Tinder Transport Wins

Cressentia (26), a fashion design graduate who is pursuing a career in the military, spoke to ZK7 about travel tips, what Taiwanese friends do with raw potatoes and dancing through life.

What does travelling mean to you?

That is a very philosophical question. Honestly travel to me is living.

Some people are just here existing but when you live, you experience life from everyone else’s point of view. So, travel for me is trying to experience everything from someone else’s point of view.

Seeing what they see. Feeling what they feel. Because then it makes me a part of the bigger picture, like a citizen of the world. I feel like I belong everywhere but nowhere at once.

How do you save money to travel?

I am not great when it comes to saving for travel. I won’t lie.

I just tell myself this is where I want to go, this is when I want to go, I look at it and I book it. Then I worry about the cost later. So if the flight ticket it £300 I am like okay, £300 that is fine. I have a job, I will pay for this right now and if it means I have to live basically for the next few weeks, that is cool.

What is the most amazing sight your eyes have ever seen?

I was on a super early morning flight taking off from Australia. When we fly through the clouds, you could see the sun rising, with the clouds pink and orange in colour. It was a beautiful moment.

Who would be your top 3 famous people to travel with?

1: Kevin Hart. Now if we ever go on a roller coaster ride, he will be screaming louder than me.

2: Sam Claflin, from the film ‘Me before you.’

3: Regina Hall, as she is really funny.

What are you most memorable trips?

Helsinki (Finland)

On placement year I lived with 2 girls, one from the Netherlands and another from Taiwan. The girl from Taiwan had never lived on her own before. One day, I found her boiling a potato and just eating it when it was still raw, with the skin on any everything. It had not been sliced and you could hear the crunch when she took a bite. She ate it like a slice of bread.

I asked her what she was doing and she said: ‘I thought this is how you eat potatoes. I have never seen anyone cook them before.’

Orlando (USA)

We were so far from anything and anyone, living in a gated community in Orlando. There were no trains, taxis or buses. Only way to get out, was to drive. But we didn’t drive.

So, my cousin and I decided to download Tinder and match with a load of guys. Some of these guys wanted to take me out on a date and I was like ‘yeah alright come pick me up.’ Then when they get to my house, I say ‘oh can my cousin come too.’ We met some cool people and it was so funny.

Tinder should sponsor my travels because I have used it so much to get to know new places and get free rides.

Madrid (Spain)

I went to visit a friend but it turned out they got a job somewhere else and they had to leave Madrid the week I was coming to visit, so I did not end up seeing them.

I met so many new people through the Couch surfing app, which features events and hangouts. One night we ended up getting drunk until 1AM at a piano bar, as you do. By the end of the night, we ended up breaking a door at Five Guys in the main square in central Madrid. We were trying to get in to order a burger, after they had shut.

The staff looked at us very confused as we were 2 English people trying to order a burger. They said, ‘we are closed and the door is locked, how did you open the door?’ And we were like ‘it is not 2AM yet, you should still be open!’ That was an interesting experience.

Madrid (Spain) 2

On another trip to Madrid, it was my last night, I had just said bye to my friend in the club and booked a taxi. When it arrived, I got in and gave the driver my address. The driver asked ‘where are you from’ and I said ‘the UK.’ He asked ‘have you been to this Spanish club,’ I said ‘no, I just need to go to my accommodation and pack.’

He says, ‘no no its okay, I will take you to this place and you can see it for 10 minutes and then we will leave’ and I said ‘yeah okay, that doesn’t seem dodgy.’

I am drunk at this point, he drives me to this club, pays for my entrance fee, pays for everything in the club, dances with me in this club for 3 hours. I had told him I was from the UK but the entire time he was convinced I was Cuban, he refused to accept I was British. He said I do not move like a British person.

‘You have the Cuban hips, you move like a Cuban’ and then I said ‘okay, I am Cuban.’

Then he tells the whole club I am Cuban and I have people speaking to me in Spanish, so I just smiled at people and said ‘hi.’

Then he dropped me off at my accommodation afterwards, refused to let me pay for my taxi fare and then came the next morning to pick me up and took me to the airport for free.

He never tried anything at all, he was just being nice.

Do you have any personal safety tips?

1: Know the local emergency service numbers

2: Always email all your personal travel documents to yourself and to someone you trust

3: Always be aware of your surrounding

4: Keep a small torch in your bag

5: Utilise all your pockets: Put your cash, phone and passport in different places

6: If you have data, turn your What’s App location on and check in a couple of times a day

What is your favourite musical experience?

I lived in Berlin for many months and met loads of women through a dedicated Facebook page for expats.

One evening, I wanted to go salsa dancing, so we all headed for this club. It was weird because it was like the back of someone’s garage and I was like where are you taking me. Then you go down the stairs and we arrived at club Havana, which was spread over 3 floors.

I started dancing with some Irish guy called Derek. He spun me around 10x like a tornado.

I remember people in the club just looking at me thinking OMG. My friends were cheering and encouraging us do it again. It was so amazing! Then a few moments after another guy walked into the club and just sat next to me. I did not know his name.

He looked at me and I looked at him and he asked, ‘would you like to dance’ and I was like ‘yeah.’ I did not know what to expect. Turns out he was a professional dancer. I felt like a princess when he danced with me. He was honestly so gentle. When my feet left the ground, I felt like I was floating and my friends said it looked like something from a fairy tale. It was incredible! I have never felt like that when dancing with anyone else.

If you could live abroad for the rest of your life for free where would it be?

I love Madrid but do not know if I would live there permanently. I would say Nice, France. Actually, lets go with Monaco, especially if I get to live for free.

What is the best accommodation you have stayed in?

The best one I have ever been to Radisson Blue, St Julian Bay in Malta. It is literally by the seaside and it is so beautiful. They had tennis courts, good food in the restaurants and everything was just amazing.

What do you want to be known for?

That is a very deep question, that requires 5 minutes of thinking.

Kindness and treating everyone the way I would like to be treated myself.

Can you describe the last holiday photo in your phone?

My friends and I went on the Staten Island ferry to the Statue of Liberty in New York.

One of my friends decided to order some chicken. So we are sat on this ferry and she is eating her chicken and the seagulls were swooping in. She refused to eat all of her chicken at once, so would eat a little bit and then put the rest back in her bag, whilst all the seagulls continually swooped.

So then literally the entire ferry stood up and walked to one side because they were like we cannot be attacked by birds.

In the photo everyone looks afraid and annoyed, whilst my friend is just sat their eating her chicken. Honestly, I will never forget that day. It was terrifying and so funny, I just wish there was a video.