My Travel CV: Travels of Adam

In 2010 Adam quit his job as a graphic designer in Boston and went on a 15+ month trip around the world. The journey took him to places like North Africa, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia. Since 2011 he’s been living in Berlin “Europe’s most hipster city”.  Today Adam writes and blogs about living in Berlin and his travel adventures.

Travel Blog

Travels of Adam wants to explore the world from the quirky to the amazing. It’s all about my personal experiences and alternative & indie travel tips from around the world.- sign up for the mailing list/blog updates here:

Twitter Name

@travelsofadam

Current Location

I’m in Berlin enrolled in a German language school. The plan is to keep trying to learn German, but also take some weekend trips around Europe.

Birthplace

I spent most of my life growing up in Texas but also went to university and lived in Boston for a while, so I like to say I’m from Boston via Texas.

Profession

After graduation I worked for a book publisher doing graphic design. These days I do a lot of web work, mostly focused on blogging and social media.

Least favourite travel destination

There’s one place in the world that I absolutely hated: Agra, India. Despite being the home of the Taj Mahal, everything else about this city was just miserable.

Do you think it’s possible for an aspiring travel blogger to quit their job and make a good living from blogging today?

No, not really. Unless of course it’s something that you really, passionately want to do with your life. I’m just a big advocate for people doing what they love. I’ve had a few different jobs so far in my 20s, from marketing to graphic design to retail… and now blogging. At the moment it’s what I love doing and I see quite a bit of potential (with a LOT of work).

What is your guilty pleasure?

One thing I love to do is to simply do nothing! Despite trying to be a full-time travel blogger, I actually quite enjoy staying home, making a cup of tea and watching movies. I think people would be surprised to hear how much I love to be lazy!

Why choose to live in Berlin as opposed to another European city such as London or Paris?

Well, besides all the amazing things to do in Berlin, I find the city to be quite livable—mostly during the summer, but winters aren’t terrible either. London has always been a big love of mine, though, but the trouble would be to get a work visa & residency which is nearly impossible as an American freelancer.

Have you experienced any difficulties living the expat life in Berlin?

Yes, sometimes the bureaucracy can be extremely challenging. Finding an apartment (more than just a short-term sublet), learning the language, getting health insurance and getting a work visa (without the help of an agency) were all difficult but very rewarding when I achieved them!

What is your worst travel experience?

I’m not sure of a “worst” experience, but I’ve had my fair share of bad travel days. But mostly that can be blamed on unlucky encounters, travel scams (hello Thailand-Cambodia border crossing!) or just being grumpy. Thankfully I haven’t encountered any truly terrible travel adventures – let’s hope it stays that way!

Do you work longer and harder running a successful travel blog and being self-employed, than you did before quitting your full-time job in the USA?

It’s hard to say but I’m certainly more worried nowadays when working for myself. There’s a lot more pressure and far fewer safety nets to catch me if I fail.

Your travel blog contains articles about gay travel.  Is ‘Gay Travel’ different from any other type of travel?

I don’t necessarily see gay travel as different, but I do think that gay travelers need (and often want) to be aware of certain things when traveling. For example there are some countries which have very strict laws against homosexuality. And while it may be perfectly safe for a gay traveler to visit, it’s also important to be aware of local laws and social issues. Travelers can do what they want with them (for example, I personally wouldn’t visit a country with terrible human rights abuses against gays & lesbians) but it’s also important to be aware. Besides the political aspect of gay travel, as a gay traveler myself, I like to meet other local LGBT so knowing about gay events, bars and cafes makes my travels more interesting.

If you had to recommend one travel destination for a vacation, either Berlin or Tel Aviv, where would it be and why?

For a vacation? Definitely Tel Aviv. The city is great for holidaymakers because it’s usually got great weather, beautiful beaches, amazing nightlife, shopping and great food. Berlin is amazing in the summer, but the weather is more finicky and if you want a proper vacation, Tel Aviv would be hard to disappoint.

Please share with us one highlight from your travels?

For me, India was one of the highlights of my big trip around the world (read more about my trip here). There’s no place on earth like it and though it was often challenging, in hindsight it was probably one of the few destinations that ever had a serious impact on my life philosophy. India made a big difference in defining who I am today.

Are you looking for love?

Love is a tricky thing. I do indeed want to settle down somewhere (partly why I’m here in Berlin). A boy’s gotta grow up eventually!

Tell us one destination, anywhere around the world, you are itching to visit?

There are so many but I’m itching to go to South America. Something about Latin American culture has always drawn me in but I’ve never been further south in the Americas than Guatemala.

Any plans for the rest of the year?

Lots of plans! There are a lot of destinations in Europe that I’ve still never visited, plus I’ll likely return to America for a few adventures at the end of the summer. Other than that, I’m going to keep learning German and enjoying life in Berlin!

Tags: gay travel, my travel cv, travel blogging