Fab Traveler: Tricia Abella

It’s time for another Fab Travelers feature and this time, I would like you to meet Tricia Abella. I met Tricia through a common friend, B., and I’m so glad I did because meeting her through this feature and getting to know her more through her blog, The Cubicle Renegade, have really made her one of my traveler inspirations.

She’s currently a project manager in a technology company.  Prior to that, she got her master’s degree in Europe from 2009 to 2011 and was part of an international program, so she was lucky to have lived in  different cities for each semester: Madrid in Spain, Como in Italy, and Stockholm in Sweden. This girl has been almost everywhere —Asia, Europe, North America, Africa—and in those not-so common travel destinations too (like the Sahara and the North Pole!).

List the countries where you’ve traveled. 

Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, China (mainland, HK and Macau), India, United States, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Russia, United Kingdom, Morocco, Lichtenstein, Monaco 

Which is your favorite country/city and why.

I don’t have a favorite country, but I do have a favorite city – Berlin. I remember arriving in the city early in the morning and it looked really boring. By night, however, I was in love.  The city just grows on you. It has an interesting past, the locals are great, sausages are comfort food, the night life is hip and young, and yeah, beer is cheap.  I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t like Berlin.

Tricia at the Berlin Wall

Tricia biking towards the Reichstag in Berlin

Name one country still in your must-visit list.

I was supposed to go to Egypt last year but then the revolution happened. So it remains on my must-visit list.

Batanes and El Nido are on my bucket list. I still don’t see it happening this year though. 

Would you be surprised if I say Boracay? Boracay in mid-January is perfect. No crowds, no lumot. Just the sun and the powdery white sand.

A picture of Boracay from Tricia’s travels

The amazing Boracay sunset

Best restaurant/food discovery in your travels.  

San Sebastian in Spain’s Basque region is a gastronomic destination. I hopped from one bar to another to try pintxos or gourmet tapas. Yum!!

Give one packing tip that you swear by. And a beauty tip for travelers.

I am a light traveler, so for most of my trips, I only bring what I can carry. Literally. When I need to fit more into my luggage, I roll my clothes, use those smart packing solutions, or vacuum pack them (whenever I move to a different location). My friends are actually amused with my packing skills. I’m more amused when they show up with their closets at the airport. Haha.

My face has been “burned” by the wind and cold many times.  So my advice to those going to cold and dry places – apply moisturizer generously!

What are your absolute essentials whenever you travel?

Camera, phone, ipod, chargers and universal adapter. Everything else can be bought/found at the destination.

Favorite luggage/ handcarry bag.

Anything with 4 wheels and lightweight works for me. But when I was a student in Europe, I traveled extensively with a Deuter backpack. It was really convenient because not all train stations and hostels/hotels have elevators.

 Favorite outfit/thing to wear when traveling.

    Comfortable shoes!!!  I cringe at the sight of big red angry blisters.

Traveling with girlfriends, traveling with a boyfriend, or traveling solo.  Which is your favorite?

It’s a toss up between the first two. However, I’ve traveled much more with my boyfriend than with my girlfriends. Traveling solo is something I’m not cut out for. At least that’s what I think.

Tricia traveling with friends in Beijing

What’s your best purchase (bargain or otherwise) in your travels? 

A 5 EUR round trip plane ticket from Madrid to Palma de Mallorca is the best bargain yet. The best purchase would be a 50%OFF TNF down jacket from a random shop in Sofia (Bulgaria). It saved me from freezing to death in Scandinavia and the North Pole.

Tricia’s TNF jacket in action in Oslo

From Madrid to Palma de Mallorca in Spain for only a 5-euro plane ticket!

Share with us favorite pictures that you yourself photographed while traveling.

Tricia’s shot of Plaza Espana in Sevilla, Spain

Neuschwanstein Castle in Hohenschwangau, Germany

Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakech, Morocco

The State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia

Alhambra, Granada in Spain

Share with us favorite pictures of yourself in your travels.

Tricia with her camel, en route to the Sahara Desert

In a real labyrinth in Vienna, Austria

This is such a cool pic! Tricia posing with Russian guards at the Red Square in Moscow

Tricia with the locals in Jaipur, India

The best travel advice that you’ve ever received.

   Don’t hesitate to spend on experience.

Tricia climbing the Great Wall of China

What’s your travel philosophy?

There are two major constraints in traveling – time and money. The latter is easier to address than the former.