A Slovenian Girl Who Travelled the World for Three and a Half Years – Part 3

Where did you sleep? Did you by any chance stay at HI hostels?

I stayed at all kinds of places, from hotels and hostels to cars, beaches, couches, meadows and hammocks, and I also stayed with host families.

I also stayed at HI hostels, mostly in New Zealand. I was already a member, so I knew the trademark. When you’re travelling, you notice there are different standards in different places. A three-star accommodation in Europe is something completely different than a three-star accommodation in Asia. But when you see a hostel being a part of the HI network, you know exactly what to expect. Personally, I prefer to keep my backpack with me in a hostel (e.g. under the bed) and I prefer canopy beds, so I can have privacy. I also pay attention to whether a hostel has a kitchen because that means you can cook yourself a meal. Eventually, everyone figures out what they deem important and what not when it comes to accommodation.

Do you remember which hostel you liked the most?

There was a wonderful hostel by the lake in Queenstown in South Island. It was renovated just before my stay there and I was really like “wow”.

What are, in your opinion, the advantages of staying at a hostel, as opposed to staying at a hotel?

I like the fact that you can meet other people and that there are always activities posted on the board. I’ve also noticed in the last couple of years that people often stare at their phones, which makes it more difficult to establish contact with other people. When it comes to hotels, it always made me angry that, if you’re travelling alone, you always have to pay the full price yourself. If there’s someone travelling with you, then the price can be split between the two of you. On the other hand, solo travelling gives you lots of freedom and you don’t have to be flexible to accommodate the needs of others. I also noticed that it was much easier for me to make contact with the locals as a solo traveller, not to mention how much easier it is to get a ride if you’re hitchhiking.

You said you stayed with host families. How did you arrange that?

Whenever I could, I tried to stay with locals. I even met a nice man at an airport once who invited me to his and his wife’s place in New Zealand. Back at home, this is something unheard of for a lot of people, who would question themselves why they should pay electricity and water for a stranger. But we connected on another level – when they were young, the couple would travel a lot, and now they were able to relive that part of their life through my stories. They understood how I felt and they happily offered to take me under their roof. And, in Africa, I met a girl from a Facebook group. We chatted for a while, but I was still sceptical. When the plane landed in Tanzania, she was nowhere to be seen at the airport where we agreed to meet, but I heard from her later and she arranged a cheaper transfer for me to the city where we finally met, and I could stay at her place. I taught for a while at her school (she was a teacher), and from there I climbed Kilimanjaro and went on a safari. Africa is very expensive and I took part in all these activities with the help of local agencies this girl recommended. When I asked her if she received commission in return, she simply smiled and said that that’s just the way it is in Africa. And I think we can all agree it’s the same elsewhere, not just in Africa.

What electronics did you take with you?

I had a computer and a phone, but I didn’t take a camera with me. I just felt that extra equipment would pose additional concern and I would have to be careful when storing and locking the extra electronics.

Have you ever missed a flight?

Not in the real sense, no. I always prefer to arrive at the airport early because I find plane tickets to be too expensive to just let them go to waste. When I was in Canada, though, I did have three tickets that were cancelled because of the pandemic and the airline didn’t issue a refund. I also missed a few connecting flights, but I always sorted that out with the airlines. I even had to take three other flights once due to one connecting flight. And on top of all that, I’m really afraid of flying. When fear grabs hold of me, I start shaking and crying. It’s true. This first happened when I was flying from Bangkok to India. There was often turbulence that was so bad all trays and the food that was on them flew through the air. After that, I developed such a fear of flying that on one of the flights the steward had to hold my hand for an hour, calming me down because I was so on edge. It was interesting to see the reactions of the passengers – they, men in particular, often tell me to drink some spirits before the flight, saying it will definitely help (laughs). Still, my desire to explore new places is so strong that I always sit on a plane and manage to get over my fear.

Judging by the number of countries you’ve visited, you must’ve used various means of transport. Are there any funny, or perhaps not so funny, stories you could share?

I travelled northern Vietnam by bike because I have a motorcycle licence. Of course, I was stopped at the Chinese border and had to show my driving licence, but everything was ok. In the Philippines, they thought my “boyfriend” would somehow appear and take over the driving, so they were surprised when I told them I was the one driving. That’s probably why they gave me a fairly bad bike because they were worried I wouldn’t return it in the same condition.

Of all the countries you’ve visited – which ones did you like the most and why? Would you consider living in any of them long-term?

