Havana is an Instagrammer’s paradise.
First holiday memory? My first holiday memory has to be flying to Bristol to visit my mother, who was studying there. I was six, not sure how she did it, but she got my two sisters and me there… I remember being up in the sky and waiting to see God, but that guy stood me up. My trust issues started there. But my earliest local travel experience was going to the deep Eastern Cape with my family. There was livestock walking around, no TV, and the rolling hills of my people… the proud Xhosas.
Favourite place in South Africa? Hands down Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape, it is a place like no other, a dream destination with pure untouched beauty. I swam in crystal blue warm water, locals charged us only R8 a crayfish and they would catch and prepare them on the beach. Many South Africans travel more overseas than in their own country. Let’s change this.
Best holiday? The best holiday is every time I visit New York City (NYC), that city stole my heart 11 years ago. I believe no one should die before they feel NYC; I say “feel” because that city cannot just be seen or experienced, you need to feel it and soak it up. It’s the only place in the world that I am never ready to leave. It’s not just a city for me, it’s a lifestyle.
What have you learnt from your travels? I have learnt that respect, an open mind, a genuine smile, a credit card and a passport are the most needed things when you travel… no matter where you go they’re universal needs. Travel should be compulsory, the lessons I have learnt on my travels will stick with me till the day I die and I cannot wait to share my lessons/ experiences with my kids. I am blessed to get paid to travel the world.
Siv fits right in on the streets of Havana in Cuba. Relaxed and loving every minute of it!
Where has seduced you? Cuba seduced me in ways I can’t even tell you! I met her and I got down on one knee and I asked her to marry me! It was love at first sight. I suggest that everyone gets to Cuba fast, before the Americans mess it up, they let the Americans in and I am sure many things will change fast. Cuba looks like a 1959 movie; literally everything looks like the 1950s. My mind was blown! I will return soon.
Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie? I hate the beach, too much sand and sun and I don’t need a tan! I’m a culture vulture mixed with an adrenaline junkie... I will try almost anything when I travel. On Wingin’ It I go from flying in on a fighter jet at 850 kilometres per hour at 6.2 Gs and then I spend an afternoon with Romanian gypsies to learn about how they live… Balance is key.
Greatest travel luxury? Wi-fi! Wi-fi owns me these days… I would have to say my greatest travel luxury is being able to afford to do whatever I want to do overseas.
Holiday reading? My Twitter timeline is a page turner.
The macabre Island of the Dolls in Mexico City has Siv a little out of his comfort zone.
Worst travel experience? No such thing as a worst travel experience, a true traveller will take the best out of any experience, the worst travel experience is not travelling at all.
Best hotels? I hate hotels, I’m more of an Airbnb or backpackers type of guy. The thing I love about backpackers is that it forces you to meet and chat to people from all over the world. I usually arrive in a city with no plan and I meet people and I make up my mind from there. If I had to pick – Hilton Hotel, Seoul.
Ideal travelling companion? This crazy guy called Janez, who is my travel partner and co host of Wingin’ It. He is the perfect travelling companion; I am not saying that cause they pay me to travel with him. But we have an incredible time on someone else’s dime. Janez and I sometimes share a room for weeks and we spend 24 hours a day together… usually I would want to kill someone after that. But we gel well and that comes out on the show weekly and on my Instagram stories. But my true ideal travel companion is me, myself and I. I usually travel alone and I have learnt many things about myself after travelling with three people for six months. I’m an extroverted introvert and my phone is my best friend.
Janez and Siv prepare for the ultimate photograph at The Valley of the Moon in La Paz, Bolivia.
Favourite walk, swim, ride or drive? I wish I could travel with my motorbike all over the world; that’s what you call freedom! One of my bucket-list trips is to travel from North to South Vietnam on a motorbike. For the record, this black brother can swim! (Just saying).
Best meal abroad? Thai food is tops. I once spent three weeks in Thailand and every meal was Thai. I used to even add a fourth meal to my day.
Favourite city? Asking me for my favourite city is like asking Zuma for his favourite wife or corruption charge. But that’s an easy one for me, New York City without a doubt. I don’t like that place, I am in love with it. But it’s second to my Cape Town, the more I travel the more I see that Cape Town is a 12 out of 10.
Where to next? Nepal , Seoul , NYC and LA…