TRAVEL TUESDAYS: INTERVIEW WITH ANNA OF ANNA EVERYWHERE

This week we would like to introduce Anna Lysakowska of Anna Everywhere. Anna has visited more than 45 countries and lived in 7, including Mexico City, Boston, London, Cape Town, Florence and Leiden. She studied journalism at Harvard, international law at Oxford Brookes and obtained her Masters in Latin American Studies from Leiden University. Since 2013 she has been residing in the Netherlands where she works at a marketing company, but that doesn’t stop her from traveling.

1. What inspires you to travel, and how would you define the word ‘traveler’?

anna5When I travel I’m always looking for extreme activities that require a lot of courage. For example, I bungee jumped from Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa and did zorbing and waterfall jumping in New Zealand. After you overcome your fears it feels very satisfying and I would say that this feeling inspires me to travel a lot.

My definition of a traveler would be one who doesn’t only want to visit touristy locations and get drunk on the beach. It’s someone who is keen on getting to know the culture, the locals, and isn’t afraid of visiting places that aren’t first-world countries.

2. For those who don’t yet know you, can you explain your travel style?

I consider myself a long-term traveler – I’ve been moving between different countries for the last 10 years. However, I still go on shorter backpacking trips when I can and I also often travel for work.

3. How do you afford your travels?

I’m always working, whenever and wherever I can. Currently I’m working for Flipit in Amsterdam and doing freelance translations on the side.

4. Where was your first international trip and how old were you?anna3

My first international trip was actually my dad’s business trip to Vienna. My dad was going to different places for work while my mother and I were sightseeing. However, my first solo trip was in 2009 when I spontaneously took off to Thailand.

5. Where has been your favorite destination? Where has been your least favorite?

It’s hard to name just one destination. My favorites include South Africa, Israel, and Mexico. One of my biggest disappointments was Argentina.

6. If you had to settle down in one location forever, where would you choose and why?

To be honest I thought I settled down a few times already haha! One could say that I’m pretty settled at the moment in Holland although I know that I don’t want to stay here forever.

7. Have you ever had high hopes for a destination, tour, etc., only to be disappointed in the end? Or any travel mishaps?

Definitely. For instance, the pyramids of Giza in Egypt were a huge disappointment. There were too many tourists, too many vendors trying to sell things, and actually the pyramids seemed much smaller than I imagined they would be. Also, the trip I took to the Moroccan desert was a disaster. We drove for 9 hours just to stay in a tent with electricity only 15 minutes from the main road.

8. What’s the funniest or weirdest cultural idiosyncrasy you’ve either witnessed or experienced?anna4

I can think of a few actually. For example, Italians always gesticulate with their hands when they’re speaking, as if they were all deaf at some point. Dutch people are very direct and will not hesitate to tell you things that many would find impolite. In South Africa, funerals are considered more important than weddings or births and people save money their whole lives to pay for them.

9. What keepsake do you have to get at all your destinations?

I’m a key-chain collector. I was always buying very kitschy souvenirs and before I knew it I ended up with a lot of key-chains and so I decided to start collecting them. I’m also a fan of stuffed hippopotamuses.

10. How about the one thing you cannot travel without?

My smartphone. When I travel I love staying in touch with everyone so I can’t stand not being connected all the time.

11. Why did you begin blogging? And how did you come up with your blog name?

In the beginning of 2010 I set up a blog to share my experiences in Africa with my friends. I carried on with that blog until this year when I realized I wanted to make it more public so I set up a new domain and started writing about the experiences I collected during the last 10 years, while also adding new ones.
Why “Anna Everywhere”? I guess that my goal – to go everywhere!

12. What’s next for 2014? 

I’m going to revisit California in 2 weeks. Later this year I’m going to Athens for TBEX and then I’m heading to Asia, probably to either Vietnam or Indonesia and then somewhere in the Middle East.

Traveler Toss-ups

anna1

Backpack or suitcase? Definitely a suitcase. While this might seem strange to other travelers, my things just don’t get as creased in a suitcase as they would in a backpack.

Window or aisle? Window for intercontinental flights and aisle for short haul flights. I like enjoying the views and putting my head against the wall to sleep when I have a window seat.

Solo or group? I usually travel solo. In the beginning I was trying to travel in groups, but my friends could never make it or didn’t want to go.

Tapas or sushi? That’s a tough choice but I think I’d go with tapas. I only like specific sushi and I’m not a big fan of sashimi.

Beach or mountains? I’d say both but it depends when. I like lounging on the beach during the summer and skiing in the mountains during the winter.

Be sure to follow as Anna travel everywhere:

Visit Anna’s site: Anna Everywhere
Follow Anna on Twitter: @1988annalisa
“Like” Anna on Facebook: Anna Everywhere


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