2015-01-28



In this new interview series called What Inspires….. I aim to share with you what inspires other travellers to get out there and see the world in the hope that it inspires you to do the same.

This week’s What Inspires interview is with traveller Ben Zaboulis.

Ben is from Nottingham in the UK and has worked previously as a Civil Engineer which took him to some wonderful places including Nigeria, India, Japan, USA, Guam, Hong Kong and Singapore. He found the travel to be a great way to satisfy the travel bug and get paid for it too.

A few years back Ben made the decision to retire early to concentrate more on the enjoyment of life and to do a bit of travel writing in between. More recently he’s taken to promoting civil engineering careers, STEM subjects and apprenticeships amongst young people with particular emphasis on the travel opportunities so afforded.

2015 sees him moving permanently back to Hong Kong and looking forward to it!

Read on to find out What Inspires Ben Zaboulis.



What or who inspired you to travel and discover the world?

My parents migrated to England from Lithuania and Germany respectively, so, unwittingly, perhaps they would be my first influence. After that I would have to put it down to a childhood infatuation with motor sport (read glam locations), stamp collecting and a flamboyant English teacher who tantalised with tales of Lawrence of Arabia and summer retreats in Malta.

Where was your first overseas trip and was it everything you expected it to be?

My first trip was a camping expedition around Western Europe with a work pal and great it was too ! Young and free in those days!



What’s one tip you can give to anyone about to head off on their first overseas adventure?

Don’t worry that you’ve packed everything, it’s amazing what you can live without ! Passport, ticket and money, they’re the essentials. Apart from that, patience, tolerance and a keen sense of humour can never go amiss.

Best travel experience so far?

Always a difficult question. Probably a chance to enjoy the high life on a visit to the Kingdom of Bhutan or journeying from Hong Kong to the UK aboard a French container ship!

What’s your biggest source of travel inspiration between trips?

I read a lot of books so any sort of travel literature will always do the trick, failing that there’s TV travel documentaries and those alluringly glossy holiday brochures.

Do you have a favourite quote, travel related or otherwise?

Mark Twain : ”Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.

Connect with Ben

You can see photos from Ben’s ‘work-travel’ years here where he hopes to provide inspiration to students and gap-year travellers. Or if your interested in getting in touch with Ben regarding travel and career advice you can find him on his Facebook page.

Would you like to share your inspiration with other travellers? I’m always looking for inspiring travellers to interview, so head over to the contact page and send me a message to get started.

Over to you!

Who or what, inspires you to travel and discover the world?

Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.

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The post What Inspires Ben Zaboulis appeared first on The Trusted Traveller.

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