Interview With Ryan Gargiulo of Pause The Moment
•Please give my readers a background about yourself. What made you want to start pausethemoment.com?
My name is Ryan Gargiulo. I’m a full-time travel blogger and self proclaimed wanderer of the world. I specialize in budget travel but enjoy living the life of luxury from time to time.
Read more: My ABC's of Travel
I originally started PauseTheMoment.com back in 2008 while planning for my first backpacking trip through Europe. At the time, it served as a personal journal to keep my family and friends updated on where I was, what I was doing and a place where I could display my photos from the road.
•In all of your travels, in your opinion what country has the best food? and the worst food?
Ever since visiting Thailand I've had a new found appreciation for Thai food. How can you beat a giant plate of Pad Thai for less than a dollar? I also enjoy chowing down Mediterranean food in Greece and Middle Eastern food when I'm in Egypt. To be honest, I've never been somewhere where I left and said "Wow, the food in X was horrible!"
•What has been the least exciting destination you've traveled to?
Laos.
•Did you always have a love of travel or did you develop your passion for traveling as you got older?
I traveled back and forth to Ireland quite a bit in my younger years but I never really knew that you could actually be passionate about travel until I set off on my first solo backpacking trip through Europe.
•What impact has pausethemoment.com had on your life?
Whoa, where do I start? Pause The Moment has had a huge impact on my life. It's not only a virtual space that stores all of my travel memories but it also my bread and butter these days.It's also my favorite site on the web, believe it or not!
•What has been the most surprising destination you've been to? Meaning, you had a specific mindset about a certain
I was surprised when initially arriving in Egypt for the first time. I assumed it would be tough to mix with the locals and get to know Egyptians on a personal level. As it turns out, Egyptians were the most hospitable people that I've ever encountered in all my travels.
Read more: Egyptian Hospitality at it's Best
•If you had to decide which destination has been the most influential in your life, which destination would you chose?
Again, Egypt. It really opened my eyes and my mind on several levels.
•What advice would you give to a newbie traveler?
Pack half of what you THINK you need. Use two wallets, one that clips inside of the belt on your pants, and another in your pocket as a "dummy wallet" with a few old rewards cards and a few bucks so that it looks like it's worth stealing..
•In 10 years, do you see yourself still traveling or slowing down?
I hope to be still traveling in 10 years although I believe it's more likely that I'll be settled down in a foreign country and making small trips within the region.
Where you can find me:
Web: http://www.pausethemoment.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/pausethemoment
Twitter: @pausethemoment