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! 

Six Months Later—Where I Am With My New Year's Resolutions

Hello there! While everyone else does their designated check-ins and weekly and monthly reviews and what not either on the last day of the week/month or the day after, well, it seems running late can be my charming feature. Not that charming? Oh, okay. I thought…

Well, July 1st or 27th, I guess the story is the same. Did I enjoy the second quarter of the year? I hated it. I hated it so much and I still hate the thought of it. Six months ago I wrote here this “might be the greatest year of my life if I make it so”. Well, that was optimistic. Six months later my life is falling apart and I’m this little fella. But hey, if I’m able to crack a joke or two or write about it and not sobbing at the thought of EVERYTHING… I guess I’m fine. (Though I am sobbing quite often. Yeah, I was always that girl.)

Weekend Reads #58

Hi there! If anyone noticed I hadn't posted WeekendReads last week, that's because I was in Azerbaijan, obviously, and even though I had brought my laptop along, I rarely had the time to look at it, if we count out the time spent getting ready in the evenings when we would play a song or two on YouTube—but not more, because, well, lack of time. The schedule was so busy it reminded me of similar programs I attended in high school, which is, truth be told, ages ago. I was constantly tired and felt like an old grandma for going to bed at 2 AM every night, when people were basically starting to have fun. Well, the people were also younger than me and if it's not scientifically proven you can stay up longer without any consequences when you're young, it should be. Aaanyway, post(s?) on Azerbaijan coming some time soon, and in the meantime, here's what you can do today.

Weekend Reads #57

Hello hello, and happy Friday! Counting down until the weekend? Having any exciting plans in store? I'm traveling tomorrow—I'm flying to Azerbaijan! I know it sounds super random, but actually it's something I've been waiting for quite some time. Here's the post explaining in detail why I'm going, if you'd like to know. If you have some recommendations in Baku, please do let me know! You can comment here or tweet me @wanderpolkadot. And now, let's dive deep in the links I prepared for you. 

Weekend Reads #56

Hello there! It's really hard to write a meaningful intro in this heat, plus I've been so tired lately and I have no idea why. Could be the weather. I wake up tired and I drag myself through the day because, well, it's not like I have options. So, without further ado, here are the links I found interesting last week and hope you will too.

Weekend Reads #55

Hello hello, how is everyone? How are you surviving the heat, provided you're experiencing something similar to what we have here in Belgrade? I think people who live in Belgrade and claim they love summer are just plain dumb—that is, unless they spend all of it somewhere else. The city is pure concrete and it's incredibly hot. A week or two ago I had problems breathing for the first time in my life. My AC is working most of the time (hello, electricity bill!) and my blinds are shut. I wake up covered in sweat and the first thing I do when I enter the flat is taking off all of the clothes. Even shower doesn't help. I cannot remember when exactly we became a tropical island... oh, but we didn't, because at least there you can jump into the sea. Well, enough with the despair: as always, here are some links for your entertainment.

Weekend Reads #54

In latest news from the Fairytale Land... I lost my phone. I lost my beautiful golden liked-by-everyone phone that I only had for less than a year (and that's SO LITTLE because I use my phones until they are dead and done). I lost my phone that had a broken screen, and why did it have a broken screen, because I didn't have the funds to repair it. Well, here's the silver lining: I don't need to repair it anymore. I am at the moment using my dad's old phone and it sucks and using it literally HURTS, because it has a keyboard with REAL KEYS and my fingertips haven't been using keys on a phone since 2009.
Rant over. On a similar note though, do you happen to need a writer, a translator, an editor, anyone who does anything with words? Well, you're looking at the right person's blog! Hit the "Contact" tab, feed the piggy bank and sponsor my next electricity bill. 

Weekend Reads #53

I know. I'm guilty. I let myself be one of those people whose domains expire. But on the other hand, why is it taking DAYS for money to land on my PayPal account? Anyway, we're back. If you had happened to visit in the past few days, you could have been greeted by a page telling you the domain for Wandering Polka Dot had expired. Argh! I now know I will make a dozen reminders for the next year...
Anyway, here are some links I stumbled upon recently I thought you might enjoy.

Advice To My Teenage Self

If only they made a travel machine already! I have some advice for a version of myself that wore glasses and had a bunch of spots on the forehead. Since I did it all wrong, I can only try my best and swim in this muddy puddle they call life. If she had only done things differently... well, here it is, just in case they do invent a time machine and we find a way to access a blog in 2006. that doesn't yet exist.

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!