Traveling has magical powers
Interview with Tomas Hajek, journalist, avid traveller and photographer
Let me introduce Tomáš Hájek from Objevime svet (Discovering the World) to you. Tomas is a journalist, photographer, blogger but also father is a passionate traveler and has a lot to tell about how to combine family life with travels. I have asked him questions like — what relationship does he have with caravanning and what does he think about the Camperguru's future.
Tomas is not yet a camper, but we talk a about it's ups- and down-sides and I am now on a mission to bring Tomas to camping. Grab something good to eat or drink and let’s uncover a few secret tips from a senior traveller!
Tomas, who are you and where you come from?
Hi everybody, I am Tom. My wife is Jana and we have two kids — Julie & Kryštof. I am not just a journalist and photographer, but my hobby is repairing vintage PRIM watches. And my greatest passion is traveling.
Have I just heard the word — traveling?! How did you mixed your travel cocktail?
Me and my wife have always loved traveling, we traveled before our kids were born. And after that, we did not want to quit our adventures. It would be such a pity. We are not vagabonds, punks or nomads. We are both employed in the place of our living in Southern Moravia where our kids attend kindergarten which creates a little limitation when it comes to traveling. I believe many people are like that too.
But we believe that traveling has magical powers! Because ironically, we are with our kids the most when we are hitting the road. No work calls, no work emails, no worries. Just our family time which we value the most.
We met in our caravan a while ago. Would you like to hit the road with your caravan sometime soon? Is there any top destination on your bucket list?
Yeah, we are both travel addicts. We love Spain, Portugal, Austria and Scandinavia but we would also love to see new places. Every spot is amazing but one can’t be everywhere. What we prefer is to spend more time in one place and meet the locals, rather than visiting more places for a very short time. We do it this way, but we do not strictly stick to the plan. The second option is tempting too and each plan has a lot of benefits.
Is there anything that holds you back from traveling with a caravan?
We never thought of traveling with a caravan, it never really made sense to us — it did to our son tho :-). It is also much more expensive if you compare it to traveling by car, even though the comfort on the way must be amazing. Once we also tried a four-day canal sail in French Camarque on a liveaboard and that was great!
What we think of is just a little custom converted van, especially like a Volkswagen kind of van. Our son loves the ones with a tent on the roof. We are not really big fans of campsites and the whole camping lifestyle yet. But we love the freedom of freecamping.
Can you imagine being on the road for a month or two?
Sure I can! Before our daughter was born in 2008, my wife and I were traveling across Mexico for a month. We used public transportation and our feet to discover the country all the way from the Yucatan to Mexico city, only with backpacks on our backs. I stayed there one more month to discover Guatemala and Belize. I also spent one month in Uganda, Vietnam, Barma, Peru, India. So I am used to traveling for a longer time but now, with kids, it would probably be a bit more difficult.
What I can imagine, is to do this adventure in Europe and if everything works out well, I would try that in Asia or Central/South America.
Do you have experience with accommodation on a farm, winery or in a marina?
Only with farms! I have not had the chance to try accommodation with the other two 🙂
You are the right person to tell me unbiased view on Camperguru then. What do you like about it? Is there anything that you find not that good?
I will start with my doubts that this project with such an amazing visual presentation will turn the lonely and lovely places into touristic commercial and crowded spots. This doubt comes from my experience with Romania. I love this country, have been there 13 times and it is really my passion — because of the fact that I have literally never met a single person for the whole week of my stay. But that seems to be different recently. I watched a YouTube channel of a young family traveling through Romania. They taped the pass of the legendary Trans Fagaraš route and it was a sad view for me. That place turned into something I did not like – crowded places with little stands, giant parking lots and unbelievable cues on the way to the top. So that is something I worry about.
True, that is actually our concern too. And with Camperguru, we are focusing quite a lot on the sustainability and nature friendly factor which is ignored in many other spot sources. So, what about the positives?
I think the design and navigation of the website is really cool. What I like the most about it is the visual presentation of the spots. These pictures are really something that makes me want to visit these magical places. I recommend to all of you to dig deep into the Camperguru Collection, these images are really something!
What is the one thing that would make you want to hit the road with a caravan or a van?
Just knowing I could do it. I want to know that I can manage all of that. So I need to have a plan, want to know where I am heading, if there is something that is worth seeing, where are the parking lots. Maybe having a chance to try it somewhere for a shorter time would be a good first step.
That’s understandable – and also something that Camperguru can do pretty well. We got your back. And I would always be trying my best to make your doubts disappear. Feel free to check all the cool camping spots with the information you need before you start the journey. We are constantly improving details of every spot.
Buddy, thanks for the chat! And safe travels to your family.
Follow Tom's adventures with his family through his blog — Objevime svet
Further Tips by Camperguru
- Worried about your first travel? — What you need to know before hitting the road.
- Do you need a checklist for your first trip? — We are bringing you one.
- Did you fall in love with camper life? Here’s how to do slow travel with ease.
