In our series of interviews with travel blogger and influencers across the globe, we look for travel bloggers and influencers with interesting lives who can share some inspiring stories and useful advice from their experience. This week we have Mandavi Jaiswal From An Urban Nomadic blog.
An Interview With Mandavi Jaiswal from An Urban Nomadic
Tell us a bit about yourself
17 years of traveling, 2 kids, and 32 countries later, here I am as a full-time social media influencer. I started experimenting with the concept of blogging at the fag end of my corporate career which spanned over 11 years as a Digital Marketeer – Tech and Hyperlocal start-up founder.
I write about family travel, my go-to pieces are about offbeat destinations. You’ll often find me posting details on Instagram that’ll help you choose a destination for your next vacay. I write about what to expect, the best time to go, and lots of trivia about the destination. My Instagram tips are sure to help you refine your itinerary.
I am a B.Tech Computer Science by education and recipient of multiple awards such as Rising Star 2019, Lit award etc.
Also read Fantastic Day Trips Near Mumbai | Lockdown Road Trip Ideas
What’s your biggest achievement as a Travel Blogger/Influencer?
I have been featured in the Mumbai Mirror as a travel writer and that was truly special. I write in print at the Parent Circle Magazine and I have had the privilege to curate some content for TravelStroke which was at the global forum. I work extensively on brand collaborations and I am really proud of the high engagement rate on my Instagram.
You have an unlimited travel budget for 24 hours. Give me your itinerary.
I’d love to fly back to Sapporo in the Japanese countryside. Rent a convertible and head to the lavender fields at Furano. Hop on a bike here and take the 5-mile hike at Biei. After a leisurely lunch at Farm Tomita, I’d drive up to the cable car and zip past to Mount Asahidake where I’ll spend the rest of the day exploring smoky volcanoes, a frozen lake and Japanese onsens.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
That’s really impossible to pick! It’d be Lofotan Islands in Norway as that’s the closest I have traveled to the North Pole and Foz_do_Iguaçu in Argentina as that’s the Southmost I have seen so far. And back home it’d be Udaipur. I love the grandeur of Udaipur, the hospitality, vibrant colours and stunning Udaipur lakes.
How do you fund your travel?
Shhhh! We call it the travel fund, and that’s marked as an essential expense in the annual spend!
What is the first trip you remember taking and how old were you?
My first trip was to the gorgeous island of Phuket and I was just 25 then. Gosh!
Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different to how you imagined? If so, how?
This has to be Israel. For I never EVER thought in my wildest of imaginations that I would get to touch the actual tomb of Christ or walk on those paths where He once strolled. Seeing was truly believing that was as real as it can get. Or the Dead Sea and that one can actually float so effortlessly in a sea. The entire 11-day long trip was all about tracing the roots of mankind and the roots of some of the most prominent religions of the world, also some of the things that you only believed existed in textbooks.
Do you have a bucket list? If so what is on it?
Hell ya, all 195 of them. This is your planet and you really should go around to see it. I love traveling to offbeat places and Bora Bora in French Polynesia is something really high on my bucket list.
Have you had any bad experiences whilst traveling?
We were holidaying in the Canary Islands, 5 hours off the coast of Spain, when a sudden airline strike left us huffing and puffing. We were on a 16-day vacation with a ton of luggage and all that we could bring back on the flight was a small cabin bag per passenger. I had to actually let go off a lot of stuff, as I love to travel well and carry all the packing list essentials.
A few years back, our hot air balloon tour in New Zealand got canceled at the last minute due to weather conditions. But then we turned it around and went in for the bungee jump and that was phenomenal.
If you were not traveling what would you be doing instead?
Thinking about travel!
What has travel taught you?
Travel has taught me what it really means to LIVE, to be FREE.
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Who, in your opinion, is the most successful travel content creator? Why do you think that is?
I love Savi and Vid of Bruised Passport. I love the warmth, the wide array of content on their feed and I completely relate to them as a couple.
Do you prefer solo travel or with someone else?
I need people around me, like all the time. Travel to me is about soaking it all in, reflecting back on every experience big or small, creating happy moments, waking up to familiar faces. I am so in love with the concept of traveling with family and groups of friends. They add meaning and color and laughter to my moments.
If you could swim with dolphins or go shark diving, which would you pick? and why?
Ah! I can’t imagine going in with the shark. I think swimming with dolphins would be fun and that’s something I have never done before. I also saw the penguins a few years back and I was totally smitten by them. They are such cute species and I’d really love to see how they swim underwater. Now that’s quite a list, are the brands listening!!
What is your dream traveling experience?
I am a complete outdoorsy person. I wouldn’t be caught dead in a spa even in Maldives. I love to shop, I love to dine out, visit ancient, like really ancient museums and sites. I love space and science museums and all sorts of natural landscapes tend to drain out the storage space on my camera.
So, I’d go on a month-long vacay in continental Europe, rent out a lake house in a postcard village, and go hiking and road tripping through the countryside. I’d also love to see more of the Himalayas back home.
You can follow Mandavi: Instagram | Blog | Facebook
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