This blog is a soul project. I had it in mind for some time but certain fears made me postpone starting it. So I urge anyone who has a dream, and to follow it! 

Recommendations

I dare to make a recommendation to those who have the pleasure of traveling: when preparing a trip, a vacation, a relaxing time in a corner of the world, put on your check list, along with must see, a very necessary must feel. Let your soul carry you away. Don’t get angry when you stay in huge lines because what follows is definitely worth the wait. Enjoy local food or at least taste it instead of saying NO without first even trying.

Don’t just visit the famous places. Yes, of course they must be seen, but there are little towns or less known places that have a special charm and they are patiently waiting to be discovered. So do not hesitate to make a swift turn out of your way and let yourself be surprised by unknown.

Mont Saint-Michel, France

I find it important to learn how to travel

And I think the best thing we can do when traveling is to be present. Let yourself be there in soul, but especially in mind. In Gaudi’s Barcelona nothing else matters but to discover what is left behind by one of the geniuses that Spain takes pride upon.

If you are the Vatican Museums, enjoy the sculptures, the paintings, the tapestries, the mosaics and prepare to be amazed at the Sistine Chapel. Anyway, I don’t think while you’re there, in the place where Michelangelo made some of the most beautiful paintings in the world, you could think about what to have for dinner. But if you are in Paris, Versailles, you cannot live in the present. You have to imagine that you are the Sun King. Or Marie Antoinette – unless your mind doesn’t boggle at her tragic end – and you live in the most beautiful palace and attend balls organized in the fascinating Hall of Mirrors.

Yes, rules are important!

When you travel, you have to take into account the rules of the country where you’re going. For example Thailand, which is known to be a liberal country, has quite a few rules of conduct, especially when it comes to someone from the royal family, whether alive or not. In no case it is tolerated to be disrespectful to them.

In Singapore, public space is protected with heavy fines reaching several hundred Singapore dollars for a small package thrown in the wrong place. If you venture throwing large garbage on the street, you risk getting before the Court and being sentenced to community work, i.e. to clean a certain area while wearing a brightly lit green vest. This actually works, since it is by far the cleanest city that I have visited.

In this case, the information from the internet and travel guides that we should read before any trip are very useful and protect us from incidents that can ruin our holidays.

 Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

You can learn a lot by travelling

First, how to pack a bag like a normal person because no, you don’t need to take half your house with you. If you forget something, surely you can find it there (if not an original, at least something similar), and if you’ve forgotten it it means it was not that important.

You learn that you have to get to the airport early so you won’t have to run as hell and arrive all sweaty the airplane, to the great annoyance of your fellow travelers. This thing with running in the airport is my favorite part, I admit. While were sitting relaxed, a swarm of people, more or less hurried, agitated and some downright transfigured make up what I call the “sweet madness” of the airport. Unless we have a connecting flight and we too start running through the airport.

Energy doesn’t lie

If you go to poorer countries or in those where the gap between rich and poor is quite high, if not huge, you realize that in this chase for more stuff you forget to enjoy life. I saw adults and children who smile at you and they don’t beg, even though all their wealth lies beneath the table they’re sleeping on in the street.

People you meet on trips and gladly, lovingly help you when you need it makes your soul happy. Those who smile at you in the street, in shops, cafes or restaurants, with no apparent reason and welcomes you in the most natural way possible (yes, it happened to me) give you a positive energy. I think we really need it. I think the ability to free smile comes from education and self-esteem.

I have not yet learned how to rest, I would not know how to do this because of the “spartan” schedule I leave home with. I went on trips but never a vacation were I just stayed at the beach or by the pool side. A new world is waiting for me to explore in every trip and time is short and passes so quickly. But I think we should always have some undiscovered bits and parts of every place. It’s the best excuse to get back.