Wanderlust Questionnaire

Relaxing in Cinque Terra

·         Hello! Who are you?

    Hi, I'm Gemma, I'm 21 and I work at the Westin Hotel as a Service Express Agent (I answer your calls and ensure that your stay runs smoothly and to your expectations). I like to travel! I also love reading and doing crafty projects.

·    What do you travel for? I travel for the thrill of surprises and the ‘I’m not quite sure what is going to happen next’ feeling. And history, I love history.

·         Last destination visited? The last trip I had was to the Hunter valley. We stayed right on the pinnacle of a mountain with an incredible view all the way to the sea and spent our weekend bush walking and feeding wallabies.

·    Hotel or Hostel?  Hostel. When I travel, part of the point is that I get to be a little grungy. :) Also I love being able to cook for myself and the vibe of a hostel, full of like minded people.

·    Favourite destinations. Ireland, Scotland, Santorini, Cinque Terra, Prague, Fiji.

·    Travel good luck charm? My Moleskine diary. I use it to write the addresses of places I am going, where I have been, keep track of finances, draw and stick stuff in and then at the end of the trip I have a very good reminder of everything that happened. That or my multi-purpose scarf/sarong/blanket/towel/pillow.

·    Destinations you dream about. America! Canada and the USA are on my mind at the moment. I leave for San Francisco in 27 days!

·    Must have in your carry-on luggage. Paw Paw cream for dry noses and lips, a book and my well charged iPod.

·    The best meal you have had away. This title could go to either a *perfect* spaghetti Napoli in Bruges, or a rustic rabbit stew in Perissa, Santorini. Unless a pint of Bulmer’s counts as a meal?

·     Favourite travel quote. “Travelling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except for the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

·     How do you survive the flight? Usually I don’t sleep much and just watch lots of movies, but on my last flight I discovered the wonder of night time cold and flu drugs! I slept for 7 hours, including through dinner!

·     What souvenir do you bring back? I always come home with artwork from wherever I went. Most of the time there is no space for them on my walls and so they sit propped up along the edge of my room.