Meet the Nomads – Megan Claire of Mapping Megan

First thing you’ll notice about Megan’s blog is the uniqueness of its layout. It uses an interactive map to help you navigate on her posts. It’s very efficient especially for those who are looking for destination specific travel tips. Megan together with her husband Mike, also shares a lot of gorgeous photographs taken in their trips abroad.

Megan met her husband in her trip to Africa and they got married in Hawaii. Now, they are pursuing their passion to travel together and shares their experiences and a lot of helpful tips on their blog Mapping Megan.

Get to know more about Megan and visit her blog at Mapping Megan.

But before you leave this page, check out my short interview with her.

How did you discover your passion for travelling?

“After graduating High School I took a gap year before starting University, and spent 12 months working in a UK boarding school as a teaching assistant. With 17 weeks holiday this was the perfect set-up to explore all of Europe, and the experience completely changed me. I fell in love with traveling, and I fell in love with the world.
I became addicted to exploring new corners of the globe, tasting new flavors, meeting new people, and hearing their stories which were so different to mine. I became addicted to the adrenalin which comes with experiencing the unknown, and stepping outside of your comfort zone. I became addicted to culture shock. I’ve never been the same since!”

What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?

“Being sick! Sickness completely ruins travelling! Not only are you in a horrible mood feeling sorry for yourself, sickness often means you end up holed up in the hotel instead of being out there experiencing a city.
Between a mild case of malaria in Kenya (mild meaning you pass out but not badly enough to be hospitalized!!), heat stroke in Paris and an asthma attack in Budapest I’ve had my fair share of illness overseas! Plus I’m a woman so we’re “sick” at least once every month!! The challenge is making the best of the time you do have and not letting your sickness and subsequent bad mood completely ruin the destination for you!”

What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?

“Summiting Mt Kilimanjaro.I spent a week climbing Kilimanjaro (highest free standing peak in the world), and while I wanted to hurl myself off the mountain and die for half of the climb (it was quite difficult!), getting to the summit was one of the best moments in my life.”

“It was the most physically and emotionally challenging expedition I have ever undertaken, and I will never forget that overwhelming sense of achievement upon reaching the summit. Standing above the clouds, watching the sunrise over the whole of Africa – you really do feel like you’re on top of the world! Also I met my now husband at the bar at the bottom of the mountain, so there’s that too!”

What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?

“That I don’t need much. I never used to be able to fathom how people keep everything they own in a single backpack, but after getting back to basics this year and selling a lot of our stuff to travel I’ve realized I don’t need “things” to be truly happy. I would rather have experiences.”

“I’ve realized my most prized possessions are my photos and memories, so I don’t need physical objects which add clutter to life.”

What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?

“Traveling is a lifestyle to me, and it’s an ongoing education. It’s what I love to do – so even if people back at home don’t understand, or think I’m being selfish by pursuing a “life of leisure”, that’s not going to stop me from living my dream.”

“I’ve gained a far more valuable education from traveling the world than I did during my 5 years of University, and it’s my thirst for world knowledge and world experiences that keeps me motivated. I’m also motivated by all of the places I haven’t yet been!”

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?

“Sir Richard Branson. He is one of the most inspiring people alive today. I identify with his sense of motivation and dedication towards achieving a goal, and love his “screw it; just do it” attitude – pretty sure he would be an amazing travel buddy!”

“Also, I’m sure (maybe over a few dinner drinks) I could convince him to put me on a Virgin Galactic Flight into Space! THAT would be an amazing video blog!”

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

“My least favorite question! I have had spectacular experiences in country I’ve traveled to, and have fond memories from every single trip. Can I be as broad as to say Europe?! ”

“If I had to pick a favorite country Italy would definitely be up there – the history and natural beauty of the country is stunning, locals are the most amazing people in the world, and who doesn’t love an excuse to eat Pizza and Gelato every day!!”

What’s your best tip for newbie traveler?

“Screw it, just do it!”

