As part of our goal to make life easier for bus travelers, we keep in touch with travelers who have had firsthand experiences wandering the world. Last time, we featured Marie-Eve Vallières from A Montrealer Abroad & Eurotrip Tips. Today, we’re happy to feature Clemens Sehi from Anekdotique.
Clemens Sehi explores the globe while telling his stories in the form of small anecdotes – or rather, anekdotiques – in a way that inspires travelers and dreamers alike. Originally from Hamburg, Germany, he takes his readers along for the ride with riveting tales of each journey he documents. Lucky for us, Clemens takes some time from his busy schedule to tell us a few of his travel anecdotes.
1. You recently got back from a month-long journey where you visited seven countries in the Balkans. What was your favorite part of the trip and where are you headed next?
The most interesting part of that road trip was discovering the huge diversity of the Balkans. While Albania was much more modern and “Western” that I expected, Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina is still visibly marked by war with bullet holes spread all over hundreds of house fronts. And Montenegro was a tiny little heaven, that makes it very easy for visitors to fall in love with. The Balkans really surprised me as there is so much to discover. In August, I travelled to New York, Chicago, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. And after being nominated for the South Tyrol Media Award, I just spend some days in a shelter hut on a mountaintop in South Tyrol. What an amazing experience!
2. Your blog focuses on the story-telling aspect of travel – which you call, anekdotiques – can you explain this concept? Do you think this sets your blog apart from the others? If so, how?
Yes, the main idea of my travel blogzine (which is bilingual by the way – in English and in German) is storytelling. Because we all know that it’s the special moments that last the longest when we travel, right? The people we meet, the conversations we have, the laughs, the expected and the unexpected – that’s exactly what it’s all about. I don’t only want to give best travel advice, but I want to immerse my readers into strange worlds, near and far, and tell them how it feels to be there. I like to tell stories in a way that look into the soul of a city, region, or country, from how these places smell to how they taste. These journeys are what I call anekdotiques. Does this idea make my blog different from the others? Well, I hope so. But I’m pretty sure my readers know that!
3. You also work as an advertising copywriter. How do you find the balance between your work and your travels?
Actually, writing about my travels is the most logical thing I can do. I love to travel and I love to capture my travels in words and pictures. So for me, it’s the perfect combination. On the other hand, it’s really nice to make money by being a freelance copywriter back home in Germany or wherever I am in the world. Taking a break from traveling and getting some things done feels good as well.
4. I love your blog’s new “Travel Guides” section. What’s your top travel tip and where is one place in the world everyone should visit at least once?
If you have a chance, visit every place in the world! No, okay seriously, the places I like the most are the ones that have a very special feel about them. The ones that are somehow so magical that you lose your words and get the feeling that the world just stopped turning for that very moment. I had this strong feeling at the Ayers Rock in Australia and at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. There are a ton of these places – you just have to go out and look for them.
5. At Busbud, our mission is to make bus travel information easy to find so that travelers can make better travel decisions. What do you think about this mission and do you think this type of service would benefit the travel community?
Of course, I definitely think it will. I guess there will always be some travelers that don’t plan beforehand and just go, but the vast majority need information and the best thing is to have it all collected in one place.
6. Finally, do you have a memorable bus story to share with our readers?
Yes! I was once on a night bus in India, which rode all the way though the state of Karnataka. It way 11 hours! The bus was about 30 years old, minimum – it had big holes in the ground and everything was rattling loudly the entire time. It was crowded all night with dogs barking, children screaming, and a guy talking to me at 3am asking for my opinion on German Soccer. What an eventful night – worth an anekdotique, I guess!
Thanks, Clemens!
You can follow Clemens’ adventures on his blog, as well as on Facebook & Twitter.
Photos by Clemens Sehi at Anekdotique