Julia Dimon is a television show host and travel expert who has traveled to all seven continents. She’s willing to try just about anything when it comes to food and travel. Read more in this Featured Traveler profile to find out why Tanzania is her favorite country and where she ate dinner on a toilet!
Name: Julia Dimon
Tell us a little about yourself:
I’m a TV show host and adventure travel journalist who’s been around the world many times, to over 80 countries across all seven continents. I’m the co-host of Word Travels, a 40-episode TV series about the real lives of travel writers, broadcast worldwide on National Geographic Adventure and Travel Channel UK. I’m also the co-host of active adventure lifestyle show called Outside Today, on Outside Television Network. I’ve been featured as a travel expert by ABC Nightline, NBC, E! News, AOL Travel, Forbes Traveler, MSNBC, Outside’s Go Magazine, Budget Travel, Chicago Tribune, etc. I’m a regular keynote speaker for the NY Times Travel Show, the Boston Globe Travel Show, The Chicago Tribune Travel & Adventure Show and the Washington, DC Travel & Adventure Show. I’ve worked with American Express and Kayak.com as their ‘travel expert and spokesperson.’ I’m not afraid to break a nail or get my hands dirty. From the depths of the Great Barrier Reef to the top of Machu Picchu, I’ve hiked with silverback gorillas in Uganda, snorkeled with whale sharks in Mozambique, climbed The Great Wall of China, dog-sledded in Greenland, camel trekked in Jordan, slept with lions in the Serengeti, lived as a Buddhist monk in Korea, fought like a gladiator in Rome, survived a survival course in the jungles of Belize, wrestled with indigenous Cholitas in Bolivia, toured genocide memorials in Rwanda, made lip-plates with the Mursi women of Southern Ethiopia, spent a night of “torture” in a Latvian prison and snacked on local delicacies such as silk worm, goat brain, six-inch scorpions, snake blood and severed human toe. Check out the video of my experiences at: http://www.traveljunkiejulia.com/video-press/
Favorite city you’ve been to:
Tanzania, in East Africa, is one of my favorite countries to visit. Amazing animal viewing in the Serengeti, challenging treks in Kilimanjaro, gorgeous beaches and Swahili/Arabic culture in Zanzibar, friendly people and a good tourist infrastructure. Beautiful country!!
Favorite restaurant:
A fun restaurant to visit is the Modern Toilet restaurant, a kitschy café in the heart of Taipei’s Shilin district that is entirely toilet themed. Guests sit on toilets and eat over mini urinal-like plates. Check out my experience eating there: http://www.traveljunkiejulia.com/toilet-restaurant-in-taiwan/
Best place to have fun:
Rotorua, New Zealand is a capital of adrenaline activities. Bungee jumping, zorbing, white water rafting, ATV-ing…pretty much anything wild and fun can be done in this city.
Best trip you’ve ever taken:
As part of my yearlong journey around the world, I backpacked through South and East Africa: Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, etc. Amazing countryside, life-changing experiences and seeing a side to the continent that’s different from the terrible headlines we often read about in the news.
What one piece of advice do you have for travelers?
Just do it! Don’t let fear stop you from having an incredible adventure. I’d like to share a quote with you that inspired me to travel in the first place… “Why tell your grandkids you worked 9-5, five days a week for 40 years and quietly sat in traffic jams while people went to war, suffered disease and shot their own classmates? Tell them you refused to live in fear. Tell them you crossed the Amazon, saw the Lost Cities of Gold and met your soul mate in Casablanca. Travel to the ends of the earth. Go now and live adventures that will make your grandkids proud.”
Where else can we find you on the web?
Check out my photos, adventures and travel tips at my website www.traveljunkiejulia.com or follow me on Twitter @juliadimon.
