Travel Blogger in Romania | Episode #4: Jonny Blair

 

 

Next on our list is Jonny. Born in Northern Ireland, Jonny Blair has been the author of Don’t Stop Living for the last 10 years. He visited Romania for 3 weeks and blogged about it. Discover his story below.

Interview with Jonny from Don`t stop living:

 

1. How long have you been travelling for?

Hard question to answer and depends on what way you look at it. The first trip without my parents was in 1991, I lived abroad for the first time in 2003, I visited all 7 continents in 2010 and I'm still on the move as we speak. In general, I've travelled for most of my adult life.

 

2. Are you a backpacker/long-term traveller/business traveller, or do you live and work abroad?

I'm all of those. I have backpacked for months on end, and I have been a long-term traveller for a while. I have worked while travelling on many occasions and lived and worked abroad in quite a few places.

 

3. How many countries have you been to?

Again, it's up for debate. Officially I've visited 108, though if you count disputed countries and regions, it would be 121.

 

4. Quickfire questions:

Favourite season? -  Football season.
Beach or mountain? - Beach.
Urban or rural? - Urban.
Next destination on your list? - Yorkshire, Manchester, and Gloucester in England and also the unknown Empire of Adammia.

 

5. How did Romania find its way on your list of destinations?

I got a cheap flight to Bucharest and I was also there for football.

 

6. Expectations vs. reality in Romania

It exceeded my expectations. I stayed for 3 weeks, originally planned just a week there.

 

7. How was your experience with the traditional Romanian food?

I loved it.

 

8. How did the Romanian people seem to you?

The girls are especially friendly. The guys take a bit more effort to talk to and there are some odd guys there, but overall, I enjoyed speaking with Romanians.

 

9. Regarding this, did you make any friends in Romania? Do you keep in touch with anybody from Romania?

Yes, I made lots of friends there in Brasov and Bucharest. I was in the north too but didn't keep touch with the people I met there. It was very fast.

 

10. Do you have any funny travel stories from Romania?

Yes, I always have funny stories! I partied with a tour company on the train from Chisinau to Bucharest, it a was crazy night train and didn't sleep. I had a few pub crawls in Bucharest and Brasov. I got naked at the hill at the top of Brasov, admiring the view in peace.

 

11. Did you convince anyone to travel to Romania?

Yes, two friends of mine also visited.

 

12. What is your least pleasant experience in Romania?

Perhaps just the tramps on the streets and too many dogs on the streets in some parts of it.

 

13. Could you ever live in Romania?

Yes, I could easily live there.

 

14. Do you have any pieces of advice or tips for aspiring travellers?

Head to the north of Romania and tour Sucevita, Suceava, Cacica, Marginea, and Moldovita. It's marvellous. Stay in the old town of Bucharest. It was fantastic.

 

15. Do you believe in vampires?

Yes, I do. I'm from Northern Ireland and I believe Bram Stoker was Irish, so we'll go along with what he wrote.