The reason why Travel PlannerHolic was born
Hi guys, and welcome to my latest project: The Travel PlannerHolic
I’m Catarina Vieira, I am from Portugal and I’m 23 years old. I lived most of my life in a village near Leiria and I’m currently finishing my master’s degree in Materials Engineering in Lisbon.
I’ve never been a very traveled person, my family and I could never afford big trips (i.e., more than getting in the car and going to Spain for example), so this is still a recent passion.
The first time I got on a plane was in 2014 for a 5-day trip to London with the school. I was fascinated from the beginning to the end of the trip. London is a beautiful city and has so much to see that I would stay much longer if I could! And no, I didn’t find it a sad city at all, I was lucky enough not to catch a single gray day!
Two years later, in 2016, I had the opportunity to participate in a small exchange program with a school in Belgium, in Ciney: I would host a Belgian student in my home for a week and later I would go to their home for a week. What was my second plane trip also became my first travel issue. Just a few days before embarking on this adventure the Brussels bombings happened. The school decided to cancel the trip, but with much insistence on our part, we managed to get it postponed for a few months. So, that summer I went on my own to a Belgian house where I was very well received by my Belgian colleague, her parents, brother, 2 cats (the fattest I have ever seen), a donkey and a goat! I visited more places than I can remember, made many friends, and got to know Belgian gastronomy. Not only did I taste the famous Belgian chocolates and beers, but I also learned that peaches in syrup with tuna paste is a common snack, and I will never forget that one… Or the sparkling ice tea I got at Mcdonald’s…
Anyway, I liked Belgium so much that I decided to come back. Already in 2020 I chose the city of Leuven to do my Erasmus program, and I couldn’t have chosen better! It was not easy, of course. I went alone to a city where I didn’t know anyone and where people spoke a different language, with two giant suitcases that I could barely carry. Ah, and let’s not forget that we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic… For a shy person like me, all those restrictions on socializing made the situation very difficult, and in some moments I really felt alone and apart from everything that was happening. Fortunately, I found the right people, with whom I shared the rest of this great adventure until the end.
And this is where I started to gain this passion for traveling. I wanted to make the most of my experience, I wanted to explore all the cities, take little trips to neighboring countries, have new experiences, try typical food, everything! Every new place I visited left me full of happy memories, tips to share, and stories to tell. I found that this was what made me feel truly alive and happy.
Okay, but why PlannerHolic?
Well, let me tell you that I am an extremely anxious person… during the trips I was doing at the time there were little unforeseen situations (okay, there were also BIG issues, but I’ll tell you about those one day) and many of them could be avoided with some research and planning. So, if I can plan as much as possible so that everything goes smoothly, I prefer it that way, to avoid getting anxious.
Also, when money and/or time is limited, which is my case, planning becomes very important to make the most of my trip taking into account my limitations; and being a travel content creator on Instagram also came to require some extra planning on my part.
And this is something I LOVE to do! From searching for the cheapest flights, places to visit, schedules, transportation, where to eat, how to save money, to creating the whole trip itinerary, it’s a process that for me is super fun and totally worth all the work in the end. I understand that not everyone has this taste and that they prefer to be more spontaneous (believe me I also always save some time for that, often the highlights of the trips are the things we discover by chance), but I really want to share all my tips and experiences with you and bring you useful information so you can make the most of your trip!
Once again, welcome to the Travel PlannerHolic!
With Love,
Catarina Vieira
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that make the most significant changes. Thanks for sharing!
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