Who am
I?
I'm a little girl with a big smile. I'm the lover of my own life.
I'm passionate
about people. I'm Julia - a Polish girl who moved to
Australia. Why? It's a long
and very romantic story… So lets talk
about travel, I saw a lot of Europe, I used
to walk on my own path
and then I traveled by myself around the world. That
was the best
thing I've ever done! I studied Psychology and worked for years as
a
TV producer. Now I am a blogger, journalist and traveler. I'm writing
about
life, travels and motivation at www.whereisjuli.com. See you
there!
What
was your inspiration or the event / idea that made you want to travel
?
I had
never dreamed about traveling . It somehow came. It came at the right
moment.
Everything that happened around me, all the people who I met,
situations and experiences,
all the things meant that I realized that
my life escapes me a bit. So I decided to catch it up.
What
was your first travel experience ?
The
first travel experience ? First first? A road trip from Poland to
France with my parents.
I was about 7 years old. The first of my very
independent travel experience? English course
in the UK and then a
weekend in Budapest. Just me and Budapest. That's how I discovered
that traveling alone is super cool .
Have
you ever felt lonely traveling solo ?
Yep. But
that feeling is needed. When you feel lonely you have the opportunity
to reflect, you
can think about yourself in the quiet and travel
deeply into yourself. There would be no
chance for that in a
different situation.
What
was your best travel experience ?
6 months
solo round the world trip. That's the best I could do for myself .
Is
there anything you would have done differently / any regrets , if you
could
do it over again?
No,
because I believe that nothing happens without a reason, that
everything is for
something. If it did not happen, I would not be who
I am and I would not be where I am.
Each of my trips was just as it
should be. There is no need to wonder, what would happen if.
This
was how it was. Now it's time to think about what it is now.
What
was your worst travel experience ?
I think
40 degree fever in Malaysia. When you are sick and you do not know
why you are
sick and you've never ever before been so sick, and you
have no family and friends around,
no mummy who cuddles - then you
want to go home.
Where
will you never return it ?
Fortunately
we forget very fast about bad experiences. I would go everywhere I
was, again.
But there are still so many places to see…
What
advice would you give women traveling solo to your home country ?
If you
want to find a husband in Poland - don't go there. There are more
women than men.
Competition is big! I'm kidding :) First of all - go
to Poland. Poland is a beautiful country. We
have wonderful nature,
beautiful beaches, beautiful mountains and beautiful lakes. We have
a
beautiful Krakow and a cool Warsaw. We have a lot of stories to tell
and lots of places to
discover. Another important thing is - it's not
always cold in Poland and there are no white
bears on the streets ;)
Summer can be really hot and polish spring is fabulous. Everything
flourishes, everything is green, people are finally smiling after
winter. Poland is also not just
vodka and stew. We have great chefs
and great restaurants. Polish cuisine is experiencing a
renaissance
now.
What
are your future travel plans ?
First of
all, the plan is to travel. Now I live in Australia, so I want to
know everything about
Australia. I've always dreamed of Canada
because I love that kind of nature. I want to go to
South America
because I felt so good there. Maybe Siberian railway from Moscow to
Beijing
someday? And Japan. And the wilderness of Africa. And I
really want to make few more
trips around the world because it's
cool :) Traveling is addictive.
What
are your top three tips for women traveling solo ?
1. Be a
woman and feel good with yourself. I don't mean that you should wear
make up even
in the middle of the jungle, or a super mini dress to
walk in the middle of night in the
city. Just don't forget to be a
women. Carry a mascara, color your hair if you have to
and have at
least one dress in your backpack. It's all about feeling good. As you
feel
good about yourself you are more confident. As you are more
confident you meet
more people and you are safer. Traveling is better
when you feel confident.
2. Let it
go. Sometimes there are things that you really would like to do but
it might be
better to let it go. There are places where you shouldn't
go alone and things you
shouldn't do by yourself. Especially when
your are a woman. I know that the risk
could be fun, but sometimes
it's better not to take the risk. Why? Cause it's better to
return
home in one piece.
3. Try it
and travel alone. The world is not as dangerous, as they say.
What
would you tell women who are looking to travel alone but worry about
their safety ?
If only
you are reasonable, you have nothing to worry about. And in some
places in the world
you just need to be more reasonable.
Tell us
about the best food you have ever eaten on your travels ?
Italian
cuisine and Italian wine are the best. Still. Those tastes could not
be copied. But I'll
never forget the raw shrimps I ate in Thailand…
Never.
What is
the most breathtaking view you have ever witnessed on your travels
I'm
always delighted when I see something for the first time. I'm a bit
like a little girl and
everything new makes me happy. View of the
greenest of the green tea plantations in
Cameron Highlands in
Malaysia was unusual . View of the bay in Kaikoura in New
Zealand was
breathtaking. Machu Picchu was magical.
What do
you miss about your home when you go traveling ?
My own
bed and pillow. It's good to feel good when you are sleeping. It's
good to have your
own space.
What
item will you always carry in your backpack ?
Pictures
of my friends and loved ones. Sometimes it is enough to look at them
and then you
immediately feel better.
Who was
the kindest or most generous person you met on your travels , and
what did they do ?
During
my round the world trip I had become convinced that there are people
that you
should meet and places you could see. Because travels should
not be counted in the
number of kilometers or in number of countries
but in number of friendships you
have from your travels. You meet the
best people while traveling. I met a lot of these
"best"
people.
What
have you learned from traveling ?
Travel
is a lesson of life. I've learned a lot about myself and I know that
I am a better person
after those travels. But I've learned a lot
about other cultures, about people and about
countries as well. I've
learned about things you wouldn't find in a book or things that
you
wouldn't learn in a geography lesson. But if I had to name one, the
most
important thing I have learned from traveling, it would be
probably not to judge
anyone. For nothing. Think about yourself at
first and judge yourself, not others.
Who
inspires you? What other travelers do you look up to ?
People
inspire me. Not just travelers. All of them. I am inspired by friends
and by strangers. I am inspired by the wise men. My loneliness
inspires me too. I don't read a lot of blogs before I travel. I like
when the world and reality surprise me. I do not like to adjust
something, plan to walk on someone's paths. I prefer to carve my own.
After that I start to read others blogs - to know places better, to
learn from them. Martyna Wojciechowska (the most famous Polish
traveler) inspires me. Bloggers inspire me as well and not only
travel bloggers. I look up to: tresvodka.com about Latin America,
pojechana.com about China, restaurantica.pl about restaurants in
Warsaw, etramping.com, amatteroftaste.me, hapakuna.com,
ytavelblog.com and many many more…
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