When something is part of your everyday life, you almost always take it for granted. It takes much awareness and practice not to. Oh, and especially so if you don’t particularly like your everyday life and are more focused on the future. Or the past! Not that I recommend thinking solely about the future to come, but lingering to the past is a bit problematic, I would say.  

I should know: I spent a year in the country that many feel is the most beautiful in the world, and I was pretty much focused on living elsewhere when the time is up. I missed Europe and couldn’t wait to leave, which I now feel bad about. Back then, I would never have believed it, but there are indeed things I now miss about New Zealand.

How to Go to New Zealand on a Working Holiday Visa

I wrote about my first three months in New Zealand. As you might remember, it wasn’t that fun. The rest of the milestones—six months, nine months, a full year—I didn’t mark, mostly because I was miserable. In fact, I was pretty darn miserable the whole time I was there. I’ve only recently started to process those feelings and unfold them, layer by layer. But! I’m not here to talk about that today. In fact, I wanted to describe the process for anyone who feels like starting a similar adventure on their own.

I went to New Zealand on a Working Holiday Visa. Simply said, a WH visa enables you to stay in the country for up to a year (or more if you’re from the UK or Canada) and work legally. You don’t have to work, but the rationale is that not many people have the funds to just travel around the country for a year, so here’s a way for you youngsters to meet our beloved Aotearoa and earn some cash while you’re at it.

Melburn ili Kako sam našla svoj grad na drugom kraju sveta

Mnogo mi se dopada Melburn. Mnogo, baš mnogo. Toliko da sam veći deo ovog posta – 3500 reči – napisala još u Melburnu, da mi ne ispari. Mislila sam da će ovo biti jedinstveni slučaj u istoriji mog bloga da post o nekom gradu objavljujem dok sam još u njemu. To se na kraju nije desilo, a nije se desilo ni da objavim u istoj zemlji, jer je sledeća stanica bila podjednako divna. Pokušaću da završim u avionu. Dakle, mnogo mi se dopada Melburn, to prvo treba da znate.

Berlin Guide For Newbies

I always hated how some bloggers sound pretentious starting their blog posts with “everybody asked me to write about (some random topic), so finally here it is”. That’s why I was super hesitant to start in the same manner; but I can list at least several people who did ask me to post a detailed Berlin guide they could pass on to their friends traveling to the city. So okay, it wasn’t “everybody”, but it still made me feel so humble at times. And so—here it is. (Self-cringe!)

The Ultimate Guide For First-Time Visitors To London

The best thing about having a wandering soul is the wandering part.

The worst thing about having a wandering soul is that you’re never 100% happy where you are.

Take me, for example. 

I’ll always be at least 10% happier when in London.

What to See in Baku

Baku is… different. Now this is not much of a statement if you don’t have my exact background, and judging by the fact you’re not me—you probably don’t. So, different to what, anyway? I don’t dare say “Europe” because Europe is just so diverse, but I’m thinking along those lines. Baku is just different.

10 Useful Airport Tips And Tricks That Will Make Flying Easier

Airports are my happy place. Sometimes. More often than not, however, airports are just places where there's a lot of waiting and a lot of queues. They're shiny and crowded, filled with stores and eateries with sky-rocketed prices. However, if you have to get from A to B by plane, they cannot be avoided; even less if you have a layover. Here are my few tips and tricks that will make your flying endeavors easier, and let you glide through airports seamlessly!

Azerbaijan: The Land of Fire

I didn’t plan to blog from Azerbaijan because I’d made such plans in the past, and they did not turn out very well. So I gave myself some time off. But when I came back home, I didn’t want to blog right away either. Not so travel-bloggish of me, is it? The thing is, with some of my experiences I was not that impressed and I didn’t want to write with that in my mind, but to let it cool.

So it did. I now look back at my time there fondly—more than I did right after coming back. It was ten days of being completely out of this world, and honestly, I really needed it.

For ten days I didn’t think about the bills I needed to pay or job I didn’t have or anything like that. I think I was living in the present, being present.

Zlatibor Mountain, Serbia—A Perfect Getaway

I like, love, adore and enjoy traveling.

