It’s time to introduce you to one of my travel blogging friends! Debby is a dream-seizing Dutchy who is currently staying in Managua, Nicaragua. She has a great story to tell – Well, she always has several great stories to tell! Debby is a lovely person who shares my passion for Latin America and Spain, and she is, what I like to call, a true modern hippie.

Deb, please remind me again. How did we meet?

Debby:

We met through Pure Latin America, the founder said you are a great travel blogger (he was definitely right)” – well thank you babe! – “and we met up in our own hometown Eindhoven. That night went by way too quick, so we met up once more before we both went traveling. Last time we met in my home country Nicaragua, can’t wait to see you back in Eindhoven again.”

Debby and I in Nicaragua

Why and when did you start traveling?

Debby: “I really can’t remember what my first trip must have been, but I inherited my travel bug from my dad surely. That also caused me to love to explore other cultures and languages, which has been my biggest passion for years now. That’s why I decided to go live in Barcelona, Spain for a year when I was 18. That’s when I really fell in love with going solo, and since then I prefer traveling by myself.”

What do you think about solo travel?

Debby: “I love it, totally. It opens your world so much more, as you get to meet so many people from all over the world. When you travel together, you’re not that open to meeting new people because you do stuff together – nothing wrong with that either, it’s just a whole other experience. What I love about being alone is that I can do what I want, when I want. If I want to stay longer, I will. If I want a lazy day, I’ll read a book in my hammock with a beer. I don’t have to be exploring all day. If I want to change my itinerary, I will. To me, traveling is also about exploring yourself. It’s not the people or the culture that is annoying, it comes from inside, it’s you. I feel I’ve been growing so much for the past 9 months being away from the Netherlands, I’m not done feeding my soul yet. Because once I get back in the Netherlands, I know there will be no other remedy than just get back in the cultural pattern that comes with it, putting aside my day-by-day life that fills my heart with joy. I literally count my blessings with a smile upon my face here, something I find hard to encounter at home – but hey, that also comes from the inside. It’s me. It’s traveling.”

Deb getting her tattoo done in Nicaragua

How do you fund your journeys?

Debby: “That’s different every time. I always save money automatically weekly and monthly, and for this long trip I’ve had a full-time job for a bit of which I saved most of the salary to go here. A great tip is to go do volunteer work, it’ll cost you less and it’s nice to really get to know a place better and cooperate with locals in stead of just cherry picking all the highlights. For the past 6 months I’ve been renting a house in the capital of Nicaragua having several jobs, and now decided to go travel my last months to make the end the most fun of this journey.”

Have you ever felt unsafe during a holiday?

Debby: “I’ve been robbed and followed several times. That is no fun. With every other culture you’ll encounter things that will make you feel uncomfortable. Luckily I know now that most people are just looking for phones and money, so just be very very careful and once you get into trouble, always work with them. Here in Nicaragua, I felt very uncomfy in the beginning because you really stand out as a chela and any man that passes by will catcall you. Now I just laugh about it, it’s kinda funny.”

What’s your favorite place in this world?

Debby: “I don’t think I can answer that question. I’ll fall in love with any country that I visit in some way, but for right now I’d definitely say Nicaragua. There’s so much I can learn from living there, the country is so diverse and beautiful and I just love all the people I have gathered around me here. Right now I’m in Belize though, so close and yet so different. Like I said… any country just takes a little piece of my heart.”

Us together again, chilling at a surfers beach…

What’s going to be your next destination? What will you do there and why this place?

Debby: “I’m not sure yet, just going with the flow right now. Might be Utila, Honduras. If not I’ll just go back to Guatemala. I’m thinking of taking a diving course in Utila, but I’m not sure yet.”

Choose the words that fit you more referring travels and explain why please.

1. Friends or family

Debby: “God. Cannot choose. I love my family for always supporting me, even though I’m this weird impulsive daughter that just stands up and leaves and decides not to come back for another year. I’ve never really had a group of friends to hang out with, and I love having that here in Managua. I guess it equals being in a family, so I’d say family. They take good care of me.”

2. Planning or living the moment

Debby: “Definitely living in the moment. But I think that’s something that is not really possible back in the Netherlands, even though I’d love to take my ‘laid backness’ home.”

3. Yoga or surfing

Debby: “Yoga, definitely. I’m not much of a performer and I’m really, but really really clumsy. So doing yoga is fine, because I don’t have to be good at it. It just makes me feel good. Surfing: you’ll see me getting up on the board on my knees and fall off after 2 secs. That’s me.”

4. A new tattoo or a new destination

Debby: “You really know me, don’t you?” – 😉 – “Living in Nicaragua I got my whole arm tattooed, getting tattoos here is way cheaper than back in the Netherlands. Still my tattoos really are a symbol of everything I’ve been going through in my life, but without the traveling, I wouldn’t be who I am right now. So a new destination, always.”

5. Spain or South-America???

Debby: “I loved Spain when I lived there, the country really feels like home. It’s different enough from our Dutch culture to get to know this ‘mañana mañana’ mentality that is very hard to cope with in the first place, but being in Central America, I’m really glad I’ve had a lot of foretaste in Spain. But as the differences are bigger here and they make me more and more curious after all my cultural studies, listening to beautiful lyrics about it and having friends going back and forth, I must say Latin America. Must say I really do miss a proper wage and days in which you actually can accomplish something from your to-do-list.”

Beautiful!

Wish to read more about Debby’s or interested in her writing? Visit bohemiandreams.nl and enjoy!

Would you like to share your story?

Like to be featured in one of the ‘has got That Wanderlust’ series? leave a comment below or send an e-mail to info@thatwanderlust.com

About Renate Rigters

Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.

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