Globetrotters Writers Spotlight — Inga Aksamit
Hi Globetrotters. My name is Inga, and I was born in the USA. I took my first overseas trip at four, when my parents and I moved from California to Lahore, Pakistan for Dad’s work as an irrigation engineer. We lived there for four years and I’ve had travel in my blood ever since. After that posting, we bounced back and forth between California and Peru, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Attending 21 schools was challenging, but I managed to keep up and went to college in Northern California.
My husband, Steve, has been my travel partner for the last 20-something years. Was I lucky to find someone who loves travel as much as I do? No. It wasn’t luck. It took a long time to find the right person, but it was worth the wait. My ideal trip is one where I can stay in one country for several weeks, or even better, one region for several months to immerse myself in the culture. I also love adventure travel. I’ve paddled 450 miles of the Yukon River in a canoe and I’ve backpacked all over the world, including the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, the John Muir Trail in California, the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska and the Tour of Mont Blanc in the Alps.
When I’m not traveling, I’m hiking, swimming, paddle boarding and cleaning my desk to avoid working on my memoir. I was an oncology nurse and later transitioned to health care informatics, but now I’m retired and can write, though I’ve found that sometimes writing is hard.
It’s impossible to pick one country but my favorite region is Southeast Asia and I’d live by a tropical beach if I could live anywhere. Or maybe a vibrant city like Rome. Or in verdant mountains like the Alps. Or a tropical wonderland like Costa Rica. It’s just so hard to pick.
My favorite way to travel is by train. Listening to the rhythmic clickety clack while watching the landscape slide by is a wonderful way to see the world.
My top three travel tips are:
1) Take it slow. Allow unstructured time for spontaneity and wandering for body and soul.
2) Pack light. Traveling with too much luggage is exhausting and kills spontaneity.
3) Push the boundaries of your comfort zone. The more we open our hearts and minds, the more travel gives back to us.
