Hello Franck and Richard.
The onedayonetravel blog
Can you introduce yourselves to the readers?
We are Franck and Richard, thirty-somethings from Paris. Passionate about travel, we have been exploring the world as a duo for 20 years. We combine long-haul trips to exotic destinations with urban trips to major cities, mostly in Europe. Since 2011, we have been sharing our travel stories and tips for travelers on our travel blog OneDayOneTravel. With many destinations popular among travelers such as Barcelona, Thailand, Bali, Cambodia, and Brazil, our blog has become a real treasure trove of information for independent travel.
You have traveled quite a bit outside Europe, can you summarize each of your destinations in one sentence?
The list would be too long, so here is a selection of some destinations.
The Western United States: A beautiful mix of adventures during an unforgettable jeep road trip and parties with American friends living in Los Angeles.
Argentina: Breathtaking landscapes and exquisite cuisine.
Bolivia: The feeling of being on another planet.
Peru: A real wonderful surprise with one of our most beautiful travel memories, the ascent and visit of Machu Picchu.
Thailand: The first Asian country we visited and one we never tire of returning to, especially for the kindness of its people.
Cambodia: The country of the Angkor temples that we had the pleasure to visit last summer.
Bali, Lombok, Gilis and Flores: The Indonesian archipelago is our favorite playground where we look forward on each new trip to discovering new dream islands, new cultures and ways of life, off the beaten path.
What is your favorite destination outside Europe?
Southeast Asia in general, even though we have not visited all the countries in this vast region of the world.
I see you are fans of Barcelona, why?
Barcelona and us is indeed a long story 😉 We discovered the Catalan capital over 15 years ago thanks to a friend who lived there at the time. We were thus able to discover the city “from the inside” by taking our time. We immediately appreciated Barcelona for its architecture, its way of life, its climate, and especially its energy. We then regularly followed up with stays ranging from 3 days to 2 months. We feel at home there. Regarding shopping, prices are 30% lower than those in France throughout the year. We take advantage of this and the savings easily cover the cost of flights to Barcelona. Good deal!
What is your best travel memory?
It is difficult to choose just one. We keep wonderful memories of our encounters with locals during our various trips. For example, in Ayutthaya where we met Pui, a young man who helped us a lot when we found ourselves in a heavy downpour looking for a roof for the night. He welcomed us into his home and introduced us to his entire family. We participated with him in a Buddhist ceremony, in a temple where his sister was doing a week of meditation. A genuine moment, as we like them, where we learn about the customs and culture of a people without artifice.
What do you like about traveling? The landscapes, the encounters, the food?
It is the encounters and the thirst for new landscapes that motivate our travels. During our long trips, we like to mix visiting a big city, a stay on a paradise island, a trek in the jungle, a walk in a desert, discovering a national park, etc. Yes, we are quite demanding after all.
Do you travel alone? Why?
We travel independently and as a duo. It offers more freedom in travel. We do not establish a precise schedule for our visits and no accommodation is booked from Paris. This way, we leave more room for the unexpected and thus for adventure. Our only tools are reading other travel blogs and still a guidebook to have the essentials.
We also take advantage of this to visit our friends scattered around the world and share wonderful moments during our travels. Very sociable, we quickly make friends with travelers we meet during our adventures.
What is your favorite activity while traveling?
We love hiking both in cities and amidst breathtaking landscapes.
What advice would you give our readers to take the plunge?
Traveling independently really means living your travel experiences at your own pace, the best way to immerse yourself in a country, its culture, and traditions. You should not stop at prejudices about certain destinations like Brazil, for example, where one still gets the impression that people have difficulty envisioning this great country, which is superb, only due to security issues that unfortunately arise in all countries worldwide. We stayed there for 2 months and came back alive 😉 The population is charming and welcoming. So whether it’s for a trip to Brazil or elsewhere, you should not hesitate to take the plunge.
What triggered this desire to travel in you?
We believe it is written in our DNA 😉
Franck, thanks to his dad, has always had one foot in France and Italy. Long caravan trips across France and Italy rocked his youth.
Richard, passionate about astronomy, has always dreamed of stars and space travel. Meanwhile, he waits by traveling on our beautiful planet!
What did you feel during your first trip?
Excitement and joy for both of us. Motivated since childhood by the thirst to discover other cultures.
What is your next trip?
India. It’s very fresh, we just booked our plane tickets to New Delhi. We plan to visit Rajasthan. And of course, we will make a little detour to the Taj Mahal! A childhood dream to follow live on social media and on our blog upon our return. A great moment ahead.
What does it bring you in daily life?
Travel is a shared passion. Travel teaches tolerance and to form one’s own opinion about the world. Travel allows learning from others and better knowing oneself. Thanks to our blog, travel has become our daily life. In summary, travel is an integral part of our life.
One last sentence to close the interview?
Thanks to Stefan for this interview. By the way, we switched roles and Stefan kindly answered our questions too. To read in our traveler interviews.
Thanks to Richard and Franck for this interview.
