Behind the blog with @DiegosDaughter

An AC member turned a year older, so you know what that means: another edition of Behind the Blog! Birthday girl @DiegosDaughter dishes on her travel bucket list, favorite travel hacks, and why she’ll never drink coffee on a plane.

AC: What’s your all-time favorite city? 

@Diegosdaughter: I’m such a city person, so naturally my list of favorites is abundant. In no particular order my top three are: Bangkok for its utter chaos, Medellin because it most surprised me, and Cape Town because it most changed me.  

AC: Trip, country or experience that’s highest on your bucket list?

@Diegosdaughter: At the moment my bucket list is 28 places long, so picking just one would be like picking a favorite child. I’m dying to marvel at the Faroe Islands, visit David Sheldrick’s elephant sanctuary in Kenya, party in Brazil for Carnaval, and road trip from Cancun to Merida, Mexico (with a stop in Las Coloradas).

AC: One place you’ll never find me is…

@Diegosdaughter: Baggage claim. For several reasons: 1) My bad luck with travel logistics is epic– nine times out of 10 my flight is delayed and I’ll miss a connection (or two). 2) I cut it a little too close a little too often– I’m lousy at time-management and I probably wouldn’t arrive to the airport with enough time to check a bag even if I wanted to. 3) I carry enough emotional baggage as it is!

AC: What is your best long-distance travel hack?

@Diegosdaughter: I always try and avoid eating or drinking alcohol on long flights. At 30,000 feet your whole body is already like “W.T.F.?!”. Adding airplane food to the mix, which is loaded with bloat-inducing preservatives, as well as alcohol is just rude. Plus, airplanes aren’t equipped with boilers (I know because I make them) which means there’s a strong chance that bacteria in the water used to make your onboard coffee or tea was never fully boiled away. So for that reason I avoid hot bevs too.

AC: On a trip, something I can’t live without is ____

@Diegosdaughter: My neck pillow. Yes I am that extra.

AC: Something that our readers may not know about you?

@Diegosdaughter: I write in my journal, meditate, or do yoga every single day. I also really dislike sitting on hard surfaces.

AC: Name your very first perspective-altering travel memory.

@Diegosdaughter: When I was 22 I was sent on my first solo business trip to Dublin. After a day of sightseeing on my own (I arrived a day earlier than everyone else) I was sitting in a restaurant having a steak and wine dinner (that I was going to expense) and suddenly I had an “I’ve really made it” moment. I was completely on my own, completely away from home, and it was completely invigorating. I had explored my first solitary pathway and I’ll never forget it.

AC: What are some of the best lessons traveling has taught you?

@Diegosdaughter: 

1. Adaptability. I grew up constantly on the go, drifting between one overseas locale to another, most of the time with short or no notice (something that still hasn’t changed today). The only constant in my life is change, and from an early age I quickly learned to be comfortable with the feeling of being unmoored.
2. Attention to detail. As a result of being plucked out of one place and implanted into another every few years, I became a keen observer of my surroundings– because I wasn’t ever certain for how long I’d be in them.  
3. Compassion. Growing up in developing countries I was exposed to abject poverty, populations affected by crippling illnesses, and armed conflict… much of it before the age of five. My my parents shielding my eyes from none of this made me realize I was part of something far bigger than myself.