Author Andrey Vlasov Shares His Photo Travel Books

Rick Lite talks to author and photo travel entrepreneur Andrey Vlasov about his series of photo travel books and his experiences traveling the world.

RL: When did you write your first book and how old were you?

AV: I published my first book in 2016 when I was 28 years old. The idea of ​​publishing a book was probably somewhere very deep inside me. A year before that, I could not even imagine that I would have the idea to publish a book and I would be able to translate it into reality.However, in early 2016, after my unplanned trip to Argentina, I returned with the firm intention to publish my first book about Thailand. The idea about this came to me exactly on this trip and I already knew how this book would look. All materials (photos) for it were already collected by me earlier in 2013-2014 and were stored on my computer. A few months later the book was published.

RL: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

AV: In 2016, when I published my first book. I never dreamed of becoming a writer. My passion is photography and travel. I took a lot of photos during my travels. I can’t travel without it. But then I thought for a long time about the best use I can find for my photos. Later, I received an answer and began to publish photo books.

RL: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

AV: With all the necessary we already have. We just need to look for the answer, to pray. And the answer is sure to come.

RL: If you could time travel, where would you go and what would you want to accomplish?

AV: I want to go everywhere. I understand that it is very difficult and I definitely will not visit all countries of the world. At the moment I have visited a little more than 30 countries. Some countries I choose, some countries choose me. Most importantly, each new country continues to amaze me. I keep a sense of curiosity and interest. It is very important. God grant me to save it.

RL: What are your favorite hobbies?

AV: My favorite hobbies are traveling and photography, as well as movie making. Yes, these are still my hobbies. I have not yet reached the level so that it brings me enough income for life. I want to believe that one day I will reach it. I also like sports such as swimming, cycling. Several times I went to Thailand to teach different subjects to children of different ages, such as mathematics, science, and English. Anyway I enjoy my life. I also like to spend time with my loved ones, with my parents, sisters, with my nephew, and maybe it’s time to think about my own family.

RL: What is something you cannot live without?

AV: I would say that lately I have become very accustomed to change. Change of countries, cities, places of residence, people around me. I don’t know whether this is good or bad, but I’m used to living in such a rhythm and at the moment it’s hard for me to live without change. But some personal qualities and life priorities remain constant within me. This makes it easier to perceive external change. God bless you!

BIO: Andrey Vlasov became interested in photography when he was 22 years old. His passion for traveling merged with his new love for photography blending the two hobbies under his creative name ‘Photravel’. Over the past years he has visited more than 25 countries, some of which he lived in for months at a time. Seeing the world through the eyes of a traveler inspired Vlasov to create and share travel books filled with hundreds of unfiltered photographs capturing the true essence gained from exploring these regions. Since publishing his first book in 2016 titled Thailand: A country of Smiles, Vlasov has published four more travel guides; San Francisco: A City of Love, Los Angeles: A City of Fame, Other California and Miami: A City of Endless Summer. He is working on more books from his time spent in another places. You can find his books on Amazon.com