Welcome, Travel Blogger Bob Boutin!

In the Vatican with Rome in the background.

Bob Boutin is a native New England resident. He grew up in Fall River, MA and currently lives on
Cape Cod.
He loves exploring both local and far places. Welcome to the 'World of Good' blog, Bob!

What is your blog about?

Thanks for having me as a guest, Regina! I write about my travel adventures, both near and far.
So far, the farthest place to me I’ve written about is Independence Rock in Wyoming, where I
almost got stuck on the top, and the closest place is the Lyman Reserve, a nice hiking trail in
Bourne, MA.

I also share my own travel experiences and tips, such as how I had an embarrassing meltdown
at the Denver Airport this past summer due to too much coffee,
or what you should do at home before leaving on vacation.

Picture in Quebec City

Where did you get your inspiration for starting your travel blog?

I have the travel bug. I love going to different places and exploring what each new place has to offer.
One day, this past summer, while my wife and I were traveling through Wyoming, I thought to myself
that I would love to be a tour guide or work for a travel company. That’s not feasible for me and and my
wife right now, but I still wanted to share my traveling experience and tips with others. So, I decided to
start writing down my adventures on a blog and sharing it with anyone who’s interested.

I also hope to inspire others to get out and see the world. Even if you can’t hop on a plane and travel to
Europe, you can still find cool places in your hometown. Have you ever played tourist where
your live? Give it a shot! It’s a fun and rewarding experience.

What is your favorite American city?

I’m going to sound like a typical New Englander here, but it’s definitely Boston. When I was a kid,
my parents and I would go on day trips to the city, and we would visit all sorts of cool places such as
the Aquarium, the Italian North End, and the Science Museum. My trips there gave me the confidence
to travel in other cities. It was in Boston where I learned how to navigate public transportation and where
I took my first ride on a subway. Because of this, no matter what big city I’m in, I always refer
to the subway system as the “T.”

How about your favorite international city?

That’s a really tough question! Can I have two? It’s a very close tie between Quebec City and Rome.
I love Quebec because of its quaint, European style downtown area, and its people are warm and
welcoming. The summers are beautiful, and not too hot or humid. The views of the St. Lawrence River
are just spectacular.

Rome is right up there on my list too. Everywhere you turn, there are buildings and monuments from
antiquity. The city is full of history and landmarks that could keep a traveler like myself busy for weeks.
And the food! Pizza from a Roman corner store beats pizza at a restaurant in the United States.

Picture of a pizza in Genoa, Italy

How do you decide where to go?

Deciding where to go all depends on the situation. Many places I’ve been lucky to visit because I jumped
on an opportunity. For my trip to Rome, I went because work sent me to Northern Italy on a conference,
and I decided to fly down to Rome when it was over. I had a similar situation for my trip to Texas.
Other trips, such as my trips to New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Honduras, were service-oriented
where I volunteered on various projects. There are opportunities to go out and see the world on a
lower budgetif you know where to look.

For more my more traditional trips, a few factors come into play. How much will it cost to get there?
Are me and my wife interested in going? What type of trip are we looking for? One year, my wife
wanted to go to Canada becauseshe heard so much about it from me. This past year, we
needed downtime near nature and to be away from crowds, so we chose to go to Wyoming.

What will you your upcoming articles be about?

Coming up, there will be a couple of articles about places local to me, such as the Roger William
National Monument in Providence, RI, and Fort Taber Park in New Bedford, MA. I’ll also be writing
about my adventuresthroughout Canada, France, Italy, Honduras, Texas, California, and Vermont.

What I’m really looking forward to is interviewing others who’ve traveled to interesting places.
I’ve begrudgingly come to the conclusion that our world is so huge that it’ll be impossible for me
to visit every place in the world before I bid the Earth adieu. Interviews will help readers
learn about more destinations and read about different perspectives.

What are your favorite types of places to visit?

I’m biased for anything outside and close to nature. I love hiking, biking, and kayaking. I’ll spend
more time at a city park than I will walking in a crowded downtown, and I’d rather be on a kayak in a
pond with my wifethan on a cruise ship. Of course, I’ll still go to the crowded downtown, and I’ll
probably enjoy the experience, I just won’t spend my whole day there. I’m still up in the air
about the cruise.

What’s one place you wish you could go to that you haven’t yet visited?

Australia. I’ve always been fascinated by the Land Down Under. I’d love to go to the Outback
and visit Uluru (Ayers Rock). Seeing the Great Barrier Reef would be amazing. Who knows?
Maybe soon I’ll be able to go and write about it!

Mt. Moran in the background, Grand Teton National Park, WY

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done while traveling?

What comes to mind is a day trip I took to Le Mont St Michel in Normandy, France. Le Mont
is an old abbey that is right off the coast. During low tide, you can for miles on surrounding
sand, but during high tide this area is completely under water.

After exploring Le Mont, I went for a walk on the sand. I decided that I wanted to
walk all the way to another island in the distance. As I was walking, I heard
loudspeakers repeat: “Get off of the beach!"

The message was repeated in every language known to man. I still didn’t
understand why I had to get off the beach. Then I saw it: the ocean was barreling
in towards me. High tide was approaching, and I was about a mile away from safety.

I ran the fastest I ever had in my life. I knew that if the ocean reached me before I
made it back, I would be a goner. Out of breath, I made it back to Le Mont.
After catching my breath, I turned around.

All I could see was water.

Thanks again for inviting me on your blog! Interested readers are welcome to check
out my site and sign up to follow via e-mail.  

To learn more about Bob and read about his travel adventures, visit his website:
 www.yourtravelcap.com.

His Twitter handle is @yourtravelcap, Pinterest username is yourtravelcap, and his e-mail
is yourtravelcap@gmail.com

Bob started a Facebook group for his blog! Visit it at www.facebook.com/yourtravelcap

Thank you for visiting, Bob! It's been great to hear of your travels, please come back again soon. Readers, if you have any travel stories to share, I would love to have you as a guest on 'the World'.
Message me with your topics!

Next, Gail Pallotta visits on October 15, discussing her newest release...and more! See you soon!