Can you tell us more about the concept behind Picture for a Picture?

Picture for a Picture started as a simple idea of giving something back to the people who allowed me to take their pictures. Most of the people I met were very poor and didn’t have emails or social media where could send them their pictures digitally. 

 

How did this wonderful and selfless idea come about?

When I was at the Maha Kumbh Mela in India in 2013 (which is the largest gathering of humankind on the planet), taking photos of my favorite subject “humans”, most people I took pictures of wanted to see how they turned out and it felt selfish “taking” all these photos without being able to give anything back.  That’s when I decided to take a small printer with me whenever I travel, so that in a way I was being fair to the people I photographed – I took a few pictures and I gave a few back.  Hence also the name of the project “pictureforapicture”.

 

What are the reactions from the people you photograph?

Most of the people I photograph when I travel have never had a printed photo of themselves.  Their reaction is therefore mostly just excitement and happiness at receiving an unexpected gift.  

With kids the reactions of happiness are usually amplified, and they are extremely curious so I usually end up spending quite a bit of time explaining to them how the printer works and where I’m from, what I do, why I’m there, etc. 

 

What countries have you visited to take photos of people for picture for a picture?

The concept is mostly about giving photos to people who wouldn’t normally be able to get a photograph of themselves, so rural areas in India is where I predominantly travel to for this, but I’ve had fantastic reactions from everywhere I’ve been including Nepal, Iran, Cuba and Peru.

 

You capture people’s reactions and smiles so beautifully; every picture you post on your social media provides a heart warming reaction. Im sure you have many beautiful stories, but is there one that resonated with you the most?

There are so many actually.  A nomadic family in the mountains of Zargos offered his daughter’s hand in marriage.  Once while cycling through rural Rajasthan, I was taking prints of a few children in a small village, they were so excited when they got them, they brought the whole village (of probably about 30 people)  to be photographed.  I didn’t realize how many hours I had spent there and how late it had become, until the sun started to set,  as I don’t usually cycle after sunset.  One of the farmers  eventually put me and my cycle in a tractor and drove me at about 15 km/h to the nearest town.  I’ve also had quite a few people fighting over getting their photographs and prints. 

 

Is there any particular country which you would love to visit?

Well a continent actually, I haven’t travelled to Africa much and to start, Namibia and Ethiopia are on my list for 2019.

 

What camera and printer do you use?

I use a Canon 5D and a Fujifilm Instax printer.  People seem to be fascinated by the t whole experience of the Instax print coming out and how the photo slowly develops.

 

You are a wonderful photographer do you ever showcase your work and do you have any future projects in the pipeline.

At this point I’m happy just travelling and taking photographs and Instagram (@pictureforapicture) really is the only place I put up my work.  

 

Follow the picture adventures on @pictureforapicture and also Gautam's other account @hobograph

Could you share with us how you juggle being a working mum and how you manage the time to travel?

AB: Most of my travels consist of travelling with my husband and my daughter Aalana and other times with my sister. As I work full time most of my travels are either long weekends (bank holiday weekends) or Friday- Sunday. Working as a freelance contractor helps me to be able to travel as much as I can as I am not tied into a permanent contract, and the fact that I had a very understanding manager who knew my passion for travels quite well worked in my favour too. Another major factor that helps is that I have an awesome husband who totally gets me and my love for travels, as such happily and readily available on Daddy duty whilst am travelling the weekends without them.

 

 

When you are traveling with your daughter, what type of family holiday do you go on and where has been your favourite place to visit?

AB: Our holidays are quite mixed from beach holidays to quick city breaks. As I tend to travel for long weekends it mostly ends up being a quick city break, however we do try adding long hauls destinations for special occasions such as: wedding anniversary and Christmas vacations too. I basically go where ever catches my eye! One of my fav places to visit has to be Positano in the Amalfi Coast, it’s by far one of the most stunning towns, go visit yourself and you’ll know what I am talking about!

 

!Do you have any amazing family holiday experience’s which you could share with us.

AB: We try making our every trip as amazing and memorable as possible in all the small things we do, our priority is to be able to spend as much family time as possible and let Aalana enjoy the surroundings. One of the memorable ones I could think of was whilst in Naxos in Greece where Aalana climedb up the entire steps going up to the old town through bendy and narrow lanes and steps! She’s an independent girl and loves doing everything on her own.

 

Which has been your favourite country/city to visit and why?

