Zanny Steffgen is a disabled freelance writer whose work about travel’s positive impact on both travellers and local communities appears in Adventure.com, OutThere, Fodor’s, Scuba Diving Magazine and other outlets. She also writes a contemplative conversation Substack with her father, called Hi Zan, Hi Pa. Zanny is based in Colorado in the US, but spends time in her husband’s native Germany and makes it back to her previous home in Cambodia as often as she can.
What does a journey mean to you?
To me, a journey implies change, whether that’s change in surroundings, in perspective, or both. In that way (and others) many journeys are microcosms of life itself – you know some things will shift, but you can’t anticipate why, how, or what!
Which other country or location most inspires you?
Cambodia. When I moved to Siem Reap at 20 years old, it was because I felt captivated by every aspect of life there. And even when the newness wore off and the mundanity kicked it, Cambodia and its people still made me smile or laugh on a daily basis. Whenever I return, I feel at home in a way I have never felt elsewhere, and also endlessly inspired by everything I see, hear and smell just walking down the street.
Where would you go back to, and why?
Peru. There’s a magic in the air there!
What journey would you most like to go on?
Walking the Camino de Santiago as a young adult was my most formative journey to date, and I’ve been feeling the pull of that trail again recently. I’d love to walk one of the lesser-travelled routes with my husband
View Zanny’s portfolio here
