family, or you want to develop writing, photography, or video as part of your career (or even pursue a career in travel journalism), these simple tips from Matador’s leading photo faculty, productions department and Ambassadors can help supercharge your work.

A final note: As so much of travel media and the Internet is image-driven, or ‘visual storytelling’, the following points take ideas from image-based work and draw parallels with writing / journalism, or vice-versa.

1. Good things happen at sunrise
Travel journalist, filmmaker and Matador head of productions, Scott Sporleder explains that no matter what happens, when he’s traveling and on a shoot, he always gets up before sunrise.

2. Don’t just write when it’s convenient to your schedule
A writing parallel to getting up before dawn: When exactly are you observing / writing about place? Is it only when it’s convenient / easy for your schedule? Do you wake up late, roll down to the cafe, and just write in your journal for half an hour, and that’s it? Consider what transpires at other times of the day and night. Are there entire cycles of activity to a place that you’re missing?

3. Simplify your composition
As MatadorU’s Director of Photography Colby Brown explains, “when it comes to determining the composition for a photograph, many photographers instinctively try to capture as much of a scene as possible. While this sounds like a solid frame of mind, often the image becomes too complex. With so much being captured, many viewers will lose interest and move on as they don’t know where to focus their attention.”

Instead of trying to capture everything in a given scene, focus on one or two key elements. For example, had this above image tried to take in all of the destruction in this area of Haiti post-earthquake, the viewer would likely have gotten lost. By focusing on a small portion of it, and having a subject, the photographer, Colby Brown, tells a compelling story.

4. Focus on the key events or “windows” into your overall journey
Similar to the issue of photographers trying to capture too much, many writers and bloggers narrate their travels chronologically, including every single detail – the food in the airport, the cost of the bus ride to the hostel, etc. – as if each of these things held equal interest for potential readers.

As with photography, simplify your compositions. Build your vignettes or blogs or narratives around small events. Let’s say, for example, you’ve been staying at a hostel for two weeks. You’ve been going out each night, touring the city each day and going on occasional excursions to the surrounding countryside. Instead of encapsulating or listing all this out in a broad travelogue, identify the most important details from each element and build a separate piece around it.

5. Always put a subject in your images
From Matador Ambassador Chris Burkard: “Without a subject in a photo, it’s impossible to tell the depth of the landscape.”

Imagine this photo by Chris Burkard without the subject. It would still show an amazing landscape, but the human subject and how he’s interacting with the surroundings is what allows the photo to really tell a story.

6. People are what make a travel story
Too many travel pieces seem to be in “overview” mode without having a central, specific subject (outside of the narrator). Let’s go back to the hypothetical situation above – you’re staying in a hostel – and each morning you notice an old woman wringing out laundry and hanging it on the clothesline. You’re not sure why, but you always take a second to watch her each day. Something about her patience, her indefatigability, feels foreign and somehow meaningful to you. How many writers would simply skip over her, never considering her as part of a story? Here is where you can make the jump from simply blogging about travels to telling potentially great travel stories: Talk to the woman. Interact. Respectfully ask her questions. What is her story? How long has she been working there? Be transparent: You’re a traveller and writer and interested in learning more about this place and culture. Chances are a 5-minute conversation with her would teach you more than you’d learn in 5 weeks of just touring without interacting with local people. Now write that story.

7. Carry a tripod
Yes, it’s cumbersome, but if you really want to capture vital imagery of your travels, carry a tripod. As Burkard says, “This allows you a longer shutter, a longer exposure and it just helps you soak up more saturation.” Psychologically, just lugging around a tripod can help remind you of your opportunity to capture stories that might not otherwise be seen.

8. Imagine your narrative as a camera
A writing parallel to the concept of getting more saturation is envisioning your narration as a kind of camera. Many writers simply state what they saw. For example, “I saw taxis speeding down Avenida de Mayo.” In this way, their “I saw” inadvertently gets in the way of the camera. Instead, simply narrate as if you were the camera: “The taxis sped down Avenida de Mayo.”

9. Expect to lose or break something
One last photo tip from Scott Sporleder: “On each trip I think about losing something or breaking something as part of the game.” The idea here is that too many photographers allow their fear of losing / breaking gear to hold them back from the very situations that lead to the most meaningful shots and experiences. It’s not about being reckless with gear, but simply acknowledging that if you do lose / break something, this means you’re going for it, putting yourself out there to get the shots.

10. People are just waiting to tell you their stories
The same concept exists in writing. It’s not about gear breaking, but pushing your own comfort zone / level of engagement with people and potential stories while travelling. Are you a passive traveller, simply on a tour? Or are you taking every opportunity as a travel journalist to talk to whomever – the taxi drivers, the guides, the local butcher, the restaurateurs, anyone and everyone – about their stories? If you travel inquisitively, actively, the stories you share will resonate with this sense of learning.

David Miller is the Senior Editor at Matador Network, the largest travel magazine on the web.

Learn more about MatadorU and special offers for Intrepid travellers at MatadorU.com/Intrepid.

* photo by Cheryl-Lynn Lee – Intrepid Photography Competition

“For my 50th birthday my husband and I went to Cost Rica for a week-long party. It was amazing! We zip lined high above the tree tops, went canyoning and rappelled down waterfalls! I have never done any of these things before and they made me feel like I could do anything.

The food was great everywhere we ate, from the small local cafes to nicer restaurants. The people were all so friendly. After giving a local a ride into town, we got invited over for dinner, and the family taught me how to make tortillas!

There were so many places to explore, from swimming holes with rope swings to steamy volcanic cracks in the rocks. I can not imagine I will ever have a birthday to top this one and it’s certainly one that I will remember for a very long time!”

Have you ever decided to celebrate your birthday somewhere special?

* photo by Leslie Reyes – Intrepid Photography Competition