Featured Travel Blogger: Dutched Pinay unveils her personal discoveries about art, culture and history of our world

MY SECOND FEATURED TRAVEL BLOGGER lives in Holland but she originally came from the Philippines. I dont know her personally but I managed to browse her website (courtesy of BlogRoll site) and from there I initially understand her passion in life - going places through her photos.

Dutched Pinay's traveling is about discovery, her love for art and architecture, consequently her quest in understanding about various cultures and history of the places we live in.

Without further a do, I'm pleased to introduce to you, Dutched Pinay and able to discover her world of traveling as well as her interest in gastronomy!

Q1: How many times you travel a year? I travel for pleasure as well as for work so I don’t really keep track how many times I go out but a quick numbers crunch, I think I have been to 11 countries last year, 2010. This year is promising and I am looking at visiting more places.

Q2: Do you stay in your home country (locally) or do you go abroad/overseas? These days, my travels are mostly international but I never fail to discover my backyard as well—the Netherlands. So, every now and then, usually when the weather is lovely, I do a some local city, village or road trip.

Q3: Do you organize your holidays yourself or do you go to a travel agency? All my personal travels are organized by myself. For work travels, some are organized by the company and sometimes through a travel agency.

Q4: Do you prepare your holidays in advance by reading guide books and online travel sites? Yes, I mainly scour the internet for information. I prefer to read blogs—personal experiences of tourists and travellers who have been there and expatriates living in the country rather than commercial related sites.

Q5: Do you travel alone/with family or friends/with an organized group? I travel alone, with my partner, with friend/s, with family, with colleagues. I don’t do organized group travelling though.

Q6: Do you prefer the beach/islands/countryside/cities as destinations? I like to try everything! From city trip to culinary highlights to beach holiday to culture discovery to off the road adventure.

Q7: Do you mainly relax or are you an active holiday traveler? Travelling is a passion for me, I like to discover what is out there so most of my travels are active but I also incorporate some relaxation time in between.

Q8: If you go abroad do you learn at least some words of the foreign language? Yes, I try to learn the basic words to impress the locals. When you learn to say ‘Thank You’ in someone’s language, people are appreciative and some are open to welcome you into their world, into their culture, which in return gives substance to travelling.

Q9: Are you interested in the cuisine/food of a foreign country? Very—as much as possible I try to only eat local food during the entire travel, and if I love it, I try to bring some of the ingredients home. This is mainly the case when I go to culinary destinations like Italy and Spain for example.

Q10: Which mode/means of transportation do you prefer? Any mode of transportation is fine, whatever is best suitable in the country I am travelling to but for long distance travel I would prefer to fly of course, with a reliable airline and direct flights please.

Q11: What kind of luggage do you take with you? Have you got problems packing? I have a normal Samsonite luggage but for quick weekend trips, I have a smaller luggage that goes easily into the plane's cabin or I use my leather overnight bag. My partner swears on my packing skills, he says I am the best!

Q12: Do you send picture postcards to your family and friends? I only send postcards to my parents and parents-in-law. Other than that, my blog is the main point of communication for everyone so they check my blog regularly as they know I am always on the go and are up to something.

Q13: What kind of souvenirs do you normally keep during your travels? I don’t really buy souvenirs, but I buy random items that I fancy, especially locally made stuff. Last year, I bought a Guinness shirt in Dublin for my partner, apple decors made of capiz shells in Cebu, a sundress in Nerja and a few preserved seafood in Malaga, jam and berry vinegar in the Ardennes mountains, obwarzanki bagels in Krakow that I ate the next morning at home, a Maya calendar tile in Cancun, herbs and dried sausages in Verona and a scarf in Venice. Those are some that I bought last year that I can remember. There were trips last year as well that I didn’t buy anything.

Q14: Does your blogging experience or having a travel blog help you in your travels? Blogging about my travels have made me more aware of the little things that we forget to appreciate while travelling. So I shoot a lot of fotos to capture my experiences, for posterity, as well as to share to others through my blog as a means of information, inspiration and hope. I´d like to be able to read my blog and see the fotos when I am old and cannot travel much.

Q15: Have you met someone or individuals through your travel blog? Yes I have but it was a while back when my blog was then an expat blog. As the years go by, it has grown in itself into a travel blog that it is now.

"On some days, you can find me spinning subjects about economics, affairs of state, daily toil and just about life in general in Holland. So, why am I blogging this? Well, when I am old and cannot do much, I hope I can look back and read all these, with a smile."

AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for sharing your traveling experiences and I do hope that with this short interview, Im able to encourage our readers to discover other places - away from home! Good luck and be an inspiration to others in exploring and embracing other's cultures and appreciate the opportunity to discover them and share them through blogging.

Note: For additional information, click the links: Introducing Featured Travel Blogger, Featured Travel Blogger One if you want to take part.