Getting to Know You #7: Roni Weiss

I’ve met a lot of interesting people on the Internet the last couple years. Before then, if anyone had told me that I would “get to know” so many people through blogging and social media, I wouldn’t have believed it. One thing that has pleasantly surprised me is how easy it is to connect with smart, open-minded, creative, and unique people. One such person is Roni Weiss, whom I couldn’t help but notice on Twitter, first because of his honesty and wry sense of humor, and later because of his work in Senegal. I was curious to learn more about this guy that seems to have been all over and does a bit of everything.

You can find him on his blog and Twitter (@roniweiss). Let’s get to the interview:

In Pucon, Chile

1. Tell us about your site and how you started blogging.

I’ve had a website since 1999. My blog in its current form started 10 years after that. The gist is that I was living in Santiago, Chile, teaching business English. My days weren’t full and I was getting over a breakup, so I started blogging and podcasting. And haven’t stopped.

As for my blog itself, it’s mostly travel and politics, with some other internet and movie reviews and an increasing amount of social media posts/advice.

2. You seem to wear a lot of hats, including social media consultant.  What are some of the things that you do?

*Blog: http://roniweiss.com
*I help run Travel Talk on Twitter: http://facebook.com/TravelTalkOnTwitter
*I’m a co-producer and co-panelist on Don’t Worry About The Government, a weekly political podcast: http://dontworry.tv
*I just started Been to Africa, a project that aims to bridge the gap between the perception and reality of life and travel in Africa: http://beentoafrica.com
*Roni On Location, my travel web series on YouTube and now Vimeo.

And I don’t get paid for any of that. (Yet? Am I supposed to say ‘yet’?)

For work, I am a content creator and social media consultant. The bulk of my content creation is for my boss in France. I make English language teaching material for speakUP. I’ve also created content for Africa Travel Association (ATA) and Triptrotting and have covered events in Los Angeles. The social media consulting is something I enjoy doing and am hoping to do more of. So far, I’ve worked with ATA to increase their social media as well as some individual clients.

Riga, Latvia

3. It seems like you have traveled all over.  Can you give us a summary of your travels?

*70+ countries
*Every continent except Antarctica
*Every country in Europe
*First solo backpacking trip: 2 months in 2004, Western and Central Europe
*Have taught English in Italy, France, Taiwan and Chile

4. Recently you spent some time in Senegal.  What was the purpose of your trip, and what did you learn from it?

I was working with Africa Travel Association at their World Congress in Dakar. I ran their Twitter feed and created videos and a few blog posts for them.

One of the things that was frequently mentioned at the Congress was the perception problem regarding Africa. I figured that I would do what I can by creating the Been to Africa project.

Dakar, Senegal

5. Tell us about a favorite trip or favorite travel experience.

I always say that Lebanon is the country that changed my perception the most. I hung out with a lot of people who worked for NGOs that got money from outside sources. It was interesting how they had just wished that everyone would leave Lebanon alone and let them forge their own path. It made me realize just how much trying to help can create a backlash. And the Lebanese were wonderful to me. I had a great time and got to see a lot of the country.

Beirut

Seoul

6. What place really surprised you and why?

As I mentioned in my Minute Tour post, I was extremely surprised at my reversed reaction to South Korea and Japan. I thought Japan would be this technological wonder that I would love and that I’d hate South Korea. I heard all these horror stories about the xenophobia of the Koreans. I heard a similar story a couple times about people walking in Korea who had someone walk across the street to spit on them. It made me pretty nervous about the trip.

I ended up really liking Korea. I had nothing but good experiences with the locals and thought the DMZ was a fascinating, irreplicable place.

The DMZ

7. I have a lot of students from Moldova, so I was interested to read recently that it is one of the least happy countries in the world.  Based on your experience there, would you agree with that?

I am not surprised that Moldova is on that list. I wouldn’t say it was based on my experience, per se, but I don’t like Romania and found a lot of miserable people there and Moldova is closely linked to Romania.

Chisinau, Moldova

8. I am an optimistic person with a world view based on love and understanding, and I believe that through travel, we can become better citizens of the earth.  What is one way that you can make a positive difference in the world while traveling?

I think that as a traveler, you become an ambassador, whether you want to or not. I gave a talk about teaching English abroad and I ended my speech on my soapbox, saying that you have to remember that whether you want to or not, you’re quite possibly the only person that these people will meet from your country/city. The impression you make could make them want to visit, study or live in your home country someday. It’s an awesome responsibility.

9. How do your travel choices reflect who you are as a person?

I was diagnosed as ADD as a kid. At one point, I thought I had outgrown it. After a little bit of analysis, I realized that my whole life has been structured to be totally ADD. I go from place-to-place fairly quickly, meeting new people, seeing new things and always having new stimulation.

Meeting Kelsey Freeman (of Drifting Focus) at a tweetup in DC

10. You seem to be quite a fan of Twitter.  How can it be useful for travelers, bloggers, or others?

I love Twitter (which is a funny thing to say, because I just tweeted that I wouldn’t say that I love Twitter, and now I’m saying exactly that). But really, I don’t love *Twitter*, I love the connections I can make through Twitter, which may sound like hedging, but it’s really not. Twitter, Facebook and social media in general are tools. We meet people all the time in our ‘normal’ lives. Social media allows us to connect with people we might not have any chance to connect to otherwise. People that could become integral to our lives. I know that it’s happened to me.