Allan Wilson
Full-time travel and lifestyle blogger obsessed with new tourism, boutique travel and local life in Southeast Asia. Tend to just write about food. I have been visiting Southeast Asia since 2002, in 2008 I bought property in Bangkok and in 2011 I made a permanent move to the region. I now travel often and eat a lot. When not travelling I live a simple local life in Bangkok city with my beautiful wife and Persian cat.
You can work pretty much where you want to – on the road, do you find it hard to work or do you just have fun and work when you come back home?
I never took to the whole backpacking scene and the thought of constant travel has no appeal to me at all. If I am not comfortable I am not happy. Because of this I took a break from travel a few years back, worked my ass off to save cash and bought a condo in Bangkok, Thailand. Now my base for travel in Asia and my new home. This is where I write. While inspiration for many better blogs come while travelling they tend to be scribbled on the back of e-tickets or hotel reservations to be completed in full when back in Bangkok.
Do you feel many people are envious of your lifestyle?
Of course. I've been given opportunities many will not. This makes me feel guilty in a way, when I sit procrastinating instead of making the most of life. When I spend hours on Facebook instead of walking down the street to experiences many can only dream of. But this doesn't mean my life is better or more rewarding than others.
There is more to life than travel and to live a life of travel means putting limitations on other important aspects of life. Family, careers, hobbies, interests. At the moment instead of obsessing about travel I am focusing on creating a life balance which is wholly rewarding and sustainable.
There is more to life than travel and to live a life of travel means putting limitations on other important aspects of life. Family, careers, hobbies, interests. At the moment instead of obsessing about travel I am focusing on creating a life balance which is wholly rewarding and sustainable.
In which countries have people recognised you, even when you thought nobody would?
Never. Until recently I never put my face or even name to any of my websites. I like to hide in the background. Unrecognised. Living a simple life. Only recently did I start a personal blog 'Live Less Ordinary' which is my lifestyle blog with wife Fanfan (we married last month in Ubud, Bali). Starting this blog was a hard decision to make. While I don't want to be recognised I do accept advantages for networking, establishing connections and future business. Like building a brand.
Which three items would you never travel without?
Notebook, pen, bottle of whisky.
Are there any specific souvenirs or other things you collect from the places you go to?
As a kid my family car was plastered with stickers from across Europe. My dad refused to fly so every summer we road tripped through Europe. Unfortunately the sentiment for souvenirs never really rubbed off on me. For a while I collected the usual tourist junk when travelling in Southeast Asia. This now litters my old bedroom back in the UK. Now I bring back nothing but photos and research.
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