AB: Santorini in Greece!! Never thought such a place can have an impact and leave me totally speechless! It’s absolutely by far one of the most magical islands I’ve ever visited with great culture, delicious food and awesome people!

 

Name one country which is on your bucket list and why?

AB: BORA BORA baby! I’ve been to the Maldives and LOVED every single bit of it, now I want to see Bora Bora with its stunning clear turquoise water, it just feels like luxury at it’s finest!

 

With 2019 approaching fast, have you confirmed any travel plans?

AB: Not yet but I have some places I want to visit for sure!

 

You have such a pretty Instagram account – how much time do you spend on creating beautiful content?

AB: Thank You! I’m not spending as much time as I used too, however I try to create as much content as I can whilst am travelling and store them for the rainy days! As my husband would say I love taking photos! I spend quite a bit of time editing those contents on Photoshop and on average I would easily spend an hour a day editing.

 

Can you tell us about a unique property which you have stayed at and why you loved it so much

AB: Niyama Maldives! Luxury cannot get any better than at Niyama! It was our first trip to Maldives and I wanted to get it right from choosing the right island to the right hotel that was family friendly and Niyama exceeded beyond that! It’s everything in a holiday I’d want from having your own private butler for the duration of your stay, a luxury beach hut that steps right onto the ocean and not to mention the delicious food! Check out @Niyamamaldives

 

Quick fire round:

City or beach holiday

AB: Beach

 

Aisle or window seat

AB: Window 

 

Top three must have items when traveling alone

AB: my GHD Hair Straightener I’d be totally lost without them, camera to snap and create all those memories and my Huda Beauty lipstick 

 

Top three must have items when traveling as a family

AB: IPad to keep Aalana entertained, Pombear crisps as snacks for Aalana and a light pushchair for those moments when she doesn’t want to walk!

 

Follow Anna's travel on Instagram @jetset_anna

While in Dubai we were lucky enough to experience both Ritz Carlton’s (DIFC and JBR). When we arrived we couldn’t believe how H O T! it was! We are very pleased to see how much there is to do indoors with kids. We went to see the penguins, ice skating at Dubai Ice Rink, a visit to the top of Burj Khalifa and to Modhesh World. We were only in Dubai for a few days and really want to come back soon… hopefully when it is a bit cooler outside!”

 

Their story is truly inspiring. So grab yourself a coffee, sit back and enjoy your read…

 

What were the reactions of your friends and families when you told them you were selling everything you own and travelling the world with two children?

Our families are very supportive of us. They sure do miss us and the kids, but they are so happy to see and hear about our adventures. I’m sure deep down they worry a lot and want us to come home, but they give us lots of support!

 

 

Do you know how many miles you have travelled to date?

Hehehehehe Not sure!

 

How much luggage do you have?

We have six bags, we check in three, and we carry-on three. Two of our bags are camera gear, two are full of clothes, one bag of health supplements and one is a diaper bag.

 

Are you shopping at all (even a little bit), while visiting so many countries?

We will sometimes pick up new clothes if the kids start to grow out of things, but we avoid buying any souvenirs because we just don’t have the space for it!

 

Your photographs on social media are stunning and pop out from the page. Do you have a photographer travelling with you permanently in order to capture such beautiful shots? How do you capture the moments, by an iPhone or camera?

Garrett takes most of the pictures. He has a great eye for photography and has really enhanced his skill over the last year. He takes all our pictures with his iPhone or a DSLR camera. He also has an underwater housing for his camera to take our water shots with whales.

 

I’m sure both Dorothy and Manilla are learning so much through real life experiences and Dorothy seems to be learning about so many countries, but are you also providing some form of “home schooling”?

Our kids are still pretty young and don’t need to be in school yet. We will figure schooling out in the next year or so. But for now we work on our ABCs, numbers and animal sounds on the road.

 

Can you please share with us some of the countries you have visited so far?

Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, Anguilla, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Dominica, Canada, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Hawaii, Belize, Cape Town, Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Brazil, Galapagos Islands, Greece, Tonga, India, Bahamas, Maldives and United Arab Emirates.

 

 

Which country did you have the most fun in so far?

My favourite is New Zealand. I think it is the most beautiful place on earth. My husband loves Tonga because that’s where he swam with humpback whales. Dorothy loves Japan because that’s where Disney Tokyo is, and Manilla is just happy everywhere!

 

Which country has captured your heart the most?

New Zealand its just stunning.

 

What was your worst travel experience?

