Blogger Talk: Megan Tasker

Megan quit her job back in the fall of 2012 to become a professional day dreamer (and travelling yogi). This past year she has travelled from Beijing (China) to Bergen (Norway) all by ground transportation, in addition to working her way through the Indian subcontinent, parts of Southeast Asia and Turkey. A true lover of travel, yoga, bikes and chocolate she shares her love for these things (amongst others) on her blog megantasker.com.

Travel. Yoga. Bikes & Chocolate, I knew I loved you the moment I read that. Is there anything else we should know about you?

Aw! So sweet. I would probably be quite happy if all I had was my passport, yoga mat, a bike and a stash of chocolate, but of course I thrive on much more than that. The best way to describe me is as an old soul who’s young at heart. I’m the one that will turn the music down in the car so I can hear the conversation better (lame, right?), or will choose ice cream over a pint of beer (who does that?). I thrive on puns, brunch and nature, and I love visiting grocery stores in different countries, being the passenger on a road trip, and believe there’s nothing more awesome than cooking a meal with friends (brand new or old). And of course chocolate makes all of the above even better.

When did you first start traveling?

My extended family is scattered throughout Canada so by the time I was 10 I had already road tripped across Canada twice, but aside from family visits travel really wasn’t in the household budget. So my first real (and solo) international trip was over 10 years ago when I was 22 and travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland between university terms to work (and of course travel). I spent all the money I earned, made many travel mistakes, made the best travel memories, and met one of my favourite people in the whole wide world, who I still keep in touch with. Pretty much it was love at first sight for travel and I.

When did you dedcide to blog?

Before my travel blog, I wrote a little blog about some of my online dating adventures for my friends, which was both soul crushing (for me) and hilarious (for my friends). So when I decided that online dating was more masochistic making than match making and travelling would be a bit more rewarding, it was a hop, skip and a jump from blogspot to wordpress and I continued my story telling ways. Although, I think my friends still prefer recounts of my dating blunders over my kerfuffles on the road, I’m enjoying the latter a whole lot more.

I've lived in Malaysia for three years now and I'm also curious to see how travelers view it. What do ya think?

It’s hot. And I mean H.O.T. Actually, I don’t think I have ever been so hot in my life – and I teach Bikram (hot) yoga. I literally couldn’t reapply sunblock on my face fast enough – it just washed away and got swallowed up by my ever-growing sweat patch. I had no choice but to bear the sun with my umbrella. Heat aside, I find when I visit countries back to back I can’t help but compare them to where I was and where I went, in this case I came from Nepal and headed to Indonesia. So for me, Malaysia was super clean, transportation was lush and well organized, the highways were glorious, coconuts were delicious and aplenty, and I felt super safe (despite constantly being told to hold on tight to my stuff by the cutest elderly folk in Malaysia).

Why is travel important for you and why do you think people should travel?

I was once told that the longest journey anyone needs to travel is the eighteen inches from their head to their heart. I genuinely believe travel is a gift and privilege, and for me, has been a reflection of the relationship I have with myself, the deeper I dig, the farther I go, the more I fall in love. So if travel makes your heart swoon it just makes that path to your heart a little brighter.