As a voyager, Jake loves to travel big. “I am at the stage of my life where I want to go as far possible. I would like to do as many big and long trips while I am younger and save some more slower paced trips for my later years.” In past travel, he has tried to make his experiences the one big focal point of each year. In fact, he has his travel plan mapped out over the next five years, and that gives him something to look forward to everyday. “I want to go as far as I can for as long as I can. I know the more time you spend somewhere you can really embrace the culture.”
“Life is short and world is wide!”
Jake’s favorite aspect of traveling is finding the unexpected in any place/town/city. “I get excited about really exploring another country’s culture. I love to see the how other people live throughout the world. I love to hear of their customs and how as a culture they have decide to do things in a certain way.” He traveled to Spain a few years ago and visited Madrid and Barcelona – two staples in any Spain itinerary. Even with two big cities in his plans, he also had some time built in to explore the Spanish countryside – and it was during that time that he ended up thirty minutes or so outside of Madrid in the town of Segovia. “Segovia was the Spain you might not aways see in the magazine, but it was unique and authentic as a different side of Spain and Spanish culture. After that trip is really when I caught the travel bug and pursued a job in the travel industry.”
Jake and his wife explore the Pitons and beautiful island of St.Lucia.
As this voyager prepares for travel, his first step before going anywhere is reading up on the area. He collects as much information on a destination as possible so that he can decide if the destination would mesh well with his travel style/expectations. “I try to play out the trip in my head and say what we would do on certain days, and then come up with a good baseline of ideas.” Then, he takes in the logistical stuff like flights/hotels to see what is even feasible. He believes that, although seemingly boring and tedious, it is essential to feeling prepared prior to departure.
Just as efficient as Jake is with his research, he is the same with his suitcase. He prefers to travel as light as possible, but one of his must-brings is a bathing suit, no matter the destination. Even with his love for activity and adventure, this voyager prefers balance in his itinerary. He generally sections his vacations into travel days and relax days. “I will plan adventures and excursions for so many days of the trip followed by days to just relax and really take in the culture of the country.”
Jake sees a trip over the pond in his near future. “My family has always discussed a trip to Ireland being that we are all super Irish. I would love to add Scotland and even possibly England to this trip, time permitting. We are currently in the early stages of researching and will see what members of the Mooney clan will be joining us.” In addition to his UK plans, his dream destination is Bora Bora. “I would love nothing more than to just relax on those amazing beaches and swim in the bluest water in the world – not to mention Bora Bora has some of the most unique resorts in the entire world.”
Jake treks up to Montserrat to take in the amazing view of Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea.
From one voyager to the next, Jake’s advice on travel is not to over-plan/overthink the vacation. “My advice is to leave room to find things you never knew existed. If you plan your trip from the minute you touch down until the airport ride home there is no room for anything new to surprise you.”
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