Interview With Michela Fantinel of Rocky Travel
Please give my readers a background about yourself. What made you want to
start rockytravel.net?
I am Michela, the author of Australia
Rocky Travel ©. After a long career in sales and project management
I felt the need of a change in my life, an made what I call a “quantum
leap”, I entered the (to me) unknown world of travel Blogging. In 2009
I started out a website about independent and solo travel in Australia. The
idea behind was basically combine the desire of starting up my own small biz
along with my passion for Travel in Australia.
What impact has rockytravel.net had on your life?
Rocky Travel meant starting my life from scratch again at the age of 45. At
the beginning it has been a pretty tough time, because there was so much to
learn, from how to set up and manage a website, grow traffic and how to take
it to the next level. It truly was and still is a life changing experience on
360° that means growing personally, which is finally the best part of whole
story ?
Did you always have a love of travel or did you develop your passion for
travelling as you got older?
I have always travelled as a student, but at that time the drives were different,
I felt attracted by big cities like London, New York, Barcelona because of great
music events. Over the years as I grew older I naturally turned into another
direction: nature, landscapes and wildlife were (and still are) the biggest
drives for my travels, that’s a reason why Australia became my favourite
travel destination ?
In all of your travels, which part of Australia has the best food? And the
worst food?
I would not say that there is a geographical area for the best or the worst
food. In Australia you can find everywhere great fresh food and local delicacies.
My favourite food is in Tropical Australia because of the gorgeous fruits and
vegetables and the excellent fish. As for the worst food I would say food from
supermarkets (refined and packed food) often contains too many synthetic preservatives,
artificial flavours and colours, which is bad if you want to stay healthy.
What has been the least exciting destination in Australia you've travelled
to?
It’s difficult to find a least exciting destination in Australia, I would
rather say that it’s about circumstances. Weather makes a big difference.
Visiting Top End with torrential rains for instance is the worst thing that
can happen to you. It really sucks. I once travelled up north from South Australia
but could not visit the Kakadu National Park because of heavy rain. Luckily
I could reschedule my visit and went back a couple of months later, but most
travellers cannot do it and miss out.
What has been the most surprising destination in Australia you've been to?
Meaning, you had a specific mindset about a certain destination but it was totally
a different experience than you had imagined.
I think the sheer beauty and the diversity of Tasmania went beyond my imagination.
Apart from the Australian outback this small enchanting state island has all
of the Australian landmarks and there are plenty of events and things to do
and see. A truly fantastic destination for international travellers on a tight
travel frame.
If you had to decide which destination has been the most influential in
your life, which destination would you chose?
Munich, where I spent a long time working and experiencing life. It’s a
beautiful city with an excellent quality of life, an European city I will always
regard as home.
If you could travel with any celebrity for one week, who would you chose
and why?
This is tough question. Well, hypothetically I would pick David Byrne cause
I love how his songs and I find him attractive, he he he.
What advice would you give to a newbie traveller?
Pick a destination you are in love with, do not plan too much, just go! Finally
travel is like life you learn by doing (living) it.
In 10 years, do you see yourself still travelling or slowing down?
I guess it will be different from now. Travel lifestyle simply adjusts to our
needs and lifestyle constantly over the years. It might slow down or it might
change in the way I travel, one thing for sure I know my free spirit will bring
many new exciting experiences for the years to come!
Thanks Michela for the interview. Please visit her Michela's site @ Australia Rocky Travel © and also her blog !