Meet Polyglot Petra: Inspiring Travel Through Connection and Culture

Discover how Polyglot Petra transitioned from Hollywood to travel blogging, sharing hidden gems, cultural insights, and tips for immersive travel. Learn about her deep connections to Thailand and South Korea and how language shapes meaningful travel experiences.

Liv Coning

Marketing Lead

Meet Polyglot Petra: Inspiring Travel Through Connection and Culture

Dec 02 2024

Meet Petra, a globetrotting polyglot sharing authentic travel experiences.

In this interview, Petra shares her journey from Hollywood to travel blogging, her deep connections with Thailand and South Korea, and offers insights into discovering hidden gems and meaningful cultural experiences around the world.

Can you tell us about your brand, "Polyglot Petra,” and the story behind it? What inspired you to start a travel blog?

The idea of a travel blog as a career was never in the picture for me until I found myself with my back against the wall towards the end of my career in Hollywood. Along with the turmoil that came with the recent strikes, I was overworked, underpaid, and on the edge of clinical depression. So, for the first time in my life, I had to ask myself, “If my dream career could not be in film, what else did I like? What *could* I do?” The blog actually came to life thanks to that desperation.

But now that I’ve moved past the reason that “forced” me to write a blog, I’m able to wake up and write of my own accord every day to inspire “connection.”

The word to me carries a lot of weight. It’s not just about the connections we make to move our career forward or the connection we have to our friends and families. Those are important. But it goes much deeper because when you think about it, we’re all interconnected through something much more than a few shared meals and phone calls.

How is it that people in Mexico and Egypt ended up building cities of pyramids with the exact same arrangements with no trace of historical contact? How is it that both Thais and Brazilians, 20 hours apart by plane, from decades ago, saw sugar cane and both thought “Hey, we could juice this thing and just drink it cold on the streets.”

That connection in our world exists in the air. It has been binding us for millennia.

Then there’s humanity’s connection to our past, present, and future. If we lose connection to our past, we begin to move in the same direction and commit the same mistakes. If we lose connection to our present, we become unhappy and detached. If we lose connection to our future, we lose sight of our purpose. Literally everything is interconnected on this planet. And to me, travel is a fantastic tool to bring that to the forefront.

When you travel in a certain way, you reconnect with yourself and your own past. You also connect with another culture, another slab of our human history, and people who have lived another version of that history. It puts everything into perspective in ways that you can’t get from just reading books.

Your journey from Hollywood to blogging is incredibly inspiring. How did your film background influence how you approach storytelling in your travel guides?

Thank you so much! I think it comes through in my photos and videos more than anything. Being grilled by professors on my photo compositions, lens sizes, and camera movements since I was 18, the use of leading lines and perspective has become almost second nature to me.

I also notice I sometimes drift from informative to visual descriptions when I’m writing. Or sometimes I’d start a paragraph with phrases like, “Imagine this... You’re strolling along a sandy path. Around you are the warm reds and golds of fall foliage. You can hear the sand breaking under your shoes.”

It’s a bit dramatic. But if it can get one person to visit a place I recommend, then I’m okay with it!

You describe Thailand and South Korea as your homes and share deep cultural insights about both. What are travelers' biggest misconceptions about these destinations, and how do you help them see the authentic side?

I’ve been seeing a lot of my friends and fellow creators visit Thailand for its culture, its food, and its beaches down south, which is great. Some people prefer to visit temples in the north, some people prefer to lounge in beach clubs in Phuket all day. I have no problem with either style.

The two notes I’ll leave are:

1) Do not go to Pattaya or Patong. They are not accurate representations of our culture. They never were, and even less so now that we’re progressing into 2025.

2) Do not ride elephants. Their spines are curved up into a little hill. Putting a saddle on, plus the human weight, puts them in unimaginable pain and badly damages their spines. The elephants at these riding parks are almost always tortured into agreement. Do thorough research on ethical sanctuaries that rescue tortured elephants and spend your money taking care of them instead.

As for South Korea, people associate it a lot with K-Dramas and city life, which is fair. But the Korean countryside is SO BEAUTIFUL and not talked about enough. Smaller towns like Pocheon and Jeonju are worth visiting (still waiting for a chance to go to Jeonju myself!), and the East Coast is also worth visiting. So, give the countryside a chance. You won’t regret it.

Language plays a significant role in your travel experiences and content. How do you recommend travelers use language learning as a tool to connect more deeply with the local culture?

No one is obligated to go as far as I do with this one (lol), but it actually doesn’t take much effort to gain some insight into the minds of the locals you interact with.

Even if you learn nothing else but “hello” and “goodbye,” you’ll find that each culture says them with completely different words. And those meanings govern how they interact with the world.

For example, in Mexico, people don’t say goodbye, they always say “See you later” even though they may never see that person again. Isn’t that cozy? In Korean, if you realize that their “goodbye” means “go well,” “go peacefully,” or “stay peacefully” depending on whether you’re the one staying or leaving, Korean culture is suddenly not just Korean culture to you. Now, it’s a culture of strict respect and consideration.

Just one quick Google search about some random phrase people say in your next destination and you could be one step closer to them even before you’re there. All you have to do is stay curious and pay attention to the difference.

As a slow traveler and cultural enthusiast, what are your top three tips for travelers who want to go beyond the typical tourist experience and immerse themselves in a destination?

I love doing a food tour very early into my visit anywhere. To me, food lives very close to the heart of the locals. It is what they grow up eating and ingredients are different everywhere. But instead of just going out to some restaurant (I do that too, but later), I’d join a walking tour led by a local. They always introduce you to the most bizarre local delicacies and tell you how you’re supposed to eat them.

I also dedicate a day to the cultural or history museum of the place within the first few days. This sets the context for whichever attraction I plan to visit during my stay, and the experience becomes so much more profound. The gorgeous buildings I see in another country are never just gorgeous buildings to the locals. They have stories. Knowing that story allows you to connect more deeply to the place.

Lastly, I recommend discovering hidden gems! Talk to the staff at your accommodation and ask them for recommendations. Where’s the best restaurant? Which food market would she go to? This is how you start to gain insights into local preferences on your trip. They always have a better taste of their own culture than we do!

You’ve been to countless destinations and shared unique perspectives. Which trip or location challenged your worldview the most, and how did it shape your current approach to travel?

Brazil. Like many people (unfortunately), I grew up hearing about how dangerous Brazil is. To make matters worse, I had to watch City of God in film school and it didn’t help. As soon as I told people I was going to Rio de Janeiro earlier this year, countless cautions started pouring in from all sides. Someone they knew got shot, someone else had their nose broken in the city square, the list goes on. I almost cancelled the trip so many times, if not for the handful of people who told me they loved the country despite the dangers. It got me curious.

So I arrived, with my hands shaking, only to find that I felt just as safe or in danger there as I did in the big cities of the US. After 3 months, it has completely grown on me. The people were sweet, the food was delicious, and the landscape was stunning. So many of those things people don’t talk about.

Sure, it’s a bad idea to walk around downtown Rio or São Paulo with your phone in your hand... But I now see that as a similar tip to how you shouldn’t wear a minidress to Thai temples.

Every place has its own unspoken rules that you need to follow to avoid blunders. As long as you know those rules, you’re good.

Are there any upcoming destinations or projects you want to share with your audience?

Yes! I’m going home to Thailand again in 2 months, and this time I’ll be exploring a new province in the north. It’s been up and coming among Thai people for a few years, but still unknown to most foreigners (and myself). So stay tuned on my Thatch profile and the blog for new guides!