Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Tiani Travels
Hi Globetrotters. My name is… Tiani (my last name is not actually ‘Travels’). I’m a 23-year-old digital nomad, slow travelling the world with my partner, Brett. I fulfilled my childhood dream of becoming a Marine Biologist, but now my dream is to make travel a full-time, sustainable lifestyle for myself!
I love to travel because… it sparks inspiration and excitement within me. I love to learn about the history, cultures, people and languages around the world. Travelling expands my perspectives, inspires ideas and gives me a new appreciation for life and how others live.
I especially love tasting new food while travelling. I recently tried a traditional Croatian dish called Peka — slow-cooked meat (usually veal or lamb) with potatoes and veg.
My number one travel activity is… finding idyllic swimming and snorkelling spots — I am a water baby at heart!
This month I’ve had the pleasure of being completely surrounded by immense mountains while swimming in the Bay of Kotor.
Swimming in this fjord made me realise how small my mark on Earth really is. The enormity of the mountains puts life into perspective.
I come from…a tiny little island that you might not have heard of — Jersey, in the Channel Islands. Jersey is just nine miles long by five miles wide and divided into 12 parishes, each with its own parish crest. It’s home to the most stunning scenery, beautiful beaches and fascinating military history.
I work… teaching English as a foreign language to students from all over the world. I absolutely love chatting to people from all around the world about their daily lives, traditions and their motivations for learning English. I feel privileged to meet such awesome people in my job!
The best place I’ve been is…wow this is a tough one!
I’ve been to some absolutely incredible places and they are all fabulous in their own ways. It’s hard to compare the Norwegian Fjords with the Maldives, they are both beautiful but totally different!
But if I have to choose…
My favourite place that I’ve visited as an adult has to be Bali in Indonesia. It was the first holiday that I went on with my boyfriend, Brett, and we made such special memories there. The island is vibrant, spiritual and teeming with natural beauty!
In my spare time, I like to…write! I practise writing every day to improve my skills and learn from talented writers here on Medium. I also love to go swimming, bonus points if it’s in the sea! Occasionally I practice yoga and meditation. I also like to play video games on my Nintendo Switch.
My top travel tip is…
Travel slowly! Spend as long as you possibly can immersing yourself in a different country. Get to know how local people live, what they eat and where they go.
By travelling slowly we can learn from and understand people on a deeper, more meaningful level.
If I could live somewhere else, I’d live in…I honestly can’t answer this! Right now, I have no idea where I want to settle, or if I want to settle! I guess part of travelling for me is also to see if I find anywhere that I would like to call home more permanently in the future.
I’m definitely drawn to South East Asia, but I also don’t want to be too far away from my family in the UK.
My favorite way to travel is…slowly and surely. I love to spend as long as I can in each country to understand the culture, traditions, cuisine and people. I aim to leave a place feeling satisfied that I have learnt a great deal.
Three lessons I’ve learned from traveling are…
- To make an effort to talk to strangers, a smile goes a long way
- To value experiences over things
- To pack lightly! (I still need to practise this one!)
Thanks for reading!
I look forward to connecting with you all here at Globetrotters :)
T
