WORDS FROM AN INSPIRING brazilian TRAVELer VICTOR PAES

My name is Victor, 32 years old from Brazil. I'm a space traveler! Currently not based anywhere. Pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Life. Nice to meet you again!

wHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COUNTRY SO FAR?
Thailand, Brazil, Iceland, Palestine. It's hard to say really...

WHAT PLACE IS TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST?
There are 3 places: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Ethiopia. I already had layovers in two of them.

WHAT CAN'T YOU TRAVEL WITHOUT?
A camera of course!

DO YOU PREFER SOLO TRAVEL OR WITH SOMEONE ELSE? 
It depends, there are pros and cons. So far I've done most of my trips solo!

WHO IS THE PERSON AT HOME THAT YOU MISS THE MOST?
My family. Although we Skype quite often.

WHICH COUNTRY HAS THE MOST FRIENDLIEST PEOPLE?
That is a tricky question. At the end of the day human beings are just the same. In Thailand most people are very gentle. In Brazil people are very warm.

WHO IS THE MOST INTERESTING PERSON YOU'VE MET SO FAR?
There are few and fortunately we ended up friends.

WHAT'S BEEN YOUR SCARIEST MOMENT?
My scariest moment was during an Ayahuasca ceremony. I thought I was dying.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT?
At high school, I started hanging out with these people and I invited them to a full moon party on the beach. One of them stole his mom's car and he drove the 5 of us to this beach which was quite far from town. Upon arrival I felt sick and threw up badly inside the car. They were all covered in sick as well as the "stolen" car. We obviously had to call off the night. I remember seeing noodles on the windscreen. I wanted to die.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST USEFUL ITEM YOU'VE BOUGHT?
My laptop I guess.

WHAT'S THE BEST PIECE OF TRAVEL ADVICE YOU'VE RECEIVED?
Beware of scams.

WHAT'S THE LONGEST YOU'VE BEEN AWAY FROM HOME?
4 years.

WHAT'S YOUR DREAM JOB?
Being a farmer.

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO LIVE IN THE WORLD?
Thailand. Maybe Brazil.

​NAME THE COUNTRIES YOU HAVE VISITED.
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Rep. Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Morocco, Palestine, India, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TRAVEL MEMORY?
My grandparents were from a town in a cocoa tree region in the south of Bahia state in Brazil. It's called Ilheus. It's a nice town quite famous for its chocolate and lots of beautiful beaches! I used to spend a month or two there every year during my school holidays.

WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU'VE LEARNED?
I've learned that my main job here on earth is to be a better person to myself, to others and to the environment.

IF YOU WROTE A NOVEL, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
Don't know...

WHAT TRAVEL SCAMS HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT?
The usual... Like buying services that do not exist, taxi rides, etc.

DO YOU CALL YOURSELF A TOURIST OR A TRAVELLER?
Definitely a traveler but I guess we all are a little touristy sometimes, aren't we?

STRICT SCHEDULE OR GO WITH THE FLOW?
Definitely with a schedule but it can change if something more interesting comes up!

WHAT'S BEEN THE BEST STREET FOOD YOU'VE HAD?
Thai food for sure! Apart from MSG, sugar and all those deep fried in unhealthy oils.

WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING THING YOU'VE DONE?
Growing up and realizing that we live in a horrible system.

DO YOU THINK YOU'LL STAY FRIENDS WITH THE PEOPLE YOU'VE MET? 
Some people are meant to stay, some people aren't.

WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING ANIMAL YOU'VE SEEN?
A human being.

WHO IS YOUR DREAM TRAVEL COMPANION?
A lover!

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM TRAVELING EXPERIENCE.  
Not sure if I have one. I just travel and experience things as they come.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS?
Positive, not very serious and quite hopeful considering the "reality" we live in. 

WHAT CAN YOU ADVICE TO PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO START TRAVELING?
Just go!