I originally had a different idea for how this part of my blog would go. I thought about interviewing people along the way and learn more about why they travel, what inspires them and what they’ve discovered about themselves. For me I found that I could be more authentic just talking to people instead of interviewing them. Over the past few months I met so many incredibly amazing people and wanted to share a little bit about some them and how they’ve helped to shape my travel experience. I wish I had taken more selfies with more great people! I hope you enjoy!

 

Stella and her husband George own the Meteora Central Hostel in Greece. They were both such wonderful and welcoming people, they made my stay incredibly memorable. They converted their family’s old home in downtown Kalabaka into a beautifully clean hostel that felt like a home away from home. As soon as I walked in I was provided a plethora in useful information on how to best enjoy the area. I really enjoyed sitting out on the sidewalk with Stella chatting about life, family, tourism and the future. She’s a treasure!

 

I met Christina in Florina, Greece at the train station. We were both heading to Lake Ohrid and since public transport was so limited, we shared a taxi across the border to Bitola and eventually to Ohrid together. She met Dustin on a walking tour in Athens and stayed in touch. He was visiting a friend he met at work who was from Macedonia and coordinated a weekend vacation with his Dutch friend who was an exchange student at his high school in Michigan years ago. The four of us checked out the sights of Ohrid, drank coffees and beers, ate food, walked through local neighborhoods and explored together. Our time together was short lived but lots of laughs were shared!

 

Aleksandar and his wife Marija converted an old building and opened up the beautiful City Inn Ohrid hostel. As soon as I arrived, I knew I found something special! Aleksandar has an electric energy full of love for Ohrid and passion for nature and conservation. Since they both grew up in the area, they had a world of knowledge on things to do and see. They are incredibly hard workers and dedicated to the hostel and their family. Aleksandar and his friend brought me to the bus station and we stopped by his parents house where I was greeted by an enormous bear hug from his father. These are people who make the most out of living life to the fullest!

 

Kelsey and I met as roommates in our hostel in Tirana, Albania. She was kind enough to lend me her laptop so I could work on uploading photos for my blog 🙂 Kelsey is a model and travels globally for work. The cool thing about her is that she doesn’t fly. For all of her international travels, she goes abroad via ship. Most of her journeys leave from New York and once she lands somewhere in Europe, she will then bus or train as she moves around. She has a passion and extensive knowledge on herbs and plants and it was really fun to explore and learn so much from her. We traveled for 4 days together.

 

Meeting Maria and Niesha in Dobrota, Croatia was one of my favorite experiences. They came into my life at exactly the right time. I was at that point when I just needed to slow down and take a breather. They welcomed me into their 130 year old home and Airbnb room like I was family. Maria made a delicious breakfast every morning and shared stories of childhood summers growing up in Kotor Bay. If I was around during the day they would share afternoon snacks, Rakia and laughs with me. They invited me for dinner one night of veggie soup and plum dumplings which was such a treasure! The 5 nights I spent with them will be one I will reflect back on fondly for the rest of my life <3.

 

I guess you always meet people at just the right time, don’t you? I met the Aussie contingency of Justin, Robert and their friends in Split, Croatia. I’m actually not sure we would have ended up talking unless one of them said “bless you” when I sneezed and we spent the next countless hours talking, laughing and drinking really bad wine together! They’re slowly traveling around Croatia and eventually Italy while making a home of each place they go, really diving in and spending time getting to know the local culture in each place they visit. They’ve since found better wine and continue to be embracing life and daily sunsets.

 

I went for a sunset hike near Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia with this group from my hostel. Among us were 2 Americans (myself included), 2 Canadians, 1 Belgian and 1 Brit (originally from Hong Kong). Immediately we started talking and not even 200 meters into the hike, we completely missed the correct trail and ended up on our very own adventure. Not even realizing we went the wrong way till an hour later we had a good laugh and I snapped a selfie. 🙂

 

 

I also met Emma and John at the Falling Lakes Hostel near Plitvice Lakes National Park. Emma was traveling for 2 weeks and John for a month. We ended up spending the entire day together walking the boardwalks, taking countless photos of waterfalls and reflections, soaking up the sunshine over a picnic lunch and talking about travel. That night everyone got together at the hostel and shared stories, played games and shared wine. They were great park companions!

