The travel souvenirs of Bie Verheye
Going on vacation also means coming home with a suitcase full of memories. In travel souvenirs I visit travel enthusiasts in Belgium and abroad. We chat about their best travel memories and tangible souvenirs. In June I visited foodie, momboss and Japan lover Bie Verheye.
Bie Verheye is the leading lady behind healthy breakfast cereal brand La Favo. Together with her family she currently lives in the Antwerp district of Zurenborg, but a few years ago she was able to call Singapore ‘home’. Bie got bitten by the travel bug and exploring new places is her biggest drive and source of inspiration.
YOU’RE A REAL GLOBETROTTER. WHY DO YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL?
I love the unlimited quality time you get on a trip. At home there are always chores that have to be done, but on holiday you can fully relax. Traveling is also very inspiring. Discovering new places, food, cultures and smells. I ‘m not always well rested when I come back from a trip, but I’m always full of enthusiasm, energy and new ideas.
AND THE Least fun side of traveling the world?
Packing my suitcase remains a challenge. The motto ‘pack light’ is clearly not for me. Friends know that by now and they sometimes dare to laugh about it. Even for two nights at the seaside, I leave with full suitcases. You can imagine what it was like when we went to Australia for a longer period of time. (laughs) Every time we took a plane, our luggage was too heavy. That’s why, over time, I decided to leave some things behind.
what were your earliest travel memories?
When I was a kid we regularly traveled to the South of France. I only have great memories of that period. But when we grew up and became interested in the parties, our parents quickly came up with a new plan for the summer. That was the point where we started making long journeys with the family. The first time I went on holiday with friends was - very typical - in an all-inclusive hotel in Bodrum. Our only goal: chilling in the sun and having lots of fun. I especially remember going home with a serious hangover. (laughs)
WHAT WAS YOU MOST RECENT TRIP?
At the end of 2019, my family and I traveled to Australia for a couple of weeks. That trip felt like a dream. We flew to Sydney, where we recovered from the jet lag and planned the further course of the trip. Next we headed to Whitsundays and drove down the East Coast, took a domestic flight to Alice Springs and then headed south to the Great Ocean Road and its wineries. We ended our trip with my absolute favorite part: cruising with a camper along the West Coast. The coastline there is still very untouched. Sometimes have to drive for three hours in order to get to the next village. I love that!
Do you plan these journeys YOURSELF?
We always plan our trips ourselves. I love to do all the research and I often ask friends about their tips and tricks. I use Instagram as a source of inspiration for hotspots during city trips and must-sees in terms of nature. Although social media can also easily create the wrong impression about a place. A place may look nice in a picture, but you can’t feel how the atmosphere really is through the screen of your smartphone.
““The painting we bought in Myanmar is now passed on as a joke within the family. ”
WHAT’S THE funniest thing YOU’ve EVER EXPERIENCED during your travels?
My family and I are real professionals in getting ourselves into tourist traps. I’ll never forget about that time my family and I were in Baghan, Myanmar, where we would watch the sun set from one of the many temples. We were doubting about which temple would be the perfect place to watch the sunset when suddenly a boy walked up to us. He suggested to show us the place with the best very view and we agreed. When we arrived in his ‘secret spot’, it turned out there were about thirty other tourists already. (laughs) Afterwards the boy also brought us to his mother and we bought a painting there. The painting is now passed on as a joke within the family.
DO YOU COLLECT ANY OTHER SOUVENIRS?
I’ve always been a fan of souvenirs. For example, I have a booklet full of business cards, metro tickets and city plans from when we still lived in Singapore, our starting point for discovering Asia. Everywhere we go we also take a magnet with us. We make a game out of it to always choose the most colorful and kitschy one. (laughs) As for real souvenirs, we bought a children's book at Tate Modern in London after the birth of our daughter. The book is called ‘Here We Are’ and beautifully describes the essence of life. My most recent souvenir is a pareo from a tie die shop in Byron Bay. Furthermore, we mainly brought photos from Australia and since then I’ve been wearing a yellow wristband, made from the washing thread of our camper.
is there something you always take with you on your travels?
Our camera! We attach great importance to photos as a memory, so some time ago we bought a good camera.
Any NEW TRAVEL PLANS ON THE AGENDA?
Soon we’ll be headed to The Provence for a long weekend. Time to relax, catch up with friends and drink lots of wine. If the circumstances allow it, we will also be traveling to Spain this summer. And I dream of going back to Japan, I really lost my heart there. Canada and the west coast of the United States are also high on the wish list. Still so many things to see!
Follow Bie's travel and food adventures on Instagram.