Tripper of the Week: LaAerial
An expat who's lived in 5 different countries and is a talented musician, LaAerial is our Tripper of the Week.....
You are currently living in London: have you lived there all your life?
I have been in London for a few months now following quite a bit of travel all over during the last few years. But I hail from the East Coast of the United States. I'm an entertainer. I write songs, poems and other works. Due to my own low-budget travels I've dubbed myself The Glorified Vagabond (hence the name of my blog) as none of my friends understand that I really don't have any money but somehow I've seen a fair amount of the world. I spend a great deal of energy trying to convince them to get on a plane but most of them are apprehensive to take a leap into this lifestyle. Alas, still I try.
Recently you spent 4 months in Thailand working as a singer. What was your favorite experience there?
My favorite experience during my last trip to Thailand was performing at Nikki Beach which is an amazing resort on Koh Samui. The general manager had a birthday party and it was THE best time I had in a long while. We performed for a very friendly crowd then later everyone was in the pool sipping champagne (except for me because I wasn't partaking in alcohol then). We were all dancing and singing and it was probably the best night of my whole 4 months there. There were hours of songs, laughs, good food and amazing company. It's a memory I won't
soon forget.
You've only been in London a short while, but what do you love most about the city right now? Do you have any favorite places yet?
The thing I love most about London is the plethora of live music venues and events that happen here. This city is bursting with talent and it's really special to witness in person. One of my favorite spots to go to on a Tuesday is the Troy Bar where the band and food is great, and the vibes are good. I also frequent a few other jams like
Jam Tart at Floripa which happens every other Wednesday and the Hoxton Jam at the Roadtrip Bar and I'm creating my own little favorite spot at the Hideaway in Archway where I host a bi-weekly soul jam with some amazing musicians.
Since moving to London, you've met up with a couple of Trippers.
What was that like?
I've had the pleasure of meeting some very cool people through Tripping like Sarah Davis, who is incredibly warm and welcoming. We had a nice night dancing salsa in North London. Then she brought some friends to the last jam I hosted, which was very sweet of her!
You've lived in quite a few places - Thailand, China, New York
California (Los Angeles), Costa Rica, Italy. What did you like most
about living in each of them? Anything you really miss?
Thailand is a great place to go and detach from most of what we consider western obligations. I started a spiritual journey there. New York is my favorite city. It's so unique and wonderfully unapologetic. You have to respect it first and then you will love it. Southern California had me hooked due to the weather but global
warming has that swiftly changing. I miss not needing an actual winter
coat.
Costa Rica is beautiful, the people are kind hearted and treat you like they know you from first meeting. One day I will go back to visit my friends there. There is so much more of Italy I want to see but Milan has definitely grown on me. I would have to say that Sicily is the most beautiful place I've been so far.
There is nothing like the Mediterranean sea and Sicilian food. Arancini please!
Of the places you've traveled, which place are you dying to visit again? Why?
Though I've enjoyed my time in all these places I guess in a sense I'm dying to see what I haven't already. My short term travel goals are to see the Caribbean, whether it's La Isla Mujeres near Mexico, or the Dominican Republic I've got to get down there! And I suppose I'd like to give China another try, perhaps Shanghai or Hong Kong this time. Finally, my life dream is to tour the entire continent of Africa from Egypt to South Africa. I figure it will take me a year to do it properly and lot's of money so I will give myself another decade or so to get that trip sorted.
How would you like your travels to impact your career in music?
Traveling to different places allows me to establish my own mini fan bases, then those little ones can grow into bigger ones and eventually I hope my music reaches thousands of listeners around the world. In addition to that traveling offers me new perspectives as a writer. It gives me the opportunity to tap into the experiences of others and hopefully share them through song for people to relate and appreciate.
Trippers - for more tips on any of the many places she's lived and traveled, connect with LaAerial via her Facebook page and her Tripping profile. If you're in London, check out one of her shows; we've heard through the Tripping grapevine they're tons of fun!