Speedy Boarding with Amie Pearce
New Zealand, Romania and André Aciman with the writer of Beached
Welcome back to Speedy Boarding, a bi-weekly series on Not That You Asked that is great news for those of you who are getting sick of me. That’s because it’s a series where I ask some of my favourite writers on Substack eight quick-ish questions about travel. So, the vast majority of the words you’re about to read weren’t written by me but by someone else.
This week the questions are being answered by
! Amie was born near the Lake District in Cumbria, and after studying Journalism at university immediately headed off on a trip to New Zealand. This was quite the life-changing experience for her as she left New Zealand a passionate environmentalist, with a great love for whales and a thirst for travel. She describes herself as a marine conservationist, or marine conservation enthusiast, and is currently travelling around Europe while working remotely. Her Substack, , started as a place to share her love of whales but has now developed into an ocean conservation newsletter where she speaks about the plight of the ocean but also the endless wonders it holds and how we can protect them.In a world where there are many overlapping Substacks, I think Amie’s qualifies as the most original I subscribe to. It’s interesting but also doing very important work, too.
Now, let’s get to the questions.
Where is the best place you’ve ever been and why?
Romania. In autumn. I admittedly knew very little about the country when I arrived but I left having cycled the Transfagarasan Highway, tracked the forests of Transylvania, spent Halloween at Bran Castle and having seen a bear in the wild. The people are wonderfully kind, the cities and towns are rich with history, the landscape is spectacular and the air is crisp and fresh. It’s an incredibly underrated travel destination and I can’t wait to go back.
Where is the place you most want to visit?
Sri Lanka. I had plans to visit with friends before the pandemic hit and haven’t been able to get there yet but I only ever hear good things. The culture. The food. The people. The temples. The animals. The landscape. One day.
Who's your dream travel companion?
André Aciman. He’s my favourite writer and he often writes about exile, belonging, memory and attachment to a place. I’d love to sit with him, having a glass of wine in an Italian square, and hear his take on the world. He was born in Alexandria, grew up in France and Italy and now lives in New York so he has a particularly unique perspective. He also wrote one of the greatest love stories I’ve ever read (Call Me By Your Name) so I’m sure he’d have some tales to tell.
Great news! I'm going to buy you a hat. The catch is that you have to wear this hat on every future travel trip at all times. What kind of hat would you like?
Having grown up in the perpetually cold north of England, I have to give the rather sensible answer: bobble hat. I do not represent the stereotypical hard northerner who can bear any cold as I almost always have a slight chill. My glittery orange hat with a fluffy bobble has probably saved my life though so I can give no other answer but this.
Where is the place you never want to go back to?
Redcar, Middlesbrough. Apologies to anyone from here, it’s no better or worse than many other seaside towns in England just like it. In fact, I’m from a town just like it and I don’t like that either. It may sound random but I had to visit Redcar for a university project once and it was quite dull. I judged it so much so that I still haven’t forgotten the 3 hours I spent there, 10 years later. Sorry, Redcar!
You've been given a million pounds to live your best life in one destination for a year. The problem is - you're trapped there and can't leave for the year. Where would you go?
New Zealand. Trap me in New Zealand for a year, I beg you. This country probably makes up about 10% of my personality because I lived there for a year when I was 21 and I think it did quite literally shape me as a person. It’s interesting that people compare the landscape to England, and I agree, but it also has penguins, whales, the All Blacks, Lord of the Rings locations, epic bungee spots, Lorde, glaciers, Milford Sound, and a nice little pocket-size population of 5 million.
How do you decide where to visit next?
My boyfriend and I have been travelling around Europe for the last two years and like to head somewhere new every month. This is slightly dictated by the time zone because of our work but we’re also limited to the whims of the Schengen Area, unfortunately. Having ticked off so much of Europe now it’s actually becoming easier to decide where to go next and we’ve become slightly obsessed with completing the entire continent!
And finally, what's the one thing you never leave home without when travelling?
My cute crochet whale mascot. It served me well as a keyring initially and I also thought it might be my travel good luck charm. However, just a few days after that thought occurred to me, we rather embarrassingly locked ourselves out of our AirBnB after saving a baby seagull from the terrace. Good-luck charm or not, it’s a must-have travel companion.
A huge thanks to Amie for agreeing to be part of Speedy Boarding. If you liked this post please do consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to Not That You Asked. If £4.99 is a bit steep in this economy there’s a 50% off forever sale on at the moment to celebrate two years of Not That You Asked.
The next Speedy Boarding will drop on the 11th of July!
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Well that was a very enjoyable read. What an interesting life Amie. It's made me want to pack my suitcase and head off to New Zealand or Romania. As a crafter I also love the crochet whale lucky charm.