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JSFtravel

Ljubljana, 14. 12. 2015, by @sanya_lt

As most of the Instagrammers that keep amazing me I’ve found the @JSFtravel profile while going through photos tagged #igslovenia. I soon discovered that the profile belongs to a lovely American couple whose job is – to travel. Or – is this a full time – hobby? Let’s find out!

Can you present yourself? Who are you, where do you come from and what do you do?

We are an American couple, Sarah & Kris, travelling full time. In April 2014, we left our jobs, sold everything we owned and set out on a journey to travel the world. What we find most fascinating about travelling is experiencing different cultures. We love learning about the people, food and local customs in the places we visit.

For 20 years, Kris worked for an airline. His flight benefits allowed him (plus spouse, once we got married!) to fly for free. He has been travelling much longer than me to places I still haven’t been, like Egypt, Brazil and Scotland. With the number of years, he worked at the airline, he was able to take an early retirement while keeping his flight benefits; therefore, we pay only a very small fee to fly, which helps tremendously in budgeting our travels.

My background is in journalism and marketing. I like finding the story about a place and sharing it with other people. When we decided to travel full time, I created our blog as a way to tell stories of the places we were visiting to our family and friends back home. Just as much as I like using words to tell stories, I also like capturing images with my camera and let the photos show the story.

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How does your life look like? How much do you travel?

We are essentially homeless – without a home or possessions to return to – so we are constantly travelling. However, we do travel slowly. Staying in one place for a month at a time allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the area. In between our longer stays, we pick destinations along the route where we might stay for a week or two at a time.

How do you pick your destinations? Where do you search for information about a new country, new destination?

There is so much of the world that we want to see that we often find it difficult to choose where we will travel to next! In our first year of full time travel, we were actually travelling ‘around the world.’ We had a goal of circumnavigating the world in a year’s time, which we did. We travelled west, starting in South America – and spent time on six continents before arriving back in the United States for a short visit. During that time, we chose destinations based on westward travel.

Now as long term travellers with no specific route, many things come into play when determining our destinations. We choose where to go based on affordability, accessibility and interest-at-the-moment. (Example: After spending winter in Melbourne, Australia, we caught the end of summer on the coast of Croatia.)

At this point, there are very few places that don’t interest us – we want to see it all!

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Are you professional or amateur photographers? What equipment do you use for taking photos?

I am an amateur photographer; a hobby photographer, actually. I use a Canon Rebel T2i with a 18-55mm lens – and I almost always carry my camera with me. In rare occasions, I use an old (and more portable) Canon Power Shot. Kris uses his iPhone and, honestly, it sometimes takes the better photo.

Can you describe us your photography style?

I don’t really have a photography style. I like to takes pictures of the things I see – and I want my photos to retain a real-life quality to them. My favourite pictures are the ones that tell a story all on their own, without any words needed.

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How did you end up on Instagram?

Instagram is a travel’s delight! We wanted to connect with other travellers, as well as have a place to display our photos – Instagram is perfect for that!

How often do you publish? Do you interact with other people on Instagram? Who would you recommend to follow?

We publish on Instagram once a day, but throughout the day we interact with the people we follow – and the people who follow us. We love the Instagram community. Seeing pictures around the world fuels our passion for travel.

Who would you recommend us to follow?

Jewelszee,  NoDestinationsTheTouristinHeckticTravels & Nomadasaurus.

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Slovenia? How/when did you decide to visit? Why?

Slovenia was on our list for a long time before we actually visited! We were drawn to the country for its beautiful scenic landscapes and the fairytale city of Ljubljana. We spent two weeks in Ljubljana last spring – which is not enough time!

What are your favourite places here?

We loved everything we saw in Slovenia – city, mountains, rural countryside, so it is difficult to pick one place. Being in the historic old town of Ljubljana was magical, but the natural beauty of Lake Bled was our favourite.

Which place is (for you) the best to take photos?

The entire country is very photogenic! We loved taking pictures along the river in Ljubljana’s old town. However, the best place to capture the splendour of Slovenia was from the hills that surround Lake Bled. The view of the lake from above by far surpassed any other vantage point.

What would you say to a first time visitor – what is ‘a must see’ place in Slovenia? See Lake Bled; slow down and take it in!

What did you miss while staying here?

So much! We didn’t make it to the coast or Piran. And, although we rode through the countryside, we didn’t stay in the rural area. We would love to explore the smaller towns in Slovenia and more of the mountains, as well.

What are your plans for the future? Coming back to Slovenia?

We plan to keep travelling for as long as we can. We definitely see another trip to Slovenia in our future – there is still so much more to see!

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