Interview with Runaway Juno

Tell us about yourself. Who are you? Where are you from? What is your favourite animal?
I’m Juno Kim, ex-Mechanical Engineer and now a perpetual backpacker. A firm believer of serendipity, and living by passion and love in life.

I travel with the Kiwi brothers (stuffed animals), maybe you have seen them occasionally on Runaway Juno? But I’ve never hung out with actual Kiwi birds though. Llamas, baby goats and turtles are recently registered on “Juno’s favourite animals” list.

How long have you been travelling for? Where have you been?
My passion for astronomy led me to wander around the country side of Korea during my high school years, and my very first backpacking trip in 2004 which opened me up to the world of backpacking. Mentally, I’ve never stopped travelling since then. Currently I’m now in the third month of travelling in the US.

You do most of your travel solo, correct?  What is the best way to stay sane as a solo traveller?
Yes, I've done lots of solo travelling. Knowing how to entertain yourself, is the key quality as a solo traveller. Travelling changed my life in a lot of ways, but most importantly it leads me to know myself better. Once you get to know yourself better, it’s getting easier to entertain yourself because you know exactly what you do like or what you don’t like. I usually entertain myself with photography, music and hanging out with wildlife.

Is being a solo female traveller a challenge?  What advice can you give other solo female travellers?
It is challenging. In some level we all refuse to admit, but that is the reality: travelling as a single woman is actually challenging. It’s nothing to do with an individual’s strength. No. It’s just sometimes, the way the world is, sadly.

My advice is to just be yourself. And that’s what I’ve done: taken my own advice. The moment you’ve decided to travel as a solo female, you have already proven that you are brave and strong. So, just be yourself, be natural, and believe yourself. Give yourself a chance. The world is actually quite a great place to be out there. That’s why we all travel, right?

What country has been your favourite to travel so far? Why?
I would say New Zealand. There’s just something about New Zealand that I fell in love with. I’ve been there twice, but I want to go back again.

Recently, I re-discovered the value of Asian cultures more. Not only Korea, but also South East Asia and East Asia—all with fascinating and extremely long and complex histories. How they’ve affected each other throughout history, and how they continue to relate to one another is very interesting to discover. I would love to see more about that in the future.

One of the greatest things about travel is the variety of food.  What is your favourite food destination?
Definitely South East Asia. There are many countries in this region, and they all have different styles of food. It’s hard to not eat too much. Some dishes use extremely strong spices or are very different, like fried crickets, but generally, food in South East Asia is pretty amazing.

While enjoying that great food, I still miss good quality cheese, wine and beer when I travel throughout Asia. New Zealand was one of the most perfect places for these delicacies. The United States is also helping to please my taste buds with great cheese, wine and beer.

What is one place that you're just dying to get to?
The places that I haven’t been. I don’t keep track of a bucket list, because the list is getting longer and longer. You know how it is. My only hope is to be able to make my way to all these places on the list.

Antarctica, Madagascar and Egypt have popped up in my head now.

What makes travel so rewarding for you?
Travelling allows me to create my own little world. I’m the star of the story; I find my own quest and clear it. But at the same time, it teaches me how to live around people. Things that we pick up from various parts of our travels, are those which we are not able to learn while sitting at home. I’m proud of myself for breaking out the shell and growing big in the wild world.

What's your biggest tip for staying healthy while travelling?
Not overdoing it. Stay focused on yourself.

We have to remember that everyone has a different limit for different things. Just like not everyone can run fast. Carefully evaluate yourself before doing things, and then you will be fine.

This is your chance to brag.  Where's next for you?
Yes, I’m officially a career breaker. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. Not just because I worried about my career, it was because of Korean culture. There is no word for ‘career break’ in the Korean language. Yes, that means no one does it where I’m from. Western society encourages you to be unique, but many Asian cultures force you to be normal. There is no room for individuality. But the world was calling me. I couldn’t resist.

I’m happy to get the title, career breaker, and I’m planning to continue walking on my own path.

Sadly, my trip in the United States ends in a month. It was short, but it gave me a chance to think about myself, and to be around really amazing people.

My next expedition is waiting for me in a couple of months. It will be challenging. I have to go through the rough period all over again. But in the end, it is my life. Continue tuning in for my next journey.

About the author: Juno Kim, ex-Mechanical Engineer and a perpetual backpacker. A firm believer of serendipity,  astronomy enthusiaster, living by passion and love in life, and calling myself as a photographer and a travel writer. Creating my own little world around Runaway Juno. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Youtube.

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