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Why Do People Travel? We Asked 14 Top Travel Bloggers, Here’s What They Said

November 14, 2016/in Featured, Travel /by Daniel Tay

Ask anyone what their dreams are, and the resulting list would almost certainly include: travel the world.

For a long time, this ranked highly on my own bucket list as well, but I wasn’t the unique butterfly I thought I was. Wanderlust seems to be a universal desire amongst men and women, almost like a common gene that we all share.

(Or a mental illness. But I digress)

But really, why do people love to travel? Is it simply the effect of reading one too many quotes about travel on social media?

To answer this question, we decided to ask the very people who have made it their job – and life’s mission – to travel the world. We talked to top travel bloggers across several countries, asking them a simple question: what do you love the most about travelling?

As if we needed any more reasons to travel. Disclaimer: we are not to be held responsible for any sudden onset of wanderlust whatsoever (or are we?).

Here’s what they shared with us.

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Johnny Jet from Johnny Jet

Last seen: Skiing at Mad River Valley, Vermont.

Why he loves to travel:

My favorite thing about traveling is seeing new places, meeting its people, trying their foods and sharing my experiences with my friends/family/followers.

Sabrina Iovino from Just One Way Ticket

Last seen: Driving an ATV across Namibia, South Africa.

Why she loves to travel:

For me its definitely trying new cuisines and experiencing a new culture. We can learn so much by seeing how the world works on the other side of the planet.

Yaya and Lloyd from Hand Luggage Only

Last seen: Getting a suntan at the Maldives.

Why they love to travel:

One thing that we love most about travel is the diversity you experience, nothing is ever the same. Travel really does open your mind and broaden your horizons… it has an infectious ability to enrich your life and truly appreciate how special our world is.

Also, travel is all about the experiences and the emotive connection you have with a place or time. For us, travel creates lasting memories and beautiful experiences that are invaluable.

Anette White from Bucket List Journey

Last seen: Diving through the waters of Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

Why she loves to travel:

I travel because of a pure fascination with the world and desire to get to know it better. But, mostly I travel to learn, not only about the places I visit and people I meet, but also about myself.

Anton Diaz from Our Awesome Planet

Last seen: Exploring burial traditions at Sagada, Philippines.

Why he loves to travel:

I love discovering other cultures through food and staying with the locals when I travel but what I love most about traveling are the misadventures that happen along the way and how it brings out the best (or worst) from your travel companions.

Sharon Gourlay from Where’s Sharon

Last seen: Touring the beaches and markets of Ballina, Australia.

Why she loves to travel:

I am an experience junkie – I want to experience everything! Travel helps me achieve this and that’s what I love most about travel.

Mervin Marasigan from Pinoy Adventurista

Last seen: Hanging out in Tagaytay City, Philippines.

Why he loves to travel:

What I love about traveling is meeting new people and learning new cultures. That is something that we don’t learn in school or read in books.

Mark Wiens from Migrationology

Last seen: Eating his way through markets and restaurants in La Boqueria, Barcelona.

Why he loves to travel:

When I travel, there’s nothing I enjoy doing more than eating local food in a typical atmosphere, preferably at street foods stalls or family run restaurants. It’s a thrill to taste dishes and different combinations of ingredients, and to connect with the local culture through food.

Christy Woodrow from Ordinary Traveler

Last seen: Seeing the great outdoors in Alberta, Canada.

Why she loves to travel:

The thing I love the most about travel is how it opens our eyes to other cultures. People around the world may have different life experiences, speak another language, or practice a different religion, but the ways in which we similar are far greater than the ways in which we are diverse.

Lin Ying from Bumble Bee Mum

Last seen: Checking out child-friendly board game shops in Singapore.

Why she loves to travel:

What I love most about travelling is experiencing something that I cannot find in Singapore, like touching the snow, viewing autumn leaves, tasting authentic local food, and so on.

Nick Wharton from Goats On The Road

Last seen: Preparing to leave Grenada, where they spent 1.5 years.

Why they love to travel:

The thing that we love the most about travelling is learning about new cultures and interacting with the local people. We love learning about what their lives are like and forging friendships with the people of the countries we visit. That’s what travel is all about to us.

Erin Bender from Travel With Bender

Last seen: Enjoying the facilities in a luxury resort at Marival, Mexico.

Why she loves to travel:

The ability to see that the world is all the same. Everyone smiles, everyone cries, language is universal and all cultures are beautiful. And if you can see it with a child, it becomes even more magical!

Dan Miller from Points With A Crew

Last seen: Trying to book a lie-flat flight to Peru (yes, such things exist).

Why he loves to travel:

The part I love most about traveling is seeing new places, and introducing my family and 6 kids to different ways of life and different ways of doing things.

