Interview – Raphael Zoren (A Journey of Wonders)

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Throughout the last few months we have been fortunate to get to know many new friends in the travel world. Today is no different as we are delighted to speak with Raphael Zoren from A Journey of Wonders.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with Raphael using his various social media fronts listed below.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to Raphael for taking time to interview with us!

A Journey of Wonders in Chile

Intro: My name is Raphael Alexander Zoren, writer/photographer of A Journey of Wonders, the best travel guide to Mexico and the World. I’m a Mexican born and raised in Acapulco. My life was pretty much normal until I took my first trip overseas to Canada in 2010 to study for one semester, once I came back, I knew that I had to explore every corner of the world. Now, a few years later, I’ve managed to travel to 35 countries across 5 continents, something not that common from people of my country.

Am I wealthy? Not at all! Part of the reason why I started A Journey of Wonders is to dispel the myth that exists within developing countries about the costs of traveling abroad. Trust me, not only wealthy people can afford to travel. In fact, I believe that with the right motivation (and some sacrifices), anyone can travel abroad!

Website: A Journey of Wonders

Social Media: 

What is your favorite aspect of traveling and if you are a travel blogger, why did you decide to create your website? 

In hindsight, my life as a travel blogger started when I was looking for things to do for my trip to Asia in 2013. I came across a travel blog and out of curiosity, I clicked the about section of the blogger, leading me to find out about this unique lifestyle.

I’ve traveled extensively ever since 2012 and it was until recently (October 2013) that I started to chronicle my travels, in hopes that they might be used by people who want to get inspired and find ways to travel more for less.

A Journey of Wonders in Mexico

I wasn’t really expecting thousands of readers to visit and comment on my posts so the sudden success of A Journey of Wonders really took by surprise, to be honest! Every day, I get encouraged by all the positive feedback that I get from my amazing readers that I’m planning on hosting a big give-away next month so stay tuned for more 😉

How many continents have you visited? 

Five

How many countries have you visited? 

30+

What is your favorite destination in the world and why? 

I know this will sound cliched but Mexico is, in my opinion, the most diverse country in terms of natural landscapes, wildlife and cultural diversity (seriously, there’s no such thing as one stereotypical Mexican since there’s actually many of them depending on the city/region). It’s big enough to keep you entertained for months and yes, the food is amazing!!!

The best part? You can easily live with less than 20 USD a day!

If money/time was no object and you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you travel to and why? 

If money, time and visa issues were not important, I would like to explore all of Sub-Saharan Africa at a very slow pace. Ever since I saw the Lion King, I knew I had to visit the Pride Lands! Plus, it’s been a dream of mine to see the two biggest migrations on the planet: The mammals migration at the Serengeti and the sardine run in South Africa (seriously, Google it and you’ll be amazed seeing a whale eating an entire bank of sardines!).

Which of the following gadgets do you take on your travels? 

Camera, Phone,  Laptop and a Tripod so I can take artistic selfies of myself!

What is your preferred method of transport? 

Walk

Complete the following, “Everywhere I go, I visit….” 

A museum. Haha, I’m a big fan of culture and I believe that a museum is the best way to get educated in the ancient (and sometime modern) customs of the individuals that now inhabit said country/region/city.

A Journey of Wonders in India

Also, I try to visit each and every archeological site that I can find, specially temples and pyramids. I’m lucky that here in Mexico we have a lot of them!

Here is your chance to sell yourself and your website! Tell us some more information about yourself, what your travel philosophies & future plans are and anything else that people may find interesting to read about… 

In the end, I would like to encourage people to take a good look at their material possessions and the bills they pay each month for their services. As I said before, you don’t need to be rich to travel abroad, you just need to make some sacrifices. If I can do it, you can do it!

Remember to visit A Journey of Wonders to find your daily dose of inspiration and wanderlust, as well as to learn more about the many wonders that Mexico has to offer! Safe travels and keep on following your dream!

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Chris Boothmanhttps://abritandasoutherner.com
Chris Boothman is the co-founder of A Brit and A Southerner. Born near Manchester, England, Chris moved to USA in 2006 where he soon after met his wife and travel partner in crime, Heather. They have since embarked on an amazing journey of travel as they challenge others to follow in their paths of working full-time but also being able to travel frequently! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Chris at [email protected]

14 COMMENTS

    • No problem Raphael, we really appreciate you taking the time to speak with us! It’s a really great interview and awesome to get to know you better.

    • All museums have their own unique character that make them so interesting to explore. Plus the free ones are even better of course but sometimes you have to spend money just to experience them at least once in your lifetime. This is the way I feel especially with art museums as I am not a particularly fond art critic, therefore probably don’t appreciate those types of museums as much as I should!

    • Thanks Corinne, it was our pleasure hosting Raphael in our interview series! It would be really cool to head to Mexico and wander around those awesome ruins and the temples that are hidden among them all.

  1. Great interview guys! I’ve always wanted to go to Mexico but it wasn’t high up on my radar. After getting to know Raphael more and more, he’s inching Mexico up on my list! Also, excited to read about his travels in Europe this fall 🙂

  2. Wonderful article from a young person living his dream his way. Keep going on the path you have chosen
    there is much more to see. Wish I was younger and could do that part over 😉

    • Definitely agree with you Constance! Seeing someone have success like this gives you the added inspiration to continue with your own blog to hopefully reciprocate that success.

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