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Biggest Life and Travel challenge – Part 3

Excited about Thailand and environmentally friendly travel

In the second part, we learned that they have been together for almost half of their lives, why couchsurfing is not a good idea for them and that it is good to laugh at sad situations. In the last part take a look at what foreigners want to see in Slovenia, which HI hostels made the biggest impression on them and which cool things the HI card made possible for them.

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Which destination do you like returning to?

Thailand, without a doubt.

Which photography gear do you use on your travels and how has it been working for you so far?

Until last year we had only used Nikon D90 and GoPro cameras, but last year Jure wanted a new device that would make it easier to create videos. So we welcomed Sony Alpha into our technical family. We also take the drone with us, if that country allows to use it.

Your experience with lost luggage?

Yeah, exactly on our way around the world, they lost my luggage. On the last day in Australia I took advantage of clothes sales and after four months of wearing the same clothes, I refreshed my wardrobe. After that in Bali my backpack got lost. It took me four days to get it back, the airline and the insurance company did not cover any costs.

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In your opinion, what do foreigners love most about Slovenia?

When we travel and say that we are Slovenians, well there are only two possibilities – either they know about Slovenia or they have no clue where it is. We are most often known for our sportsmen and sportswomen and in some countries because of Yugoslavia and Tito. The biggest surprise is shown at the fact that there are only two million of us.

Since we get friends from abroad every year, we have a pretty good insight into what they want to see: Bled, Ljubljana, Piran and sometimes Soča. Of course we also take them to the eastern part of the country, which they also like.

The most read post on your Slovenians travel blog?

Posts from the Maldives are read every day.

How do you make your travels environmentally friendly?

We definitely try to reduce the consumption of plastic by carrying bamboo straws, a metal water bottle and cotton bags. We do not really go on spending sprees and at least I, Simona, also purchase clothes in second hand shops. When we’re somewhere we stick to local restaurants and local food. We don't eat meat. We also try to limit air travel, so for an extended weekend we don't fly somewhere where we'll spend four days, but rather go somewhere by car.

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You are volunteers at Hostelling International Slovenia, an NGO which is part of a large organization, Hostelling International. It has a global network of youth hostels in many countries around the world. Which HI hostels around the world would you say are the best?

We really liked HI hostels in Japan. Not only did they offer a great insight into Japanese culture with gorgeous tatami rooms, modern toilets and their bathrooms, but all the food we ate at their hostels was also excellent.

We were also impressed with the hostels in Australia. They are more like hostels here in Europe (they are not as luxurious as in Japan), they help you meet other travelers and enable you to prepare your own food in very well-arranged shared kitchens. What we really liked about them was the wide range of additional activities and discounts they offered to their guests. So with the HI card you have high discounts on entrance fees, and you get free nights when booking some tours and interesting evening events.

In Europe we tested HI hostels in the Netherlands, where we fell in love with the city of Utrecht. Modern design, spacious rooms and great bikes convinced us. Amsterdam is always a great idea and the local hostels (we were in the one next to Vondelpark) are great.

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Cuisine that makes your mouth water the most?

Oh, we enjoy food so much that we don't even talk to each other a lot of times while eating. We really like Asian cuisine – Thai and Japanese are in the lead and we also had very good food in Sri Lanka. We return to Italy several times a year because of the food, and we find Greek and Jordanian food to also be very tasty.

It’s really interesting how people see poverty around the world. I was also surprised that cruising in the Bahamas can be quite affordable. I wish you as little lost luggage as possible and that you can laugh out loud many more times while on the road. Coronavirus, get away from us as soon as possible, so you two can start implementing further travel plans. Good luck! To see what they are up to, follow them on their Slovenians travel blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

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