(Which shouldn’t come as a surprise since you’re reading what I imagine to be a travel blog.)

Yet so it happened that I’m mainly traveling abroad. It’s more available than ever, and the world is so big and beautiful and waiting for me to discover it and see in person everything I’ve been longing for since… well, forever.

It’s easy to end up seduced by the very world and forget about what’s in my backyard.

Well, not literally. (Though there is a cherry tree and I should pick some while they’re still good.)

I’m talking about Serbia, my home country.

Spreepark Berlin—A Tale of an Entertainment Park

I still miss it. I'm refraining from going through old photos and blog posts because why put salt on the wound? And this one, this wound, guys, is real. What I keep doing, though, is checking prices to Berlin from airports close by... well, yes, 6 hours is close by... sort of. Springs in Berlin are no less than magical and I want to say goodbye before I move overseas—at least a temporary goodbye, because that's one of those love stories that never ends, y'know? Especially because, as a friend put it: "you might find it expensive now but once you start making money at the end of the world it'll seem crazy cheap and you'll regret not having gone". True! So here I am, making plans and lists of things I want to see again and visit again and eat again. (Currywurst and doner kebab, I'm looking at you!) 

If You're Going To Siena, Italy

I have mixed feelings about Siena. It’s a city in Tuscany, Italy, and the whole Tuscany is beautiful, therefore the conclusion would be Siena is, too. While we’re at it, Italy is beautiful. A fellow blogger from Serbia commented on my Instagram back then that it was her favorite town it Italy, but I just didn't feel it. Would I recommend it? Definitely—but bear in mind that this has more to do with the fact that I advocate going wherever one hasn’t been yet (and that’s what I do, anyway). So, here's what you should know if considering visiting Siena.

Siena is a medieval city that used to be a wealthy city-state during the Middle Ages, and its historic centre has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It’s famous for its arts, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice a year around the central piazza, Il Campo. Have you ever been to Siena? I'd love to hear, especially if you loved it! What did I do wrong? 😉

Weekend Reads #59

Hey guys, I hope you're having a good weekend! I also want to ask you something. Today is basically second-to-last day of my fundraising for my upcoming travel to the USA, to attend the Merit360 program. I'm so far away from my fundraising goal that I honestly have no idea if I'll actually travel or not. And I want need to so much! It's a great program and I really expect to do something great as a journalist/blogger there, covering the program, especially the Gender Equality team! So, if you ever laughed at my Weekend Reads links, if you found them interesting, thought provoking, if you ever looked at my travel photos and stories and felt inspired to book your next trip, please consider donating. I assure you no amount is too small. Here's my fundraising page, and here's the blog post explaining the whole thing. Thank you! 

How To Save Money While Traveling: Case Study—Italy

It sucks running what used to be a travel blog when you're not traveling. I told you guys a few months ago the blog would take a slight turn towards some other topics as well, but I bumped into life and unfortunately wasn't able to update it as much as I would. But I was doing some cleaning the other day and found an almost two-year-old post-it with the cost breakdown of my Italy travels. I didn't want to toss it, but to write a blog post that might be useful to someone. Almost two years ago I wrote one of my most popular posts ever—How To Travel On A Budget—but I get it's one thing to offer general advice, but it's totally another to actually show someone how you really did it on a trip. So, here goes!

Berlin Boatride or How To Enjoy Your Town Cruise

Oh wow, it's been quite a while since this boatride happened. Google Chrome keeps reminding me of it every day, as I installed a plugin to make me more productive... though the reality is it's only making me more miserable. Give it a go if you'd like. Anyway, the day before my 27th birthday my friend who visited his BF in Berlin was struck by the fact that I had no plans for my birthday whatsoever, so the two of them arranged a boatride and invited me to join them. As this was actually one of the things to do before I (eventually) leave Berlin, I was delighted! My birthday is in late September, so we enjoyed the fall colors and just seeing the city from the water. We also had wine and a birthday cupcake. It was a day well spent.

