“Travel Stars” is an interview series created to get to know people in the travel industry who are making a difference; writers/influencers, producers, and travel executives.
In this article, we had the joy of interviewing Sean.
Sean Brown is a world traveler and creator of the blog Destinations Unknow. With millions of miles traveled, Sean’s passion for exploring every corner of the planet has led him to experience local cultures, capture breathtaking photos and videos, and share his uncensored, first-hand accounts with his audience. As the curator, photographer, videographer, and webmaster of his blog, Sean invests time, effort, and money into his passion for travel and photography as if they were his profession.
Join us as we delve into his journey and uncover the secrets behind his incredible travel blog.
Tell us a little bit about yourself – where are you from? Where did you grow up? Etc.
I am from Florida, born and raised in South Florida.
Can you remember what first got you interested in the world of travel? and why?
I took a trip around Europe when I was 12’ish, I didn’t really appreciate the trip much; however, as I got older, the “I wish I could go there” evolved into “Let me see how much a flight is” and that began an insatiable wanderlust around the world. My first solo international trip was to Australia – long before cell phones and data plans roamed internationally. It was a fairly quick trip, but that single trip made me appreciate how awesome and amazing this world is.
In the next year, If you could only visit one place for one week, where would it be?
I’ve explored 6 continents, and I’m looking forward to visiting Antarctica to become a member of the 7 continent club. Unfortunately, COVID restrictions played havoc on my booked trip last year, and I’m going to re-attempt it next year!
What are some of the top places you enjoyed visiting the most? Why?
I’m American, and our country is only 200+ years old – Historical and cultural things in the USA don’t have the same meaning as the rest of the world. I’ve stood inside an ancient temple built thousands of years ago. I’ve photographed Mother Nature’s big show – actively erupting volcanos that were formed tens of thousands of years ago. Much of this culture, history, and adventure just can’t be experienced in the USA. My top countries (in order) are Indonesia, Iceland, Philippines, Australia, and South Africa.
Can you share a funny story that happened to you while traveling?
On a recent trip to South Africa, I had been wanting to get stunning pictures of the animals in South Africa’s game drives. I had a half-dozen cameras with me and a few perched outside the vehicle. A young lioness caught a glimpse of my camera and was laser-focused on turning it into her toy. With a gentle 4m leap, she grabbed the camera off the vehicle and ran around with the camera in her mouth for about 15 minutes. I ended up getting the camera back later in the day, which was a little soggy from being in a lion’s mouth — AND IT STILL WORKS! ARTICLE+VIDEO HERE:
Do you think being a photographer made it easier for you to start being a travel blogger?
In the 1990’s, people used to invite friends over to view slide shows from their trips. My travel blog is a little cooler than the 1990’s :-) I spend an incredible amount of time and effort shooting videos and pictures for my blog – My passion has always been photography and cinematography. Where I try to exceed a viewer’s expectations is in the story – I enjoy talking about the destination + the uncensored experiences (both good and bad) with visually appealing pictures and videos of what I experienced – My goal is to help my readers get an idea of the destination, how to get there and make the adventure memorable.
We noticed you have a “Dark Tourism” section on your blog. What was the creepier place you’ve ever been to?
Dark tourism is a strange niche tourism segment that gets a lot of website traffic mainly for people who are interested in the story of the tragedy. On the surface, some of the destinations seem boring; however, the story behind what happened usually elicits a “WHAT THE HELL?” response from people. Hands down, one of the creepiest places was visiting the ghost town of Pripyat in Ukraine. The story of what happened at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant back in 1986 sets the stage for an amazing story.
Where are you planning to travel next? and why?
My next bucket-list trip is to Easter Island in May 2023. Visiting and photographing the Moai and learning about the Rapa Nui culture has been a goal for quite a while.
Thanks for joining and sharing with us your journey, Sean!
If you want to know more about Sean, here is where you can find him:
Destinations Unknow Blog
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