Meet Janaline

Hallo Moscow!!!
Hallo Moscow!!!

I’m a woman who’s completely addicted to travelling and seeing the world. You could say I was born with the travel bug—it’s the kind of itch that never quite goes away. The thrill of adventure is something I think about constantly, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I love exploring new places and have so much fun sharing my travel stories and photos so you can see why this life calls to me. I’ve been travelling and working my way around the world for more than a decade now and have had some truly unforgettable experiences along the way.

When you live in a country, you get to experience it from a totally different perspective than the average tourist. It’s the people, the rhythm of daily life, and all the little unpredictable, often crazy moments that make it so interesting.

One of the biggest misconceptions about travel is that you need a pile of money to take big trips. That’s simply not true. You don’t have to be wealthy or earn a high salary—you just have to choose travel over “stuff.”

I got to have a Cormorant on my arm!!!
I got to have a Cormorant on my arm!!!

My first job abroad was in the Bahamas and Caribbean on a cruise ship. I swam with stingrays at Stingray City and rode a moped down the Mexican coast of Cozumel. I fell for New York and Charleston—would go back in a heartbeat. Then came a move to England, where I lived all over the place. Bath was my favourite, though I eventually settled in Cambridge.

I backpacked through Spain and Portugal, with a sunny pit stop in Majorca. I fell in love with Barcelona—the art, the people, and definitely the seafood paella. Granada took my breath away, and I had a little too much port in Porto.

I had a snowball fight next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and stuffed myself with chocolate crêpes. Took a break in Egypt and watched the sunrise over the Valley of the Kings and Queens from a hot air balloon. I zipped through Vietnamese traffic on my bright yellow Honda Cub and soaked up the sun for a while. In Cambodia, I got lost exploring Angkor Wat while sipping iced café sữa đá.

On my way to Japan, I stopped in South Korea to taste kimchi. I wandered the quiet streets of Kyoto hoping to catch a glimpse of geisha and attended a solemn memorial in Hiroshima. I lived in the desert of the UAE for a while—yes, I rode a camel—and filled up on baklava in Turkey before walking the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem at Christmas.

Me in front of the East Glorius Gates we just walked through to enter the Forbidden City.
Me in front of the East Glorius Gates we just walked through to enter the Forbidden City.

I spent two years living in Russia, where I developed a respect for good vodka, wandered St. Petersburg during the magical “White Nights,” and learned to walk confidently on snow and ice. I walked the Great Wall of China after cruising down the Yangtze River during my China odyssey.

Then South America called. I lived and worked for a while in the street-art-filled Santiago, Chile, and stood knee-deep in snow in the Andes Mountains.

Chinese Calligraphy artist at work
My name written in beautiful caligraphy art

I eventually moved back and worked as a travel agent in Cape Town before returning to teaching English. That path took me to Shanghai, China, where I lived for three years, and then on to Vancouver, Canada, where I became a certified Art Therapist.

Now, I run my own online practice, Healing Art Journey, offering therapeutic art sessions and creative resources for healing, self-expression, and growth. It’s a new kind of journey—one that goes inward—and I’m excited to share more of it here alongside the places I’ve seen.

My challenge to you:

Pick one place you’ve been dreaming about. Choose a date within the next nine months—and buy the plane ticket. Right now. Once it’s booked, you’re committed. The rest will fall into place.

Get excited. Make the promise to yourself: Do this every year.

Your future self will thank you.

Winter Cycling through the streets of Shanghai
Winter Cycling through the streets of Shanghai on a shared bike

©Janaline Smalman  – All rights reserved,

All material contained within this blog, whether photographic or written is subject to copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without prior approval and permission granted by the author, is strictly prohibited.  Excerpts and links to photography may be used, provided that © Janaline Smalman is credited, such that it directly refers to and reflects the original source and material content.

612 comments

  2. You are right. To fully understand a country you must live in it. Chile is remarkable and if you thought the Santiago street art was great you should see Valparaiso. I am starting a series of photo essays on Valpo next week after I finish my Easter Island series.. Cheers, Wooly

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  3. Your blog is coulorful and full of travelling spirit, are you now in Vietnam? I hope you love my country 😉
    Thank you for stopping by @hadorable.