“Stop listening to negative energy from people back home and just go. Want to travel to Italy? Book the ticket. Can’t find any friends of family to go with you? Travel alone.”

“I promise once you decide to “just do it”, whatever “it” is, you’ll have the time of your life and never look back. “It” for me was skydiving while I was in Switzerland – I was afraid of heights and was petrified at the idea of jumping out of a plane! In the end I paid for the jump the day before I went so I couldn’t back out on the day, and it was the most phenomenal experience of my life!”

“I try and live my life by the notion that once you’re older you’ll only ever regret the things you didn’t do. ”

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

“Kissing a Giraffe while in Africa… well actually she kissed me! We visited the Giraffe Sanctuary while in Kenya, and part of the experience was being able to feed the Giraffes. Pellets were provided and the normal way to go about feeding them was to let them eat from your hand.”

“I on the other hand thought it would be fantastically funny to place a pellet in-between my teeth, not realizing that a Giraffes tongue is about as big as my face itself! (Slight exaggeration but that’s what it felt like!) I was wiping saliva off my face for what felt like a week!! Check out the video here. ”

How do you keep yourself safe on your travels?

“With common sense…a concept which seems to be pretty rare these days!! The fact is that traveling is safer nowadays than it has been ever before. In every country there will always be area you should avoid, and you should always be aware of your surroundings while travelling. As long as you remain street smart however, you shouldn’t encounter any difficulties!”

“Being “street smart” includes making yourself aware of areas to avoid, being aware of pick pocketing scams, leaving your passport and tickets in a hotel safe and carrying a photocopy with you, using only official taxi cabs, and so on. After all, ‘fear is a manipulative emotion which tricks us into living a boring life’ (Donald Millar).”

How do you finance your travels?

“I won the lottery a few years ago. Ok so that’s a lie – it’d be nice though!! ”

“I’m not rich, but I am dedicated. I worked 2 full time jobs (with a few more on the side!) while studying full time in order to finance traveling each university break! I would get up at 5am for a 6am shift managing at McDonalds, spend 2 hours at university around midday, and then head to a shift working hotel reception from 3PM-11PM. I would then go out to meet my friends for an hour or so and spend an hour studying before falling into bed and getting back up again at 5AM.”

“I finished my university assessments on overnight shifts at either McDonalds or the hotel, and had Sunday nights free every week to be home and spend time with my family. I slept on my half hour breaks at work, and kept a pillow in the car for the times where I had an hour in-between shifts! Crazy right! I told you, I’m dedicated! Plus, once your body gets into a routine you’re pretty set! I did this for 5 years and traveled for around 4 months out of every year. I loved it! My thought process at the time was that the great leaders of the world only sleep for around 3 or 4 hours each night…mine just weren’t consecutive!”

What do you think about yourself?

“I think I’ve lived my life to the fullest! I’m a young, fun, outgoing and practical traveler who seeks adventure at every turn. I like to immerse myself fully in the culture of each new country I visit, making friends and connections with the locals along the way.”

“I like to explore the globe with an open mind, and make a genuine effort to always be aware and respectful of cultural norms. I like to think I am a traveler as opposed to a tourist – while I will always make time to visit the typical landmarks and tourist attractions of each country, I much prefer to discover hidden locations, and believe that traveling off the beaten path leads to more extraordinary experiences. I believe that vacations are more than just trips, and love to take the kind of vacations which leaves me needing another vacation at the end!”

“Mapping Megan” is an adventure travel blog which aims to give you the best tips and advice on travelling, volunteering, living, working and holidaying abroad. It follows the insane adventures of Megan and Mike as they slowly make their way to every country in the world. They haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on their list! You can follow their journey on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram also. – Megan Claire of Mapping Megan

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

Next: Lauren Metzler of The Wandering Orange Previously: Stuart and Eloise of Am I Nearly There Yet For more interviews with travel bloggers, check out the archives of Meet the Nomads.