I first met Amanda Mouttaki in an Italian conference a couple of years back.
Right after we started to talk, I felt so drawn to her story and why an American girl like her had moved to Morocco on a whim that young.
It is a fact that bloggers often wear many hats but not everyone succeeds like her at doing so. An expat, world traveler, freelance food and travel writer, talented blogger and mom of 2, she’s also a accomplished entrepreneur and owns her own tour company! Marrakech Food Tours.
Can you see now why ever since we met, I wanted to interview her? She’s such an inspiration to me and I believe to everyone else into travel writing and entrepreneurship. Not an easy task to juggle all that she does!
#1: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you started to travel. Do you remember your 1st travel experience? Why are you (if that’s so…) passionate about traveling?
#2. Now that we know where do you come from… could you tell us where are you heading to? Which are your plans for the future in terms of traveling?
#3. What do you think of traveling with a purpose or meaning in mind? What do you look for when traveling long term?
#4. How do you fund your travels? Have you found a job or income source that allows you to be on the road fulltime? Could you tell us what exactly you do for a living?
#5. Did your job, studies, volunteering experiences or other projects help you to travel the world? Where have you been thanks to those? If so, tell us a bit about those experiences.
I don’t think they directly did. I studied international politics and always had a huge interest in the rest of the world. I believe this natural curiosity was what the big driver to travel was. I also married a man who is Moroccan and we knew that travel would be part of our life just going back and forth to see family. Figuring out how to work in pleasure travel with visiting family is what prompted us to want to travel more just for us, not out of obligation.
#6. What would you recommend to someone who wants to follow your steps? Which kind of training or studies is necessary? Would an investment be needed in the first place? Please, give 3 pieces of advice (you wish to have known before starting) of what to do and what to avoid in order to succeed.
I feel like having a solid background in writing, project management, business, and cultural awareness were all huge helpers. I also think for anyone wanting to do this they need to really think about the things they love and can do well and then figure out how to combine all of those things. You don’t have to travel around the world to start, go close to home. Start looking at things objectively. Pay attention to what other people are saying and are interested in. I truly think this is a career that is more about experimenting and experience than educational training.
#7. What does a perfect day in your life looks like? Do you follow any particular routine?
I love that I get to decide how I spend my time so no two days look the same. I prefer to sleep in a little bit, then spend the early morning hours doing any work that requires concentration (the house is quiet!). A late breakfast followed by some of my lighter work and a late lunch. Ideally I try to finish working by 6pm and set aside some time to read or do another activity I find enjoyable. I also make dinner for my husband and kids so we can all eat together. After my kids are in bed I might work more or catch up on some TV. Pretty boring!
#8. Where do you come from originally and where you call home now? Can you give us some local tips we cannot find in a guidebook but you highly recommend about your hometown?
#9. Do you read, write, draw, listen to music, sing, watch movies or do something else while traveling? How do you interact with technology these days and which gadgets you definitely take with you everywhere? What is your favorite book? And movie?
#10. Do you keep a bucket list? Which are your craziest travel dreams? Where are your favorite destinations on earth?
I keep a wish list! My craziest dream is to fly a helicopter. My favorite destinations are Istanbul, Turkey and Seville, Spain. Least favorite? Paris.
I followed her all throughout my travels in Morocco. She has a great and informative website. Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for commenting! And I agree. MarocMama’s website is one of a kind!