"We were leaving the Maldives, and Manila was being a typical little boy and running around the airport, and he slipped and fell and split his bottom lip open so bad that he needed stitches. It was two hours before our flight was going to board and we were on a small island with no hospital. Right there at the airport, they stitched him up and they only had a large needle and nothing for kids. They redid the stitches three times and he was going ballistic but was a champ in the long run."

 

 

Do you get to experience much luxury in your travels?

"We do quite a bit of luxury travel. We are doing some stuff in Kenya with The Safari Collection and with Cox & Kings which is a luxury traveling camp in India."

 

Congrats on your amazing initiative to raise funding to open a school in India/Nepal in order to prevent child trafficking, can you please tell us a little bit more?

Nepal was an incredible stop for us. We spent our time in Nepal learning everything about human trafficking in the region. We learned that the number one prevention of trafficking is education. So, we are working with Effect.org to build a school in India.

 

How can people donate to your initiative to build a school in Nepal?

Go to www.effect.org/campaign/bucket-list-family-opens-a-school-1.

 

$30 – puts a child through school for three months

$50 – buys a computer for a classroom of students to play interactive learning games

$100 – buys education materials for a classroom including books, art supplies, workbooks etc.

$500 – pays for a teacher’s salary for 3 months

 

Garrett was clearly very emotional in his YouTube video about trafficking young girls and respecting women, mothers and children; it was really admirable. This project has certainly touched your heart, can you share a little more information on the human trafficking problem?

Garrett’s initial reaction to learning about human trafficking was anger. He was so frustrated with the fact that attending brothels was socially and culturally acceptable for men. He’s still very upset by it. But we both had to realise that we can’t change a whole country’s culture overnight. We can help raise awareness to the issue and we can make the biggest impact by providing education for young people in Nepal and India.

 

What personal “bumps” have you faced along the way and what medical support did you receive?

Our biggest medical emergencies were when Dorothy had to get stitches in her chin from a slip in the shower in Thailand. Manilla had a similar incident falling on a table and had to be glued in Nepal. And Garrett got Zika in the Caribbean.

 

What vaccines have the children had and do they take medicine daily?

We were all vaccinated before we left and we make sure to update them when we go back to the States. 

 

Jessica, how do you stay looking so fresh and beautiful everyday, you never look tired or exhausted. As a mama of three myself, I know travelling with kids, different time zones etc can take a real toll on you. What’s your secret?

Hahah. That’s very nice. And I’m not totally sure what you are talking about. Hahaha. We just do our best to stick to a schedule, let us and the kids get rest when we need it. It’s not really a ‘vacation’ any more, it’s our lifestyle so we’ve learned to just chill out, not stress and go at our own pace.

 

What are your three “can’t travel without” items?

Camera, a blender and protein powder.

 

Is there any item you need and anything you crave?

Not really. We try to travel with as little as possible. Sometimes I miss the conveniences of America like Amazon Prime Delivery, clean bathrooms or working cell phones.

 

Terrorism and security concerns are making travelling more challenging; are you facing this more as you travel or is it overhyped?

We experienced this when we were supposed to go spend a few weeks in Turkey. We were so excited. But I woke up one morning to my mother messaging me that we needed to reroute because of a military coop. So, we had to reroute, which actually brought us to Dubai!

 

People are becoming more insular, talking about boundaries and less open to diversity; I’m sure your travels are instead highlighting the beauty of our multicultural, multifaith and fascinating world. Can you please share your thoughts on this?

In our travels we’ve experienced all sorts of religions, languages and cultures. We’ve learned that people have the same necessities and desires. We’ve seen that although people go about their days very differently, we are all seeking friendship, love and acceptance. You don’t need to agree with other people’s traditions, opinions or actions, but you do need to respect them. Kindness and love go a very long way in every country.

 

What advice would you share with our readers who are thinking of packing up the normal 9-5 lifestyle and travelling the world?

I’m very surprised by myself and frankly very proud. I’m not one to step out of my comfort zone and do things this extreme. This took a lot of coaxing from my husband but I’m very glad that we’ve done this. It’s incredible when you do something outside of the box, what amazing things you can experience. This lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but I do believe travel can be for everyone. There are so many ways to explore this world both near and far and you won’t regret the things you see and learn from travel. You must simply make it a priority in your life.

 

Going into your 4^th year of nomadic travel, have you set up a family home yet?

Yes we are in the process in Hawaii

 

For more information on The Bucket List Family and to follow their adventures visit @thebucketlistfamily or www.thebucketlistfamily.com