We are Jenny and Sebastian. Traveling and photography have always been our two great passions and so in 2014 we decided to simply make it our profession. That's how our Blog 22places was born. There we report on our travels: with great attention to detail, inspiring, authentic and above all: always honest. However, our blog is not only a place to go for detailed travel tips, but also for practical photography tips. In our very successful Online photo course we show how anyone can easily take beautiful photos themselves.
Where does your enthusiasm for traveling come from?
We've both always had it. Our parents always traveled a lot with us and so we were practically born with it.
When did you take the step: We now live from our blog.
That was at the end of 2014. We started our blog in November and set ourselves the goal of being able to live from it a year later. That was pretty ambitious, but when we set ourselves a goal, nothing stops us so quickly. And hey, we did it! In September 2015, we sublet our apartment and went traveling for two and a half years. That's the good thing about an online company: You can work from anywhere. We don't need anything more than our laptop and a stable internet connection. Okay, we admit it: temperatures above 25 degrees also contribute to our general well-being.
You've been almost everywhere. Where did you like it best and why?
Difficult question. We collect our 22 most beautiful places in the world on our blog. It's not really possible to choose a clear number 1. We've seen so many great places. Myanmar and Japan have made the most lasting impression on us so far. Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand is our favorite place to live in winter and then of course we are also big city fans. We can't really decide on a favorite. We love New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Berlin, Vienna, Lisbon and, and, and, and.
Do you prefer traveling to cities or to rural areas and why?
Both have their appeal, but we are more city people. We love wandering aimlessly through the streets of a city, trying exotic things at food markets and just soaking up a city.
Recently, however, we have also discovered the appeal of rural areas. The Karijini National Park in Western Australia or the Aland islands in the west of Finland are places that have really fascinated us.
What is your favorite means of transport?
We've tried pretty much everything there is over the last few years: Train, bus, plane, car, camper van, scooter, bike, hot air balloon, tuk tuk. We don't really have a favorite. It always depends on where we happen to be.
Do you have real contact with other cultures on your travels and do you have any tips for "breaking the ice"?
That always depends a bit. In some cultures, it's very easy to get in touch with the locals. In the Philippines, for example, people are incredibly open and nice. You don't have to do much and before you know it, you're invited to a birthday party or a karaoke binge. People in Myanmar are also very open and eager to learn. In many countries, such as Japan, the language barrier is a big problem. Even with English you can hardly get any further there, which of course makes communication very difficult. Our best tip for breaking the ice is to smile! Smiling is the best door opener for making contact with other people anywhere in the world.
Is photography part of every trip for you, or have you ever gone on vacation without your camera?
Photography is definitely part of our vacation. As for the second part of the question: since we started the blog, we haven't actually taken any real vacations. We're always traveling, but that's also our job now. That means our cameras and laptops are always with us. For many, it still doesn't sound like work and yes, it's the best job in the world for us, but anyone who's ever been on the road with us definitely doesn't want to be a travel blogger anymore. We have to learn how to take a real vacation and just relax again. We try from time to time, but it usually doesn't take long before we're back at the laptop. In the long run, we should probably make more of an effort to let work be work, but at the moment it's just too much fun.
