ABOUT-ME STORIES
Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Anne Bonfert
My favorite ways to travel and ultimate future dreams
Hi Globetrotters.
My name is Anne Bonfert. It’s a very short and simple name, yet I’ve learned to answer to the name of Ann, Anna, Hannah, Anne, and all kinds of versions of these in pronunciations of every language in the world.
No, I’m not picky. As long as you’re friendly and polite, I’ll answer.
I love to travel because it allows me to see how different places and countries are. I love nature and I love exploring new and foreign cultures. I love engaging with people from different countries and in foreign languages.
I’ve learned more things while traveling than in school (I think). I’ve learned how to wash my clothes by hand, how to live without running water and electricity, and how to communicate with a stranger using hands and feet.
Traveling allows me to grow as a person and see different perspectives and living conditions in the strangest parts of the world. Traveling has raised me as an independent woman but it has also brought me together with my African husband.
Traveling has made me a writer in fact. And a storyteller. I love writing down my thoughts while sitting on a plane taking off for an exotic adventure or documenting my thrilling activities in foreign lands.
Traveling has opened my mind and heart in so many ways. I’ve met the kindest people while in foreign countries all on my own.
Traveling has taught me to ignore prejudices and people’s opinions. They will always know everything better than you without ever having been where you’ve lived in.
I learned to live my life without worrying about what others think of it. It’s my life. And as long as it will make me happy, I will keep traveling.
My number one travel activity is taking pictures. I know this sounds like a real tourist (which is what I am often, a tourist visiting a foreign country, just that the word “tourist” these days is seen with bad eyes) but I just love photography.
In specific, I’m a nature photographer by heart. I love taking pictures of plants, animals, and landscapes. And because I love exploring nature I mostly go on hikes when traveling.
So hiking together with taking pictures would be my main activities while abroad.
I’m intrigued by coastlines and cliffs. I love looking down from a mountain and will never hesitate of stepping closer to the edge.
Yes, the combination of hiking and taking pictures while traveling is what makes me shine from within.
I come from Germany. I’m born and raised in Germany but you’ll probably hear me more often saying I’m Romanian than German. It has to do with the fact my parents come from Transylvania and the way the German education system brought us up in school. I was taught that “I am German” is not a sentence to be said with a proud face. You can read about the why’s and how’s in this story.
I work as a skydiving instructor. I know it’s a dangerous activity but so is driving a car on the highway. I love my job and please don’t ask me when I will be getting a real job. Trust me, I’m earning real money with real sweat.
I’ve worked as a sandboarding and as a climbing instructor before. Yes, those were all professions that earned me a living. And yes, I love teaching. I studied early childhood education and the same methods taught to children I use on a daily basis in my job.
If you want to teach a kid how to hold a spoon properly or teach an adult how to keep the right body position in the sky, it’s all the same. It boils down to the basics.
Be positive.
“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.” — Anonymous
The best place I’ve been is Namibia.
This one is a difficult one since I have been to countless amazing places on earth but if I should call out a country it would be definitely Namibia. The diversity of the landscapes and abundance of wildlife is something I’ve never seen before or after.
I also lived in the country for 5 years full-time which allowed me to visit and explore more places than I ever did in my home country. I’ve seen rain in the desert and flowers growing in the sand. I’ve been swimming in rivers that only flow once a year or even less and I floated with the car through flooded roads.
I always try to make the best of every place I go to so I really have great memories of most of the trips but I’ll leave this one standing here.
It’s Namibia.
In my spare time, I like to paddle, skate, swim, hike, read and write. I love sports. It doesn’t just keep me fit and healthy but happy as well. I’ll never say no to trying out a new sport or activity even if I’ll be hesitant at times to get out of my comfort zone.
My top travel tip is to travel slow. The slower the better. If you’ve ever used the saying “I need a holiday from my holiday” you surely travel too fast. Don’t try to cover all of Europe in one week but rather one city or region in that time.
Also, pack light. If you think you need all those things you packed, you won’t. Trust me. I don’t just travel much but have moved three times between three continents in 2020 and in 2021. And I’ve lived already on two continents this year too and one more move is most likely to happen toward the end of the year.
If there’s one thing I know for sure is how heavy or light luggage can be.
And how easy clothes and other items can be replaced. In most destinations at least.
Also, the less you plan ahead the more space and time you have for spontaneous decisions. I rarely ever plan more than a day ahead when on holiday and often don’t know on which continent I’ll be living three months ahead.
Yes, others would miss the lack of stability, to me the freedom this lifestyle comes with makes me lighter.
So here are my top travel tips:
- Travel slow.
- Pack light.
- Plan less.
If I could live somewhere else, I’d live in… Well, this is a tricky one because I have lived in so many places already. I’ve lived in Ghana, Namibia, Thailand, and several regions of Germany. I’d live in all of them again.
But I also would love to live in Canada, New Zealand, Norway or Sweden, Japan, and countless countries in Africa.
But mostly, I’d love to live in a van. Living in a van would offer me the freedom to travel around as much as I want, to stay in places as long as I enjoy them, and to visit to all those amazing countries with my belongings in the back.
My ultimate dream is to cross Africa from north to south. I know, something a bit more stable and robust than a van would be required for the continental crossing and bad road conditions and I’d love to convert an old 4x4 truck for such an expedition.
I don’t have the time and money for it right now but it is a dream I’ll keep working towards.
One day…
My favorite way to travel is by car. That is for sure. I love road trips. Looooove them. I love the independence that comes with it and the freedom I have when I travel in a car. While I often fly to and from places by plane, I love exploring places by car. Preferably also living in the car or a rooftop tent.
And to get to places you can’t reach by car, I’ll use my feet. Walking along endless beaches and hiking up mountains are my favorite ways to explore nature.
Three lessons I’ve learned from traveling are to ignore the news, smile at foreigners, and take your time.
The news are sharing all the bad that is happening in the world. But any place is more than just its accidents and a bad reputation. Get over the fear and be surprised by how much beauty is to be found in every single place.
Smiling is magic. A smile can change the taste of your food ordered, it can change the help you receive and make your entire stay in a foreign country an unforgettable memory.
And of course. Don’t rush anything. Leave your watch at home. Especially when you’re from Germany. Don’t expect to get your food delivered in 20 minutes when sitting in a local restaurant in rural Uganda.
Take your time. If you come with patience and enough time you’ll be able to enjoy the culture much more. Embrace a slow lifestyle. It might even teach you a thing or two for your daily life at home too.
Thank you for listening. I’m the newest editor of the Globetrotters family and I’d love to get to know you better too. Take the chance and introduce yourself with a writer spotlight story if you haven’t done that yet.
The other editors have introduced themselves too, if you haven’t checked them out yet, here are the links:
Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Adrienne Beaumont
Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Gerald Sturgill
Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — JoAnn Ryan
And these are the latest spotlight stories from our awesome writers:
Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Colette Langley
Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Julien Demaret
And in case you would like to learn more about me, you can find lots of stories in my about-me list:
Join my email list here if you would like to read more travel essays or sign up for the Medium membership to receive unlimited access to my and other writers’ stories out here (I will receive a commission fee in return).