What to See and Do in Pecs, Hungary

Hometown friends are a special sort – you know, those who’ve known you for a lifetime and with whom you share tons of adventures growing up? Yes, I have those too. But the funny thing is that I met two of my 'hometown friends' on a night prior to my moving abroad two years ago. Yes, I’ve known them before because it’s a type of town where everybody knows of everybody, but this was the first time I was actually introduced to them and we spent the evening together. Best way to wrap up a life phase. 

This past spring I came home just in time to be asked if I’d join them on a road trip to a nearby town in Hungary. The two of them + one girlfriend + another friend had already planned it and they had an extra seat in the car. Why, sure! Especially because I’d never actually been to Hungary before, even though my hometown is really close to the border. (If we rule out the occasional landings and departures from the Budapest airport, that is, and we do because I say so.) So yes, a short one-day trip to a random town called Pecs was definitely something I was in the mood for.

Next Stop - Baku!

You remember when you were a teenager and were desperately waiting for a text message from that special someone, but it never came? Your phone was in your sight all the time. You even took it to the bathroom, but nope, no message. And let me just remind you that back then we didn't have social media and there was no way of telling if they saw our last message, let alone when they were last online! So you eventually gave up and lost hope.

Only to once forget about your phone for like half an hour, and when you then grabbed it afterwards, there it was: the desired text. Crazy, huh?! Well, something like that just happened to me. Didn't include someone I dream of, though. :)

I'm a Tinggly Ambassador!

I don't know about you, but when I'm facing someone's birthday, graduation or even wedding, I have NO IDEA what to get them. And it doesn't have to do with how well I know the person. It can be my best friend or my sister, but I'm still paralyzed with cluelessness every freaking time. And when you're friends with many people, that can be troubling. Especially because I do care, and I do want to show them I've given a lot of thought into the idea of a present. 

Maybe somebody over at Tinggly had the same problem, but unlike me, saw it as an inspiration to make something awesome :) And I'm so thankful they did, because I have a great announcement to make today - I'm a Tinggly Ambassador! Woo! But let me explain what this means.

Foreign Habits Worth Adopting

I wish words could express how much I miss traveling. Or even better, I wish I could travel right now! But as I already said a couple of weeks ago, my staying in one place at the moment is one side of the medal - the other one is saving money, and I like that one way better. After all, I've got a lifetime ahead of me to travel... right? So if you're in the same boat right now, lusting for travel but not going anywhere, you might want to bring the world to you. If Mohammed will not go to the mountain... ;) Here are some great little ways to internationalize your days.

Favorite around the Web: Travel Blogs

Just like reading makes a (better) writer, reading blogs makes a better blogger. Or maybe it doesn't, but it's just given: if you blog, it means you read other blogs. A lot of them. Sometimes you have troubles limiting the amount of information you devour on the daily basis, but hey, it's just one of the sides of blogging. From personal entries, blogs have become much, much more. There's a crazy amount of usefulness you can find on various blogs. You lack ideas of what to make for lunch, want to go to a vacation somewhere cheap but nice, wonder what you could do to brighten up your walls or desk, have an idea for a business but don't know how to get there... Don't worry, someone has probably blogged about it and shared the wisdom! But what you will do once you discover their range of other awesome topics and posts... that's up to you. No, I'm not grinning, and yes, you're an adult who knows what they're doing *wink*

Anyway, because sharing is caring, I wanted to share some of my favorite travel blogs. Whether you're looking for information or just amazing photos, they more often than not have both. Plus the people behind them are usually awesome, so you'll enjoy reading them.

This Time Last Year - Some Thoughts on Travel & Saving

If you stumbled upon this li’l blog of mine last spring, you could have probably thought that I was leading this out-of-the-suitcase life. In a way I did, it lasted for about two months and I never slept in the same bed for more than five days. I covered six countries and twice as many cities, packing on Thursdays, unpacking on Mondays, and repeating it all over again. It was exciting, but also hectic, and hell, tiring. In the end I had troubles separating memories from different places, because it all seemed like a continuum with blurry lines in between. That coffee with a view, was it in Zurich or in Paris? That open square where we spent a sunny afternoon, was it in Brussels or Berlin? ...And when I say ’we’, who exactly was there with me?!