I was born in Warsaw, Poland. My country was under the communist rule at the time and struggling economically. The political situation was very difficult and life depressing, especially with cold, dark winters and awful weather for close to half the year. I felt that this was not where I belonged, that I was born in the wrong country. Back then traveling abroad was only a dream for most people. I was lucky that both of my parents traveled on business, so I always heard their stories of foreign travels, which were mostly off limits to an average Polish citizen. My mother, a psychologist, was involved in various international social programs and my father, a scientist, lectured around the world extensively. I was 9 years old when I took my first foreign trip, going by coach bus and ferry from Poland to Great Britain with my mom, to join my father in Oxford for 3 months. This was my first taste of the “big world”.

When I finished elementary school, at age 14, my parents, who thought I was too shy and wanted to make me more independent, did the unthinkable – they sent me to England for 3 weeks on my own. And, although I stayed with their friends, I did most of the exploring on my own. This included London, Oxford and Wales. What they didn’t realize was that their decision would create a travel monster. My love of traveling (and my obsession with independence!) was born. That was my introduction to
adulthood (or so I thought), and the beginning of my endless dream to explore…. In my mind I was now an “adult”.

I felt an insatiable need to spend more time in a different, more positive environment than what my country could provide at the time.
I started learning English when I was 7, and after that fateful trip to England, I knew I wanted to study linguistics. When I finished high school, I gave my parents an ultimatum: I would only go to the university if they sent me for a year to London to study the language beforehand. After numerous “discussions”, my poor parents finally caved in. I spent 3 months in a school in London completing Cambridge Proficiency Course in English, and then 1 full year living and working in Oxford. During that year I visited Scotland, touring Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as the Scottish countryside. I also traveled to France where I toured Paris, the Loire Valley and Bretagne. This was my first real introduction to French food (with its endless variety of cheeses, crêpes, mussels, and copious amounts of Chantilly that I piled on everything I could) and my love of food exploration was born. I had a blast. 

When I came back, I started studying applied linguistics at Warsaw University, but something just didn’t feel right. I took a sabbatical and headed back to London. I was finally in my element – exploring every corner of the city and beyond, working and having fun on my terms. From there, quite unexpectedly, I had an opportunity to go to California (a place I always, for some strange reason, dreamed of while living in Poland). I bought a ticket without thinking twice. I had 2 suitcases, $300 in my pocket and lots of enthusiasm. The rest is history………

Living in the United States has allowed me to explore the world in a way I never thought possible. I traveled all over the country, visiting many states (21 so far). I had been to various parts of Canada and Mexico many times. I traveled to Costa Rica, Japan, Singapore, Bali, Mexico, Canada, Germany, France, Monaco, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, United Kingdom and Portugal. Islands have a special place in my heart and some of my favorite places have been Capri and Madeira, the islands of Bora Bora, Moorea, and Le Taha’a in the Tahitian archipelago, the Caribbean:  Jamaica, Antigua, Dominican Republic, and many islands in the Bahamas, tiny islands (or keys) around Florida’s Key West area, as well as all the islands of Hawaii (almost my second home since I’ve been there 20 times so far).

After moving to America, I decided to pursue a career in health and fitness, something that was always my special interest and passion back in Europe. I spent many years running my own business as a holistic health and nutrition coach and a personal trainer. But my longing to do something more with my deep love of travel, food, photography, wellness, style and, most of all, adventure, finally won and I made a decision to leave my business and give it a try. 

So here I am…. hoping that I can share my passion for all the above with those of you who are looking to travel and get some great ideas, but also with those who can’t – I want to bring the beauty of our planet and all it has to offer to them as well. 

My blog is not only about travel, but also about food (something that’s such a huge part of the travel experience), culture, style and, one of the most important aspects of the traveling experience – the beauty of nature. As much as I enjoy cities, it is nature that draws me the most. And how could one possibly talk about nature without photographs that capture its beauty? I am hoping to bring you this beauty in as many ways as I can: through my articles, my photography and my videos.

I’d like you to feel that you are traveling with me, tasting the food, experiencing local cultures, and soaking up the beauty of nature along the way.

I will not hide it – I love luxury and traveling in style, so my blog focuses more on comfortable places to stay and relax. But when it comes to food, I like to experience everything – from gourmet 3-star Michelin restaurants to small mom-and-pop eateries, and anything in between. And I’m always up for a great picnic, whether it’s on the banks of the Seine in Paris, or on top of a mountain with an amazing view somewhere far away……
But most of all, I love adventure of any kind – and luxury is not always a way to go in this department.

Having spent many years in the fitness industry, I have always loved sports, and so I enjoy hiking, swimming in the ocean for hours, snorkeling, jet skiing, sailing and parasailing, horseback riding, skiing, biking, weight training, yoga, and dancing, just to name a few.

Being in good shape has always been important to me, not only because of my former career, but also because I like feeling healthy and fit as it enables me to do things on the road that would otherwise be a lot harder. When I’m home I regularly do very serious weight training and cardio conditioning, but it’s the time spent on the road that’s a lot more challenging. For this reason, I try to be as physical as I can and find ways to stay active (especially with all the wonderful food I always “have to” try. Hard life…!!!) So, I also wanted to make this blog a resource for fitness and wellness on the road, so you know it can be done if you put a little effort into it, and hopefully it will give you some ideas of what to do and where.

Since I also love to cook, eating around the world always inspires me to create new dishes and experiment with new flavors, and I try to bring that piece of traveling experience to those “normal, boring” days when I’m back home. So, don’t be surprised if I occasionally throw a recipe or two into the mix for something that I find particularly irresistible. 

Last but not least, I have always been interested in style, so you’ll see the elements of it intertwined here as well.

I hope you will join me on my journey