TRAVEL INTERVIEW WITH BRENDAN VAN SON OF BRENDAN'S ADVENTURES- LashWor

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Brendan's Adventures

Brendan in Antarctica

TRAVEL INTERVIEW WITH BRENDAN VAN SON OF BRENDAN’S ADVENTURES

Meet Brendan van Son, travel writer, photographer, blogger, and world adventurer. Brendan is also famous among fellow travel bloggers for his Top 100 blog list, where he evaluates and ranks the world’s top travel blogs.

In this insightful interview, Brendan talks about his travels, how he got started with professional travel writing and photography, his favorite places in the world, his upcoming travel plans and, of course, his Top 100 Blog List. Heeerrreee’s Brendan…

Q1. When did you set off on your world travels?

Tough question for me really. I left home when I was 13 for Japan as a part of a school exchange. I also made solo trips to both Central America and Egypt in 2005 and 2007. I guess travel has always been a fabric of my life, so I haven’t really thought of it as starting or ending. I left “home” on my current travels exactly 2 years and 12 days from today (July 10, 2009).

Q2. You kicked off your travel life by accepting a job as a Tour Guide just after University. Please tell us about your work and life as a Tour Guide. (Where were you guiding tours? How many people in a tour? How long was each tour? What were your job responsibilities? What did you like and dislike about it? How long did you do it? Would you recommend the job to others? ) (If you’ve written any posts on it, you could include links if you want.)

That job was brilliant, but I’m not sure it’s for everyone, it takes a lot of patience. I started out by running a 56 day long tour from Quito, Ecuador to Santiago, Chile. It was actually three trips broken into one although some people were with me for the full 56 days. I basically did everything: I booked hotels, bus tickets, tours, taxis, restaurants and made sure everything was ok with the group’s social dynamic as well. On top of all that I also had to keep accounts and budgets. It was a lot of work but well worth it. My average tour had about 10 people on it, with a maximum of 16 people. I would highly recommend this job to anyone looking to get out and travel who is short on funds as long as they realize that although it is fun, it is a job. It’s a great way to see the world while at the same time earning some very valuable life skills. I will be writing a post on my experience as a tour leader quite soon.

Q3. How long has Brendan’s Adventures been online?

Brendan’s Adventures has only officially been online for just over a year. I had written previous blogs that were just for family and friends, but I never had my own .com until about 14 months ago.

Q4. You’re a travel writer and photographer. Yet your University degrees are in Political Science and Human Geography. So, how did you get started as a professional travel writer and a photographer? How did you get your works published?

My education gave me the backbone to my writing skills as I was constantly putting together research articles in school. The truth is that there isn’t too much difference to writing travel other than in writing about travel you have much more freedom to be creative. I consider myself a form of journalist, rather than simply a creative writer and my educational background is the foundation for that style in my published works. I first decided to publish after a trip to Colombia. I had been writing very boring opinion pieces like those of which I would submit to a university professor. I realized that although I was interested in the subject matter, few other people would be. I decided to let my poetic side flow in a blog post I sent to my friends and family. One of my aunts encouraged me to send it to some editors and within a week it was published. It wasn’t until that point that I realized I had the ability to earn money writing. The photography on the other hand, is something that just kind of flowed with the writing. You need quality images for a good published article, so I started setting out to get them. Nowadays there are times where the writing fuels the photography inspiration and other times it’s the opposite.

Brendans Adventures

Brendan in Antartica

Q5. Are you able to earn your living entirely from writing, photography and your website?

Absolutely, although I’ll admit it was hard at times. When I first set out completely freelance I had some days that were beyond terrifying where I didn’t have the money to pay the hostel. Luckily for me something has always come up. Things have now really started to come together and I can travel pretty comfortably. I think the trick is to have your hand in as many pots as you can possible have them. If you rely too heavily on one income source as soon as that source disappears you’re in trouble.

Q6. When did you start your Top 100 Travel Blogs List? What inspired you to do so?

I started the list about 11 months ago or so. I knew that for my site to be popular I needed to offer something that was different. There are so many blogs out there that I knew I needed something that would make my site more unique. I wanted to bring people to my site somehow, and then keep them as they discovered my writing and photographs. It worked well beyond what I had imagined. After just a month of running the Top 100 my average daily travel had tripled and I noticed new people commenting on articles every day.

