50 Questions: Carmen Huter on full-time influencing

She may have just launched her blog two years ago, but Austrian-born, New Zealand-based creative Carmen Huter is going places (literally). Living by the words “seek, do, love” – Carmen does just that, taking readers from around the world on the ride alongside her.

With her Instagram feed delivering an incredible visual feast of global adventures, we tracked Carmen down to discover everything we could about the travel influencer.

Missed the last articles in the 50 Questions series? Click the links to read interviews with Elise Cook, Angel Food Style creator Sophie Elkus, KJ Pinc.

1. Best beauty product of all time? H20
2. Five beauty products you can’t live without? Besides sunshine and lots of fresh air, I can’t live without a moisturiser by Alverde, Pureology haircare products, the Antipodes mineral foundation, as well as anything by RMS Beauty and Eco Tan
3. Hair “done” or messy? Messy; purely because I can’t do much else ?
4. Make-up or no make-up? Au naturel, all day every day. Well, most days… 😉
5. Favourite fragrance? Number 5 by Chanel
6. Favourite item of clothing? Oversized vintage t-shirts
7. Favourite fashion brand? I love anything by Reformation, Stella McCartney, Lonely Label, Everlane, the Asos Eco Edit, Ruby, Patagonia and Akazi. Couldn’t help myself ?
8. Sneakers or heels? 9/10 sneakers, although a good pair of heels goes a long way
9. Gym or exercising outdoors? Outdoors, always!
10. Yoga or running? Both!

11. Healthy eating or treating yourself? I eat healthily in the mornings and the later in the day it gets, the more I treat myself
12. Can you cook? You bet I can!
13. Favourite food? Easy! Chocolate and strawberries
14. Favourite drink? Freshly squeezed orange juice
15. Best place to eat out? Lunch at Le Sirenuse in Positano, Italy is hard to beat. The breakfast at Aqua Dome in Tyrol, Austria is also unlike anything else I’ve come across. At home in Auckland, I’d say Cafe Hanoi or Coco’s Cantina followed by a treat at Giapo
16. Happiest moment? Where do I start? I’m happiest when I’m out exploring, when I get to spend time with my loved ones or, of course, when I’m eating delicious food
17. Saddest moment? When the self-belief takes a break
18. Instagram or Snapchat? Instagram all the way
19. Blog or YouTube? Blog
20. Iphone or camera? Camera

21. Type of camera? Sony A7II
22. VSCO cam or Snapseed? Lightroom
23. Facetune or untouched? Untouched. Why hide behind a filter?
24. Favourite filter? A great sunrise or sunset does the trick
25. Shooting on-the-go or location scouting? On-the-go
26. 9-5 job or full-time influencer? Full-time!
27. How did you get into blogging? I stumbled upon the idea of making a website two years ago. The rest is history
28. How much time goes into a normal picture found on your Instagram account? Anything from 10 minutes to a whole week’s worth of travelling
29. Who takes your pics? Myself with a remote control, my wonderful, social media-shy boyfriend, or one of my amazingly patient travel friends
30. Most exciting moment since being an influencer? Receiving messages and emails from followers from all over the world who felt inspired or moved by my work

31. Most terrifying moment since being an influencer? Having my Instagram account hacked last year
32. Best campaign you’ve ever worked on? I’ve been lucky enough to work with brands my values align with, so I’d have to say that each and every one was awesome to be a part of
33. The best gift you’ve ever received as an influencer? Heartfelt kindness from strangers
34. Last thing you googled? ‘Vegan mug cake recipe’ – it was delicious…
35. Favourite film? ‘Amelie’
36. Favourite book? ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho
37. Favourite song? Right now, it’s ‘Alaska’ by Maggie Rogers
38. Favourite band? Florence + The Machine
39. Living in the city or living by the beach? Beach!
40. Summer or winter? Summer! Although I do love a good day out skiing

41. Favourite travel destination? Everywhere
42. Going out clubbing or quiet dinner with friends? A quiet dinner with friends
43. Partner or single? Partner
44. Siblings? Two beautiful younger brothers
45. What city are you currently living in? Auckland, New Zealand
46. Celebrity girl crush? Zendaya
47. Celebrity boy crush? Justin Baldoni
48. Pets? I wish. If only I could take a dog with me everywhere I go
49. Top five Instagram accounts to follow? @chelseakauai, @elsas_wholesomelife, @emelinaah, @dametraveler & @mrbenbrown
50. Favourite quote you live by? “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance” by Allan Watts

All images:@CarmenHuter