Rome is probably one of our most historically rich locations in Europe, and it's beauty and architecture shines through on every Travelshoot we have there. Travel blogger Abi King from Inside the Travel Lab enjoyed her Travelshoot around St Peter's Square & St Peter's Basilica, which by the way is not actually a cathedral and has been in ‘construction’ for over 1,300 years!
What’s your dream travel destination?
It’s very hard to narrow it down. I absolutely loved my time in the country of Oman, which has stunning unspoiled landscape and generally very friendly people. In terms of cities, I love; London, Paris, Rome, New York and probably Sydney and Cape Town for the southern hemisphere. I think they are all incredible places that you can visit again and again and again.
Name your must-have travel accessory.
Probably my iPhone because it can keep me entertained on long journeys - there’s audiobooks and music etc. But also I can get back ups of all my travel documents, my booking references. It’s got various apps and works well as a camera most of the time. And of course it’s a great way to keep in touch with people at home.
What’s your favourite city in the world and why?
I will sound very biased saying this with a British accent, but London is probably my favourite city. It took me a few decades to arrive at this conclusion, purely because I was born there and so I didn’t think that much of it growing up. But the more I travel, the more I really appreciate it. It’s got so much history and it also has the ability to be really cutting edge. There’s always something new to do.
What’s your favourite leisure activity whilst you’re travelling? It could be something mellow like lying on the beach, or something more active like rock climbing.
My favorite activity is probably swimming outdoors, although of course the weather has to be good. There’s something I find so soothing and relaxing about it, and again perhaps because I’m a Brit, it’s a very rare thing to be able to do at home.
What’s your favourite travel app?
Can I say Google Maps for when I’m lost? There’s also an app called Spotted by Locals - it’s not free but it doesn’t cost very much to download and they have inside guides to cities with tips from locals. So say you find yourself in a city like Rome or London, which is overrun with guides on what to do, Spotted by Locals is a really great way to find good places to eat or for finding something different.
What did you enjoy most about your Travelshoot?
Following on from my previous answer, I actually love meeting local photographers. Sometimes the photographer is originally from the city I’m in, and sometimes they’ve only moved there a few years ago, but they have a great insight as to what’s going on in the news, and the cool places to see that might not be on the standard tourist maps. And from the ones I’ve met, they’re just really nice people to talk to as well, they like putting you at ease and they obviously love their cities. So getting to meet my photographer Guido was actually the best part of my Travelshoot.
Which is your favourite Travelshoot image?
Why do you think travellers will love Travelshoot?
Lots of reasons really. It’s a great momento of your trip. It adds depth to your selfies and it adds depth to your travel because the photographer can recommend local highlights. If you’re travelling with friends or family, it’s lovely to have a proper photograph of everyone together that’s one that you can actually frame and put on your wall when you get back. I just think there is something so natural and atmospheric when images are captured when you are on holiday with somebody. If you’re a solo traveller, again it’s nice to have some images of yourself that’s not a selfie or doesn’t involve asking strangers to take a picture of you where you end up with red eye or something, and you feel you can’t ask them to take it again.
To see other Rome Travelshoots, click here.