Amber Visch

Meet Amber

📚 What was Your Favorite Travel Experience or Story?

Choosing just one favorite travel experience is impossible, as every great memory motivates us to seek new ones. Surfing for the first time in Mundaka, Spain, led me to Sagres in Portugal two years later. Here, my boyfriend and I spent our days surfing at Amado Beach. But most of all, over communal dinners and sunset beers, we found community and made new friends. 

Similarly, my first trip to Nepal in 2018 prompted my return for my master’s thesis in 2023. Here, I got to spend more time with dear friends I made during both trips. The memory of reaching the summit of Kyanjin Ri in Nepal with my friends still makes me feel euphoric.

One travel experience that makes for a great anecdote at the dinner table, however, is the last morning my boyfriend and I spent in Malang, Indonesia. We usually went out for breakfast, but this time decided to try the buffet at the hotel. 

The breakfast at the Shalimar Boutique Hotel was extensive. Our host Maria filled our plates with Javanese dishes, which were displayed on the room’s stage. She told us it would be good for us as we “Dutch people eat too much bread, anyways.” Sending us off to our table, eager to see our reaction, she sat down on stage like a queen.

Intrigued, I asked her if I could take a photo of her sitting with the Javanese food for my blog. The next thing I knew we were in a full-blown photoshoot. She posed for pictures with Wessel while pouring him orange juice and called for her colleagues to join her on stage. Elated, she invited us on a private tour through the hotel, telling us about the role it played during Dutch colonial occupation and the revolution that followed. We went over every nook and cranny, even the recently finished speakeasy, while relishing in her enthusiasm and knowledge of the place. 

Traveling to me is about meeting new people and learning about their views on life. These encounters help me understand the world better, see it in a more humane way, and can even lead to friendships for life.

🗺️ What’s Your #1 Expert Travel Tip?

While travel has its ecological downsides, it can have a lasting positive impact on our planet and its people. The best way to ensure your trip is not only ethical and responsible, but more fun and memorable as well, is to do research beforehand. The best way to start is by googling what issues and inequalities are currently at play in your destination and what tourism practices exacerbate them. 

Once you know what to avoid, you can start looking for hotels, activities, and tour operators that give back to the community and environment. Whether a company is locally owned, observes labor rights and protection, pays fair wages, and supports the local economy are good things to look out for.

Most of the experiences you find will not lead you to the main sights. But they will lead you to the local community, allowing for a deeper connection to your destination. This makes travel more fun, authentic and adventurous. However, you do not have to do community service work or volunteer to give back. Even if you are just looking for a relaxing holiday, there are plenty of eco and ethical hotels that care for the wellness of both guests and staff. 

🧳 Backpack or Suitcase?

Backpack if I have long travel days over bumpy roads or do a multi-day hike ahead of me. Otherwise, a suitcase with my camera bag on top all the way!

✈️ Window or Aisle Seat?

Window! For sleeping with my head against the wall, and the view, of course.

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