Maria Wulff Hauglann from Nerd Nomads

Last seen: Spending 2 weeks instead of 5 days in Tokyo because why not?

Why they love to travel:

We love that each day is different when we travel. When waking up in a new place we never quite know what the day will bring as we step out the door. And that is exciting.

Bonus: 2 more top bloggers who love to travel!

Clelia Mattana from Keep Calm And Travel

Last seen: Enjoying sun, sand, and sea in the Philippines.

Why she loves to travel:

What I love the most about travelling is the constant challenge. Everyone else rightly empathise how meeting new people and discovering new cultures can open your mind, and I couldn’t agree more. For me in particular, given that I’ve been suffering from panic attacks since the age of 17, travelling is also a way to push myself, face my biggest fears, and as a result grow as an individual. You can also do it at home of course, but it’s a lot more challenging (and rewarding) when you are in a completely different environment!

Jacob Fu from Local Adventurer

Last seen: Exploring the world’s smallest park in Portland.

Why they love to travel:

We love that you can never be bored in this world because there’s always something new to experience. It could be photographing a new landscape, or trying new foods or activities, or learning something new about another culture.

Over to you

Do you love to travel too? Tell us why (or why not) on Twitter @BonAppetour!

A Travel Blogger’s Guide to Having Authentic Experiences Abroad

September 21, 2016/in Travel /by Jessica Thiefels

You travel to experience a new culture, correct? Following the crowd of tourists as they go from their hotel room, to a cab, to the “must-see” destinations almost certainly ensures that you won’t experience the culture—you’ll experience a curated version of it. And after saving and spending your hard-earned money, the last thing you want to do is have regrets about what you did or didn’t see.

The best way to make the most of your trip is to have as authentic of an experience as possible. Luckily, it’s possible to see popular tourist spots and enjoy your destination like a local. Use the following tips to do exactly that on your next trip abroad.

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Don’t Bounce Around

Instead of spending just one day in each country or city you plan to visit, dedicate a few days, or even a week if possible. The more time you spend in one spot, the more you learn about the way locals live. This also gives you time to relax, rather than running from one museum to another to fit everything in one day.

My husband and I spent one week in Paris and this is where we had the most authentic experience. We got into our own little routine of living like a local: morning breakfast of chocolate croissants in our rental apartment, a walk to wherever we were off to that day, espresso at a café in the afternoon and either bought food for dinner on the way home or took the metro out to a small, quiet dinner. My memories from our time in Paris are nothing but blissful, and I believe this authentic experience has a lot to do with it.

If you can only squeeze in two days, spend one checking out the popular tourist stops and then spend the next strolling around, enjoying local parks and restaurants. Check a local event calendar to find events that day or music that night; heading to a local event ensures you’ll have a more authentic experience.

Get Hyper Local: Instead of taking a cab, always use public transportation. You’ll be able to observe locals going about their regular day and take cues from what they’re wearing and how they’re acting. I loved emulating the way women dressed in Paris; it was such a wonderful combination of casual and classy.

Learn the Lingo

Learning a whole new language may be out of the question—especially if you’re working full time, planning for the trip, and still trying to enjoy some semblance of social life. However, you don’t need to speak the language fluently before you go, just a few key phrases and slang terms can make it easier for you to blend and have an authentic experience in when you arrive to your destination.

When planning, research which language(s) are common in the area you’re traveling to. While we all know French is spoken in France, you may not know that it’s also spoken in 31 other countries, including many in Africa. It will only take a few minutes to look up the language and start practicing a few words and phrases.

Get Hyper Local: Check out this Conde Nast guide to slang in other countries so you can speak to people like a local. When my husband and I traveled through Europe, we’d always ask servers about the local slang so we could use it as we traveled around. In places like Paris, where locals are hesitant to speak English, even if they know it, this knowledge comes in handy.

Stay With Locals

AirBnB is an easy and safe way to stay with locals when traveling abroad. Instead of getting a hotel room by yourself, find a house with an open room. Many times, hosts offer to show people around if requested, and may even give a list of the restaurants and sites that locals love to frequent.

In Amsterdam, the host’s son happened to have a boat, and he offered to give us a personal canal tour (as opposed to taking one of the large—and packed—tour boats). The experience was exceptional, and one we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

If you don’t want to stay with a local, you can dine with one for a night instead. Use Bonappetour to browse for hosts in the area you’re visiting, book your “home dinner” and enjoy an authentic meal one night during your stay. Few opportunities allow for as authentic of an experience as this.

Get Hyper Local: Ask the person you’re staying with to take you out for a day and show you what they might do on a nice day off. While not all hosts will be interested in this, some will love the opportunity to show you what their hometown has to offer.

