Traveling has been a huge part of my life since an early age. I was born and raised in Romania, and my parents used to take me on trips as a child. I remember going abroad for the first time in Turkey when I was 8. I can’t say I grabbed my pink backpack the minute I arrived and started to explore, but I was pretty amazed by the whole experience. So, while my mom was at the beach tanning, I would go with my father to explore old buildings, mosques, and crowded bazaars. 17 years later and nothing changed.
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
Coincidence or not, my first journey outside the country without my family was in Turkey as well. It was a high school trip and my wanderlust soul pushed me to ditch the group and go explore the beautiful city of Istanbul with a friend. The teacher was cool, I don’t think she even noticed we were gone.
After high school I went to Law school and, while I was not very passionate about the idea, it turned out as a good option. My plan was to study Law in Bucharest and then do a master’s abroad. And that’s how it happened.
It was in my third year of college that I decided to solo travel for the first time. I went to volunteer in China with AIESEC for six weeks in the summer of 2017, as an English teacher (you can read all about this here). I had no idea what I was doing, I remember being terrified of things like catching my connection flight or finding the hostel. However, everything went smoothly and that was the best summer of my life. I made lots of memories, had a cultural shock from which I learned a lot, and met wonderful people whom I went to visit later on, in my second solo trip to Italy. More solo trips followed in that year, all of them in Europe.
Eating $5 paella with some friends I made in a hostel in Valencia
In the summer of 2018, I decided to volunteer again with AIESEC, this time in Egypt. Both countries where I volunteered were very affordable, and with the accommodation being covered in China and for the most part in Egypt, my expenses were not high.
Fast forward to this day, I have volunteered and lived abroad in China, Egypt, Portugal, Spain and Greece, studied abroad in The Netherlands and The US and travelled solo to over 30 countries. If you want to learn more about how to take on travel opportunities so you can travel more and with a purpose, subscribe to the newsletter and read my upcoming blog posts and up-to-date stories on Instagram and TikTok. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out via email or DM me on Instagram!