nice to meet you!
My name is Béla Molnár, aka Mr. Globetrotter
I grew up in Hungary during communism - a time when we weren’t allowed to travel outside of eastern Europe, especially to the west. That’s where bad things happen, we were told, it’s all guns, sex and violence. However, I was always curious as to what lay beyond the borders and, eventually, I made my way to the US and then, before long, the UK.
This all happened after a stint of compulsory public service in the army. Then, like a good Eastern Europe cliché, I sold my Lada and leather jacket and managed to score a ticket to San Francisco with some spare change in my pocket. I got a job as a painter and decorator, lived out of a tiny room and scraped a few dollars a week to buy CDs.
I went from painter to promoter and, thanks to friends in the Bristol music scene, I moved to London where I started putting on events, festivals and parties. This was the early 90’s, and the dance music scene was exploding in the UK. It was perhaps everything we had been warned that the west would be…and I loved it. From running nights in Soho to managing artists at Tribal Gathering Festival to chasing gigs and finding DJs, being a promoter satisfied every part of my passion for sharing music and good times with as many people as possible.
I became part of a record label called Global Underground, looking after international tours and events. We put on gigs anywhere we could, from Toronto to Mexico City, Singapore to New York, and of course in my homeland, Hungary. This was the point when my two worlds collided, and I started travelling extensively…you could even say excessively.
In 2004, after more than a decade of living a life on the move and working around the clock, I realised I needed something more. Music had always been my passion, but there were so many more avenues to explore.
Despite this, I never lost that urge to capture everything; life was moving fast but, even at music festivals, club nights and concert performances, I found myself picking up the camera, recording those moments that would soon be lost forever unless caught on film.
I started shooting concert videos for a few big names on the scene. My film production company Twentyfourseven Films was born, and there I was – connected right back to my 8-year old self; the boy who wanted to see the world, take pictures and live in the moment.
Mr. Globetrotter is a fusion of all the things that have carried me to this point: curiosity, travelling, filming the world around me and capturing moments through photography. On all my journeys, I’ve met amazing people and seen incredible things. Now, I want to share those experiences and inspire like-minded people to see the world. To be the one tracking down those travel hacks, sharing my photos and showing you where and how to have a blast around the globe.
I’m not just another millennial on a tropical beach telling you how beautiful it is – I’m what I think they call a generation Xer (although I don’t care for labels) and I’m here to provide you with insider’s knowledge and the best city hacks. This website is about getting under the skin of a place while still enjoying a taste of luxury, being beyond the backpacker’s hostels but not yet ready for socks and sandals or saga cruises.
To all those who are tired of the same old Instagram feeds, who already have the life they aspire to and are looking to see the world in a different light - I invite you to join me on this journey.
Béla Molnàr
Hungary
In the army
The San Francisco years
London
Global Underground, UK
My name is Béla Molnár, aka Mr. Globetrotter
I grew up in Hungary during communism - a time when we weren’t allowed to travel outside of eastern Europe, especially to the west. That’s where bad things happen, we were told, it’s all guns, sex and violence. However, I was always curious as to what lay beyond the borders and, eventually, I made my way to the US and then, before long, the UK.
Hungary
This all happened after a stint of compulsory public service in the army. Then, like a good Eastern Europe cliché, I sold my Lada and leather jacket and managed to score a ticket to San Francisco with some spare change in my pocket. I got a job as a painter and decorator, lived out of a tiny room and scraped a few dollars a week to buy CDs.
In the army
I went from painter to promoter and, thanks to friends in the Bristol music scene, I moved to London where I started putting on events, festivals and parties. This was the early 90’s, and the dance music scene was exploding in the UK. It was perhaps everything we had been warned that the west would be…and I loved it. From running nights in Soho to managing artists at Tribal Gathering Festival to chasing gigs and finding DJs, being a promoter satisfied every part of my passion for sharing music and good times with as many people as possible.
The San Francisco years
I became part of a record label called Global Underground, looking after international tours and events. We put on gigs anywhere we could, from Toronto to Mexico City, Singapore to New York, and of course in my homeland, Hungary. This was the point when my two worlds collided, and I started travelling extensively…you could even say excessively.
In 2004, after more than a decade of living a life on the move and working around the clock, I realised I needed something more. Music had always been my passion, but there were so many more avenues to explore.
Despite this, I never lost that urge to capture everything; life was moving fast but, even at music festivals, club nights and concert performances, I found myself picking up the camera, recording those moments that would soon be lost forever unless caught on film.
London
I started shooting concert videos for a few big names on the scene. My film production company Twentyfourseven Films was born, and there I was – connected right back to my 8-year old self; the boy who wanted to see the world, take pictures and live in the moment.
Mr. Globetrotter is a fusion of all the things that have carried me to this point: curiosity, travelling, filming the world around me and capturing moments through photography. On all my journeys, I’ve met amazing people and seen incredible things. Now, I want to share those experiences and inspire like-minded people to see the world. To be the one tracking down those travel hacks, sharing my photos and showing you where and how to have a blast around the globe.
Global Underground, UK
I’m not just another millennial on a tropical beach telling you how beautiful it is – I’m what I think they call a generation Xer (although I don’t care for labels) and I’m here to provide you with insider’s knowledge and the best city hacks. This website is about getting under the skin of a place while still enjoying a taste of luxury, being beyond the backpacker’s hostels but not yet ready for socks and sandals or saga cruises.
To all those who are tired of the same old Instagram feeds, who already have the life they aspire to and are looking to see the world in a different light - I invite you to join me on this journey.
Béla Molnàr