" Through travel I learn who I am. "

On a windy sunday morning, I had a chance to talk to an interesting man. His name is Marco van de Kamp and is behind the idea and founder of a portal, which connects travelers all around the world - Travelers For Travelers.com.


How and when did you get an idea to found TFT web site?

I did a lot traveling in my life and in 2006 I went with my girlfriend for a year around the world. I had my own internet company before I went traveling and when we traveled, the best experiences were with local people, who knew where to go and what to do around their place. So I thought why not make it easy for locals to meet or help travelers, locals become travelers and the other way around.

When and where did you take your first trip in your life?

My first real travel (as a backpacker, not tourist) was 10 years ago, half a year to Thailand and Australia.

Which countries around the world do you find the most interesting and why?

I can start with Holland. I love my country, its cold, its windy, my friends and family are great, everything in Holland is arranged so you have no troubles about healthcare etc.The most beautiful country I think is Venezuela:Beaches, highest mountains, great jungle, strange culture, lazy beer drinking people ;) The most interesting cultural experience we had, was in Siberut Island near Malaysia. People still live like we did 2000 years ago. We spent 2 weeks with those guys and it was a great experience eating some kind of wood and hunting in the forest.

You live in Holland. What other countries could you imagine for a living?

New Zealand, Australia for sure. These, for me, are not the best countries to travel though, but to live in, Yes!

What is your experience with using English as universal language around the world?

Many people cannot speak English so I use hands and feet, that works great. I speak some French and some Spanish, so in Asia/Europe everyone can speak or find someone who can understand/speak English, in South America, you want to learn some Spanish and it makes the trip a lot easier and in Africa you can use hands and feet to explain.

You sure have tasted local cuisine, in which country was that the most interesting?

For this question, I stay with Siberut near Indonesia/Malaysia. Those people do not eat rice or potatoes, they just eat wood. They chop a tree, rasp the wood, put it in water for a few months, dry it, put it in banana leaf and roast it on a fire. It does not taste bad, but to eat it every day, that’s a bit too much.

Ooh. This is really strange. And what was the most delicious food? (Outside Europe :) )

Outside Europe? Thai or Malaysia fresh crispy baked/grilled fish just out of the ocean with sweet and sour sauce and vegetables and some rice - delicious.

How do you decide, where to go next? Could you describe a typical trip somewhere? What do you take with you as an essential equipment?

I like to go everywhere, so it depends on what’s happening. This week, I went to London, because of the World Travel Market and Travel BlogCamp. Last month, I went to Denmark, because of the best windsurfing conditions in Europe.So I always take a sheet. Not a sleeping back, but a sleep sheet, that you can use in hostels. It's great. Sometimes instead of sheet - a hammock, that you can use as a sleep sheet, works great to.

Yep...and what about passport visa? Do you need them often? And I could also ask about visa card as an essential tool in globalized world, when I mention it actually :)

I always bring passport, for sure you need it. And I always try to get money out of money machines with bank card, I try not to use my credit card because it is expensive to get money and they can be copied, that happened to me once. I always bring enough cash to have money to get out off a country without needing a bank.

Lets get more philosophical. What is the point in traveling, in your opinion?

In my opinion "Through travel I learn who I am". It helps to learn what I like, who I like, what I want etc... It is not about the other cultures nature etc, but because the other environment and people, you can learn more about yourselfI think everybody should travel at least 6 months in one go in their lives. You learn so much from it. Let’s say it differently. I think people who have not traveled for a long time have missed out one of the best things in life!

In 6 months, you can probably realize even a trip around the world. That would be a good "know yourself" concept. We could discuss and ultimate "world trip" itinerary. :) What country would yours include?

Only 3 countries and it does not matter which ones, all countries are beautiful. Only 3 are important, so you have enough time to really experience a country/culture. If you arrive somewhere and love it you could stay for a few weeks. It is great to have time. You can relax, let go off planning, enjoy the travel as it happens to you.