I really liked Vietnam. I even went back there, that’s how much I liked it. I went to the jungle during heavy rain and I came back out covered in leeches. You can imagine my reaction. New Zealand is wonderful and it’s exactly how it’s depicted in every photo – there’s lots of clean nature, wonderful views and relaxed life. But I like to joke that New Zealand is the ass of the world – it’s very remote and if you want to travel long distance, you need lots of time and money. Here in Europe, we’re used to shorter distances and the fact that you can visit a new place every weekend, while that’s not possible in New Zealand. I also had limited options when it came to dancing, which I also disliked. I like the northern countries as well as saunas and spas, which is something that’s quite perfected in my home country. In New Zealand, though, the whole thing isn’t as developed.

All in all, I found every country to be interesting. I also really liked the Faroe Islands. My eyes started to tear up at every bend, that’s how fascinated and overwhelmed I was by the views, the cliffs and the ride through the underwater tunnels. I lived with one of the best whalers and it was interesting to hear his side of the story. I already got feedback that some of the locations that I had visited for free introduced admission fees, but I still highly recommend the Faroe Islands.

I also stayed with the locals and worked from three to five hours a day in exchange for food and accommodation, and I had the rest of the day off. Opportunities like this can be found on Workaway portal.

I did want to stay longer in Canada, though. I was making all the necessary arrangements for permanent residence, but the whole coronavirus situation sadly changed my plans. The country is huge and it takes a long time to get anywhere, but I like the mentality there. There are so many different people living together and the nature is really beautiful. Iceland is also very special, of course; not just the nature, but people there are so kind and they’re real artists in how they make themselves busy in those dark months. We can really learn a lot from them about how to be grateful.

The best and worst transport experience?

I had a very nice experience in Ireland. I was hitchhiking and a rickety van stopped. I didn’t know whether to get in or not. When I saw a small and slender driver, I thought ok, I can handle that guy, should it get weird, but he was the complete opposite of what I expected – he was a pleasant person and very open. He was supposed to get me through half of my journey. Soon after I got in the car, he told me he had to pull over for 15 minutes at some place to pick something up and asked if I mind. I told him I didn’t. When we got there, I helped him dismantle and store some kind of market stand, which obviously didn’t take us 15 minutes, but an hour or so. After that, he didn’t want to drop me off at the appointed place, but drove me all the way to the end as a thank you, which meant two hours more of driving for him. He even invited me to lunch during the drive. He was a really nice guy and we still keep in touch on Facebook.

The most awkward situation I had, though, was in India. As a solo female traveller, I try to follow all the general rules and trust my instincts. But in the end, despite everything, anything can happen and I always shudder when I hear horror stories. But I try to focus on the positive things.

The best and worst accommodation?

The best accommodation was when I stayed with host families. Not because of clean sheets, but because of the contact and the way I felt at home there, plus the way the families share their everyday life with you.

Sadly, just like my worst experience, the worst accommodation was also in India. Following the safety recommendations, I booked a new three-star hotel online, but when I got there, I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not. The hotel was a bit better than a stable. And in Manila, the taxi driver and I were both unable to find the hostel. It was evening and I had to quickly find new accommodation. A local, who spotted me in the middle of the street, helped me out, so everything turned out alright.

The best and worst food?

I was a little shocked by the food in Israel and Jordan. I’m not a fan of parsley and I thought there were tons of it in every dish. I also wasn’t really excited about the food in the Philippines. Of course, I also wanted to try balut, a local dish made of a fertilised developing egg embryo – and I almost threw up (laughs).

The best food, in my opinion, was in Vietnam – pho and all the other soups. I also like Indian food.

Were there any troubles related to food?

Yes, and not just in India. I also didn’t feel well in the Philippines, but it was my own fault for drinking the tap water when staying with a host family. Naturally, it caused me troubles. It can get really awkward when you’re travelling around and there isn’t always a toilet nearby. I really had to go once when I was driving in a car in New Zealand, and apparently I had eaten spoiled meat beforehand. I just couldn’t hold it any longer and there was no toilet anywhere. So, I just had to pull over by the side of the road and opened the door on the other side of the car at a tall spruce, which offered at least some cover, so I could do my thing. Now I just laugh at my little adventure.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Just be bold, trust yourself and simply go. Even if something goes wrong, keep going. Don’t be afraid to ask – the worst that can happen is that you’ll get a “no” as an answer. I wish everyone all the best. Take care of your own safety and don’t forget to have fun. You won’t regret it.

You can find Špela on her Instagram and Facebook profile where she’ll gladly answer all your questions.

This interview was conducted by me, Simona, the creator of the Slovenians travel blog. You can find me on Instagram, too, and you’re welcome to check out my YouTube channel where my husband and I started publishing various travel vlogs. If you have a travel story or an adventure you’d like to present, you can contact me without hesitation and perhaps we can agree to work together.