We all have wanderlust and a passion for travel, but how do you turn it into a permanent lifestyle?
Kicking off a new series of interviews with inspiring travellers, we speak to American travel blogger/photographer Matthew Karsten about a life on the road, his favourite destinations, and how travel can change your perception of the world.
How and when did you first get the travel bug?
It started when I was living down in Miami after finishing my business finance degree and not really enjoying my lifestyle down there. I had some friends that were backpacking around the world – one in southeast Asia, one who worked on yachts in the Caribbean – and they were travelling all over the place, sending me photos and telling me all these great stories, and I was jealous of what they were seeing and doing. I decided that I could do it, too.
I sold my car, lived very cheaply and put together a travel fund so I could take a year off and travel the world. I started in Mexico for a test trip for a couple weeks to see if I could hack it. I had so much fun that I knew it was for me. I decided to head back, quit my job and travel through Central America very slowly.
What have you learnt about the world and yourself through your time travelling?
The colourful streets of Havana, Cuba © Matthew Karsten
Well, first of all, I quickly learnt that travel could be very cheap! Growing up, my family didn’t travel much outside of the US, and I assumed that travelling to foreign countries was something only rich people or people with a lot of time on their hands did. Once I started doing it myself I realized you didn’t have to stay in fancy, remote hotels all the time or book tours every day; you could do it cheaply and in a way that gets you closer to the action and heart of a place.
I’ve become a lot more patient with everything since I’ve started travelling. Things go wrong all the time and you just have to learn to deal with it and not get upset. It’s all about being open-minded to the speed, smells, sights and sounds of a place you are in, and adapting to them.
Another thing I learnt that surprised me is that wherever you go, people are all the same around the world. I was expecting huge differences meeting people from other countries, speaking different languages, following different religions and so on, but everyone has the same wants and needs. We shouldn’t be afraid of the unknown – we should embrace it. I felt that when I travelled in Cuba. It’s a country changing rapidly now, and I had a preconceived prejudice that it would be quite a difficult or dangerous place. I was surprised to find that the crime levels are very low and the people were open and inviting. It just proves that the world is not nearly as dangerous as the media will make you believe.
What is your favorite travel photo you have taken, and why?
Matthew Karsten’s favourite photo – the Solheimasandur plane crash in a Northern Lights-filled Iceland © Matthew Karsten
My favourite travel photo is an image I captured of the Northern Lights in Iceland above the wreckage of a crashed airplane on a remote black sand beach.
I spent the night camping next to the plane in the cold, not sure if the Aurora Borealis would come out to play or not. When it finally did, around 1am, it was the most spectacular light show I’ve ever seen. It’s my favourite photo because of the planning and patience that went into capturing it.
How do you like to plan your travels?
Matthew taking a motorbike taxi through Bangkok © Matthew Karsten
I like to do a little research before I go, but I don’t really plan that much. Instead, I take the advice and guidance of locals who are often really proud and happy to show you around their hometown.
Another thing I love to do when travelling is get lost! There’s something really energising about being in a new city or place, heading off in one direction and seeing where the road takes you.
A lot of the time I’m a solo traveller. I like the challenge and freedom that solo travel brings. I like having no one else to rely on when a problem comes up so you’re forced to rely on yourself – I like that challenge. Plus, it means you get the chance to travel slow – spending more time in fewer places. By doing that, you get a better idea of the places you are visiting, and that will lead to more meaningful experiences and memories made.
What is your favourite travel destination?
It changes all the time, but right now, I’d probably say Greenland. I was there last year, hiking the Arctic Circle trail, and I think it was the solitude there that I admired as it seems so difficult to find elsewhere in the world these days. I’d love to go back there to different parts of the country, and see how the Inuit live in the small villages along the coast. It’s a very special, underrated place.
On the other side of the world, I’d have to highlight Panama. I spent a couple of weeks couch-surfing in the capital with a group of fun locals I met there. It was a very special experience being shown around by them. I really got a sense of the city, through their eyes. It was during the first year that I started travelling, too, so it definitely helped get me hooked on a life of full-time travel.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to become a full-time travel blogger?
A cloudy day in Cobh, Ireland, with the St Colman’s Cathedral looming in the distance © Matthew Karsten
I get a lot of emails about this on a daily basis and I always tell people that while it’s possible to turn your love of travel into like a profession, it’s not easy. You have to be extremely passionate about it, curious about the world and very hardworking. It comes with a lot of sacrifice and living cheaply as you don’t always know when your next paid work will come in. You have to be okay with taking that risk and be okay with failing.
To do it well is the same for all types of travelling: you have to be spontaneous, open to try new things and say ‘yes’ to whatever the world throws at you.
