Hi there, readers and bloggers and welcome to trip-globe.com! I’m Mark and I’m glad you’re interested in my blog and myself. Unfortunately, I’m not too good at writing and talking about myself, so I thought that in this About Me section I would just answer some questions that I received from some of my readers who were interested in who I am and what I do. This is an easy one! My name is Mark Soth
ern, I am 42 and I live in Connecticut. Why did you start this blog? Every time I would get back from a vacation all my friends and family would ask me one thousand questions and I had to answer all of them several times. Not to mention the photos! So one day my mother told me I should keep a blog or a website and document all my travels and simply send everyone a link. In time the site became what it is today. What is your day job? I am a high school chemistry teacher. I have plenty of free time on my hands in the summer and that is when I do all my traveling. When did you start traveling and how many places have you visited? I started traveling when I was a little kid. My parents loved to go to a new place every year and they’ve managed to make me love traveling as much as they do. I’ve visited 63 countries so far and I plan on reaching 100! What was the most interesting thing you’ve seen while traveling in the States? I love small towns where everyone knows everyone. Towns that don’t get many visitors are the most interesting, I believe. I love spending a weekend in a place that is barely on the map – it gives me a sense of belonging. What inspires you to choose a traveling destination? I like sharing traveling experiences with my friends and readers, so if someone recommends a place, that’s usually all it takes for me to choose it as my next destination. Do you travel alone or with friends? I love traveling alone – it’s liberating and you learn a lot about yourself, but I also love traveling with friends – it’s by far the most fun a person can have. What is the scariest thing that happened to you on vacation? I got mugged at gun point in South Africa. It was a traumatizing experience that put me off traveling for a whole year. Fortunately I managed to shake the fear off and get back on that horse. Where do you plan to retire? Hawaii, of course! I love the beach and I really do see myself playing backgammon on the beach with a couple of old folks just like myself until the time I have here on this earth expires. How much have you spent on traveling? Well, I won’t tell you the exact sum of money, but it’s enough. I usually stay at inns or motels and even hostels and I’m not much of a spender, but then again, I do travel quite often. What places are on your to-see list? I want to see Antarctica; I’ve always put off going to Russia and I would love to go to Tahiti (a bit too expensive for me).