 

 

Samira and I met at the hostel in Bovec, Slovenia. I had just rented a car and wanted to go up to see sunset from the road leading to Mangart mountain. That morning as I sat staring at the stove puzzled on how to turn the darn thing on, Samira showed me and we started chatting. That evening we drove up to one of the prettiest places I had been on my trip and were rewarded with stunning views  of the Julienne Alps! We hit it off and the conversation ended up lasting for days. We wound up traveling for 4 days together and never ran out of things to talk about! She’s an amazing woman who will do incredible things in her life. I feel pretty confident our paths will definitely cross again in the future!

 

This is Jozef Čačić, a local painter in Lake Bled, Slovenia. For him I was just another tourist walking around the lake. For me he captured the beauty and innocence of Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled in his paintings. I ended up buying one of each to bring home with me as souvenirs. Even though he has no idea who I am, I will be able to fondly think of him through his artwork hanging on my walls for many years to come.

 

 

I met these two sisters from Texas while staying at the hostel in Bovec, Slovenia. These ladies have traveled extensively over the past 2 years and stop only long enough for a healthy recharge, re-pack and re-plan before they are off again. We spent one morning hiking along the clear turquoise waters of the Soca River gorge while continually stopping for yet another beautiful photo opportunity. The best part about meeting them is how many great suggestions they had for me as I continued on my own trip! I have a feeling I have not seen the last of these ladies and I look forward to following their journey into the future!

 

I was completely inspired by a sweet Malaysian woman I was sharing a dorm room with at my hostel in Athens. I asked her if she would be willing to be my first traveler interview and she agreed! Let’s see how this goes 🙂

Her Name: Swee Layimg_7829

Home: Penang, Malaysia

Other cool info: She’s 54 and traveling solo – July to November. One of 10 children, she is lucky #9. She has 3 kids (27,25,22)- 2 live in London and the other lives in Norway. She will be spending time with them in London at the end of her trip.

What inspires you to travel? “I got divorced in 2011 and now that my kids are grown up, traveling is my sole time. I used to work (Chinese painter for 6 years) and was as home maker for a long time. My ex encouraged me to travel and visit my friend in Sydney. I did and realized that I could do it, I could travel on my own! It wasn’t bad to travel alone and see friends. After that I went back to Malaysia and decided I wanted to see Cambodia. You need a lot of courage as a solo traveler but I knew I could do it! I had to make decisions on my own, learn how to budget on my own and learn a lot. It felt so free to be myself!”

“Travel is like an addictive drug. I would meet inspirirng people and wonder – how do they do this? It’s never too late to look for something you really like. I met a Korean guy who was 53 and quit his job because he wanted to play saxaphone. He went on to get a degree in teaching saxaphone. After he quit, he went on to bike 3,000 km around Europe! He was an inspiration. It made me wonder “where is my inspiration? what is my dream?” Travel was so new to me. It can never be too late to do something. I started traveling and met so many new people! When two hearts connect and you can be yourself, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t. It doesn’t matter who you are at home, traveling is your true you. I don’t have to pretend to be someone else when I meet new people.”

How do you connect with a new culture and people when you travel? “I like to learn a few new words everywhere I go so the locals know your traveling and you’re trying. I always have a big smile. I enjoy cooking classes and watching the behavior of how people eat. I think it says a lot about a culture when you can watch how people look at their food. Food is cultural and historic. I like going to markets and seeing what kid of things they sell and what people like to buy. I like giving a big smile and saying hello.”

Swee and I met in Athens at our hostel. As soon as I walked in the room, we began talking. Nine hours later, we were still talking! Since her divorce in 2011, she has traveled to 81 places (not countries) and there is no end in sight. She finds beauty in every place she goes and is happy to share great information on the places she’s been. Swee grew up in Malaysia and after getting married spent 2.5 years living outside Detroit where her ex-husband worked for GM and her kids experienced their first snowfall. They traveled all over the US and took advantage of their opportunity. They then moved to China and lived there for 8 years. Her kids all went to international school and were exposed to cultures from all over the globe. She loves to hike and explore nature on foot. Swee hostels and loves getting inspiration and travel tips from “youngsters”. Every now and again (just like the rest of us, she upgrades herself into a nicer, more private place). I loved how she spoke about other travelers she met like the 64 year old American woman that was super fit and in great shape and another woman she met on a trail who was 76 and carrying her own backpack. We all find inspiration in others when we open ourselves up to learning about them! I look forward to catching up with Swee again in the future!