TRAVELLER: Christine Dutaut of the travel blog: seeitwithyourowneyes.com
Globerovers Q&A with the founders of the popular travel blog: seeitwithyourowneyes.com. Christine has been living in the UK for most of her life and more specifically in the little town of Maldon, Essex. By her side is her partner in crime, and equal travel enthusiast Toby. Together they travel the world and offer inspiration to others to go “See it with your own eyes” too.
Globerovers Q&A with the founders of the popular travel blog: seeitwithyourowneyes.com. Christine has been living in the UK for most of her life and more specifically in the little town of Maldon, Essex. By her side is her partner in crime, and equal travel enthusiast Toby. Together they travel the world and offer inspiration to others to go “See it with your own eyes” too.
Globerovers (GR): How many countries have you been to?
Christine Dutaut (CD): 26, that doesn’t seem like much! We’ve just spent one month in each of the countries we visited on our SE Asia tour. We would rather take our time and really get about exploring.
GR: What are your top 5 most preferred countries for leisure travel?
CD: South Africa and Borneo for the amount of wildlife. Switzerland for outdoor hiking and skiing. Thailand for its variety. Vietnam for coastal motorbiking.
GR: Which is your most preferred country for travel and why?
CD: I loved Thailand. I found it easy to get from A to B and found that every stop we made offered such a variety of activities. Boat tours, kayaking, rock climbing, caves, islands, jungle trekking, motorbiking. There’s so much to see and do at your leisure.
GR: Where do you wish you were right now and why?
CD: Ubud, Bali. I love Ubud. There are some beautiful walking routes and the sunrise trek up Mount Batur is pretty special. It’s a beautiful, peaceful place for some downtime too.
GR: Among those countries you have not yet visited, which ones are at the top of your “must do” list?
CD: I’m desperate to cover South America. I’m drawn particularly to Peru (Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list forever). Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Mexico. I’d love to discover the Mayan temples and spend some time in the Amazon Rainforest. I’d also love to get down to Patagonia. It looks unbelievable.
GR: Please tell us about the most incredible and memorable experience you have ever had while travelling?
CD: Motorbiking in Thailand is my most memorable experience from our trip just gone. It was my first ever time on a bike and we rode from Chang Mai to Pai… That’s 762 bends to navigate through. It was a ropey start with me falling off (stationary) at traffic lights and then also getting a flat. Once we got going though, it was exhilarating and the views were breath-taking.
GR: Based on your travel experiences, if you were to recommend the one most amazing destination for intrepid travellers, which place would that be, and why?
CD: We spent 5 days on a boat in The Philippines with a company called Tao (Coron to El Nido – Palawan). We spent our days moving from one amazing snorkel spot to the next. Visiting deserted islands and lagoons with not another tourist in sight. At night we slept on the islands in basic wooden huts. Though the Philippines wasn’t my favourite location, our trip with Tao was my absolute favourite excursion. You have to have a sense of adventure to get the most out of the trip and so we met some great like-minded people too.
GR: What is the single best lesson you have learned about the world during your travels around the world?
CD: Expect the unexpected. Or just don’t expect anything! We’ve found the places we knew nothing about have blown us away the most. Also, being on the road for so long you have to get seriously used to things not going to plan (if you have one). Accepting there are some things you just can’t control has made me much more relaxed and importantly, less stressed and anxious as a person. People in poor countries are often the happiest and most generous.
Follow Christine and Toby:
Facebook: @SIWYOEyes
Instagram: @seeitwithyourowneyes
Twitter: @SIWYOEyes
Website: www.seeitwithyourowneyes.com
THIS INTERVIEW APPEARS IN
Globerovers Magazine December 2018