We are kicking off our “Love of Travel series” with an interview with fellow travelers, Jeff & Marina from Latitude 34 Travel Blog (http://latitudethirtyfour.com/). This adventurous travel couple is currently living abroad and loving every minute of it. We wanted to get to know them better and share their stories, advice, and insights with all of you!
How did the two of you meet?
We met in college while we were both were studying Visual Journalism at Brooks Institute of Photography in California. The school offered an annual documentary trip and Marina met Jeff during a gallery exhibit for a trip he had done to Southern India. She was impressed by the photos all the students had taken and Jeff talked her into doing the, next trip which was to Chile. We ended up shooting a story in Santiago and built the foundation for our travels ahead together.
Where are you originally from and what inspired you to travel / live abroad?
JEFF: Growing up in Washington, D.C I was raised around a very international mix of people. Visiting the countries of all the people I met growing up was always a dream of mine. The hardest thing was finding someone to share the dream with! Marina and I were lucky enough to meet at a point in our lives where we shared the same dream and were still stupid enough to drop it all and go – no regrets!
MARINA: I grew up in Orange County in Southern California. For me, travel was never a part of my life until I decided to become a photojournalist. Once I discovered photography, my urge to travel grew more and more. In school we studied iconic photographs, most of which were of war and poverty. It made me realize that even though there is so much bad in the world, that there is also so much good. Through our travel blog we hope to show people a little of the beautiful things the world has to offer. Moving abroad was an opportunity to break the mold and experience what the world has to offer. We are young, in love, and eager for new experiences.
Do you have a most memorable destination / experience during your travels? What made it so memorable?
JEFF: While traveling through Kathmandu, Nepal a few years ago, I was lucky enough to meet a man named Krishna, and stay at his home for a few days. After being raised in a Leprosy colony, he has now built a tight knit community to help those affected and to bring much needed attention to their plight. Meeting Krishna was the highlight of that trip and his generosity, kindness and warm spirit will never be forgotten.
MARINA: My most memorable experience while traveling was when I was in Vietnam. Some friends and I were walking down a neighborhood street in Hoi An, when a Vietnamese family saw us and invited us into there home for lunch. They didn’t speak english and we could only say hello in Vietnamese, but we all had a great lunch together trying to communicate and laughing. For me, this was memorable because I realized that we are all people with the same needs and even though we came from two different worlds, in that moment we were like family.
Do you have a travel item that you simply cannot live without?
Our cameras. When we start to prepare for a trip we always think of the images we want to capture while we’re there. Even if you are not a professional photographer, bringing a camera is a must. Sometimes being in a new place is a bit scary and if you have something, like capturing photos, to take your mind off of the intimidation, you can feel more comfortable and ease into a new destination.
Do you have any advice for other people who are looking to move abroad or go on an extended travel adventure?
Just go for it. The idea of moving abroad or traveling seems like an impossible idea, but it’s not. Once you make the decision to do it everything else will fall into place. Just let go and embrace something new and foreign.
*************************************************************************************
Marina and Jeff are the founders of Latitude 34 and aim to help those realize their dreams of travel through travel stories, motivation, inspiration and photos from their adventures around the world. To learn more, visit their website at: http://latitudethirtyfour.com/
** All photos were kindly provided by Latitude 34.
*************************************************************************************
Like what you’ve read? Connect with us on Facebook or sign up to receive our blog by email (below).
[jetpack_subscription_form]
