Hello family, friends, friends of friends, and those looking for some travel quips & my two cents. Those who understand that reference, welcome back! About me: I’m Ilana Vakhovskaya: project manager by day, real estate agent by weekend, and travel enthusiast by nature. I’m also a lover of concerts (mostly indie rock), dancing, swimming, deep conversations, hearty laughs, and deeply sarcastic humor over copious amounts of flavorful teas from around the world. I’ve been a Type 1 diabetic since I was 4 years old which I believe has shaped a huge role in how I perceive the world & things & people. But then again, don’t we all believe we have the most unique view? I’m here to share tips & quips about my trips (say that 3x fast!) & may occasionally throw in some other life posts. But, let’s get down to my travel journey (metaphysically).
How it started:
When I was at my first social event on Syracuse University’s campus I found several people asking me where I was from. I found this tricky to answer. Where was I born? Italy. Where did I grow up? Brooklyn, until I moved here. Then people would insist “No, where are your parents from/where you originally from?” Russia & Belarus. Then I would also throw in that my parents found out of my existence in the womb whilst they were in Austria. What did this combination make me feel? Awesome.
I (not so secretly) loved this question because I thought the answer was tangled, mysterious and made me worldly. Was I? Not really 🙂 By the time I went to college, I had traveled “far” to three places: Aruba, Florida, and Virginia. That’s it. But I did speak at least two languages (Russian being the second)!
How it progressed:
In college, my roommate asked me if I planned to study abroad my junior year. I thought about my already accumulating college loans, and without much thought, said “no”.
But then I thought, “If not now, when?” I want to actually live up to that complex woman I put out into the world. And within days, I was sitting by the computer waiting for my official acceptance for studying abroad to come through. The cherry on top was that I couldn’t wait to say “well I’m visiting Amsterdam for the weekend. I’m actually studying abroad in Marylebone, London, but I attend Syracuse back in NY.. and so on.”
Little did I know, that I would never want to stop. It’s not a travel bug – it’s a travel fever.
About me now:
Shortly after college, I had a travel blog logging my itineraries and memories to paper. And then I had a breakup & stopped writing. And eventually lost the rights to my domain which cost thousands to purchase. And I figured it was too much to restart.
BUT over the last few years, I’ve traveled nonstop & I’m still constantly asked for recos. And I subconsciously have always been extremely sad not to have put my memories/learnings/trips to paper. So finally, I decided that… I’m back 🙂 and whether I use these pages to jog my memory in my old age, or I can help you in planning activities or routes for your next trip – I love that you stopped by & thank YOU for reading.
And if you have any quips for me, I’d love to hear them too! At the end of the day, this shy looking girl always just wanted to come out of her shell & keep it cool & classy 🙂
