Kevin Pinto- Indian Travel Influencer.

Kevin Pinto is an Indian travel influencer who understands a thing or two about serving an experience.

Being a digital marketing professional, he serves digital solutions and on other days he travels across lands delivering travel experiences. He is passionate about his travel and never misses an opportunity to share awesome food reviews, which he says is part and parcel (pun intended) of traveling. The team of ItsGoa caught up with him and put him under the spotlight. Humans of Goa is our original and official series that shares inspirational stories from the lives of Goans. Humans of Goa are made for and made up of Goans.

Let’s get started.

If anyone were to ask you, “What do you do for a living, then what would you say?” Other than Blogging & Content creation, I work as Digital Marketing professional for a UK based agency in Goa.

What was that one moment when you decided that, “That’s it! I want to make videos and become an Indian travel influencer” I have been travelling for quite some time, but never thought of documenting it! My friends & known people often told me they’d want to visit the places that I visit and that’s when it struck me, “Why don’t I let people travel with me VIRTUALLY”, and that’s when I started documenting my travel – not just the place, but also the information & vibe of a given place, may it be an offbeat place, local restaurant or a known tourist destination

Why only travel? Why not anything else? Because it comes from my HEART and I believe if something comes from our heart, we give it our best! Travel has always been an integral part of my life and I love doing what I do – explore, ride, travel and live in the moment! It makes me happy and allows me to draw a sense of freedom and humility. There are days that are stressful but I know that a solo bike ride, short trip or sunset can cheer me up. I don’t always need a person to cheer me up but Travelling makes me happy. Also, I’ve been exploring food places & a variety of cuisines lately. I believe it comes as a part of travel.

A bit about your role models. People you look up to when creating content?

Wander With Sky (Aakash Malhotra) – https:// www.instagram.com/wanderwithsky/ This one person has inspired me to the core and has been a constant source of motivation in many ways. WanderWithKevin comes from WanderWithSky. What I like about Aakash is that he creates videos with which one can connect. It is not just the beauty of the place, but the vibe of the place that he shows through his content is what catches my attention, every time! Moreover, in spite of being such a huge creator, he is the most humble!

Any inspirational moment you remember in your life that changed everything…

Everything has a good and a bad side and so does social media. What we see on social media is not always the reality. A person smiling for a picture might not necessarily be happy. It is a task to be a part of the content creation world because there are times where it takes a toll on your mental health –the same happened with me.

I received a lot of hate & backlash for one bit of my content a few months ago. Being new to this, I didn’t know how to deal with it – it was “water over the head”. But after talking to my friends, taking some time out I realized that “No matter what you do, what you post or what you talk, there will always be someone out there to judge you or to spread hate.”

I learnt that receiving hate on social media is a part of a content creator's life and the only way to deal with it is ignorance.

This changed everything for me – I started being me, posting without worry, posting what I love without worrying about what the world has to say. If hate has to come, it will come in anyways but the love that I’ve been receiving for my content is 10x more than the hate and that’s what keeps me going and makes me stronger, everyday

What was the biggest challenge for anyone to become an Indian travel influencer? And how did you overcome it?

I am still on the journey to pursue this as a fulltime career because I still am dependent on my regular job for a stable income. However, in the long run, I’d pursue content creation and blogging as my full-time career based on sustainability in terms of security and finance. The hurdles that I see are,

Not all brands pay well. Some don’t pay at all Blogging scope in Goa is very less currently, as compared to other metro cities. However, I see it growing now

Personally upgrading my content game Constant flow of income is very difficult

Any memories as a kid you’d like to share? Something that helped shape you as a person? Uhmmm.. no specific memory as such but the person I am today is shaped by the upbringing of my parents. My dad has always pushed me to be independent since a kid, taught me to do things by myself and today, that has helped me stand on my own feet. I’ve never been forced to choose a career. He always told me to do what I love and my parents have always been supportive from Day 1.

Who is the one person you’d like to meet from the past? And what would you ask him/her?

I think it would be my grandmother, who has been gone for a couple of years now. I wouldn’t really ask her anything but I’d want to show her where her prayers have brought me today

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?

I don’t think I’d give any advice to my younger self because I believe that life is a roller coaster of ups and downs. The “ups” give us good memories and the “down” give us experiences that shape our future. It is a learning phase, always!

Can you write a couple of lines for us here on the topic of “Travel is Life”? Travel has so many good aspects to it. It defines who you are and helps you explore and look at life from a completely different point of view. You learn to be more grateful for the life you live, for the things you have and for the journey you’ve been through. Travel makes you independent and allows you to make decisions for yourself. It helps you explore your strengths and overcome your weaknesses. Moreover, travel makes you happy and helps you form a better & happier version of yourself.

What role did family and friends play in you becoming a top Indian travel influencer? Any quick incident you remember when family or friends helped you overcome a hurdle or challenge in life?

My family has always been supportive – they’ve never forced any decision on me, may it be education, job, relationship, I’ve chosen what makes me happy. My dad has always taught me to be independent, humble, grateful and sincere and that’s something I’m going to live by, for the rest of my life.

Mom has always uplifted my mood and has been the greatest support when I was at my lowest. I have very few close friends because I like to keep my close-friends circle small and these few of them have been the biggest support for the WanderWithKevin journey throughout all these years. I am always grateful for having such supportive people around me.

What were people’s feedback (negative and positive), and who stood by you the most?

Both. Some people like my content and a very few might not, but it’s mostly positive feedback. More than the likes, views or followers, I get messages from people about how they love my content or how I inspire them and that is what keeps me going.Out of a ton, very few have sincerely stood by me in my rough times (I’m sure they know who they are) and all I’d say is, I am very grateful for having these people in my life.

What is the legacy you want to leave behind as an Indian travel influencer? And for whom?

I want to leave behind a legacy, not for one but for many because I believe WanderWithKevin is not just me alone but all of those who’ve supported me – my family, friends and followers. I would be more than happy to leave behind a legacy that says 4 things,

Be sincere with your work. Never stop working because Hard work does pay off

Grow but also help others grow. Be a support to those who need your help

Do what you love. Don’t let hate define you or your goals

Be a responsible traveler. Do not litter & destroy what doesn’t belong to you