Catarina Leonardo, best known for Kate.wanderinglife, makes travel content a new way of life.
Discover the testimony of an adventurous and modern blogger, about the unique discoveries that Industrial Tourism provides, her and her daughter.
Catarina Leonardo is a former consultant who decided to embrace her dream of producing travel content, a new way of life.
Vtravels around the world 25 years, backpack on your back, no guide and zero plans, to alternative destinations and we met her after a ride on an old tuna fishing boat, along the Sesimbra Coast and which took it to Arrábida.
Since your daughter Maria was born, and just two months old, began to accompany her and her father, around the world, on many adventures. Together they have dived on the beaches of Thailand and the Maldives, Have you ever driven in Kruger?, in Poland, in Mozambique or Saudi Arabia and by bus in the Balkans or Senegal. Always independently.
After creating the travel blog Wandering life and having been one of the founders of Association of Portuguese Travel Bloggers, prepares to launch his first travel book. A collection of travel books for children was already missing!
to Interview
1 – Hello Catherine! To let us know a little about your work as a Blogger, What type of trips do you normally take?, main objectives and how the programs?
I travel with a backpack, with nothing marked and for somewhat “alternative” destinations, in family, with Ricardo and Maria. She is currently nine years old, but since he was two months old he has accompanied us around the world.
This way of traveling allows you to have all the freedom in the world, once I have the opportunity to arrive at a place and see if I like it and choose, you have a, two, three nights… or if, on the contrary, I feel like leaving straight away and exploring a new destination. You might want to stay longer to have lunch with people we met at the cafe, to go to a viewpoint again, repeat an experience that we enjoyed. There's a whole new world that's absolutely stunning when we arrive in a new location.. And of course you have to have time for unforeseen events., challenges and even small problems.
What fascinates and motivates me to travel, It's the richness I find in direct contact with cultures different from the one I usually live in.. I know and learn about various subjects and about myself.
2 – We already know that you include the Industrial Tourism modality in your trips, with your daughter. In a short summary, What is Industrial Tourism for you??
The spaces that make up the offer linked to Industrial Tourism are privileged in terms of know-how. And this is history, traditions, knowledge, culture, everything is often “mixed” in beautiful spaces. They are therefore privileged and original experiences.
3 – Approximately what percentage of visits do you make to live factories and workplaces?, compared to other types of tourist attractions, and why this choice?
The percentage depends a lot on the destinations I'm traveling to.. But inevitably, whenever there are spaces linked to industrial tourism, I try to learn about the activity and visit places linked to land production. These are the traditions of the people, and this is unmissable.
Wool Factory, Covilhã.
4 – How do you think Industrial Tourism enriches your trips, thinking especially about your daughter, in terms of education and cultural experiences?
From my perspective, observe closely, meet and talk to people who know how to do a certain task, is the best way to learn and value even. Of course we can read “everything” about a trade in a book, but it will never be the same. The heat emitted, I am, the rhythm, the entire space surroundings, the way it interconnects with other tasks, are unique elements. The “weight” of traditions in the way a task is performed.
I know she learns a lot from these experiences.
5 – Do you see any relationship between Industrial Tourism and Brands? If so, How do you think this relationship impacts your travel experiences?, and the way we start to look at the brands involved?
The relationship that each of us has with a brand depends on many factors. One of them, most likely the most important, in my opinion, is the possibility of contact with the manufacturing process of your products. Get to know you up close, we will touch, we feel the shapes of something just being manufactured, we observe all work activities, having the opportunity to talk to the performer are very relevant aspects for the existence of a rich and impactful experience. What makes it possible to create an emotional bond with the product and your brand.
I doubt that this involvement doesn't immediately create a connection to the brand and the place (geographical) where is he located.
6 – In your opinion, how Industrial Tourism can contribute to the promotion of local culture and the economic development of the communities visited?
Visiting old work sites or those that are still “alive” is getting to know the way a good part of the local community lives., think and what are their traditions. It's so much more than just the way something is done.
The way any person performs a given task is loaded with habits, of old stories, teachings from parents and grandparents who most likely already had the same profession.
Having the opportunity to visit these spaces is a wonderful way to get a feel for local culture., to connect to the earth, that we want to go back (or stay longer) and recommend a visit to our friends.
salt mine, Poland.
7 – Do you believe that industrial tourism can be an effective way to encourage environmental and social awareness among travelers? If so, How do you think this can be achieved??
I believe that more and more when someone travels, stroll, outside or inside Portugal, try to have immersive experiences, genuine and stimulating. In my opinion, “packages” with quick visits, in Group, where interaction with the local community is very limited or even non-existent, they will tend to disappear…
With the very evolution that we all know in the world, we are inevitably more aware of concepts such as responsible and regenerative tourism. And this can only be done with a deep connection to the community and a change in the way we approach arriving in a new place.. I think you can opt for accommodation explored by typical local places and restaurants and also try to get to know, to value, know how to do.
8 – What is your relationship with your followers?, when you visit these places? What type of feedback do you have??
My community is very interested in getting to know these places. I think that sometimes because I don't know the space and also because of the surprise in realizing the type of experiences that a visit can provide. Meeting new people and having access to other realities always generates a lot of interest.
CONTACTS
kate.wanderinglife
Traveling with family | No scripts | Alternative destinations
54 trips since 2 Maria's months
travel blogger |Jury @art.e.tur | Vice president @abvppt