laughtraveleat
Ljubljana, 16. 4. 2016 by Sanja Leban Trojar – @sanya_lt
First of all – can you tell us something about yourself? Who are you, what do you do?
Hello! My name is Nam (@laughtraveleat on Instagram) and I am a travel blogger / writer who lives in Hong Kong. I run my own blog: Laugh Travel Eat that documents my travel tips and adventures near or far. My day job is content marketing, and when I am not writing or working, you will find me stuffing my face with egg waffle and bubble tea or catching up on the latest DC TV series while online shopping.
Do you travel a lot? How you pick your traveling destination?
I like to travel as much as I can, because there’s just so much to see in the world and it has become so easy to just hop on a plane and head to an exotic location nowadays. I generally look out for flight deals, though sometimes after reading a book or watching a movie, or even seeing a picture on Instagram and Pinterest will get a place on my radar that makes me really want to go.
Your Instagram profile is full of amazing photos from Slovenia. Can you tell us a little bit about – how you came across Slovenia, when did you decide to visit and what places did you see?
I visited Slovenia last August with my friends as a bit of a graduation trip. We actually wanted to visit Albania, but the flights were too expensive, so we headed for Pula, Croatia instead. Then my friend suggested that we go to Ljubljana and I thought, why not? So we spent two days there before taking a bus to Bled, where I stayed for 4 nights while my friends left on the second due to poor timing on my side. I had another week to go before I needed to be in Italy, so I traveled to Bohinj by myself.
Where did you find information about Slovenia? How did you decide what to see?
I looked everywhere online for a bit, the official tourism page was a lot of help, and I got a lot of inspiration from the @Igslovenia Instagram as well! There aren’t a lot of blog posts out there on Slovenia, especially in the Bohinj region, but I had a lot of help from the staff in Castle 1004 Hostel in Bled in terms of transport etc.
What was your favourite place in Slovenia? What would you say is ‘a must see’ place in Slovenia … especially if you are a photographer?
The classic view point of Lake Bled – Ojstrica. It’s the postcard, picture perfect view of Lake Bled and a pleasant hike up. I only managed to go there on my last day in Bled because of the rain during my stay, and I was so glad that I got to visit there on a sunny day!
Is there a place or thing that you would say – skip it? Why?
Well – Voje Waterfall! Although the hike there was pleasant with a gorgeous meadow, the waterfall itself is not as grand as it looks. As reaching this waterfall involve an extra 2-3 hours hike from the Mostnica Gorge, I would say skip it unless you have the time!
Back to photography; What equipment do you use for taking photos?
My trusty DLSM Panasonic DMC-GM1; I am not a photographic expert by any means, but a semi-automatic mirrorless it’s easy to use and take great photos!
What does photography mean to you?
Photography has become a way for me to record every moment in my life, especially when I am visiting a new place. A moment capture in the camera will forever be there, however, one can easily forget about some place or somewhere. There’s also something special about looking at the world through a different angle, which you wouldn’t normally if you are not holding a camera!
Can you describe us your photography style?
In all honesty, I am a point a shoot kind of girl, though if I see something I like, I will stop and try to find the best angle for it. I can’t say I have a particular style, other than taking tons and tons of photos.
How did you end up on Instagram?
I started my account on my mum’s phone about five years back, but didn’t really started using it until a year after. Eventually I began to post only the photos from my travel when I started my own blog last year. Instagram is an amazing community and resources that fuels my wanderlust like no other! Accounts like @Igslovenia is what keeps me around and hyped up about all the amazing places I have yet to see in the world!
Do you use any other social media channel? If yes – can you compare the experience with using Instagram?
Pinterest is the other social media channel that I use frequently. It’s similarity to Instagram ends on both of them being visual. While Instagram is like a photo sharing site, Pinterest is a noticeboard. You can find me on Facebook, also.
How often do you publish photos on Instagram? Do you interact with other people on Instagram?
I publish a photo daily! And because I do genuinely enjoy Instagram, I go through my feed every moment I get and try to comment on every photo I find interesting. Being a frequent user myself, I know that every comment means a lot and it only takes a button and a few words to make someone’s day.
What would you say are the most important ‘rules’ that every Instagrammer must follow? Or – it would be good to follow?
Try not to be fake. I know that there are lot of people who are trying to grow their accounts (business or otherwise), but the whole following – unfollowing technique is one of the most annoying thing I have ever come across. If you don’t like someone’s feed, don’t follow and expect a follow back then unfollowing them.
