A big welcome to Start travelling!. This is a place where I’ll be sharing my (mostly) travel experiences and providing information that could help you with taking a big step of starting something new or doing something familiar in a better way. In this case, using the experience of travel to broaden Your horizons and change the quality of Your life forever.
My name is Marija and I come from Croatia. As like many other families there, mine too was affected by the war that happened in the early 90-is. We moved from country to country in search of a better and safer life. There was not really much room for chasing personal dreams. But I didn’t lose hope.
I watched all those Hollywood movies and dreamed how would it be to be one of those actors, to see all those amazing places, get to know other cultures, or just experience reality that’s different from mine. I guess I didn’t really understand their job description. Twenty years later and I’m not a Hollywood star, but my life is way different from before and I’ve got the main role in my story.
Everything changed! It’s not that I traveled more countries than I can count, met so many new people, seen so much scenery and made some great friendships and memories along the way, which I did, but it’s that, most importantly I’ve broadened my horizons, gained confidence and made my life what I always wanted it to be - happy.
Decision that changed everything!
People who see my travel photos on Instagram or Facebook often tell me how lucky I am. But you know what, the life I have now is a reflection of the choices I made, just like anybody elses. Luck comes after you make hard decisions.
I still remember when I decided to stop dreaming (and surviving) and start living my dreams instead. I was in college, studying and working to make ends meet, when my friend told me about this amazing opportunity in England, where young people meet for a week of informal learning. Even though a big part of the expenses was covered, I still didn’t have enough money and I was scared to travel by myself to the place that I don’t know anybody in and so far from home. But my friend persuaded me that it’s a decision that I wouldn’t regret. And she was right!
I borrowed some money from my parents, with a promise to give it back in couple of months and bought a ticket. Everything else is history. That trip opened so many new doors and travel opportunities for me. Not really sure how, but it did! Nothing was the same anymore. I guess, I showed myself what happens when you find inner courage to do something you wished for for such a long time.
Why Start Traveling!?
All along, I knew what my dreams were, but it took this one person, one friend to push me out of my comfort zone, so I could do what I was supposed to. And all I did was start travelling.
I know there are many people like me out there, so I want to give back. I want to try to be that person that pushes you just a little so you can start enjoying your life to the fullest.
My intention is to accomplish this mission by giving you as much information you might need on your travels, answer to any inquiries you might have and find affordable products that could be very useful along the way. Also, I might recommend places to stay that I really liked. Hopefully this will help in making your decision to start exploring the world way easier. I really believe that we were not meant to spend our lives in one spot.
If you ever need a hand with planning your travels or have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out.
All the best,
Marija
Founder of Start traveling!