Q7. In your Top 100 List information, you explain how you evaluate blogs, which includes checking layout, content, writing quality, photography, and reader interaction. How do you know so much about evaluating blogs?

This part of the process, I suppose, is very personal. But when I judge a site I evaluate both what I like and, also, what I think makes for a successful website. Proper grammar shows professionalism, as does a great layout. There are sites out there that have some amazing material, beautiful photos, perfectly written articles, but when the layout and look of a site is bland or hard to navigate, it makes it less attractive for visitors. People trust the information of a site less if it looks unprofessional. I think the proof is in the pudding. Generally the sites that are most read, and most followed, are generally those who have worked out all these aspects. The great sites manage to put all the elements together whereas the fringe sites do well in some categories but not others.

Q8. You’ve mentioned a few times that you really dislike posts that are lists, like ’10 Best…’ ‘7 Worst..’ Why do you dislike lists of posts?

I actually don’t had list posts. In fact, I’ve done quite a few myself (20 things a backpacker should to do with a private room) http://www.brendansadventures.com/a-backpackers-guide-to-enjoying-a-private-room/ What I hate are things that are done to death, and that doesn’t just mean lists. Lists are just my scapegoat. I believe that everyone should do a google search on something before posting it. If you see 4-5 other similar articles move on. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen “5 reasons why everyone should take a leap of faith and travel the world.” Yes, I agree with you… but at least do it in a way that is different or creative. My point with all of this is to try and be unique. You won’t see the top travel bloggers and writers writing things like that, because it’s already been done. Writing a good article is the same as taking a good picture. Don’t just walk up and take the classic photo of an area, explore it. Look at your subject from different angles and different lights. If we all looked at a certain place the same way the world would be a very boring place, and so would the articles we would write about it.

Q9. Ok, let’s talk about your travels! What are your favorite 3 places in the world and why?

3 Favourite… that’s a mean question. Ok…

#3 Guatemala: I love the mix of culture and natural beauty in Guatemala. The people are so friendly and the history of the area still seems too amazing to have actually happened.

#2 Antarctica: There is no place that I’ve been that is more amazing naturally. Antarctica just bursts at the seams with life. I could have probably spent all summer in Antarctica and not gotten bored.

#1 Colombia: I have been here 3 times, did my final research thesis on the country in university, and love everything about it. But in the end, the reason I love it is because of the people; they are the friendliest in the world. This is the only country I’ve been to, including my home of Canada, where I’ve felt truly comfortable, and at home. I will be using Medellin, Colombia as my base for the foreseeable future, and I’m looking forward to having a place to constantly return to and call home.

Q10. Are there any places you really dislike / never want to visit again / wouldn’t recommend ? If so, where and why?

Not really any place that I never want to visit again. Travel is what you make of it. The Sinai Peninsula of Egypt drove me crazy as vendors and sales people were just so aggressive. Also, I guess when I was in El Salvador I really didn’t enjoy myself. It was messy, dirty and crowded. However, that doesn’t make me want to never visit it again, just the opposite. It makes me want to return and see new places and have new experiences, to give it another chance.

Q11. What are your travel plans for the rest of the year?

You can actually follow all of my travel plans here on this page: http://www.brendansadventures.com/revealing-my-travel-plans/ I will be busy for sure, and I’m looking forward to seeing some new places and some places I haven’t been to for a while. My “plans” are never set in stone, so they may change. But people who are interested can constantly go to that page and see where I am and where I’ll be. Some of the highlights of the next few months include: Guatemala, The Darien Gap, Jamaica, and The Galapagos Islands.

Q12. Any idea how long you will continue your professional travel lifestyle?

Forever. That doesn’t mean that I will be constantly on the move. But travel will always be a part of my life, that I have decided. I am in the midst of a secret project which should change things quite soon; but I assure you I will be traveling a good portion of my time, or working in travel related affairs, for the rest o f my life.

Thanks Brendan! Very inspirational to hear how you created the life of your dreams. Cheers, Lash

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