Tripper of the Week: Taylor Record
Taylor is a world traveler, polyglot - and the new community manager at Tripping! Meet Taylor, our Tripper of the Week...
What would we learn in the first few minutes of meeting you at a Tripping social event?
You'd probably guess I'm not from San Francisco right away! I'm a Colorado girl, and I just moved to the city where I'm working as the Community Manager at Tripping. I love travel more than anything and have worked in the travel industry for the past couple of years in marketing roles. I spent the last year traveling around the world and created my travel blog, Rec on a Trek, to document the dirty details. Another thing… I'm a smile-er and if I don't laugh within a minute, I'm probably having a terrible day!
You spent 12 months living abroad. What was your favorite experience?
I spent 12 months (and 8 days!) living abroad. I set out to live outside of the US for a year, so I trekked and worked my way through Asia, the Middle East and Europe. I only spent two months in India, but the country created all of my best and worst experiences! From getting Delhi belly to being first in line for sunset at the Taj Mahal, my whole time in India was an intoxicating mix of color and sound and experiences that I could have never otherwise understood. I remember Indian trains during peak season most vividly. Traveling on my own in India was a really good adventure in independence and opened me up to meeting hundreds of different types of people along the way.
Meeting local people is one of the great joys of travel: what has been your most memorable experience as far as meeting a local on your travels?
When I taught ESL (English as a second language) in Thailand, I was placed in a tiny village in the Lampang province with one other American teacher. After I got over the initial shock of bucket showers and wifi-less living, I got to participate in an authentic cultural experience that most people never have. From sharing dinner with friendly strangers to leading Christmas pageants at the school, we were completely integrated into a rural Thai community… the month before we left, the first 7/11 opened up, and I can't help but think that Soemngam will never be the same!
Photo by William Hoberg
If you were hosting a Tripper who was visiting San Francisco for the first time, where would you take them?
I'm also new to the city, so I'm still so excited about silly tourist stuff. When I visited the city a few years back, I really enjoyed going out to Alcatraz, but I have yet to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Good thing I was in on Tripping's Golden Gate Bridge April Fool's joke, or I would have been worried! For a more local experience, I'd probably bring the Tripper to the Mission for some authentic Mexican food, to Chinatown for some wandering and to Golden Gate Park to watch the local culture in full force.
If you were to be an expat for the next five years in any country of your choice, which one would you pick?
Normally, I like to travel to places that I've never been before. However, if I were picking a place to live long term, there is one city that I will never get sick of -- Berlin, Germany! It's cosmopolitan, diverse, grungy, artsy and vibrant. Every time I visit I promise myself that I'll live there some day.
Any cool trips planned this year?
I'm pretty happy to be living in San Francisco right now, but I'm hoping that I might be able to get to South America. But lets be honest… if the opportunity arose, I would go literally anywhere. Just hoping that I get the time to do it in 2013!
Thanks Taylor for sharing your travel stories. We're glad to have you on the team!
Trippers, you can connect with Taylor via her Tripping profile. She's excited to connect with all of you and share travel tips or host you in San Francisco.