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  4. Hope all is well. Just thinking of you! I haven’t been able to connect as much with my fast pace travels through Australia and New Zealand, but know that I think of you and hope you are well.
    Jess

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    • Thanks Jess!! Have been quiet myself this past couple of weeks. Started a new job here in South Africa and its quite an adjustment for me…but back and hoping to get into contact with everyone again. I hope you are having a fabulous time in Aus!!

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        • Thanks Jess. I just started working as a Travel Agent at Pentravel…..Everything is new and I am loving the challenge! I am also enjoying the fact that I get to help people plan their dream holiday and get to give them some first hand tips and knowledge about the places they are enquiring about!!

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        • A travel agent sounds like such a glamorous job! Is it all that it’s cracked up to be? You must want to travel all the time. New and challenging is always exciting and enriching. Sounds like quite the adventure you have for yourself. Jessica, Turquoise Compass

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  5. Thanks for visiting my blog and liking a post Janaline. Your journey (s) so far sound wonderful. I am rather jealous of all the beautiful places you have managed to live and visit so far. We all dream of a life like this…but only a lucky few actually manage to live it. Hope to read more of your experiences.

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    • Thank you and a very warm welcome to my journey!! I agree and I am definitely living my dream of travelling and not only seeing but also experiencing the world! I love sharing my adventures with you all in the hope that it will inspire people to travel more…there is such a huge and amazing world out there and still so much I havent seen or done…

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  11. Thank you for stopping by and liking my latest post! This looks like an exciting travel blog with just the right amount of personal touch. Have a great day.

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  13. Janaline, your “like” on my Weekly Photo Challenge (thanks so much!) brought me to your blog, and what a wonderful 30 minutes I have just spent perusing through just a fraction of your inspiring stories. I enjoyed reading about Christ Church and Lacock Village (yup, I’m a Harry Potter fan), delving into your Wordless Wednesday photos (great!), and learning about Dharma dolls (always wondered about those). You’ve got a new fan and follower!

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  14. I’m so happy that I found your blog. Your travels, adventures, and curiosity give me the will to keep dreaming. I hope to make travel my life as well…. and go far and wide! Thanks for being brave because it reminds all of us that we can be too 🙂

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  21. Hi Janaline! After discovering your blog I have been looking forward to every post, and your blog is a big inspiration to me. You passion for traveling the world, and letting your readers come along for the ride, is amazing! As a thank you, I want to give you the Award of Excellence for keeping such a great blog 🙂 You can read more and see which other bloggers I have nominated as well in my post here: http://maldivesdreamer.com/2014/01/26/excellence-award/

    Happy traveling and all the best, Irene xo

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    • Hey there BB, Yes I travelled around on my SA passport so had to organize a lot of visas but the countries I lived in my job actually organized my visas for me. Most of the time I taught English as a foreign language at different language schools all over. This way I got to move around a lot and experience the world.
      If you are looking for a way to be paid to travel this is quite a good way to go.

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  24. What a great blog you have going here! It deserves a lot of praise and I have been enjoying reading your posts 🙂 Happy traveling! Irene

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  25. Hey there, just stumbled over here redirected from a friends blog. Rather amusing writing you’ve got here along with some awe inspiring photos. Kudos and keep up the good work.

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  34. Hi Janaline, look forward to following your blog sure looks like a bundle of energy. I hope you find some interesting images over on my blog to remind you of our fascinating country.

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  35. Hi Janaline- What an exciting life of travel you have. Great blog. Thank you for following my photography blog and viewing my posts. I hope you are inspired. Will look forward to reading about your adventures!

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  36. Hi… sitting in Natal with not the best connection and saw that you are following me… Thank you.. I’ve not had a chance to look at your blog posts as yet but will do so when I get back to Pta… you life sounds wonderfully exciting and I will definitely be following you to see all your travels… Regards Rob

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  37. Hi Janaline, Thanks so very much for taking the time to look at our blog. Thanks for the very nice comment. Joey is in The Netherlands right now visiting with her mom. You have some very interesting images on yours. Thanks for following. Look forward to seeing new content on your blog

    Marks and Joey

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  38. Hi Janaline, you’ve got a very exciting blog going – there is nothing more exciting than having the opportunity to travel so extensively. Thanks for looking at my blog and deciding to follow 🙂 All the best, Mark

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  40. Thanks for the recent visit to/follow of my blog. It led me here and I’ve really enjoyed reading about (and looking at the images from) your travels. Great stuff!

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