Ryan jumping above a canyon – Pause the Moment
TRAVEL INTERVIEW: Ryan Gargiulo of Pause the Moment
This week’s interview is with adventurous, outdoorsy American travel fanatic, Ryan Gargiulo. As you can see, Ryan loves being active in the great outdoors.
For nearly 2 years Ryan has been jumping around the globe on exciting sponsored press trips; reviewing travel gear, hotels and tours; and generally having a grand time in the travel industry.
Let’s find out how Ryan caught the travel bug and what he’s been up to since starting his popular travel blog, Pause the Moment:
Q1. There’s not really much about you personally on Pause The Moment. Would you mind telling us a bit about your background and interests?
Really? I feel as if my whole life is on Pause The Moment. I’m a geek, an adventure seeker, a traveler, a blogger, a wannabe photographer, a wannabe videographer and probably a few more things that I cannot think of off the top of my head.
Ryan with Liz – Pause the Moment
Q2. How and when did you catch the travel bug? Did you grow up traveling with your family? Did a particular book / movie / event spark your interest? Or?
I first caught the travel bug during my first solo backpacking trip through Europe back in 2008. My girlfriend (Liz) met me in Dubrovnik, Croatia near the tail end of my trip and it was then that I told her that what once was a “once in a lifetime trip” wasn’t so “once in a lifetime” anymore. It’s what I wanted to do going forward and I was going to make it happen. Coincidentally enough, I made it happen!
Q3. You’re currently based in Massachusetts, so I’m assuming you live in one place more or less permanently and take trips out from there. Have you ever done a RTW trip or any long-term trips? If so, please tell us about that. If not, would you like to / are you planning to in the future?
Yes, I live just south of Boston, MA. Liz and I completed an around the world trip back in 2010. We visited 10 countries in 6 months and had the time of our lives! We do plan to travel together again, we’re just not sure when as of yet. Until then, I’m constantly traveling on press trips and other personal excursions around the world.
Ryan cycling – Pause the Moment
Q4. What’s your ideal type of travel- in terms of destinations, length of trip, type of accommodation, activities, who you’d travel with, and so on?
I believe that spending a month in a destination is the way to go. That way, you get to really immerse yourself into the country and you really get to see the local side of things. I’ve stayed in everything from tents to five star hotels and while I love living in luxury, I don’t mind roughing it either. As for activities, Liz and I really enjoy adventure based activities.
Q5. Nowadays many travel bloggers are out roaming the world nomadically and long-term for several years continuously. Would you like to travel that way? Why or why not?
Sure. I could definitely see us doing that at some point in our lives. It’s nice to have a base back home but at the same time, I believe that you can make a base anywhere in the world if you play your cards right.
Ryan Gargiulo enjoying paddleboard yoga
Q6. Do you have another profession / career besides running Pause The Moment and traveling? Or is Pause The Moment your primary income source? If you have another job, what do you do? Else, what did you do before Pause The Moment?
Nope! I’ve been working full-time on Pause The Moment since May of 2011. Before Pause The Moment, I worked several different jobs. The most interesting job I’ve ever had was working in the IT field servicing small to medium sized businesses. I’m a total computer geek, so it was right up my alley.
Q7. You’ve done a lot of reviews of accommodation, activities, travel gear and restaurants. How did you get started with those kinds of opportunities? And how do you find more?
Yes, I love to review accommodations, activities, gear, restaurants and more. I started by just writing reviews for my blog and once I had a decent amount of reviews under my belt, I reached out to companies and asked them if they would be interested in being reviewed on Pause The Moment. It’s as simple as writing an email. What’s the worst that can happen? They say no?
Q8. Do you have any absolute favorite hotels / hostels / accommodation that you’ve stayed at for a review? If so, why did you love it so much?
No, I don’t really have a favorite hotel, at least one that I reviewed. I feel like all hotels are so different from each other so it’s hard to have a favorite.
Ryan with laptop – Pause the Moment
Q9. Have you ever done a review of a hotel / restaurant / gear only to find out you didn’t actually like the place / product? If so, in that case what did you do about reviewing it?
You know, I was just talking to someone about this the other day. I have never had a bad hotel experience when I was there to review it. Everything seems to go so smoothly for what ever reason.
As for gear, yes I have had one horrible experience. I was asked to review a laptop case from a company called G-Form. This case is supposed to protect your computer from a fall from space. Yes, outer-space.
After watching all of the test videos on YouTube, I decided that there would be no better way to review this product other than to test it out myself. I placed my laptop in the case, took it up on my porch and tossed it into the grass below from 8 feet. When I opened the case, I was surprise to find that my screen had smashed. Bye bye laptop!
Since then, multiple emails were sent and all I have received is a one sentence reply stating “G-Form doesn’t warrant any damages” Sorry! G-Form has proved that they do not care about their customers, they simply care about promoting products that “protect” your equipment, yet they aren’t willing to cover any damages if you do decide to test it. Interesting!
Ryan at canyon – Pause the Moment
Q10. I noticed that the overwhelming majority of your trips have been in N America and Europe, with a few trips to Asia and Africa. Any particular reason you’re kind of ‘focused’ on N America and Europe?
Yeah, I did a lot of Europe back in 2010. This year has been a big N. America year for me and it’s been a blast. I’m not focused on any region really, it’s just where my travels have taken me.
Q11. Are there any places you’re really dying to visit? If so, where and what’s the draw?
I would love to visit Cuba, Brazil, Colombia, Morocco, Turkey, Cambodia and the list goes on.
Q12. What’s up for you and Pause The Moment for 2013?
Well, I’m in talks with several destinations at the moment, but nothing is really set in stone as of yet. One thing I do know is that I’ll be working on a project with Eurail next year, so I’m really excited about that.
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Thanks Ryan for taking time out of your busy press trip schedule to do this interview. Great to hear what you’ve been up to.
Follow Ryan at Pause the Moment
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Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
