Rodrigo - Out Of Your Comfort Zone • Elite Travel Blog

Backpackers have more fun. Fact. Don’t believe me? We have Rodrigo from Out of Your Comfort Zone telling us all about his adventures in more than 100 countries and territories… Find out what he got up to in New Zealand and more in our Five Travel Questions!

Why do you love travel?

I think traveling is linked to exploring and exploring is about learning and experiencing, two things I love. I love to travel because I love to meet new people from different lands and learn about their culture and way of life in all aspects, ranging from their food and their environment to their celebrations and fears. I believe that the more you “see,” the more open-minded you become, which in turn hopefully makes you a better person. If I can say that I have a purpose in life, it would be improving myself as a human being, in all matters, so this is very important to me.

Surprisingly enough, traveling has not been something that I was always interested in. If you would like to read about how my passion for travel developed, click here.

What destination is top of your bucket list?

Hmmm, it’s hard to say this without sounding a bit pretentious, but I’m thankful to say that I’ve already been to most of the places on my bucket list (after all, I am a bit older thank I look ). So at this point, I try to aim for less traveled places. I currently have my eyes on the “Stans”(Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc.).

Or….every single country in the world that I haven’t been to yet because I believe they all have something to offer.

Where is your most favourite place you have travelled to?

I lived for 4 years in Australia and it was just amazing. It has plenty of two of the most important things I like when traveling: nature and being active (sports, adventure, volunteering as a life guard , etc…). Plus, it is a very good place to live, especially when compared to some places I’ve been (including Brazil, my home country) where violence, poverty, and government corruption are the norm.

South Africa, New Zealand, Bolivia, and Norway all tie for second place.

What is your most favourite memory or experience whilst travelling?

My favorite travel memory was meeting my partner for life while backpacking in Split, Croatia. We met in the hostel we were staying in, went different ways, and met up 10 days later in Budapest. She has been my travel companion ever since…

What is your favourite photo from your travels?

This photo was taking while traveling around New Zealand’s south Island. Just like Australia, New Zealand has one of my favorite things: amazing nature with lots of extreme activities. This bungee jump is not that high, but it was the very first one constructed for commercial use in the world. As you can probably see, I was enjoying myself just a little bit…