Meet Andy Alcala of Explore With Finesse

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Alcala

Hi Andy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My desire to travel the world began while I was at Georgia State University. I participated in a study-abroad program in Trinidad & Tobago after my freshman year. It was an amazing experience and I needed to experience more! For the rest of my time in college, I spent 2 hours every weekend applying for scholarships and study-abroad programs. I ended up studying abroad in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Jordan for free! I also received enough scholarship money to travel around Central America, Ecuador, Jamaica, Egypt, and Turkey.
My college experience taught me that there is always a way to travel—you just need to be creative. I started to take advantage of every opportunity to travel and visit new places. After graduating college, I joined the Marine Corps, which allowed me to visit about a dozen different countries.
The biggest trip that I ever took occurred last year. I was finishing up my Ph.D. remotely, which allowed me to work from anywhere in the world. I started out traveling throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, Mexico, Central Europe, Central Asia, and Oceania, and finished in Southeast Asia. I spent about 10 months abroad last year. In total, I have visited 70 different countries.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
While traveling is usually an amazing experience, I have also had several negative experiences. Many people dream of traveling to places like Paris, Dubai, or Cancun. However, I would rather visit places that offer a more authentic experience. Many people are surprised to learn that I have visited Bolivia, Zimbabwe, and Tajikistan but not Spain or the UK. To me, those places are much more interesting. But there is also a greater safety risk in these countries.
I was spit on in Israel. I contracted dysentery in Madagascar. I’ve been robbed in multiple countries and have been threatened in even more. I have witnessed horrible atrocities and suffering by both children and adults. I’ve seen things that almost made me lose faith in humanity.
But I have also witnessed amazing acts of kindness. Some of the most gracious people I have ever met had almost nothing to their names. Some of the strongest people I have ever met were dealing with difficult circumstances. Despite all of the struggles that I have faced while traveling, the positive experiences make it worthwhile.

We’ve been impressed with Explore With Finesse, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I decided to document my adventures and travel advice in a travel blog called Explore With Finesse. Over the past two years, I have written over 125 blog posts about over 55 different countries. I created this travel blog as a way to give practical travel advice in the form of itineraries, advice for making the most of your trip, and tips for traveling on a budget.
Explore With Finesse is different from most travel blogs because of the range of countries that it covers. Some of my most popular blog posts are written about Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, Kenya, and Mauritius. I have several blog posts dedicated to trying the local foods in different countries, as well as essential phrases in endangered languages.
My main goal with Explore With Finesse is to inspire my readers to realize that they are capable of traveling to any destination that they have dreamed of. At the same time, I want to provide practical advice on saving money while traveling.

What’s next?
I plan to continue traveling to interesting places while documenting these travels on Explore With Finesse. Eventually, I want to host tour packages to different countries for my readers. I believe that the thought of planning the logistics of an international trip turns a lot of people off from traveling, so I want to take on that responsibility for them. But until that time, I will continue to write and develop my travel blog.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://explorewithfinesse.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explorewithfinesse
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/explorewithfinesse
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorewithfinesse
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/explorewithfinesse