Most girls don't travel alone. Hitting the road solo is simply a scary proposition for them. Those who have taken off with only a backpack and a camera for company are applauded for their audacity and bravery. Granted, solo travel is not for everyone but there are people, regardless of gender, who are ballsy enough to trot across the county, or the world. Take Charlotte for instance. A certified lone traveler, she has wandered off by herself to various destinations in the Philippines and overseas (America!). This 20-something geologist started travelling at an early age and there's no stopping her from going places. What keeps Charlotte on her toes (literally)? Where does she get her travel fund? Read on and learn as she shares with us a few things about her as a traveler. 

How and when did you discover your love for travel? 
When I was a kid, my family would spend summer in Dinapigue, Isabela. We would fly in a small plane to Palanan, Isabela and then a helicopter from there to Dinapigue, Isabela. My father's friends would open the helicopter door for us to get a view of the mountain ridges and the ocean. The view from the top was breathtaking. Life in that town was pretty laid back as I remember- with houses built in nipa huts, no electricity, paved roads or commercial buildings. Our nipa hut was near the beach. We would catch crills in rivers, climb hills, bathe in the ocean and watch fireflies at night. We could afford to indulge ourselves to crabs as big as plates, dozen lobsters or a sack of prawns. Those were the good ol' days.

Sta. Monica Beach in California

What kind of traveler are you? 
As much as I want to travel light, a girl can't have too many dresses or pairs of shorts when traveling, right?Haha. I invite friends to travel with me but I'm no stranger to traveling alone. With the kind of job that I have, I sometimes get the opportunity to go to places so I make it a point to do a side trip and extend beyond my business trip so I could explore the city or the country.

What are your best travel experiences/memories?
I have a lot I guess but my first travel abroad was really special -that was in Hanoi, Vietnam where I together with my few classmates and my professors attended a geological conference.The first time I was immersed to a different culture, to have met a lot of people with different nationalities and while lounging at the upper deck of a boat somewhere in Halong Bay, I realized I wanted to see the world. I remember the busy streets of Hanoi packed with scooters, the childlike awe as I watched the water puppet show and that giddy teenager eating her first raw shrimp.I would love to go back there someday, hopefully with the love of my life, keeping my fingers crossed ;p

Trip to Las Vegas

Farthest place you've been to?
That would be Colorado. I travelled for almost 36 hrs including layover. I arrived in the morning in Colorado, and as much as I wanted to travel to Denver that day, I spent the day snuggling my pillows in my comfy bed. Hehe. What a way to spend my first day in Aaamerica! Haha!

How do you fund your wanderlust? 
You mean where do I get the money for my travels? Solely in my salary so I won't be surprised if I don't have savings. Haha. But it's all worth it, they say travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. If I save all my money now and then travel later, then I might not be able to brave the cold in the summit of Pike's Peak or have the strength to do temple hopping in Cambodia. When the time comes I meet the man God has chosen for me, I'd be happy at home but occasional trip to the beach would make me really happy ( at the back of my head, I'm hoping we'd see the world together, winking! Haha!) When I grow old, I'd say I lived a very meaningful life. The kind of life I won't regret.And I would say life is indeed for the living.

Cagbalete Island in Quezon

Essential things you bring with you when you travel.
Aside from dresses and few pairs of shorts, tops and scarves, that would be my camera, ipo/ads, IDs, ATM cards, credit cards,moisturizer, lip-balm, slippers, a hat and a sweater. But if I'm going to some cold place, I would pack my boots, coats, gloves and a body- warming oil.

Have you traveled solo? If not, do you plan to? 
Yes I'm a certified lone traveler =D I don't have a bf yet to keep me company so all I have is my ever faithful tripod. And mind you, he's already my third.I lost the first two. Haha. (If the tripod was the bf then I'm a bad gf).Oops!

At the Grand Canyon

Any bad experiences while on the road?
So far, paying taxi cab fees more than what is due.Also, I underestimated the weather when we went to HK, I almost succumbed to hypothermia. Haha.

Favorite movie about traveling.
Chasing Liberty. One day, I will just go to the airport, buy a ticket to Paris and roam around Rome, Vienna, Brussels, London, Stockholm, Praha, Zurich, Barcelona, etc.

Dream destination.
I have a lot. Pyramids of Giza, Macchu Picchu Peru, Hawaii, Los Cabos,Mexico, Galapagos Islands, Maldives, Bahamas, etc. I love the beach, that's obvious. Haha. I would love to see all those amazing geological formations that are found in all continents in the world, too.

El Nido, Palawan

Advice to newbie travelers?
I'm not an expert when it comes to traveling since I've only been to few myself. Haha. But yes travel, explore and meet new people. Life is too short to be stuck at home. The younger, the better because you are fit enough to climb mountains or to jump in the deep blue sea plus you have no kids to worry at night. Always respect the people and the culture. Don't be a tourist, be a humble traveler. Embrace what this world has to offer and it will embrace you. And of course, always see the world in a different view.

Where's your next destination?
To experience classical Javanese fine art and culture and to frolic in the pristine turquoise water of Nusa Dua.

Pikes Peak, Colorado

If the world ends on December as scheduled, where do you want to spend the apocalypse and why?
That's pretty hard. I'm completely undecided from wanting to be (with my family) at the only surviving ancient wonder of the world, which is the Pyramids of Ghiza in Egypt, or in the Galapagos Islands where they say the first organism appeared, or in Norway where I can marvel at the sight of the Aurora borealis or better yet gallivantating (in a yacht) around West Carribean sipping lychee martini while listening to reggae music.Ah, a girl can dream. Haha!

*Young Blood Traveler is an interview series on my blog that features young (or anyone who's young at heart) people who have passion for travelling but don't have a blog to share their travel experiences.  Want to be featured? Email me at journeyoferos(at)yahoo(dot)com