Kevmrc is a travel blog sharing authentic travel guides, by professional photographer Kevin Mercier.
The main goal of this website is to help you travel better, by sharing tips from my own travels. All of my travels are self-funded, a decision which allows me to stay 100% independent & critical in my reviews.
I'm sharing my personal travel experience, dotted with specific recommendations that you could only know if you've been to these places, that will help you make the most of your trip.
It all started with a trip to South East Asia in 2015. With 4 parkour friends, we spent 3 weeks in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore where we filmed 3 parkour videos, took tons of photos, and slept in hammocks in the streets. This was the starting point of an addiction to travel & photography. I created an Instagram account to share my photos, then later the blog for travel stories, guides & tips.
This is Nesrine, my partner in crime in life and on the blog. She puts up with me when we travel (not an easy task), and helps me take photos of myself so that you guys can see me. She's the Editor in Chief at kevmrc.com, and CPO (Chief Pinterest Officer). On top of that, she also entirely designed the website! Love how the website looks? Then you can send her an email, that will definitely make her day!
This is Nesrine, my partner in crime in life and on the blog. She puts up with me when we travel (not an easy task), and helps me take photo of myself so that you guys can see me. She's the Editor in Chief at kevmrc.com, and CPO (Chief Pinterest Officer). On top of that, she also entirely designed the website! Love how the website looks? Then you can send her an email, that will definitely make her day!
Well I guess that if you're here, it's to learn more about me, beyond the general facts! So here are a few questions & answers on different topics: personal life, travel, photography, and the blog.
How old are you?
I'm 29 years old (in 2023); I was born in 1993.
Where are you from?
I'm from Paris, France.
Where do you live?
I'm still in Paris. Well actually, I live in the suburb, about 30mn north of Paris.
What's your day job?
I'm a project manager in big data for Stellantis (Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, ...), one of the biggest car manufacturer in the world.
Why is your logo a jumping man?
Because I jump around all the time! I do Parkour, and used to be a Parkour coach & athlete for Parkour Paris. Now I focus my time on the blog, but I still take photos for my team.
Do you travel all the time?
I wish! I use French bank holidays to go on 3-day weekends, and use my days off to go on longer trips (2/3 weeks). I usually go on 10 trips a year.
Do you travel alone?
It depends. I usually travel with my wife Nesrine, for most of the trips. On few occasions I travel with friends, like when I went to Slovenia to see a Slovenian friend I met in Australia the year before. And finally, I sometimes go on solo trips, but that's pretty rare; it happens when I travel for work, then stay for the weekend to explore the country.
What's your travel style?
I'd define it as comfy adventure. We rent hotels around 25€/night per person: we look on Booking.com for great location, private bathroom, and a comfy bed. That's about it. We then leave for the day, and go on epic hikes to explore the area. When I travel with frends or alone, I go much more adventure style and sleep in hostels & shared rooms.
How do you afford to travel?
Nesrine and I both have a day-job, meaning a steady source of income that we use to pay for our travels. I fund 99% of my travels, as I want to keep my freedom in discovering places and share honest reviews & feedback with you on the blog.
A short trip (3 days) costs us about 180€/person (flight 100€/person - car 60€ - hotel 25€/night/person); a long trip (2 weeks) about 765€/person (flight 300€/person - car 280€ - hotel 25€/night/person).
Did you take all the photos on your site?
Yes! I'm a travel photographer, and I take my own photos when I travel; these are the photos you can see on the site. About 10% of the photos are not mine; either when I don't have a good photo of the place, or when I talk about a spot I didn't have time to visit for example.
What gear do you use?
I use a pretty old camera from 2012, a Canon 6D. It's far from being the best camera out there, but it does the job just fine. And it's pretty cheap compared to most recent cameras. I have 2 main lenses: a Tokina 16-28 f/2.8 wide angle lens that I use for most of the landscape shots, and a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 zoom lens for details, portraits and wildlife. I have a third lens, a Canon 85mm f/1.8 that I use for product shots & portraits when at home, but I very rarely take it with me on trips.
Are all your photos taken with this camera?
All photos from 2018 are taken with this camera, or with my drone: the DJI Mavic Pro. The photos before 2018 were taken with my first camera, a Nikon D5500. It was a great camera, and if I hadn't been robbed in Bosnia and lost all of my gear, I'd probably still be shooting with it.
How do you edit your photos?
I use Adobe Lightroom for 90% of the work; I apply my presets that I've developed over the years to speed up the workflow, then adjust the settings for each photo. I then take the photos to Photoshop to give them a final boost, and if needed remove distractions in the photo.
How did you learn photography?
I read/watched a lot of free tutorials online, had help from a photographer friend, and the most important: practice! I shoot a lot, and I learn by doing.
Looking for what to read next? You'll find below some of my favorite travel experiences!
Complete Guide to the Amazing Lago del Valle in Asturias, SpainProbably the best part of my hiking trip to Asturias; I spotted a few blue spots on the map, zoomed in to find 4 lakes next to each other, and decided to include it in the trip. 1 week later and we were there, discovering an epic area that felt like a local secret, kept from international tourists.
72 Epic Jurassic Coast Photos for Travel InspirationA photo series about my first trip with Nesrine: the Jurassic Coast in the south of England. A wild coast with scenic views, cute little villages and jaw-dropping cliffs.
10 Best Eiffel Tower Views + free map includedObviously I had to include a post about my hometown, Paris. This one lists some of the best spots to see the Eiffel Tower, and Eiffel Tower pictures are always nice to look at!
Or click here to see all the travel guides