Travel Shaper Nathan Aguilera – Mexico – FoodieFlashpacker.com
Nathan and I met in Manila during TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) Asia 2016. We went around checking some craft beers and wines. Me, beers. Him, beers and wines. During one visit to a restaurant, I discovered he not only loves food; he writes about it and reviews it too. As a person, he oozes warmth and joy. His blog – Foodie Flashpacker – is drool-worthy given his outstanding knack for menuese. Read on to know travel shaper Nathan Aguilera, in his own words.
Who is Nathan Aguilera?
My name is Nathan Aguilera, the creator of Foodie Flashpacker, a food-focused travel blog.
Currently based in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, I’m a dual citizen (American and Mexican) obsessed with all things food, wine, scuba diving and craft beer (My belief: IPA’s > all other beers).
I’ve been travelling full time for over seven years now and have been working and travelling for over 5 years.
During that time, I’ve visited over sixty countries across five continents.
I turned travel into my career about two years into my trip when I realized I needed to make money if I wanted to continue my travel lifestyle. I started my blog and doing freelance travel writing but over the years my focus has become my site and I do very little travel writing work now, only taking the occasional assignment.
What interests Nathan in his travels?
I focus on food travel – the best local dishes when you visit a destination and where to find these dishes.
Food has always been my passion, so when I was told that I should find a niche in travel blogging to write about, I knew it would be food.
I believe food is a great way to get to know a destination. When you learn about what the people are eating, you’re learning about their culture and traditions.
Nathan on his favourite destinations
Wow, I have so many.
For beaches, I love Indonesia and the Philippines.
I love Vietnam, Mexico, and Italy, for food.
For nature, Iceland, or the Azore Islands of Portugal.
If you’re looking for all of those things in one destination, I would say Mexico or Thailand. Both have amazing food, impressive nature and stunning beaches.
His experience with locals during his travels
Some of my favourite interactions are random small moments of kindness that I experienced with locals. The local family on the train in India that shared their food with me, the lady at the pharmacy in Thailand that helped patch me up when I busted my knee open and countless people that have helped when I’ve been lost, something that happens often!
These small moments remind you that most people around the world are nice and kind.
Nathan’s bucket list
I most want to sleep in a glass igloo under the Northern Lights in Finland, eat my way across Japan and S Korea, go vineyard hopping in S Africa and cage dive with the great white sharks in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico!
His recent trip
I just came back from a trip to Guanajuato, Mexico with a group of good friends.
We rented a huge Airbnb and had a private mezcal tasting one night and another night we had a private chef come in and prepare a 5-course tasting menu.
It was a farewell for some friends that were headed back to the states so it was a great way to say goodbye.
His travel plans and Covid-19
My travel plans are starting again after more than a year of not leaving Mexico much, other than a trip back home to the US once or twice.
I did a lot of local travel around Mexico during the pandemic but I cancelled many other trips, including my usual summer in Europe, two trips to Guatemala, a conference in Italy and some work trips in the U.S.
I have a couple more trips planned around Mexico including a visit to a wine region here before heading home to the States to get my vaccine, before going to Jamaica for my sister’s birthday, and then on to Europe for several months, starting in Bulgaria!
There’s also a chance I may move to Spain rather than coming back to Mexico, but that’s still up in the air, as I’m working out the details.
His word of advice to aspiring travel influencers
If you’re going to make it your business, you need to treat it like a business. Go in with a solid plan and strategy and have marked goals in place that you’re working towards.
In the beginning, it was more of a hobby for me and I watched people that have been blogging for less time than me shoot past me in terms of money and success.
It wasn’t until I started taking my business more seriously that I saw the results I was looking for.
