If there’s one thing that continually inspires us here at El Camino, it’s our community. We adore hearing everyone’s travel story - their favourite places, where they’re heading off to next and the places that changed their lives. And now with more than 75,000 customers worldwide, we wanted to start a new blog series to find out more about our community. First up is one of EC’s ambassadors - Jason. From moving to a new city to pursue a career in film-making to the places that stole his heart whilst solo-travelling - we sat down with this talented creative to learn more about his journey so far.
EC: Your adventures on Instagram are always inspiring us! Tell us a little bit about your travel story so far.
Jason: Travelling has become a big part of my life in the last few years. I have visited 22 countries so far, and I’m hoping to see a few more by the end of 2023. So far, my favourite destination has been Indonesia. My grandfather was born in Java so I have always been interested in this country. After my visit last year, I absolutely fell in love with everything that Indonesia has got to offer - from the beautiful beaches and incredible food to the most impressive volcano landscapes and the friendliest locals you could hope to meet. I definitely want to see the rest of the country and I would love to revisit the islands that I have already seen, as there’s so much more to be explored. That’s why my favourite El Camino Step is the Indonesia Country Step - I’m proud to have a little Indonesian blood and I am so happy that I got to see this country for myself.
EC: Where would you love to visit next?
Jason: I actually have so many trips planned already that I am so excited for, such as Marrakech, possibly India after and Central America next year! It’s hard for me to pick one dream destination. I want to see everything!
EC: What does your El Camino Bracelet mean to you?
Jason: My EC Bracelet reminds me of every adventure that I had around the world, whether it was an 8-month backpacking trip or a 3-day city-break. I will always carry those memories in my head and around my wrist. Experiencing new cultures, seeing new places, trying new food, meeting new people, walking unknown paths not knowing sometimes where it’s going to take you. That is travelling to me - and I hold those memories close with my El Camino.
EC: We know you’ve just moved to another city - tell us all about it!
Jason: Three months ago I moved to Amsterdam. After solo travelling for 8 months and seeing so much of the world, living with my parents simply wasn’t an option anymore haha. It was time to move out and really start my own life. Last year in Thailand I met Thomas - we travelled together for a while and became really good friends. He invited me to come live with him in Amsterdam - and so here we are! Amsterdam has been a great start for my filmmaking/photography business as it’s opened so many doors for me professionally, and it’s safe to say that I’ve fallen in love with this beautiful city. It’s such a vibrant hub with lots of creative and open-minded people - I 100% recommend living here!
EC: What’s your favourite thing to do in Amsterdam?
Jason: One of my favourite things to do in Amsterdam is grabbing a drink at the Vondeltuin, especially during the summertime! The Vondeltuin is a very cosy restaurant/cafe in the Vondelpark (the most famous park in Amsterdam) where people gather to enjoy the Dutch sun. Every time someone visits me I take them there!
EC: You’re an incredible filmmaker - did you always love shooting videos?
Jason: Since I was very young I’ve always been making videos of school musicals, holidays, parties, etc. Creating content and telling stories has always been something that I love doing. This one time I went on a road trip with a friend and I asked my sister if I could take her camera with me to try to take some travel photos. I absolutely loved this and one year later I bought my first camera. I started to get better at it and I watched around probably a thousand YouTube tutorials about photography and filmmaking. I started doing some small jobs for people I knew and so I became a hobby/side job photographer/filmmaker/content creator. Beginning of 2022, I left The Netherlands to travel the world for 8 months and I started posting my travel photos on Instagram. I got great reactions to my photos and videos and I realized this was something that I wanted to do full-time - and here we are!
EC: As a filmmaker, would you ever consider becoming a digital nomad?
Jason: A lot has happened since I started my business 6 months ago, and I am actually considering the digital nomad life… it’s so exciting! With 8 trips planned this year, it just doesn’t make sense to have an apartment, and whilst I love Amsterdam there is so much more to explore! It’s crazy - 5 years ago I came up with the dream of travelling and working at the same time, and I’m now in the position to make that dream a reality. I can’t wait to take you, and of course, my El Camino Bracelet along for the adventure!
EC: Do you have any top tips for aspiring filmmakers?
Jason: My biggest tip for people who want to do the same is to just try. Just start creating and start emailing those clients, don’t be afraid of rejection as everyone will face this at some point in their career! I truly believe that if you do what you like, you will naturally get better at it and if you continue doing what you like, people will appreciate that. Good things come to the ones that do!
EC: Thank you so much for your time Jason - we’ve loved hearing more about your story and of course, what your next steps in your travel story will be. Follow Jason’s adventures here:
Instagram - @jasons.creatives
Website - jasonscreatives.com
TikTok - @jasons.creatives