With his partner Monita, photographer Aaron Sami, a regular contributor to Together Journal, routinely travels the globe, seek- ing adventure, good food and great images. Both raised in New Zealand, with roots in Fiji, they’re currently based in London and have been travelling around Europe, checking out grand capital cities like Vienna, Prague and Edinburgh, small ski villages like Chamonix and Kaprun and island hopping in Greece. Morocco and Barcelona are next on their list.
AARON — It was Instagram that brought us together. I was living in New Zealand and Monita was living in Sydney at the time. I’m not sure who followed who first, but we got chatting, became Facebook friends, and sent an essay-long message to each other once a week for several months before we met in person.
We then spent a couple of weeks together over Christmas, exploring New Zealand. The first time we met in person, I remember sitting waiting at a local cafe, which made me more nervous, but once we got to talking it was like we’d known each other for a long time. We had a lot in common and a lot that we could learn from each other. We were both really eager to travel.
Even before we met in person, we had talked about New York as somewhere we both really wanted to go. As it turned out, we were there together within the year. Monita is always down for an adventure. We get away at least once a month. Monita handles budgeting, planning, booking and reality checking, and I do packing, navigation and documenting everything, although Monita knows her way around a camera, too.
Travelling together is a real test of a relationship, and a good way to really get to know each other. You have to be able to compromise, because doing something is better than not doing anything. I tend to stress when it comes to getting to the airport or train station on time, and we’re sometimes out of our comfort zones but we enjoy getting to do new things, and Monita always finds good places to eat.
If I had to give advice to other couples, I’d say AirBNB is your best friend, and sometimes getting a rental car can work out the same as catching public transport, but with a lot more freedom. Also — and I say this as someone who takes photos of everything — don’t forget to take in the moment. Forget about Instagram likes. Just enjoy the moment with your significant other.
MONITA — It was the adventurous and carefree nature of Aaron’s photography that initially attracted me. I could tell early on that Aaron was the kind of soul who has deep and meaningful relationships with people. I really got to know Aaron on a trip we took through North America. We’d been dating for five months, but were living in different countries so had only spent a couple of weeks together, and suddenly we were with each other for five weeks. I knew he was the one when he was happy to spend half a day walking around Vancouver with me while I tried to find new hair straighteners.
Traveling with a photographer is great. I love being able to look back on all my adventures and reflect through the photos. Some of our most memorable experiences have come from talking to our AirBNB hosts. In San Francisco, we stayed in an amazing pad owned by an interior designer. In New York, our hosts put us onto the best ramen we’ve ever had. In Edinburgh, our host was an oboist who offered us wine every evening. When eating out, we also use Foursquare to find what’s good, so we’re not wasting money on a sub-par meal.
I actually swear by planning. Even if you’re not the planning type, at least have some idea. Some places are very overwhelming, and having a plan means you won’t go home disappointed.
Aaron and Monita’s bucket list: Lofoten Islands, Norway; Faroe Islands, Denmark; Isle of Skye, Scotland; Lapland, Finland; Slovenia; Cinque Terre, Italy; Argentina; Turkey; India; Antarctica
Editor: We’re delighted to add that while shooting our honeymoon feature in Iceland for Together Journal, Aaron proposed to Monita with a beautiful ring from our friends at Zoe & Morgan. She said yes. Interview—Roase Hoare | Photography—Aidan and Aaron Sami
