ABOUT YOU
What’s your name? Shannon Kircher
How old are you? 30 years old
Which place do you consider home? Home is currently Anguilla where my husband and I got married and where we've lived and worked for four years. We are both originally from Northern California where both of our parents still reside.
What type of traveler are you? I'm a traveler that most specifically seeks out cultural adventures and opportunities for experiential travel. In terms of accommodations, we do a high/low mix but we usually look for boutique properties that capture the spirit of a destination.
What is the first travel that you remember? As a child, we grew up going to Lake Tahoe in the winter for sledding and skiing. As a kid, it was normal. Tahoe was in our backyard and it was our go-to for quick family escapes. As an adult, I now realize how gorgeous Tahoe really is and how fortunate we were to call that home!
QUICKLY QUESTIONS
What’s your favourite transport? Can I say first class on Qatar Airways? That's a bit cheeky, but we recently had such a special experience flying business to and from Africa on Qatar. We booked on points and it was worth the splurge! Beyond that, I love all different sorts of transport depending on the destination. I've always had a love for rail travel and our recent 27-hour journey on South Africa's Blue Train was a major highlight.
What’s your favourite country? This is a really tricky one because I love different places for different reasons. I love the Democratic Republic of Congo for its utterly untouched nature and wildlife. I love South Africa for it's gorgeous and diverse travel opportunities from cosmopolitan Cape Town to the picture-perfect winelands. Of everywhere I've been, if I had to pick one country to return to that just feels warm, comfortable, welcoming and exciting, it may be Italy. Some people are anti-Rome. I love the city feel and the amazing history there. I also love the dramatic Amalfi Coast and artsy and wine-fueled Tuscany. There's so much to explore!
What’s your favourite city? My favorite city is actually not in my favorite country! Jerusalem is my favorite city in the world (London, San Francisco are also up there). There are other places I'd return to before Jerusalem, but in terms of being absolutely awe-inspiring, there is no city in the world like Jerusalem. It is a city of such incredible contrasts with the history and religious elements that exist alongside of a more modern culture.
What’s your favourite beach? Easy one! Meads Bay, Anguilla. My husband and I live and work in Anguilla and our resort, is right in the middle of Meads Bay. I challenge anyone to find a better beach in the world.
What’s your favourite food? Sushi. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
What’s your favourite language? I wish I spoke more than English fluently, and I've always told myself that I will master other languages during this decade of my life. I'm most confident in Spanish so I love speaking it and being able to engage with people in Central and South America. I love hearing French and Arabic spoken; French really is such a gorgeous, smooth language, and I've always wanted to learn Arabic.
What’s your favourite travel book? The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
WHERE WE CAN FOLLOW YOU?
What’s your Website url? thewanderlusteffect.com
What’s your Twitter? twitter.com/lavidashannon
What’s your Facebook? facebook.com/thewanderlusteffect
What’s your Pinterest? pinterest.com/lavidashannon
What’s your Instagram? instagram.com/lavidashannon
QUESTIONS
What is the worst place you’ve been? Why? Probably St. Thomas, USVI. There's very little that I like about St. Thomas to be totally honest. It's good as a place to stop en route to St. John but very little more than that!
Could you imagine your life without travelling? Never. Travel makes me who I am. I'm lucky to be married to someone who prioritizes travel as well and it's the key to our life's balance. We work in hospitality at our family owned luxury boutique hotel in Anguilla, and we're fortunate to run a 10-month season (we close September and October) which gives us 3- 4 weeks to go on a grand adventure every fall. When we're on island, we are at work every day (and we love it!), but we balance that with booking travel throughout the year and in September/October. That's where we choose to spend our money and our greatest memories have been created on our trips abroad.
Where and when did you start to share your experience? Could you give us a link? I originally started blogging in 2009 as The Traveling Scholar where I focused on travel and academics, mostly related to international development. I had just moved to London where I attended graduate school at the London School of Economics. It was a great time in my life where I could explore Europe on the cheap and delve into new culture and experiences. My time there really ignited my love of travel, and I wanted to share those experiences with my family and with other people looking at doing the same thing. I continued blogging after grad school and rebranded as The Wanderlust Effect in 2016 to better capture this new chapter in my life.
Why would you suggest to our readers to follow online your adventures? I'm all about being authentic and enjoying off-the-beaten path experiences. I think travel blogging as a general practice has changed perceptions and help inspire people to travel to destinations that they may have never considered before. I like to share a pretty candid viewpoint but also to provide tips and takeaways from our travels. Most of our adventures are great, but when they're not, I think it's important to share what's not great, too. I also like to do a Media vs. Reality roundup on destinations that seem riskier to a more risk-averse traveler (e.g. Democratic Republic of Congo, Honduras, El Salvador, West Bank, etc.). There's so much mass media that paints places as generally being 'bad' or 'dangerous' but it's important to understand the nuances of a place and the reality on the ground.
What was your photo, article or post that had more success? My post on what to pack and wear in the Middle East has gotten the most traction, mostly because it has been re-pinned thousands and thousands of times! When I was packing for our trip to Israel, Palestine and Jordan, I was digging trying to find a visual packing list to inspire what to wear that was culturally appropriate and there didn't seem to be a ton on the topic. I hope my post has helped some ladies out there with their own packing for exciting trips to the Middle East!
How do you usually move? Airplane, train, boat, car? By plane! I live on a little island in the Caribbean and we have to travel by plane to get anywhere. Our nearest major international airport is in St. Maarten but from there we're lucky that we can get to the East Coast of the US, Canada, and Western Europe with direct flights. When I'm on island, we move by boat or by car!
What would you suggest to all the aspiring travelers? Two things: 1) Be Flexible, and 2) Make it happen. Firstly, being flexible and resourceful is so important for life and for travel. Things rarely go exactly as planned but that should never ruin a trip. Embrace the unexpected and learn to calmly readjust to take into account an obstacle. Let's be real: there will be cancelled flights, missing hotel and dinner reservations, cancelled tours and experiences, etc. Go with the flow and make it great! Sometimes the best memories come out of unexpected circumstances. Secondly, make it happen. Just go! There's always an excuse to not go, isn't there? Not enough money. Not enough time. To be honest, it's about prioritizing travel. If it's important to you, make it happen. Find ways to make travel a reality, even if you have a tiny budget and only two weeks of vacation a year. Save up, cut expenses, work your points, find alternative destinations if need be, but don't put off something that inspires you.
What was the cheapest journey that you’ve made? And the most expensive one? A December trip (2009) to Malta from London! I flew on EastJet for under $150 round trip and stayed with family during the trip. I also got to connect with parts of my family that I hadn't seen in years, plus some that I'd never met! And the most expensive? Probably this year's trip to Africa! I won't divulge the figure, but we had a month in Africa including 18 days in the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda before heading to South Africa for the final leg of our trip. East Africa cost us quite a bit since we worked with a tour operator that helped us secure a private driver and guide for the entire stay. We also went gorilla trekking twice (an expensive permit is required per trek), gorilla trekking and on hikes in Virunga National Park. South Africa can be a good value, but we stayed in some great hotels that we really wanted to experience. It was worth every penny but it cost us a lot of pennies! :)
Where would you like spend your life as retired? My husband and I actually talk about this now! I think ideally we'd split our lives: 3 months in Anguilla, 3 months in the Mediterranean, and 6 months traveling the globe. Sounds perfect, doesn't it?
photo courtesy of Shannon Kircher
