World Travellers: Adam (AG) from Snorkel Around The World

The latest in my World Travellers series is Adam, a snorkelling geek who loves to snorkel around the world and runs a website related to the hobby, called Snorkel around the world.

Who are you?

I’m Adam, a former IT guy who loves the ocean therefore always looks for new destinations with awesome beaches and marine life. I run a travel blog with my girlfriend which focuses on snorkeling. We share destination tips, help our followers with gear guides and also trying to draw attention to ocean threats like plastic pollution or coral bleaching.

Where are you from?

I’m from Hungary. I lived in a small town near Budapest, the capital city of Hungary.

Where have you been?

Mostly in Asia and the Caribbean region.

Where are you now?

I’m writing this from Malta where I based now.

What are the top 3 places you’ve visited?

The Komodo National Park in Indonesia (amazing landscape), Aruba in the Dutch Caribbean (friendly locals) and Marbella in Spain (Miami-like feeling in Europe).

What is the best travel experience you’ve had?

I love Indonesia because this is the place where one can still find some unexplored places. I really enjoyed visiting South Lombok which is less-touristy comparing to other popular spots like Bali. My best experience was driving on the coast road with no other tourists or travelers around and enjoying the view of the wonderful coastline with miles-long sandy beaches like the Pantai Mekaki.

What is the worst travel experience you’ve had?

We were visiting Grand Cayman last year and we nicely prepared everything because we heard that immigration is very strict over there. We had our Airbnb and car rental documents printed, and also our booked and paid return flights, but despite all these efforts, they didn’t let us enter because our Airbnb confirmation didn’t include the phone number of our host! We spent almost an hour there waiting for a decision what will happen, we tried to message the host via Airbnb but we couldn’t reach him, so they thought that we made a fake booking. At the end, probably they got tired of us and somehow we got our entry stamps, but since then, we always double check if we have all the contact information we might need in such cases.

What is the funniest travel experience you’ve had?

This happened also in Grand Cayman: I expected to see luxury villas and yachts all over the place, but instead, I only found chickens! They are everywhere on the island from the beaches to supermarket parking lots and cemeteries. My host even took me for egg-hunting in the nearby forest!

What is the scariest travel experience you’ve had?

We enjoy renting rooms from locals rather than staying in fancy all-inclusive resorts, so often we book a room on Airbnb. We did the same in Tulum too, but didn’t expect that our accommodation will be in a very old house (which I believe was made of mud) far from the town center, with a hardly-closing door and a broken locker on the window. If you ever visited Mexico, you probably know that it is a country where crime and drug violence are present, so you need to be extra careful. To be honest, we were scared to stay in that area and worried about leaving our stuff in the room. On top of these, we had a rental car too that we had to park on the street. In the end, luckily nothing bad happened, but after 3 sleepless nights we were happy to leave the place.

What is the most random job you have had on your travels?

When I left my IT job, I spent a few years in Austria where I combined exploring the country with work. I had several seasonal jobs from being a taxi-driver to working as a ski lift operator in the Alps where I was sledding to work in the morning. I really enjoyed that period of my life!

How do you fund your travels?

I work full-time and try to travel as much as possible.

What 3 tips would you give a new traveler before they set off on their adventure?

1: don’t follow the ‘must-see’ and ‘best-things-to-do’ posts. If you travel based on others’ recommendations, you will see what all the others see. This will include standing in a queue with thousands of other tourists and having tons of ‘general’ travel photos in your phone/camera. Of course, if there is a place that you always wanted to see, go and visit it, but don’t travel based on a checklist. Get lost, follow your intuitions and ask locals about some secret spots.

2: be flexible! Even if you are a person who loves to plan each trip from the first second to the last, learn how to be flexible. When traveling, unexpected things do happen, so be ready to change your plans if necessary. Sometimes these unplanned things bring the best adventures!

3: be open and socialize! Don’t sit in your hotel snipping a cocktail that you could do at home too, enjoy being in a new country and explore. Try to see as much as you can from the real local culture, talk to people and listen to their stories.

What are your future travel plans?

Some of my travel plans for the future:

• Exploring Raja Ampat in West Papua
• Swimming with Humpback whales in Tonga
• Freediving with sharks in Jupiter, Florida
• Visiting The Great Barrier Reef in Australia

Biography

I’m a water-minded traveler who chooses destinations where I can do some diving/freediving/snorkeling. I enjoy documenting how beautiful the underwater world is and sharing its beauty with my readers. My motivation is inspiring people to discover our oceans and of course to protect it.

Links

Blog: https://snorkelaroundtheworld.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/snorkelaroundtheworld

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snorkel.around.the.world/

Thanks to Adam for being the latest in my series of World Travellers! If you travel the world and run a travel blog or are a travel writer, please get in touch, you can be featured, either e-mail jonny (at) dontstopliving (dot) net or head to my contacts page and get connected! You can also subscribe to Don’t Stop Living by filling in the form below! Safe travels!