Still, is there a travel dream of yours, already realized or yet planned?

Yes, a few dreams. I would love to spend time along the west coast Australia for windsurfing, same in Brazil. I would love to go back to Venezuela again to start the search for diamonds in the jungle with a guy we met. And Iceland must be awesome. Many dreams...

There are probably many more interesting encounters with local people or a local individual. Are there some really strange (or really interesting or hearth touching story) you could share?


I had my appendix removed in Maldives in a hospital where only the doctor could speak English, the beds where really short and the toilet was shared with 50 other patients. The doctor was so nice, he spent (after I left the hospital) a week with us, visiting his friends, the best places to eat around town, the monkeys, it was a really really great experience to get to know him.

The room you see on the picture was as big as the room next door, we had 5 beds (terminal patients and me :)) and the other room 40 beds!

I guess a good traveler should remove his appendix, as prevention, in advance :). It was probably a strong experience. What (and who) influences you in general, in your life?

Deep question. My parents, my girlfriend, my travels, my friends, internet and windsurfing.

The list is understandable, but there is that “windsurfing” part. How did it qualify into the list?

It’s just so my passion. If it is windy I go out and surf, I plan my life around windsurfing. It is the ultimate freedom. With simple equipment, you can use some powers from nature wind and waves to reach enormous speeds, fly high in the sky, float along with waves. It sets your mind free and you are only facing the elements focused on that. It is just great!

Ooh, that was a inspiring description. One would want to try it at once after reading it :)

I hope so. It takes a year or a few to get to a point I describe. Many people stop after a few try’s.
I guess you need a good motivation for everything in life. The TFT people would probably like to know more about your hobbies. Do you read, or listen to music? What genre?

Hobbies: windsurfing, mountain biking, snowboarding, surfing, play the drums, scoutingI like to read books like: “The monk who sold his Ferrari”, “Who stole my cheese”, ”The tipping point”, “Mindmap books”, “7 habits of highly effective people”.I like music, from house to rock, from jazz to tango. I love lots of music, mostly alternative.I love movies - not really the Hollywood movies - but movies like "Into the wild", "Boondock saints" "What the bleep do we know".

Hmm...thanks for interesting tips. I guess we missed to mention a big hobby of yours - the TFT site :) It must really take quite enough time and resources of yours. What are your plans with TFT for the near future?

I spend about 4 days a week full time on the TFT site , so it’s more then a hobby... and the rest of the week only the evenings ;)
Expand the community with more interaction and information for the members. For example the blog posts you are writing. I am working on the Forum for some weeks now, I hope that we can launch that soon.

Thanks for your time and an interesting discussion. And, I have prepared a little test for our SuperTFTAdmin :) Can you identify the location of these three places - It will be enough on the large scale .. So, can you locate these? (No Google allowed and they do not serve hamburgers on the third. :) )

1) Svalbard
2) Galapagos
3) Heard Island and McDonald Island.

Oops, I fail for this test. I only know that near Equador is the Galapagos, Svalbard sounds Scandinavian, McDonald Island must be an island from a British colony somewhere. Same as Heard Island I think.

I think, we could take these as creative (and basically correct) answers, and it proves you will not be lost so easily on your future trips :) Thank you again for your time and we look forward to additional interviews in the future as well as to everything that comes next in the TFT community.

Thank you too.

Do You Dopplr?

I never thought I would be fond of social networking sites.  When I started with Friendster, I didn't realize that there are countless networking sites existing on the net, each with its special features and causes.  I was really elated when I learned about Travelers For Travelers (TFT), and I did not hesitate on signing up knowing that I'd be joining an online community of individuals who share the passion for traveling.  Moreover, sharing notes and helping one another in the pursuit of satiating the appetite of setting foot on different lands and experiencing different cultures really sets TFT apart from other networks.  So, if you haven't signed up, I highly suggest that you do.

