Interview of the Month July

Happy days! It’s been July for a while already, so it’s definitely time to interview a new traveler. In the Interview of the Month July Lisanne spoke with the lovely Zemira from Happiness Loves Company. Zemira lived the perfect life in Austria, but found that she was only chasing society’s idea of success. That’s why she left everything behind to chase her own idea of happiness. This brought her to New Zealand, where she hopes to inspire others to travel and live their dreams.

Lisanne from CHAPTERTRAVEL: Hi Zemira, super excited that you’re traveler of the month. Can you give us an introduction about yourself?

Zemira: Hey guys, my name is Zemira, I’m a 29 year old passionated photographer and adventure seeker from Austria. I’m currently living in New Zealand where I started to chase my dream as a travel blogger and writer.

What is in your eyes “society’s idea of success”? And what made you realize that you were just chasing this?

I guess it’s the typical life goals that people think they have to achieve before they turn 30. It’s having a secure job, a fancy place to live, a new car every three years, a relationship with a wealthy guy who allows you to spend way too much money on material things, VIP access to parties. I’ve had all that and more, but something was always missing. The freedom to be myself and do what I really want to do, without thinking “What will everybody think?”

Do you feel that you found happiness in your new life?

Currently I do. New Zealand treated me very well, it opened so many great doors for me, which would have never been possible back in Austria. I have a boyfriend who I admire more than anything else in the world, and having the freedom to be in the great outdoors everyday makes me feel overjoyed every single day.

How does an average day in your life look like now?

It’s simply amazing. Usually I wake up, have breakfast, I workout. Straight after I will grab my camera and go explore new places in Queenstown and the nearby area. In the late afternoon I usually spent my time in meetings and with clients. Afterwards I’m straight back to work. I’m always ending my day with a nice dinner with my boyfriend and a glass of wine. It’s such a rewarding life!

Sometimes you mention that you miss certain aspects of Austria. What is it that you miss from back home?

Hmm… Well, that’s hard to explain. I only realized in my last couple of days in Austria how amazing it is. The food, the culture and the people. I understand now when people say “there is only one place like home”. I’ve had to move to the other side of the world to realize that.

Where were your last trips to?

My last trip was to South Australia and a couple of places in New Zealand.

What is your next destination?

I’ve planned SO much for this year, unfortunately things often turn out differently than you think. But the really good part of my ‘new job’ is that I have the possibility to travel to destinations in New Zealand for work. What’s definitely going to happen is that I will travel back to Europe for a couple of weeks and straight after that to Australia. I want to squeeze in Hawaii somehow, but we will see how that goes, you never know where life is taking you.

What is your favorite destination and why?

100% cliche: Italy. I always feel like I’m in a movie when I’m there. The historic vibes in every corner of every city, the music and Aperol Spritz is only €2!

What is still on top of your bucket list?

Haiku Stairs in Hawaii – I really want to do it this year!

What is the process of all your lovely travel photos?

To be honest: sometimes they are random phone photos, sometimes I take them with my DSLR. Usually I edit them first on Lightroom, straight after in Photoshop.

Who is your favorite travel companion?

0f course my boyfriend. I have the best memories with him. Whether it’s kissing under the balcony of Romeo and Juliet in Verona or jumping of balconies in Morzine, it’s all an epic adventure with him!

Who is your absolute favorite travel blogger?

I really admire so many, but someone who always inspires me to travel and get better in my photography is not really the classical travel blogger, but the best travel photographer is Sean Byrne from Byrne Photography. He just blows my mind, and his blog is soooo, so awesome!

Thank you Zemira! Happy travels!

You can find Happiness Loves Company on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Check out some beautiful travel photos from Zemira

Would you like to be traveler of the month on CHAPTERTRAVEL? Sent an e-mail to info@chaptertravel.com and tell us a little bit about yourself.