KAROLINA INTERVIEW: TRAVEL BLOGGER IN LOCKDOWN
“We are all equal, even if our cultures are extremely different”
Like many of us, Karolina’s time in lockdown has offered a moment of pause; a break in which to reflect on her life’s purpose. Although working a job she loves, travel is Karolina’s greatest passion and she hopes to finally get her travel blog up and running.
For many people, a blog serves as a side income or, at the very least, a creative outlet. Karolina left her home for sunny Barcelona to pursue her dreams. Meanwhile, she’s visited more than 40 countries across 5 different continents. I thought with this experience under her belt, she’d be able to offer some unique words of wisdom on how to travel better.
Follow Karolina’s journey @branded.traveler.
To begin, I asked Karolina where she grew up.
K: I grew up in a small village in the south of Poland, just 5 km from the border with Slovakia. The village is called Tylicz and is located in the mountains. It has its charm in every season. The summers are mild and green and the winters cold and snowy.
I love it!
Why did you leave?
K: Since I was a little girl, I’ve been always dreaming about travelling and living abroad, learning new languages and discovering new cultures. When I was 25 I had the opportunity to study and live in Rome, Italy. I ended up staying there for a couple of years. Then in 2014, I moved to Barcelona, where I still live.
What do you do for a living?
K: I work in administration for an international organisation. I really like my job and it is a kind of dream career as I’ve been studying international relations and I’ve always wanted to work in a place like the one I am working now.
However, travelling is my biggest passion and I would love to be able to travel, share my experiences with other people and make money at the same time.
Do you think the Coronavirus will change travel?
K: Now is too early to say, as so far, we still are not able to travel. In my opinion, there are some things that are going to change (at least during the first few months after quarantine is over) like for example: distances in the planes, trains, the obligation of using face masks, some limits in entering to touristic places.
However, I don’t think that people will travel less or will change their approach to travel. On the contrary, I think that after many months of shut down, people will be even more hungry to travel.
What’s a lesson you’ve learned from travel?
K: There are so many things that I’ve learned during my several trips. Probably the most important lesson is to respect other cultures, other people, world heritage, and nature. Also, I’ve learned that we are all equal, even if our cultures are sometimes extremely different.
How can travellers travel better?
K: This is also a question for which I could give several answers. But maybe the most important advice I would give is to discover the most authentic places in the country or city that you are visiting. I mean, of course, the tourist attractions and landmarks are important. However, we should always find time to lose ourselves in an unknown neighbourhood.