Hi, I am Katerina and welcome to my blog!

I’m probably one of the few bloggers who has involved herself in the tourism niche since early childhood.

And here is my story…

I was born in Latvia, the magnificent city of Riga.  Summer was often rainy and the Baltic Sea is was always quite cold, but the old town with its narrow streets is worth falling in love, with this city.

Unfortunately, I only lived there for several years, as my parents divorced.  When I was 7 years old, my mom and I moved to Ukraine (my dad is Latvian and my mom is Ukrainian).  While living in Latvia at least twice a year I was flying to Ukraine and back. This was the beginning of my experience with air travel.

I was really lucky since my grandfather had a beach hotel on the Azov Sea in Ukraine, just 3 hours away from my city.  It’s likely you don’t even know that this sea exists, but for me, this small “puddle” on the map was my small “paradise”.  As I remember, I always tried to help in the hotel.  My responsibilities included handing the keys during customer check-in’s (this was a great opportunity to meet new people), also I took the role of the waitress in the restaurant, and even organized the evening parties (my favorite part was dancing all night) and I was called “The Small Director”.

“But all good things must end…” When I was fourteen, my grandma got sick and my grandpa was forced to sell the hotel to take care of her.  Thus ended the stage of my life in the hotel, and began a new one; a less exciting one, which included studies and also ended up in a dance school that I found a passion in.

By the age of 17, when I entered the National University in the  Social Management department, I began to work as a teacher of Oriental dances (OH, YES I was a good one). But still something was missing, and I realized that I missed my summer months spent at the beach a lot.  So, I started looking for summer jobs in hotels.  That’s the way I passed my 4 years in the University, where part-time summer jobs in hotels helped me combine leisure and work.

In the final year, at my University, I managed to travel to Egypt with my best friend. This was my first experience of traveling abroad without parents and felt so independent which was an unforgettable experience which defined the life I wanted to live. I suppose you can guess that for two young girls to leave the Hotel on their own, was not that safe in Egypt. So in order to experience this country, we took excursions to Karnack and Luxor, as well as a cruise to “Paradise Island”.

This trip inspired me so much that I realized that I wanted to travel more and more.

And this opportunity came up soon. One of my friends was going to America to attend a student program called “Work & Travel”. And this for me, was a sign, I had to go too!!!  The problem was the cost of the trip (a bit on the expensive side) and…. my mom, who I had to persuade.  So I borrowed money, which I had to return as soon as I came back from my trip and, YES, I managed to persuade my mom!!!

After passing the Bachelor exam with the highest degree, the next day I was ready to go on my dream trip with two friends and 500 dollars in my pocket.  By the way, since I was the best student in my department, my professors saw my future in graduate school, but I chose the trip instead… I wanted to TRAVEL.

We traveled for 3 days just to get to Laughlin city in Nevada.  Due to the time zones, we basically spent three days without seeing any nights!!! and the funniest coincidence is that these three days fell on a Friday which was “lucky” for us…the 13th!  How ‘s is this possible? Would you have taken the chance to travel then?

It all started with the nine hours by bus to Kiev, where we were waiting for our three-hour flight to Moscow,  then catching a twelve-hour flight to Atlanta, where we then caught another a four-hour flight to Las Vegas, and finally another eight hours layover waiting for the bus to Laughlin.

Unbelievable! This was the first time I was so tired that I fell asleep at the airport parking bench in Las Vegas because inside the airport was freezing due to the AC.  I won’t go into details about my adventures in the USA, but I want to say that it was full of fun, new friendships, crazy adventures, two full-time jobs, and not a lot of sleep, plus gained + 10 kg that I happily lost.  In America, I have left a lot of friends, and in the near future, I intend to make a road trip across America to see a lot of them.

Six months after my journey was over and I returned to Ukraine. The weather was damp and rainy, and I found the people around me were gloomy, and I began to feel depressed myself.   I had to complete my master’s degree and began to think about studying in Europe.  Fortunately,  I earned enough money to repay the debt for my trip and still had enough to pay my first deposit for my studies.  This time I  chose a masters’ degree in the tourism sector, and because of this, I found myself ending up in Athens, Greece, on January 4th, 2009.

When people ask me why I chose Greece, I simply reply that I did not choose it, but Greece chose me.

Wales Business School has branches in three countries:  England, Switzerland, and Greece.  Athens had the best conditions for my admission.    Two years after attending WBS,  I managed to get my  Master Degree in ”Tourism Leadership and International Hospitality”, where I was now ready to combine my passion for traveling together with my future career in the tourism and travel sector.

In a very short time, I found a job in a travel agency for the organization of holidays and traveling throughout Greece. Through this work, I discovered every corner of this beautiful country in order to make trips more memorable for each of my traveling clients.

I have visited a lot of hotels,  and have been on all excursions and made up exiting travel programs for the tourists.  I started to travel a lot around Greece and many other countries as well.

Since I am not only a travel blogger but also a travel maker, I developed a coordination list that helps me organize the perfect trip, for others, and myself.

This blog consists of all my personal useful tips, which will help anyone looking for travel ideas, questions, and information in general.  A unique approach which will satisfy everyone’s needs of a great organized and affordable traveling experiences…with K…

 «My list» for  the perfect “dream trip”: 

– Destination. It really has to be somewhere you really want to go. Check, my ideas.

– Flights. Search the best budget and most convenient flights.   I rarely overpay for flights, so you will find the most important tips here.

– Accommodation.  I always check the best location to stay and only then I book a hotel, apartment.  In my blog, you will find this information and I also cover every destination and place I visited in full detail.

– Preparation.  Packaging, insurance, and all useful items, everything that you need to take with you.

– History.  I always say that in order to «get a better feeling» for the country it is necessary to learn the country’s history. I have information on my own detailed guided excursions I’ve written in this blog.   You will find the best advice about the MUST  VISIT and SEE places by yourself or with a guide. 

– Food and places to eat.  An integral part of any trip.  You will find my suggestions for affordable and tasty street food, as well as delicious meals in high-class restaurants, and my favorite part a guide to the best local pastries and confectionary.

–Transport.  Comfortable transportation is always important, as it saves time, money and nerves.  I’ll show you where you can take the most comfortable public transport,  taxis or to rent a car.

–Shopping.  Oh, yes what’s a trip without shopping?  Check my blog for the best places to shop, and the best tourist gifts you can buy based in the country you are traveling in.

–Nightlife.  Even if you are not a “party animal”, you can enjoy a cocktail in amazing places which are found locally.  I cover all the local spots you should experience and I find it to be a better traveling experience instead of commercial places that tourists usually visit.

– The highlights of the destinations. And last, but not least, my blog will give you a first-person perspective and view of traveling to these places as you are there with me.  I will walk you through what you need to know, and by the time you finish reading any of my posts, you’ll be ready to take that trip, confident enough you made the right decision for this unforgettable time in your life.

What To Expect From This Travel Blog

• Travel tips which will make your trip more enjoyable and comfortable
• The best Weekend destinations and tips that go with it
• Travel on Budget and  Luxury holiday destinations
• New unique destinations unspoiled by mass tourism.
• Useful information about each city:  from transport to excursions
• Practical blog posts about my solo travel experiences, as a couple (bf), and with friends.
• Ideas for an unforgettable trip

Open your heart to new adventures, free your soul for real-life experiences and taste the world’s flavors with me!

XXX

Yours K.