Hi! My name is Džangir and I’m just another guy that likes to travel. So this is a blog about my travel experience. First I started writing notes from my trips for myself. Then I shared it with my friends and family. They said they find it sometimes amusing and even helpful. So I decided to share it openly on the web if anybody else can find some use of these writings.
I’m not here to tell you to change your life and go around the world leaving all behind and becoming a travel blogger. I’m one that is traveling but still returns home to my regular job from 9 AM to 5 PM. So far I visited 85+ countries and I intend to continue discovering new places. IMHO you can have both.
Table of Contents
About me – why I travel?
As a reason why I travel, I would point out the social interaction and relationships with people that you establish during your travels. Probably this urge drives me to go on a trip often. It’s definitely nice to see the pyramids or the Taj Mahal, but in the end, it’s just the stones. Culinary and nature can also be breathtaking, but socializing is still the most important aspect of my travel experience. So far, I have managed to visit about 70 countries, but up to 200 is still a long way.
About me – what place is most beautiful?
I often get asked where I had the most fun of all these trips. And there is no answer to that. I think that every trip gives you something, regardless of whether only beautiful or some less beautiful things happen in the meantime. Experience is what counts. When you spend the night with a local you first met on the bus. Well, you sleep on the floor, and mice jump around, but still, this person gives you the best he has (Mexico, Mali). Or while riding a train, when you are sitting on the floor with your fellow passengers, and one of them gives you a bracelet that he takes off his hand (India). Or the two hitchhikers I pick up in Iceland and later host me in the Amish country. Some of these experiences develop into long-standing and solid friendships that already last for as long as 20 years. However, even an ordinary task at a destination can be a special experience, e.g. a visit to the hairdresser, watching a movie at the cinema, shopping with a local at the market,…
About me – how I prepare for trip?
I prepare for the journey differently each time. I can buy a plane ticket half a year in advance, I also take care of mandatory vaccinations, visas, get a Lonely Planet and plan where to make a good stop (I always only make a rough plan). However, it has already happened that we started our journey towards Sarajevo and somewhere near Zagreb we changed our minds and decided to travel all the way to Istanbul. Again – experience counts. I return from my travels physically exhausted but filled with memories and positive energy.
About me – with whom I travel?
When I set out on a journey, a group of up to 4 people is ideal for me, larger groups mean more desires and thus more complications. It is more important who I travel with because it determines the type of trip. If we are just guys, we travel somewhere – sometimes we go on a road trip that does not include many stops, we watch a match there, there we eat and drink. Real travel for me starts somewhere outside of Europe and lasts 2 or 3 weeks. During this period I can see the city, admire nature and before returning I can relax on the beautiful beach. However, there are also trips where the goal of the trip is the trip itself. I prefer to go on such trips alone or with another friend, with whom I go on a long ride, which can last up to 36 hours on a local bus or on the roof of a train, or travel 5 days by Trans-Siberian Railway or crossings of 13 US states in a bit more than a week.
About me – longest trip?
I was the longest on the road in 2007, a month and a half. It started with an extended weekend in Prague, where I met an acquaintance from Cuba. After returning, I went to Portorož for an IT conference for a couple of days. I ended the week with a farewell party at my current job. From there I traveled for 4 weeks to Mexico and Guatemala with a girl I met a couple of weeks earlier. There, among other things, I met a classmate from college at the bus station in Oaxaca. After returning from the trip, I only had enough time to change my luggage and sleep for a couple of hours before going on the trip again, this time to Egypt for a week. I went there with colleagues from my previous job as part of the award for a successfully completed project, where we were accommodated in a five-star hotel. The day after returning from vacation, I started my first working day in a new job and I admit that after such a long journey, returning to the work environment was quite a challenge.
About me – my characteristics?
I think I am best known for sociability and everything that goes along with it. Before my Achilles tendon was torn, I really enjoyed playing volleyball and badminton. During the COVID-19 epidemic, it was suddenly impossible to travel as in the past, and because I had plenty of time, I started writing a travel blog about my experience. Now I can’t wait to get back to normal so I have something else to write about. A weekend trip to Malta was for a taste. Vietnam and Burma have been eluding me for a year and a half now. I look forward to discovering new destinations and new surprises offered by the world.
About me – few quick advice
Finally, a few quick tips – if you want to see the world and experience as much as possible, I advise you to start traveling around Europe, then continue exploring SE Asia and later everywhere else. Always carry toilet paper in your backpack, do not drink vodka with Russians, Southeast Asia will enchant you with its cuisine, you will enjoy natural beauty in a small area in addition to Slovenia in Iceland, you will experience the most relaxed fun in the Caribbean. Above all, I advise you to be relaxed along the way and the experience will be even better. If you are interested in anything else, ask me in the comments and I will be happy to share some more information with you.