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Never solo, but always on the go
#travel #inspiration #experience #challenge #interview
Ohana means family, and family means nobody is left behind or forgotten.
As promised, in the second half of 2023, I will be giving more space to interviews, other people’s experiences and digital nomadism. And it’s always good to have great, life-long friends, especially who have similar values to ourselves. And who appreciate same things. One of dear people in this category is my friend from the time of high school, Stefana. She does not travel solo for one simple reason – she is a successful wife and mother, and always brings along her companions, her family.
In my personal opinion, digital nomadism is a great trend, for those who have the nerve to keep moving and stay focused on exploring our marvelous home planet. It does come with a couple of challenges here and there, though. However, when we are alone and take care of no one other than our own self, being a digital nomad is not overly difficult – it becomes a routine eventually. Yet, for those who are married with children, the story looks completely different. Still, my dear friend Stefana manages it al. Without further ado, let me introduce my guest for this post.
- Stefana, thank you for taking your time to share your digital nomad experience with my courageous audience. Would you be so kind to tell us something about yourself – whatever you feel like sharing?
- I’m a content specialist based in Belgrade, Serbia. I’m also a mom and a solopreneur, to put it this way. I discovered remote work “before it was cool”, in 2019. Today, I think I’d never go back to an office because the freedom that remote and flexible work conditions provide you is unmatched. Of course, being a content specialist makes it easy to build a career remotely.
- You travel a lot. My first question is how do you manage to travel all the time, and especially with a young child along your side? Where does all this energy come from?
- I never travel alone with my kid, so relying on my husband is a big part of our travel adventures. I do at least one “workation” per year. Typically, my kid spends most of the day with his dad and I split work in a way that lets me spend time with the two of them and still complete my tasks. I work in the morning, then take a break, go for a walk, lunch, whatever we’re doing as a family, and then do some more work at night, after my son falls asleep. We’re a well-oiled machine now, but we did have a couple of epic fails.
- How long did it take for you to decide you want to try out digital nomadism?
- I don’t know if I’m a true digital nomad, but I like the phrase, so let’s go with it. I rarely had opportunities to travel when I was younger so choosing to work and travel at the same time was a no-brainer, really. I’m curious about the world and I want to go everywhere, from Colombia to Jordan. Being able to bring my laptop with me anywhere and “be at work” no matter where I am is very liberating. I don’t feel trapped at work, waiting for those two weeks of vacation per year. I make them happen whenever I feel like changing the scenery.
- Tell us something about one of your favorite destinations – how fit was everything for a family, and how difficult was the organization behind it?
- We spent three weeks in Spain last year. I’ve always dreamed of visiting this country, so it was spectacular. It was a bit challenging since we visited Barcelona and Tenerife in one take. Naturally, I wanted to see everything in Barcelona and it’s a huge city, so I think I put too much pressure on my family to keep up with me. They were heroes and didn’t complain (a lot) because they knew how much being in Spain meant to me. Other than that, I think everything went smoothly.
- What blessings did you encounter in the nomadic lifestyle?
- Freedom above everything else, especially since freedom is the ultimate value for me. I also like the fact that I’m motivating others in terms of traveling with kids. Life doesn’t end when you become a parent and I think I’m a good example. I’m living my best life!
- What is the next destination for your family and you?
- After we visit Crete this year, probably some nice, cozy Christmassy destination in Europe, like Vienna, for example. I’d love to see more of Italy next year, and have a roadtrip in Andalusia.
- How much do you stay in contact with other nomads? Do you organize coworking sessions often?
- Not really. I would love to, but it’s often hard to organize when I’m with my family as I’m usually somewhere around them. I did meet a few of my coworkers from Deel on my travels.
- What are some ups and downs working from a different country on occasion?
- Ups: Meeting new cultures and people, inspiration that comes from a simple change of scenery, being able to swim after the work is done (unlike in Belgrade!).
- Downs: Logistics can be challenging, sometimes Wi-Fi isn’t the best (so be careful when booking accommodation), you’re out of your routine so it takes time to get used to it.
- Now tell us more about Spain. I know you’re a big fan – most likely an even bigger fan than me. What makes Spain so great for a family of three, one of which is spending time working?
- Oh, Spain is perfect. No one is nervous, there are no traffic jams, the food is amazing, there are beaches, people are kind, cost of living is affordable, it’s safe, the weather is amazing, the mindset is simply different than here. I could easily move to Santa Cruz right away. The only thing I didn’t like are the flying cockroaches.
- What is your dream destination? And why is your dream to go there? (If anything in Spain is the answer, please move onto the second place haha.)
- I like Italy and Greece as well. I think Mediterranean countries would be ideal for me—the people, the weather and nature, the languages and culture, food, everything. I just feel overall better when I’m there.
- It’s not very plausible for you to travel alone right now. Yet, having known you for quite some time, I can confirm you’d be ready to take this step. How would you encourage someone new to try this out?
- You can always come back home, you know. It’s never been easier to travel, especially with all the digital nomad visas where even the complicated bureaucracy is simplified now. It takes careful preparation, of course, but it’s totally doable no matter where you’re from. I’ll share a tip that a friend shared with me a while ago: for your first destination, choose a country that’s either in the same time zone, has the same culture, or speaks the same language as your country. This way, you’ll have at least something familiar. For example, going from Serbia to Malaysia or Colombia could be challenging for a first-time nomad.
- We all relax, learn and change some points of view when we travel. What is it that you bring along from Spain – or at least the last nice thing or thought that came along?
- Spending time in Spain made me appreciate, believe it or not, clean air more than anything. I can’t even compare the air in Tenerife and here in Belgrade. Even my husband, who has chronic health issues, felt much better while we were there. So, being in a healthy environment climbed to the top of my priorities.
- Any final words for our faithful readers?
- If I could do it, anyone can. Three years ago, all this seemed like a dream I’d never be able to make come true. Life can change in a split second… Make yourself a vision board and start working!
I can’t wait to sit down for a cup of coffee with Stefana again. I know we will have so much to talk about, and that one of the central topics will be travels and digital nomadism. The nomadic lifestyle is becoming more popular each day. And how wouldn’t it – it enriches the mind and makes us better human beings. What I truly love is Stefana’s enthusiasm in spreading the word and sharing the good in everything she does. I can say with certainty she will have more cameos on this blog.
And above all, I want to extend a huge thank you to my great friend. Stefana, thank you for being a significant part of my life, and supporting me in everything I do – including interviews for my blog. You are a friend to wish for!
In the meantime, we both wish you to grow, step out of your comfort zone and become your best self.
With love,
The Coffeewriter & Courageous Wanderer
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