Travel/food blogger Janine Thomas admits she has the best job in the world, traveling on a whim wherever the wind may blow and sharing her discoveries with her thousands of followers. Describing her blog as one that is aimed at both explorers and food lovers (which might as well come across from its title, Gastrotravelogue), her platform offers anything from recipes to travel tips.
Like most travel bloggers, Thomas’ knack for adventure is tied to her early childhood: “I started traveling when I was 9 years old,” she recalled in an interview with Culture with Travel. “My aunt lived in London, so I would fly, on my own, from Cape Town to London for my holidays. It was such a long flight that the aircraft had to stop to refuel on a small island called Ilha do Sal off the Africa coast. That was 45 years ago and was an incredible adventure.”
Thomas’ upbringing might also explain her love of food. Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, she explains that spending time at the beach was a way of life. She remembers her father would go diving and emerge laden with crayfish—which would later be served with a dollop of mayonnaise (a simple, delicious, and heavenly meal she recalls to this day).
According to Thomas, another dish that represents Cape Town for her is farmers sausage AKA boerewors: “It is spiced with coriander and is eaten throughout SA, even as a street food snack,” she explains. “It is almost always cooked over a fire, and the smell alone is enough to get my mouth-watering.”
Of course, plenty has changed since Thomas was a young traveler. “Travel was very different then to what it is now,” she notes. “I was always excited by traveling and I still am today. I love the fact that you are transported to a completely different world with such ease. Travel can teach us so much, if we are just open to the experience of learning from others.”
Her love of travel and food, combined with her skilled writing and nostalgic recollections, makes Thomas’ platform an ideal attraction for travel enthusiasts worldwide.
