Follow Friday: Be Inspired by Andy Hayes

Editor's Note: Inspired by Follow Friday on Twitter, I am profiling (in far more than 140 characters) extraordinary travelers who you, too, should follow! Through these profiles, I want to introduce you to globetrotting souls that follow their hearts to places near and far, so join me each Friday in my quest to be inspired by some of the most intriguing adventure seekers on our planet!

Be inspired by: Andy Hayes
Follow him at: @andrewghayes

One of the things I love most about social media sites such as Twitter is that, in an instant, you can be connected to people that have the same interests (or obsessions) as you do. That's precisely how I met Andy, who introduced himself as "the travel guy" via a direct message. I wanted to know how he got this nickname, so I investigated his blog to find out. Through his photography and writing, I was compelled to learn more about why Andy is so passionate about travel. Keep reading to find out what inspires him; why Andy's favorite country is New Zealand; and where he was when he witnessed a carjacking.

@jenngaines: Please tell me a little bit about your most recent adventure.
@andrewghayes: Well, since I just left the 9-to-5 and am still transitioning into my lifestyle as the owner of a full-time travel business, I've been quiet busy and my travels have suffered.  And now it is festival time, so I'll be saying put in Edinburgh for the time being. But yes, my most recent adventure was over to the small village of Bremen in Germany. I chose it partly because I wanted to test the waters with the direct Ryanair service. I had flown other low cost carriers here in Europe and wanted to see what the fuss was about. You can read about it on my blog, but in summary, it wasn't that bad.

I often travel to the smaller, less touristy European towns because of their rustic feel and easy access (if you brush up on your language skills) to the same types of treasures you find in the capitals. In Bremen, I found the medieval city centre to be just gorgeous both by day and by night.  It is surrounded by a city park, formerly the city fortifications, and wandering along these zig-zagging paths was an invigorating exercise in itself.  But the city's waterfront was surprisingly busy. You would have thought it was Oktoberfest in Munich with all the steaming plates of food, clicking of beer mugs and the sound of laughter.  Across the river on a small island I found Bremen's modern art museum, which had a one of the best exhibitions I've seen in the past couple of years.  Who knew?

@jenngaines:People travel for different reasons. As a traveler, what really inspires you?
@andrewghayes: Sometimes I think it's just in my blood.  I get a natural high seeing what happens in different cultures, tasting the flavours of different cuisines and experiencing what grandiose sights Mother Nature herself has to offer. By talking myself out of the day-to-day context, I learn a little bit more about me and a whole lot more about the world. For me, that inspires my creativity and stirs up some passionate energy that I bring back into my professional personal life back home.

Specifically, though, for me it is the natural spectacles that really get me going, like the sun setting on the beach in Australia or hearing the eerie silence while spending the night in a New Zealand fjord. And I'm a foodie - take me back to Hong Kong or Cambodia any day.

@jenngaines: What is your most memorable travel experience?
@andrewghayes: Anyone who knows me even as an acquaintance knows that my favourite place in the world without question is New Zealand.  Great food, charming Kiwi hospitality and unparalleled experiences, especially if you're an inspiration seeker like me.  I went on my own and found lots of great people to hang out with, but one thing I did purposefully on my own: walking the coastal trail of the Able Tasman National Park.  I walked its entire length, 51km / 32 mi from the shoreline start near Marahau, up and along the forest of the park, through empty beaches and wading through tributaries.  It took nearly five days  - although I wasn't in any rush - and I had to carry pretty much everything with me, which wasn't much apart from the food.  The most memorable part about it was that I didn't see people for probably three out of the five days except at night when reaching a base camp.  It was just Mother Nature and I; the sound of my feet were the only man-made noise around.  These are the types of adventures that as a travel writer I'd love to be able to describe in full detail, but the sensory experience is just too unreal - you must experience them for yourself.

@jenngaines: What is the most challenging travel experience you've had?
@andrewghayes: I've not been on any travels that were physically challenging, for no other reason than I haven't gotten around to one yet! (I'm assuming the nasty sunburn I got while on a glacier in New Zealand doesn't count?)

Mentally, though, my trip throughout Brazil was a bit daunting.  I don't speak Portuguese and while I had a guide, it's a country where you really should know a few things.  We witnessed a carjacking while in a traffic jam in Rio, and our car and all the passengers were searched for drugs (I'll spare you the overt graphic detail) while driving along a beautiful coastal route in the rural countryside that apparently drug mules also use.  It was unpleasant to say the least and the fact that I was a foreigner who didn't speak the language didn't help matters.  But apart from these hiccups, I found the Brazilians very friendly and the food extremely tasty.  Did I mention I was a foodie?