London-based travel influencer Alex Zouaghi has a calm and welcoming glow. An honest reflection of this influencer’s serene and accessible photographs. From Denmark to South Africa, Alex is a well-traveled individual. Yet, like everyone in the luxury travel industry, he dreams of traveling to destinations that the pandemic has made challenging to visit, such as Australia and New Zealand. Beau Monde Traveler had the privilege of sitting down and chatting with this talented photographer and travel influencer.

Before becoming a travel influencer, Alex was a Mandarin language teacher. His career allowed him to travel to destinations such as China and New York City. The influencer then made his hobby in photography a full-time career and became a dedicated, London-based travel influencer in 2019. While Alex uses his Instagram platform a_ontheroad to showcase his creative photos, he also has a print business called Paper and Cities.

“My inspiration to become a travel influencer was from travel itself. When I moved to China for the first time when I was a teacher, that was the revelation. After that, I began to understand my interest in travel.” Alex was also inspired to become an influencer by the unique details of cities he captured through his camera lens.

The travel experience that was most influential for Alex was his trip to Paris in 2017, where he worked with the five-star luxury hotel group the Dorchester Collection. The project was a turning point in his career, triggering more lifestyle brands to contact him, such as San Pellegrino and Nespresso. The influencer captures beautiful moments for his clients, such as photographs showcasing artisanal foods or a coffee shop nook. Alex’s warm and inviting photos inspire his followers in their next travel destination or lunchtime treat.

 

Alex chooses to work with brands that reflect his lifestyle choices. “I am naturally drawn to companies with a sustainable ethos and care about the environment. My responsibility as an influencer is to inspire my followers to live with the climate in their mindset.” Therefore, Alex chose to be an ambassador for Nespresso for over two and a half years. During this time, he was involved with the company’s whole sustainability campaign. Nespresso flew him and other influencers out to visit coffee farms in Indonesia and the recycling factories in Switzerland.

While taking beautiful photos of popular cities and destinations, Alex is also the founder of the print and illustration company Paper and Cities. “The business launched in September 2019. Paper and Cities was born from an email I received from an artist who wanted to make Christmas cards from my photos.” Paper and Cities first print collection was sold out in just three days of being online, and Alex gained an additional 3,000 Instagram followers in 24 hours. Today, there are 250 different designs created by various independent artists from all around the globe.

Each print is created from a photo of a destination Alex has visited. However, with the nature of social media, there are similar photos that showcase popular Instagram hotspots that thousands of people repost. But with Alex’s business Paper and Cities, the prints bring something fresh to even the most popular photos. The illustrations stand out on Instagram due to their unique perspectives of significant cities.

One of the first print collections released by the company was Window with a View. “This collection was born during the first UK lockdown. I wanted to create something that would take my followers on a trip away from the same interior of their homes. The prints display views and landscapes framed as though the viewer is looking through their window.” This concept was to help inspire people through art and bring the beauty of travel closer to his followers.

Alex understands that his career as an influencer could end tomorrow due to our unpredictable world. “If my career had to stop for whatever reason, I would be happy to go on another path.” Alex shares that if he is no longer an influencer, he will continue to grow his business Paper and Cities and create even more stylish prints of stunning locations worldwide. Or he could see himself opening an independent coffee shop in London one day and happily be surrounded by the aromatic smells of his employees making espressos.

Alex is a travel influencer with many artistic interests and expresses these passions through his photography and print business. He is proof that our hobbies can lead us to places and down paths we never expected. Yet, he also shares the wisdom that people’s careers are subject to change and are never set in stone.