Interview with world traveler and influencer Tom Grond

Who does not know him, Tom from @TravelTomTom on Instagram? With more than 100,000 followers he is a real influencer. He owes this success mainly by visiting more than 77 countries around the globe. Also, his typical landscapes and wonderful sunset pictures are the reasons why everyone dreams away looking at his account.

In this interview, I turned Tom inside out with questions to know who that hunk is in sixpack traveling non-stop around the world? And what crazy requests he gets as a famous influencer on social media? Besides that I know Tom personally as a friend, he is very funny and experiences the most insane things. Read below his personal story and his plans for the coming months.

1. I know you personally of course, but tell me, how long have you been traveling non-stop?

I have been traveling all in all around the world for over five years now and with traveling I mean really on the go and not having any obligations. Of course, I also went back to the Netherlands occasionally, but mainly to say hello to friends and family. This year I started blogging and I consider that as real work, so basically the stress-free traveling is pushed on the back burner for a while, and I invest now a lot of time in my blog: traveltomtom.net and my Instagram account: @traveltomtom.

2. How many countries / continents have you seen and how often?

There was a period that I found it cool to add new countries to my long bucket list but I’m stuck at 77. The last two years I’ve only been in three new countries: Croatia, Maldives, and Japan. I could easily make a list of countries where I’ve been twice or more, of which there are now more than 40. Thailand has the record with 16 visits. Including my next visit to Sydney, I’ve been at least three times in all continents of the world, okay Antarctica disregarded! 😉

3. What is the reason that you started traveling and did you have a plan?

When I traveled around the world for the first time in 2008, I had a plan. In one year I traveled through North, Central and South America and from Australia to South East Asia. I simply wanted to see more of the world, meet people and collect Facebook friends! 😉

Today, I have absolutely no plan anymore, and I travel only a bit around without knowing where I’m going in the coming months. Coincidentally, I have now decided to live three months in Sydney and mid-February I fly to Turkey for the World Tourism Forum. What will happen after February? I have no clue!

4. Is traveling intended for everyone? What are the pros and cons?

No, definitely not! Traveling is something that should be your second nature. I am already for such a long time on the go that even I am ready for a bit of stability. I’m sure that it will be of very short duration, but I am quite looking forward to having my own place in Sydney.

Packing your suitcases each time is not ideal! Taxis, airports, bus stations or train trips are all still great fun, but also very tiring. The fact that for traveltomtom I stay nowadays in the most trendy 5-star resorts does make it easier, but the principle remains the same. Traveling is the coolest hobby, but also the most energy-hungry!

5. Which country or destination has made the biggest impression on you and why?

I find that a tough question to answer because it also depends on what you experience in a country. Nepal has certainly stolen my heart because I had never thought that 15 days hiking in the mountains would be so incredibly cool! As well Hawaii and New Zealand, for their landscape.

I’ve been in Argentina a few times now, and I think it is a winner. Regarding people, I go crazy for Brazilians, and South Africa is a unique country with a great mix of beautiful cities, beaches, wildlife, culture and mountains!

6. When did you introduce Instagram and what is your secret to 100,000 followers?

My Instagram @traveltomtom is of course, the jewel and the driving force behind my blog. It’s the reason I started blogging and how I nowadays mainly generate my income. Am I a full-time blogger? I would rather like to call myself a full-time Instagrammer.

Can I make a living out of it? No, not yet, but I guess that it will not take long as I get every day offers from all over the world. The secret behind Instagram is very simple: Be unique! Ensure that people are impressed by your pictures, post something that people like to see and therefore want to follow your adventures.

7. You always make great sunset and nature pictures. Which software programs do you use to make them even better?

That sounds boring, but I mainly just use Instagram. Of course no filters, but I do everything manually. It’s quite simple, and because many people are asking for it, I will soon dedicate a blog post on how I edit my Instagram pictures.

Some apps do make it easier though. I tried Lightroom, but I found it too laborious, Snapseed is an app that I occasionally use when I want to edit a particular part of an image.

8. A lot of people know you only as the hunk in six-pack traveling around the world, but tell me who is Tom?

Haha, yes the green swimsuit is almost belonging to the past. I still have it, but after four years, it is now actually worn out. I grew up in the South of Limburg, a few steps from the three-country-triangle.

I tried to study Econometrics at the University of Maastricht but soon found out that it was not my thing. Finally, I arrived in Aruba for a longer time and there I got bitten by the travel bug!

9. What drives you and what are your dreams? What’s next?

Like I said, I’m going to Sydney for just over ten weeks, and then I fly to Turkey. What will I do then, I do not know exactly. There are some things I would like to do myself, such as central Asia and the Balkans, but it is also time that I’m going to explore more Africa! Who knows what comes on my way, I am free to come and go where I want! I am looking forward to 2017, probably a year full of surprises!

10. What is your life quote and why?

I’m not looking for myself, and I do not escape from the real life. What other people see as a normal life, does not mean that the same applies to me. My real life is traveling. I hardly regret things, but most of the things I have not done.

Opt for adventure and try to do things that make you happy and not what other people expect of you. I have no idea what the future holds for me, but I like that feeling. That’s why I always say if you have no destination you can not get lost!

11. Have you ever experienced something strange or did you sometimes get weird requests from your fans?

Haha, yes having more than 100,000 followers on Instagram leads to the most unusual requests. Everyone suddenly wants something from you and every day I get the weirdest requests to promote products. From tea to earrings and makeup to household articles. But also from people who think I have hit the jackpot and ask if I want to donate money.

There are as well a lot of people who want to travel with me, women and men! As I stay every week in the coolest hotels, suddenly everyone wants to accompany me on a trip, but what no one realizes is that it requires a lot of work and that on average I spend 10 hours a day on my phone for work.

12. Finally, which advice can you give us to travel for so long?

That is perhaps one of the most asked questions and I have devoted a blog post to it, one of the most read posts on my blog: “How I afford to travel for years”.

In essence, it is quite easy: think well where you spend your money! Always wonder if it is worth the money. Of course, traveling around Southeast Asia is great. However, ask the people who have been there on what they have spent the most money. Right, alcohol!

I’ve been to Hawaii, but unfortunately only five days! Why? I thought it was mega cool, but it was not worth it to spend thousands of Euros, with which I could travel a few months in other countries. And I can still give more examples like this…

Thanks Tom for this candid interview! Every first Sunday of the month I will interview a famous travel blogger or influencer on Stylish Travel Tips. If you do not want to miss it out sign up for my newsletter now.