Anyway, throughout my online existence, I've found another travel-related networking site - Dopplr.  I must admit it's less interactive than TFT, but it is as interesting.  If Twitter answers the question, "What are you doing?", Dopplr answers the question "Where are you in the world?".

Aside from its sleek and easy-to-use interface, an interesting feature is that it can be posted as a widget in your blog, or in other online accounts as well, so that visitors will know where you are in the world, and where you plan to be.  I think this is great for people who love to travel and blog.  It adds an engaging feature in the blog that would make readers anticipate on your next destination.

Go ahead.  Try it and tell us what you think.  Do you think Dopplr is something we could incorporate in our TFT profiles?

An unexpected guest

Last Easter I traveled from capital city Bratislava where I live to my hometown in Eastern part of my country. My mam was expecting me and we were both delighted to be together again. I hate the journey home by taking bus or train, it lasts too long. So I decided to buy a ticket for a plain and be in 35 minutes in Eastern Slovakia.

The morning was nice and I was in very good mood. My mood got much better instantly after a kind suprise on the plain. I met my former fellow from university. She worked as a stewardess and I could take place close to her just to speak and remember times we were students. After we landed I could see a pilot cabin and talk with pilots a bit. This amusing and unexpected experience made me smiling after I said good –bye to my stewardess friend.

My travel continued, I had to take a bus from the city I landed to another city and then once again take a bus to my home town. I waited for a bus on the bus station and just after few minutes before deparature I met another school fellow. I had to smile. It was just 8 o´clock morning and I already met 2 people I have not seen for years. We did not have enough time to speak, but it was a very joyfull and unexpected meeting.
I thought how nice my day have started and after two unexpected meetings I was sure I will meet somebody interesting yet. It was true.....

While waiting for my next and final bus I spotted a stranger on the station. I knew he was from Asia but I could not recognize his country of origin. Every stranger is very noticeable in this corner of my land, becuase tourist prefer to visit capital city in the West part of the country and only a few tourists come here.
10 minutes before a bus should come I stood in the row and the man stood behind me. I was really suprised he travelled to my home town. There are not many tourists in my town although Bardejov is an old historic town and an official part in Unesco heritage fund.

I decided to introduce myself to the man.
It was cold and I spotted his hands are cold becuase he started to chafe his hands. I offered him one of my gloves :). He did not take it but we could start talking. The man was from Japan and he loved old European history. We took the bus together and after 2 minutes I decided I will invite him to our flat for a lunch. I just wanted to make him happy to get an opportunity seeing how we (natives) live behind our doors. I think this is a dream of everybody who is a real traveller. Most of the time, you can only see the culture in the streets, restaurants, shops...but the real life is behind doors, in flats and houses where people live their real lives.

The japanesse tourist was very delighted and he agreed immediately. I called my mam and informed her we have a guest for lunch - Mr. Michio from Japan. She was suprised but I knew my mam is great.

My mam doesn´t speak any english, but she is very empathetic and understands many things without speaking. Mr. Michio was a great guest. Becuase of Easter, my mam has decorated our flat in a very lovely way, and he liked it. He took many pictures and use his camera. The japanesse people have a good sense for details and he appreciated all decorations my mam did. We offered our guest all kinds of food he could taste and he liked the „compote“ (fruits with sweet water put into bootle and pasteuresied) because he has never eaten this kind of food. We talked about history, politics, cultures, languages, family life....
I knew that japanesse people are very polite. But when I saw our guest having enough of food-tasting and being to polite to refuse another piece, I just asked him to be honest and not to be polite anymore :).

We sat and spoke for a whole afternoon and I am sure we all felt very comfortable / except our quite full stomaches :) /. This man from far suddenly was like our old friend. We spent beautiful hours just speaking, listening and understanding.

In the evening, we accompanied our guest and we really missed him. Of course we exchanged emails and we are still in contact. I think everybody makes advertisement for his country, now I think about Japan just in lovely way because I met a lovely person from Japan. I hope Mr. Michio thinks the same way about my country...