VIP@Sea
Travel expert Matt Long shows Porthole how to experience the best the world has to offer … without breaking the bank.
The pivotal moment in starting your blog involved Lindblad cruises and one Alex Trebek. Please tell us more!
Yes, that’s right. Jeopardy! hosted a sweepstakes to mark their anniversary year and chose 10 winners, along with their guests, for a special sailing around the Galapagos aboard a Lindblad cruise. The experience was extraordinary, and not just because I had breakfast with Mr. and Mrs. Trebek every morning. The expeditionary cruise reawakened my own wanderlust and deep passion for seeing the world. I was changed after that trip and started the process of planning my blog and eventually designing my own career all centered around my love of travel.
Are there any misconceptions about being a travel blogger? How has that occupation evolved over the last 9 years you’ve been running your blog?
Sure, there are still many misconceptions about what a travel blogger is and what they do for a living. Most of the successful bloggers are not 20-something backpackers. We’re in our 30s and 40s, for most of us this is our 2nd or even 3rd career in life and each of us is fiercely passionate about our jobs. We all work very hard; it’s very much like owning a small business. You have to be a self-starter and an entrepreneur in order to make this work, and it’s definitely not for everyone.
You’ve recommended cruising as a must- do in 2019. ( We wholly agree!) What sets cruising apart from other forms of travel?
I think there’s a lot of value to be had from experimenting with different travel styles, including cruising. I enjoy unpacking once during a trip and not three to four times. I enjoy the opportunity to visit many different places without coordinating the logistics for myself. These stops for me are quick peeks to see what I think and, if I really enjoy my time in port, then I’ll plan a return land- based visit. Of course there’s also the many amenities aboard that make the sailings so much fun as well, from the incredible food to just being pampered for a few days.
What does “experiential luxury travel” mean to you?
There are some travel experiences, some entire trips even, that are so exceptional they become luxury travel experiences. These run the gamut, from African safaris to a cruise around Antarctica, but their commonality is that they are remarkable activities that do more than just take you to a new place, they transform who you are as a person.
As an advocate for personal change at any age, what advice do you offer to someone who wants to add more travel to his or her life?
Don’t wait for the perfect moment because there never is one. No matter what our goals in life are, there are always reasons NOT to pursue them. If traveling more often is a goal, then sit down and create a reasonable plan to make it happen. My entire life, travel has been an obsession for me and I’ve always found ways to make it a reality. In college that meant working multiple jobs to save money, as a young professional it meant accumulating airline miles and so on. There’s always a way. •