We've been following along on @overpackedsuitcase adventures for a while now, and we were super excited when we got a chance to catch up with her.

@overpackedsuitcase gives us all the 'soulspiration' through her storytelling, creativity and lust-worthy photos. 

Now, you get a chance to get to know the girl behind one of Australia's most influential travel pages.

WHERE DO YOU CALL HOME?
Sydney, Australia.

 

FAVOURITE PLACE YOU'VE TRAVELLED?

Oooh, that’s a tough question! I have loved everywhere I have travelled to so far, but my top 5 picks would be:

  1. Greece – I have been lucky to visit many times as one of my best friends lives there and each time I have left Greece; I have left wanting to go back again. I don’t know what it is, but when I’m there I always feel like I’m at home.
  2. Singapore – the food is just next level. Despite being such a small country, there is always something to see and do there. Always leaves me wanting to go back again and see more.
  3. India – sooo vibrant, colourful and alive. I have been twice for two separate weddings, so I didn’t get the change to explore as much as I wanted. I did visit Rajasthan the first time for 3 days and oh my goodness I so want to go back and stay there for longer. The architecture and vibes there are something else.
  4. Hong Kong – vibrant, lively and the food there is insane. Totally surpassed all my expectations.
  5. So many European cities, and I know this will be a little cliché, but after my recent re-visit to Paris, I just fell in love with this city. Feel like I barely touched the surface of this amazing megapolis. It truly has something for everyone.

 WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START 'OVERPACKED SUITCASE'?

I have always loved travel and had a creative spark – painting was one of my favourite activities when I was little. My dream jobs as a kid were a vet, archaeologist, architect or lawyer. I’m working as a lawyer at the moment, so I guess one of them came true. 😊 As you can imagine, there isn’t much creativity involved in this line of work, so this is why I decided to start Overpacked Suitcase – to be my creative outlet.

WHAT'S ONE THING YOU CAN'T TRAVEL WITHOUT?

My camera! 😉

WHAT IS YOUR FAVE FORSOUL PIECE?

I love them all, but I cannot get enough of the Coliba. I have been living in that dress ever since the 2019 Christmas holidays.

 NEXT DESTINATION ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? 

Many European Destinations that I hope to visit this European 2020 summer – to name a few – Italy, Portugal and Spain, for now. However, my current ultimate bucket list destinations that I have been wanting to go to for years are Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and to go on a Safari in the Serengeti.

WHY DO YOU TRAVEL?

It fuels my soul and the best way I can explain it, it’s my HAPPY place.

WHAT MESSAGE/STORY ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT TELLING?

I want to inspire others to find their wanderlust. To spread feel good vibes, support others by sharing motivation and encouraging people to do good and be good. In a fast-paced world, I want to remind people to slow down and truly appreciate every moment, be that in their daily lives or while travelling.

One of my signature travel moves – to plan a jam-packed itinerary, but then spend so much time in just one of the locations/places, I sometimes end up not being able to do some of the other things on my list. Do I regret it, never! It’s always a good excuse to go back. And this is what I mean by slow travel, sometimes the beauty in visiting a place isn’t about seeing absolutely everything you can all in one go and taking hundreds of thousands of pictures. I find beauty in being able to truly take in the moment. Be more of a local, that way you are a traveller and not a tourist – you learn more about the place than just what meets the eye and often, that is so much more beautiful. This is how we can grow and become open minded.

I am also passionate about humanitarian and charity efforts, and sustainability. I came across a beautiful quote by Anne-Marie Bonneau (it’s one of those quotes to live by) and my motto in life is absolutely encapsulated by this quote, which goes “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”. In my words - life is all about being perfectly imperfect and with each passing day, we need try to do better and do what we can to make this planet a better place.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

In the content creator world, there are so many amazing and creative individuals! All you have to do is hit the explore tab and there is it so much INSPIRATION. I’ll give you my top 13 @saltyluxe @haylsa @irinahp @tezza @mariefeandjakesnow @jacob @taramilktea @samkolder @katie.one @your_passport @officiallyquigley @lisahomsy @mvandersluis random number, I know, but I just couldn’t narrow it down to 10. Each of these creative souls give me so much inspiration and motivation, especially as they all bring something different to the table.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR 'OVERPACKED SUITCASE'?

I have just revamped my website www.overpackedsuitcase.com and recently re-launched it. I have missed blogging and want to re-start writing and sharing blog posts regularly. I will share travel tips, lifestyle, fashion and also everyday thoughts in my “Journal” section.

 

March 04, 2020 — Sophia Aloui

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