Meet the Nomads – Bret Love of Green Global Travel

Green Global Travel is one of the few websites that writes about eco-tourism and promotes heavily environmental conservations. Bret Love is one of the authors behind this blog and he passionately shares with his readers his stories about the places that he’s been to.

Bret, Mary and their team also writes about various travel interests such as wildlife (which is also becoming one of my top interests recently), health advices, travel tips and eco and cultural news tidbits.

Get to know more about Bret and visit him at Green Global Travel.

Check out my short interview with Bret.

How did you discover your passion for travelling?

“I think I’ve always had a curiosity and thirst for exploration, ever since I was a little kid. But, as far as the sort of adventurous eco-tourism Green Global Travel specializes in now, it was the 2 weeks I spent in South Africa back in 2000 that spurred my interest. From going on safari in Kruger National Park and exploring the Drakensburg mountains to touring the slums of Durban and staying in a Zulu village, it really opened my eyes to what travel could/should be. Once I met Mary and we started traveling together, that passion kicked into overdrive and Green Global Travel was born.”

What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?

“Our travel experiences are generally pretty great. The only bad one I can think of was a road trip to Sanibel Island, where I got a flat tire, my daughter threw up in the car 3 times, I got bitten by fire ants while cleaning it up, then I got pulled over for speeding trying to make up time. But still, I spent a week on a gorgeous tropical island, so how can I complain?”

What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?

“See the South Africa trip mentioned above. It changed my life. Our Galapagos Islands and Peruvian Amazon trips were pretty amazing as well, with excellent wildlife encounters, incredible scenic vistas and some of the coolest people we’ve ever had the chance to meet.”

What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?

“That this world is full of beautiful, unspoiled travel destinations truly deserving of our protection and conservation. I have a 10-year-old daughter, and I want to make sure that all the endangered species I’ve been fortunate enough to see in their natural habitats are still around when her generation gets to be my age. We believe Ecotourism is the key to that. More than anything, that was our inspiration for starting Green Global Travel.”

What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?

“I feel it’s my responsibility to use my platform as a writer to try to make the world a better place. There are a lot of people in the world who would kill for the opportunity to do what we do and get paid for it, so we owe it to our readers and to ourselves to squeeze every last drop of experience out of every travel opportunity we get. We are very blessed, and very thankful.”

This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?

“This is a tough one, because I launched my career as a celebrity interviewer and have met thousands in my lifetime. If he was still alive, I’d say Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. I had the pleasure of interviewing him and his wife Terri before he died, and we really hit it off due to our common interests in wildlife conservation. I’m pretty sure we’d have had a blast. Alternatively, I’ll say Matt Damon, because he’s super-passionate about making the world a better place, but he’s also an extremely funny guy. Humor goes a long way when you’re traveling.”

Where’s your favourite place in this planet and why?

“Sanibel Island, Florida is our home away from home. It’s very quiet and unspoiled, with 1/3 of the island set aside for the Ding Darling National Wildlife Reserve. In a given day on the island, you’ll see dolphins, alligators, raccoons, shore birds and osprey, and the white sand beaches are lined more seashells than you’ll find just about anywhere else in the world. We’ve been there nearly 15 times, and hope to live there someday.”

What’s your best tip for newbie traveller?

“Get out of your hotel/resort and explore! We met a family in the Dominican Republic that had been there 3-4 years in a row, but had never stepped foot off the property because they were afraid of who knows what. It’s one thing if you’re in certain parts of the Middle East, where there is a history of crimes against westerners. But this was the sleepy little beach town of Cabarete, with great food and people and culture all around. I felt sorry for them.”

What’s the funniest and silliest thing you’ve ever done while travelling?

“I have no idea how to answer this. I’m basically an idiot– an overgrown 12-year-old in a man’s body– so I do crazy stuff all the time. You might have to ask Mary about this one…”

What do you think about yourself?

“I guess I’m pretty intense– extremely passionate about what I do and uncompromising to a certain degree. I tend to drive myself harder than most people would be willing to in my attempts to get a good story/photo/video, and sometimes I overdo it and regret it the next day (like the time I got heat stroke in the Amazon after fishing for piranha). But Green Global Travel is more about the world’s people, places, wildlife and cultures than it is about me, and everything I do is in service of our mission to help save the world, one story at a time. So, in that sense, I suppose I’m an OK guy. ”

“Global Travel is a web–based magazine devoted to ecotourism, nature/wildlife conservation & sustainable living. We cover everything from eco-friendly travel destinations and environmental news to interviews (Jane Goodall, Anthony Bourdain, Al Gore, Ted Turner) and “Go Green” tips.” – Bret Love

Editor’s Note: All pics are provided by Bret

Next: Nicole Wetzelberger of 2Nomads1Narrative.com. Previously: Mariellen Ward of Breathe Dream Go. For more interviews with travel bloggers, check out the archives of Meet the Nomads.