Having an authentic experience abroad is not only possible, it’s actually pretty easy. Use these tips to make the most of your trip and live like a local, if only for a few days.

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5 Travel Bloggers Tell Us About Their Favourite Destinations

July 28, 2016/in Travel /by Abby Chinery

If you didn't know already, BonAppetour love to travel, but these travel bloggers have committed themselves to documenting their globetrotting adventures on wonderfully well-thought-out blogs. "Been there done that" is not just an expression for them- it's an exciting reality. We wanted to ask the ultimate question to these intrepid travellers: Of all the places you have been to, what has been your number one destination? And these were their responses:

Jo from Wander With Jo – Cape Town

Jo is an adrenaline junkie and an avid globetrotter. She loves to write and started putting pen to paper at a very early age by jotting letters to her penpals. Now, she writes on her blog WanderWithJo.com and shares her travel tales with adventurists across the globe.

Cape Town, South Africa, is definitely one of my top travel destinations. This lively place offers something for all kinds of tourists. Be it adventurists or peace seekers, spiritual travelers or party goers – The mother city happily accommodates everyone in its humble abode.

There are a lot of fun activities which can be undertaken individually, with your loved one or even as a family. Climb or take a cable car to the top of Table mountain or enjoy the adorable African penguins in their natural habitat, you will not be running out of places to see or things to do anytime soon.

Around one week in Cape Town is sufficient to see the top attractions but if you have time and want to slow travel or enjoy at your pace, I would recommend spending a month, at least.

Read more about Jo's travels on her site here, or get social with her on Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l Pinterest

Eboni from Eboni + Ivory- Amsterdam

Eboni is based in London and blogs about a mix of Lifestyle and Travel topics over on her site Eboni + Ivory

I am half Dutch. My mum and dad met in Amsterdam, but seen as my father passed away when I was very, very young, I have never felt the strong connection to Holland. That was until I went to Amsterdam.

I felt instantly at home in Amsterdam. This small, watery city is like no other place in the world. Like my blog name, this city truly encapsulates everything about an Eboni/Ivory personality; beautiful tulips, bikes with baskets and glistening canals make up Amsterdam’s sunny day. On the other hand, it’s no secret that Amsterdam is very well known for its seedy underbelly with a prominent cannabis culture and world-famous Red Light District, Amsterdam surely is a game of two halves! This all just entices me further and promises for an interesting visit!

It is completely possible to get to most places by foot. Pick a cental-ish location for your accommodation and explore by walking. I have never hired a bike, but I would leave that to the locals unless you’re wanting a quiet cycle through Vondelpark- it can get pretty dangerous if you're not a usual city-cycler. Trams can be fun, but the cost can add up after a while, and if the weather is nice, a walk along the canals is just so much better!

My must-do activity in Amsterdam is a ride on a tour boat. I love cities that have boat tours and Amsterdam is no different. Make sure you find a good deal online.

Read more about Eboni's travels on her site here, or get social with her on Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l Y ouTube

Jessica from The Travelista – Tuscany

Jessica has honed in on luxury travel blogging over on The Travelista. Check out her award-winning blog for posts about her luxurious adventures around the world.

Of all the destinations around the world, Tuscany has a special place in my heart. It’s a place to discover a rustic slice of Italy without the hectic tourist crowds – and if you love Italian food, you’d be in the right place. The vineyards, romantic hillsides and breathtaking landscapes are enough to melt the coldest of hearts. Tuscany is rural escapism at its most fabulous.

I have fond memories of Tuscany as it’s the place me and my boyfriend had our first holiday, which we decided to name ‘The Tuscan Road Trip’. We flew in to Pisa and picked up our hire car. After checking out the famous Leaning Tower, we drove over to our rural base of Castello di Casole, a converted castle near to Casole d’Elsa. From here we took day trips to Siena and San Gimignano, before driving to Florence for the last few days of our trip. In the space of a week we squeezed in 5 incredible Tuscan cities, each one different from the next. It felt like a mini adventure and having our own car gave us a great sense of freedom.

Read more about Jessica's travels on her site here, or get social with her on Facebook l Twitter l Instagram

Millie from Millie Goes – India

Female travel blogger Millie has set foot on 5 of the 7 continents and writes about her escapades on the blog Millie Goes.

India – the land of colour, festivals and spice! From its rich history to less than organised culture, there's a certain magic here that you can escape. This diverse country has quickly become one of my favourites; you really can have it all here! I've found that India has a little bit of everything, with peaceful Himalayan mountains full of yoga retreats, the hustle and bustle of the city, quite beachside towns and let's not forget the vast desert!

