Meet the Nomads: Mica Rodriguez

Senyorita is one of the travel blogs that I’ve been following lately. Mica shares her insights about various tourist destinations in the Philippines and abroad as well.

Senyorita is a great resource for young female travellers out there. Mica is gearing up her blog to cater to the informational needs of her followers and I’m sure that you’ll find a lot of useful information about various places of interest.

Get to know Mica more and visit her blog at Senyorita.net.

Here’s my short interview with Mica.

How did you discover your passion for travelling?

“As a little girl, I’ve always dreamt of travelling around the Philippines. My Civics and Culture books way back in elementary made me wonder if it will be possible for me to explore my very own country when I grow up. During that time, travelling is an expensive hobby. I’m glad that we have discounted airfares now given the fact that we live in a country comprising of several islands separated from one another.

That dream stopped for a while when I entered high school and college. The aspiration to travel and wander around flourished once more when I won in a contest conducted by a local airline. I haven’t stopped since then.”

What¹s the most horrible experience that you¹ve had on the road?

“Experiencing some train ride difficulties from Cardiff to Rugby (United Kingdom) on a winter. It was my first time to visit Great Britain and the media even dubbed it as ‘Frozen Britain’. Supposedly, the connecting train ride from Rugby to Birmingham New Street to Cardiff will only take two hours. We succeeded going there on that given expected travel time, but our way back home took us almost seven hours! We had to take four connecting train rides and the heat radiations in some platforms were broken so my mom, her friend and I were freezing to death. Coming from a tropical country, I am not used to the weather and I wanted to go home badly.

Coventry to Rugby is just one stop away, but London Midlands experienced another technical difficulty so we had to ride a bus for one hour just to reach Rugby. I ended up getting sick and under home arrest for two weeks.”

What¹s the best travel experience that you¹ve ever had?

“I have two in mind =) First one is my trip to the United Kingdom on a winter LOL. When I was a kid, I wanted to go to UK to meet the Spice Girls but this time, I pursued that trip because I want to be reunited with my mom and my younger brother (special child). We were very close when he was still here in the Philippines and I really missed him. Hugging and kissing them once more after three long years is worth it even if I had to leave a lot of job opportunities behind. Family first, indeed.

The second one is a trip to Boracay with my grandparents and my high school bestfriend. Thanks to a local airline because I won six roundtrip tickets in their writing contest. Who would have thought that going to one of the world’s top beach destinations with your grandparents will be an awesome experience? Life’s a beach hehe =P”

What¹s the biggest realization that you¹ve got out of travelling?

“I am lucky to be born and raised in the Philippines. I am lucky that I live in a country which requires all students to study in English and although considered as a third world country, I am rich with good family values and I am free to say and do what I want. Travelling also made me less judgmental as a person. I also respect differences in terms of beliefs and preferences.”

What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?

“My commitment to my dream. Yes, I tend to procrastinate a lot, but when I want something, I try my very best to achieve my goal. I am also lucky because most of my friends are open-minded when it comes to travelling and even my family is supportive of my passion. My grandfather even recommended that I visit Cambodia – Vietnam to check out the temples and explore the Forbidden City in China while I am still young. If blogging existed way back, I bet he’s a good travelling doctor/blogger/photographer. I guess I inherited this from him. Travel blogs and movies keeps me inspired and motivated too.”

This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?

“If Dan Osman were still alive, I would love to travel with him and ask him some personal questions. He died while doing what he loved to do (rock climbing/freefall). I heard that he lived a bohemian lifestyle. Exchanging stories with him would have been great! I think it is possible though to travel with his daughter Emma, who is now busy for the pre-production of her film dedicated to her late father. Another person I would love to travel with is Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls. I think of all the members of the group, she really embodied the ‘Girl Power’ tag. Too bad she left the group and broke other kids’ hearts (mine included).”

Where’s your favourite place in this planet and why?

“Boracay Island in the Philippines. They say it is an overrated place, but Boracay is Boracay. It is a perfect place for me who wants to just chill at the beach at day, eat and party at night.”

What’s your best tip for newbie traveler?

“Be alert. ‘Nuff said =P”

What’s the funniest and silliest thing you’ve ever done while travelling?

“Diving in the snow while in a public park at Cardiff, Wales. A lot of people were looking at me but I didn’t care much since I am in a different country LOL. At first, my mom scolded me and told me that I am childish for doing such thing. I ended up pulling her and we played like little girls again. Priceless even if I got home with a major headache. Uh oh!”

What do you think about yourself?

“At times, I feel like I am a little girl stuck in a twenty four year old’s body =P I admit that I am child-like, but I am a responsible individual. I want to live life to the fullest with no regrets, just love. We can dance until we die. You and I will be young forever like Katy Perry! Hehe =P”

“SENYORITA.NET is still a personal blog which focuses more on my travels. It is a travel blog which is still a work in progress hoping to inspire other young individuals especially Filipinas to go out and travel! Girl Power! – Mica Rodriguez”

Editor’s Note: All pics are provided by Mica.

Next: Ted Nelson of Traveling Ted TV. Previously: Pete Heck of Hecktic Travels. For more interviews with travel bloggers, check out the archives of Meet the Nomads.