Voyager
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3 Top Recession Alternatives to a Hotel Stay
In the times of economic recession and trying to find alternatives for a cheaper travel (think budget airlines), a hotel stay for many avid travellers just doesn’t cut it. They are often too expensive, while lacking originality, personal touch and ways to meet/socialize with fellow travellers. So, then nomads like myself consider alternative places to crash for the night during the travel. Today, I am sharing my experiences with three great and affordable (or even free) types of accommodation: hostels, Airbnb flats and Couchsurfing. Hostel For travellers on the budget but who don’t want to give the idea of a hotel entirely, I would recommend hostels. Even though sceptical about…
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Kenya: Following the Footsteps of a ‘White Masai’
This week was about Masai memories…I came across pictures of fashionista Olivia Palermo in Masai Mara, working together with a Spanish footwear brand Pikolinos on the 2013 Maasai Collection campaign and it brought some sweet memories I wanted to share. Adorned from head to toes with Masai jewellery and accessories, Olivia looked amazing as ever. This project, which seeks to provide Masai community with alternative sources of income while supporting their traditional craft making, combines fashion with development – two things I truly care about. I too have fallen in love with the Masai and their beautiful culture and traditions. My most prized possession from Kenya, a beaded multi-tiered necklace,…
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TSV Tips: A Simple Shirt Saves a Day!
So you are travelling and realized you forgot your cool dress or a top. What to do? If you are travelling with a male companion, better your boyfriend, borrow his shirt and make yourself a fashionable outfit in few mins. Just watch and learn!
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72-Hour Guide to Morocco: Marrakesh
Visiting Morocco has been on the top of my travel list for years so when a friend of mine and I came up with an idea of a short trip to clear our minds from constant PhD writing, I immediately suggested going to Marrakech. It ticked all the boxes: it was warm and sunny (unlike cold and grey London!), relatively cheap and only 3 hours away by air. A month later, with tickets in hand and full of excitement, we set off for our short adventure. Day 1 On my journey from the airport to hostel, I already felt warm breath of the evening air, while silhouettes of tall palm…
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‘Hybrid’ Kids: Identity in the Age of Globalisation
Growing up, I felt like an ugly duckling, an experience with which I am sure many mixed kids can relate. For me, half Russian, half Kazakh, born in Soviet Siberia, raised in Kyrgyzstan, and now an American living in London, identity has always been a complex issue. Even today, when people ask where I am from, it takes me a moment to answer what seems a simple question. While sometimes I long for a strong cultural identity, and one place to call home, I’ve also come to appreciate my unique background, and feeling a true ‘citizen of the world’. Usually you hear that mixed, or ‘hybrid’, kids, born into intercultural…
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Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Return of the Prodigal Daughter
Every time I land in Bishkek, I am filled with mixed feelings – excitement and worry. On one hand I look forward seeing my family and friends, on another – I always wonder: will I connect with the city? Will it recognize and welcome me, the prodigal daughter who has left it in the end of the 1990s? I have visited Bishkek in the last couple years several times. I hardly go to new trendy places and popping everywhere Western-style cafes. Instead, I look for clues to put together in my mind the image of the city I used to know. I have grown up and moved on, so did…
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Travel Across Cultural Borders: Intercultural Marriages
Today I share my observations on travel across not georgraphical but rather cultural borders. As someone who is quite familiar with intercultural relationships and is a product of one, I had to write my thoughts about them. I hope you enjoy my article originally written for AGI Magazine (Dec 2013-Jan issue 2014).