I guess the hardest part for me is to narrow it down to what I loved the most here. There's simply too much to list all in one place but I have to say one of Delhi’s hidden charms is that you can be in the busiest section of town, yet step into the nearest temple and within its walls is a beautiful silence. They've perfected the balance of respecting traditions of the past with the chaos of the present, something us Brits can't seem to get a handle on. Of course, we all know I’d be foolish not to mention their incredible food too!

Find out more about India from my Two Minute Guide to the country.

Read more about Millie's travels on her site here, or get social with her on Facebook l Twitter l Instagram

Julie and Drew from Drive on the Left- Ljubljana, Slovenia

Julie and Drew are American expats who currently call London their home. They write for all travellers, armchair explorers, wanderlusters, and those whose travel itch needs a little scratching on their blog Drive on the Left.

Our favorite travel destination has to be Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is small and compact, with an adorable historic center, divided by the Ljubljanica River. Coffee shops, bars and restaurants line the river, making it the ideal spot for a coffee in the morning, or a glass of wine in the evening. We had a wonderful meal at Špajza, situated in an old, rustic home, and enjoyed a delicious burger and Slovenian craft beer at Pop’s Place. The Ljubljana market was phenomenal, packed with perfect produce, including lots of truffle-related products. For a little exercise, we walked up to Ljubljana Castle, with expansive views of Ljubljana, the surrounding lush countryside, and the Julian Alps in the distance.

Ljubljana is certainly not high on tourists’ radar, which adds to the appeal. It is large enough to offer plenty of activities for a long weekend, but small enough to explore thoroughly. With a combination of great food, friendly locals, dazzling buildings, and the natural beauty of the Alps, it is hard to go wrong in Ljubljana.

Read more about Julie and Drew's travels on their site here, or get social with them on Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l Pinterest l Y ouTube

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The BonAppetour Travel Blogger Awards!

July 26, 2016/in Other /by Abby Chinery

The BonAppetour Travel Blogger Awards!

Here at BonAppetour, we are all enormous fans of travel and believe in the good that travel can do for the soul and for broadening one’s cultural horizons. We never quite quench the thirst for our wanderlust, and love to peruse the amazing blogs of intrepid travelers like yourselves. To show our appreciation for the wisdom shared by our travel blogger friends, we decided to host our very own BonAppetour Blogger Awards! We want to host these awards in order to recognise the travel bloggers that inspire readers to try authentic, local experiences- because that is what we are all about here at BonAppetour! Read more information about how you can enter our award competition:

What do I win?

We will choose one article submission from each of the three award categories (listed below). These three posts will be shared on our blog, with links back to the blogger’s own site and social media profiles. As well as this, we will promote the blogger and their winning blog post on all our social media channels (our Twitter and Facebook alone reach over 70K people a month and our blog has well over 110K views). This is a great opportunity to get your travel blog out there to a wider audience, as well as having a great badge for your site and graphics to share on social media showing readers and the twittersphere that your blog won a writing award!

But it doesn't stop there- oh no, you and a +1 will also win a complimentary dining experience, in the city of your choice, with a BonAppetour host! So on your next travelling adventure you can dine with locals and taste authentic homecooked cuisine for yourself.

Great! How do I enter?

It’s easy! Just send us in one article about any of the categories below to [email protected]. Your article can already be something you have up on your blog, or a completely new post just for us. The blog post should be around 300-700 words long, accompanied by your own photography.

The Categories: (please choose to write on one of the following subjects:)

Article on your most unique travel experience
Article about a time you interacted with locals
Article on the best dish/cuisine you have had whilst travelling, and why you liked it so much.

Email your blog post and images to [email protected] with the subject being one of the above categories.

Submission deadline: Friday 5th August

Good luck!

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Posts

Johnny Jet from Johnny Jet

Sabrina Iovino from Just One Way Ticket

Yaya and Lloyd from Hand Luggage Only

Anette White from Bucket List Journey

Anton Diaz from Our Awesome Planet

Sharon Gourlay from Where’s Sharon

Mervin Marasigan from Pinoy Adventurista

Mark Wiens from Migrationology

Christy Woodrow from Ordinary Traveler

Lin Ying from Bumble Bee Mum

Nick Wharton from Goats On The Road

Erin Bender from Travel With Bender

Dan Miller from Points With A Crew

Maria Wulff Hauglann from Nerd Nomads

Clelia Mattana from Keep Calm And Travel

Jacob Fu from Local Adventurer

Over to you

Don’t Bounce Around

Learn the Lingo

Stay With Locals

Jo from Wander With Jo – Cape Town

Eboni from Eboni + Ivory- Amsterdam

Jessica from The Travelista – Tuscany

Millie from Millie Goes – India

Julie and Drew from Drive on the Left- Ljubljana, Slovenia

What do I win?

Great! How do I enter?

The Categories: (please choose to write on one of the following subjects:)

Taste the World