For this months traveller profile, we are excited to be featuring the well travelled Alexx from the FindingAlexx blog. On her blog you can find Alexx writing about her travel adventures and misadventures, as well as providing advice to save you time and money on your trips. Alexx also shares her incredible travel photos on Instagram @findingalexx, and great advice on her Facebook pages.

Kia ora everyone! My name is Alexx, I'm a Kiwi travel blogger and photographer. I've visited 57 countries around the world and was travelling full-time pre-COVID, but I'm currently based in my home country of New Zealand. My last trip was a huge New Zealand road trip around both islands, and my next trip is still in the works but hoping to see a few more NZ places that I haven't visited yet!

1. Why do you travel?

I personally travel for discovering new places and having epic experiences. I love those moments where you see an incredible sunset from a viewpoint, manage to find a hidden gem restaurant that blows your mind, or are lucky enough to experience something magical like the Bastille Day fireworks off the Eiffel Tower, or a beautiful day on the water sailing around Croatia's islands. I became a travel blogger to try and help other young women have these experiences too, either by offering up detailed itineraries to help them out, or to just give them the confidence that they can do it themselves.

2. Tell us your favourite: place to visit, mode of transport and source to get travel info

Place to visit: Impossible to say an absolute favourite, but right now it would be New Zealand. I hadn't done much domestic travel at all before I moved overseas at 25, and now I've fallen back in love with my country! We have some stunning landscapes here within such easy reach, with snowy mountains only a couple of hours' drive from surf beaches, so I'd highly recommend everyone puts NZ at the top of their bucket list for when borders start opening up.

Mode of transport: I love a good road trip

Travel info source: I often ask on Instagram for people's personal recommendation, or I'll scour through a tonne of travel blogs online

3. What is your favourite travel memory?

Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia was incredible and really sticks out for me. At the time I had major flight anxiety after a (very rough) turbulence experience so the idea of going up was daunting, but being in the sky surrounded by other balloons floating over the fairy chimneys seemed so out of this world, I felt like I was in a movie!

4. What's the most important thing you've learned while travelling?

I've learned to take breaks when I need them. When you're travelling (especially solo) and you're in high stress situations, every emotion is intensified. The good days make you feel like you're on top of the world, and then you can miss a train and feel like the world is ending. Anytime I have a rough day or things go wrong I try and calm myself down by finding some good food, treating myself to a quiet night in my hostel or hotel, and binge watching Netflix until I feel confident enough to get back out there.

5. Who would you love to sit next to on your next flight?

An experienced pilot, to get them to explain the mechanics of flying and turbulence to help me with my previously mentioned flight issue! Or Bill Gates.

6. What's your best money-saving tip to travel?

The absolute best way to save money is to not be set on date and/or destination. Use Skyscanner's Everywhere search tool to find the cheapest destination to visit for a holiday if you have a specific travel date, OR use it to find the best date to travel to a certain destination. I have managed to lock in so many cheap flights using this tool!

7. How do you deal with the post-holiday blues?

Book another holiday.

8. What's one thing you like to do in every place you visit?

A food tour if there's one available, or I create one myself based on online research. I find that a local food tour will take you to off-the-beaten-path eateries and you'll often discover foods you wouldn't have ordered otherwise. Some of the best food tours I've done were in Marrakech (Morocco), Udaipur (India), Hanoi (Vietnam) and a self-guided one in Sofia (Bulgaria) which is one of the most underrated foodie cities in the world.

9. Travelling can leave a big environmental footprint, how do you minimise yours?

When I travel full-time I normally travel quite fast-paced so this is something I think about often. I offset all my flights using co2nsensus.com, a carbon offset website where you can choose the specific project you want your money to go towards. I also check train routes and take that if possible (it's often not unfortunately), I opt for public transport over taxis, and I aim to avoid any single-use plastic by taking a drink bottle, shampoo and conditioner bars, and my own straw and cutlery set.

10. Plan an around the world trip for us, stopping in one city only on each continent.

Starting in New York > Galapagos Islands (not a city but I don't care!) > Rome > Hoi An > Marrakech > Melbourne

Thanks Alexx for sharing your stories and hot tips. It is unfortunate you had to cut short your time overseas but I am so glad you have the opportunity to spend time now discovering more of what New Zealand has to offer. It is definitely one of my favourite places to explore. Remember to check Alexx’s blog out here.

To read past traveller profiles; click here.

Each month an enthusiastic traveller will share with us their personal stories from their adventures around the world. If you would like to be featured in the upcoming months then please drop us a note below…