Welcome to the world of film-inspired travel!

ABOUT THE BLOG

Do you like to travel through films from the comfort of your home? And do you love to discover the settings and locations of your favourite films once you're there? Then you've come to the right place!

On FilmFanTravel.com , I provide film reviews for contemporary films (late 1990s – today) as well as film-inspired travel tips for travellers on a budget.

ABOUT ME

My name is Sonja Irani and I am the founder and editor here at www.filmfantravel.com as well as the family heritage travel blogs www.revisitgermany.com and www.revisiteurope.com.

Me in Iceland, 2017

If you would like to know more about how I became a Travel Blogger, here is a brief overview of my life so far:

GROWING UP IN GERMANY

As you can see from my surname, I am not a 100% German. My father is originally from India and has emigrated to Germany as a 23-year-old "guest worker" in 1970. Our surname is easily explained: My father's ancestors are originally from Persia (the modern Iran). They emigrated to India due to religious prosecution when the Muslims came to power in Iran and their old Persian Parsi faith became a threatened minority.

I was born in October 1985 in the suburban town of Georgsmarienhütte just outside of Osnabrück, a medium-sized city in the federal state of Lower Saxony in the North-West of Germany.

SCHOOL EXCHANGE YEAR IN ENGLAND 2003–2004

From early on in my childhood I wanted to see more of this world than just this little snapshot that was my German home town.

I've also always wanted to experience what it’s like to actually live in a different country rather than just visiting as a tourist. That's why I was really eager to spend a high school exchange year abroad. America seemed a bit too far away at the time, so I chose nearby England instead. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions in my life.

FIRST JOB AND FIRST USA TRIP 2006–2011

From 2006 to 2009, I studied Multilingual Communication (a mix of translation, language and business studies) with English and French in Cologne, Germany. Afterwards, I moved back to Lower Saxony and for a year and a half to work in my first “proper” job as a Project Manager at an international fashion company. That was a little bit like The Devil Wears Prada there, but also a really good learning experience.

The travel bug came back to bug me in 2011 and I embarked on yet another big travel adventure: Three months USA made my biggest travel dream become a reality and took me all across this vast country!

LIVING IN LONDON 2011–2015

Later in 2011, I moved to the UK to live the "Bridget Jones lifestyle" in London. As you might have guessed by now, my other big passion besides travel is the cinema!

The fact that I used to work part-time in a cinema, first while still at school in Germany and then later on during the three and a half years as a “temporary local” in London, came in handy: Being able to see movies for free, I just watched a whole lot of them… all the time! 🙂

My passion for films and travel led to the idea of starting my first blog filmfantravel.com, which is all about film-inspired travel recommendations for film fans on a budget.

LIFE AS A FREELANCER 2015-now

Since early 2015 I am back in Germany and run my own business as a self-employed Marketing Translator and Travel Journalist from my home base in Bremen. Freelancing comes with the great advantage of being able to work anywhere in the world – I just need my laptop and an Internet connection! Thus, I occasionally pack up my laptop to see and experience new corners of the world… because the travel bug still hasn't left me! 🙂

My "Sex and the City" inspired workplace in Queens, New York.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU

To stay tuned on new travel tips, film reviews and giveaways, be sure to like my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter.

You can also search for a particular film, travel destinations and celebrity by checking out my A-Z lists for film reviews, destinations and film stars!

For any comments, questions or collaboration requests, send an e-mail to: [email protected]

I am looking forward to hearing from you! 🙂