Feature Friday: Meet Lena D.

It looks like it’s the end of the week, and we’re celebrating with Feature Friday! This week we have Lena as our guest blogger, and she’s sharing with us reasons behind starting her blog, some of her adventures, and her thoughts on travel-related topics. Keep reading to learn about Lena’s journey!

1. Thank you for deciding to be a part of Feature Friday. Could you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?
Thank you for having me! My name is Lena, and I am originally from Germany but move to Paris/France a bit more than 10 years ago. I am a Mom of two boys that are luckily old enough by now to carry their own luggage and who are really fun to travel with.

My blog, Four on a World Trip, has 2 main areas; first of all I am writing about our travels as a family, about our adventures and our plans. However, the kids are not particularly in my blogging scope. I rather want to show that kids are absolutely no showstopper when it comes to travel, they just make your party a littler larger. Life as you know it does not necessarily stop once you start a family and I hope to dissuade folks to believe it would.

The 2nd topic you will find me writing about is Paris. I love this city, I am home here. And I know (and share!) tons of cool spots and places that you won’t find in a travel guide and that brings you closer to the real Paris than a visit to the Eiffel Tower ever could.

2. Why did you decide to become a travel blogger?
I always wanted to have a blog. I love writing and photography, I also happen to live in a really nice city! But so far I just couldn’t get a grip on it. I was struggling finding a niche and eventually just dropped the idea. Repeatedly 🙂

That changed from the moment we decided to take a gap year with the kids in 2018 and travel around the world. I want to share this adventure and I also hope to encourage other families to follow their dreams and to take their chances.

3. What do you love so much about travelling?

I enjoy most the freedom that comes with traveling, the feeling that everything is possible and that I can decide freely what I will be doing next, that I don’t HAVE to do anything.

4. Have you ever regretted doing something while travelling?
Not really actually, I am usually regretting rather the things I have not done.

5. What’s the scariest thing you’ve done while travelling?
It’s probably not scary for most people but for me it came close to a nightmare. I once had a dinner in a restaurant in national park in Thailand and it was a beautiful place by a river and we enjoyed it a lot. Until I looked up and saw around 300 gigantic spiders under the ceiling, directly above my head. I am not overly fond of spiders and insects in general and the sheer amount totally freaked me out. I ran in panic through the jungle back to our hostel and hid behind the mosquito net haha.

6. What is your most embarrassing travel story?
Oh there are a lot! But usually there is alcohol involved and luckily I don’t remember enough to really make a story out of it haha. The spider story is a little embarrassing though 😀

7. Have you ever travelled solo? Would you do it again? If you haven’t, would you ever do it?

Yes! I take solo city trips from time to time and I love it. I need those little escapes and the feeling of independence and freedom that goes with it.

8. Out of all the cities & countries you’ve visited, which did you like the least? Why?
That’s a tough one. I think I liked Brussels the least (sorry to all my Belgium friends). Accommodation was super expensive and I found the city itself rather uninteresting. I did not like Jamaica that much either.

9. Out of all the cities & countries you’ve visited, which did you like the most? Why?
I really like the USA – The landscapes are amazing. I love the wideness of everything and that the people are so friendly. I know that most of it is more polite than honest, but I find a smiling surrounding just more agreeable. I also liked Thailand a lot, already the food is reason enough to travel there again and again.

10. If you had to choose one place to live for the rest of your life, where would it be, and why?
I would love to answer this question after our worldtrip 🙂

11. Are there any social norms or practices you’ve encountered on your travels that you wish were normal in you native culture?
I would love to have more of the American friendliness and the German Bar culture in France 🙂 But I am lucky, the best social practice comes from France (which is not my native culture either): the Apèro: snacks and drinks with friends and family before having Dinner.

12. Is there anywhere you would not visit? Where, and why?
I think I am not too much up for places that are everything but convenient, where I am depending too much on tour guides, translators, etc. China for example. I would love to see the Chinese Wall but by now I think the trip would cause more stress than joy.

13. What is one thing that is too large or impractical to travel with that you wish you could bring with you when you travel?
There is nothing really. I am a maniac in traveling light and I am getting upset about every piece I did not wear in the end. The lesser the better.

14. Do you think there’s a difference between people who deem themselves tourists vs. travellers? What do you consider yourself, and why?

No, I don’t think there is any. If you are traveling to another country, you are a tourist and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it 🙂 But there is nothing wrong with it either if one is feeling better by calling themselves a traveler. I am both, in every meaning of those words.

15. What does home mean to you?
Totally cheesy but home is where my heart is. Means, where my husband and my kids are. It does not depend on any place, it depends on people.

16. What advice would you give an aspiring travel blogger?
If you are serious about running a blog, start directly on a self hosted page as it can be an insanely painful process to switch later on. Don’t get discouraged if it’s not working out as you imagined it would…just keep on going 🙂 And take the opportunity to participate in blogger groups and to make new friends!

Thank you so much Lena for sharing your experiences and thoughts with us! My all time favorite city is Paris – so I may have to come visit you in the future 🙂 I was definitely interested to hear your thoughts and views on the USA, since I live here. It’s hard for me to try and see it as a new visitor might. Also, I love the meaning behind your blog, because all too often I hear that once you start a family, travelling is largely impossible. As I don’t have kids yet, it’s discouraging to see and hear that so often, but I’m glad you’re setting out there to change that mindset! Thanks again Lena for being a part of Feature Friday!

Did you enjoy what you read? Get to know more about Lena!

Lena grew up in Germany and lived there until graduating from University. Being an adventurous soul, she decided happy-go-lucky to follow her heart and move to Paris – and to start a family soon after. Besides working in a computer games company, she is blogging at Four on a World Trip about travelling as a family, life as an expat, and most importantly: about their upcoming sabbatical in which they will travel around the world. Connect with Lena at the following:

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