Alonga travel the author
Alonga travel the author

How I caught The Travel bug and discovered my superpowers

My story (Well ... some of it!:)

Hello, my name is Tatiana. Nice to meet you! 😊

When I was little and my classmates were planning to become a doctor or an engineer, or a police officer, I knew I wanted to explore the world and see unknown places. So, naturally, I set my heart on becoming a traveling gypsy. 😊 

Unfortunately, my parents and teachers were pretty insistent that gypsy was not an actual profession. So, I had to become a biochemist to please them. Along with that, I gave a normal life of a consumer with a regular job and a domesticated life a diligent try.

I really wished I would, but I didn't find satisfaction in that life. I felt overwhelmed by stuff I had and the yearning to explore the world just got stronger.

So, I stopped buying things I did not need, updated my passport, and started buying travel gear and air tickets to Europe. I got quite skilled at finding cheap air prices and amazing places to visit.

But let’s skip to international trip #5… I was slightly nervous as I’ve never been to SE Asia before and it was a solo trip. Would you not be as well? Instead, something amazing has happened, and I discovered I had a superpower! :)

The superpower of knowing how to pack just the right amount of stuff I need with me on vacation to be both comfortable, and very light, and mobile. It made me feel free as a bird! And yes, it felt like a superpower after my previous experience:).

My very first international trip found me dragging 2 suitcases, as all my stuff I was SURE I needed on that trip was not fitting in just one:) Midway through the trip I asked myself if I was enjoying caring around suitcases full of outfits and shoes I will never have time to wear? I suspect you know the answer to that question ;).

stop wasting money and start buying travel gear
stop wasting money and start buying travel gear

Making my carry-on lighter.

So, I started thinking how I can make my carry-on lighter for my next trip! And I started working on reducing the amount of stuff I was taking with me, while still taking everything I will need.

I put my expert consumer hat back on and figured how to pack like a pro, how to pour all the lotions I needed in tiny containers, which clothes to take, which packing cubes, suitcases, and backpacks are better for different purposes, which items I need on the plane for a comfortable flight, and many other things I will share with you.

I have wasted lots of money buying the wrong items until I found the best ones and I will help you avoid these mistakes.

So, back to this solo trip#5 to SE Asia for 2 weeks. It was time to explore beyond Europe for me. And these are my bags. One small backpack, one cross-body purse, and one small over-my-shoulder bag with food/water, that I could always get rid of if needed. 

comparison of compression cubes and travel packing cubes without compression
comparison of compression cubes and travel packing cubes without compression
alonga travel light with a small blackpack and Travelon Anti-Theft  Crossbody black bagalonga travel light with a small blackpack and Travelon Anti-Theft  Crossbody black bag

Don’t let the size of my backpack fool you, though. It didn’t have just a few items — it had many items packed in different packing cubes, which were easy to pull out! And because they were neatly separated into different cubes, I only needed to deal with one small cube per day.

And that is when I have discovered my superpowers😊. I became so flexible with only having light luggage yet having everything I needed! I could bounce between as many cities/countries on that trip as I wanted, paying no baggage fees for my luggage and making my flights cheap, like $24  between  different countries cheap! And the possibilities it has opened! I felt like a Supergirl who could fly!

So I flew… I flew to Hong Kong from Seattle, USA first. Yet my plans in Hong Kong fell through and I decided I did not want to stay there all 5 days, and it would be more fun (and way cheaper!) for me to fly to Vietnam, before returning to my originally planned leg of the trip to Thailand.

I saved many hundred dollars by not staying in HK more than one night, not paying luggage fees on my planes. I did not have any bags to slow me down and I had an amazing! time in Vietnam. How is that NOT a superpower?:)

And I want to share this with you and teach you how to pack light and what to take with you.

The video from that trip to SE Asia.

Here are some images just from that trip alone. I am totally convinced I would not have been able to see so many great things with a heavy luggage and 2 weeks total and 2 long 15 hours flights. 

The Pandemic restriction to travel was not easy on me. I missed my beloved Europe so much, but I was in the US and had to wait.

I was very happy to be able to go on a couple of brief trips within the US, and I was very careful, wore my mask all the time.

But when the time came to finally be able to fly to Europe - I went to Spain right away and had another amazing trip. I was SO happy traveling, and was missing Europe so much on my return, that I have finally made the decision to go fully nomadic. For my sanity!

Some people see Professional Care specialists for their mental sadness. I knew that my sadness is easily cured when I have an ability to see pretty old houses every day. I become exuberantly happy instead! And since there are no old houses on the West coast of the US, it was time to go on an indefinitely long road to Europe for me to explore its every corner and every back street.

And since I am nomadic and I can be anywhere now, why not spend the cold winter months in Asia and other warm continents ? To warm up, explore new territories and enjoy the low cost of living there.

This is a very happy face (even a mask can't hide this!:) of a person who is doing what she loves the best!

Alonga travel author working on a computer on a rooftop terrace in Portugal with a great view.
Alonga travel author working on a computer on a rooftop terrace in Portugal with a great view.

Nowadays you can find me hopping all over the world full-time exploring, recording what I see and finding the ways to make a living out of my adventures. It a very unconventional life, but it's the only one that's calling for me and keeps me oh so excited!

And let me tell you about the creativity juices my exciting life is creating? It's not just a creek, but a strong, never-ending river of creativity lately! You can read more about the benefits of traveling alone here.

I still haven't figured everything out. It's a journey, not a destination, even though I keep talking about destinations in my blog!;)

If you are interested, you can keep up with my adventures and findings on social media and in my posts. Please subscribe to my blog, if you would like to follow. I also give practical advice on the travel itineraries, as I've very experienced in that, and I know how to find great bargains without sacrificing the quality of your trip!

But enough about me!:)

Now, if you want me to help you discover YOUR superpower, check out the other sections of this site and, before we lost each other in the deep weaves of world wide web, sign up for my newsletter for new blogs about travel tips, deals and inspirations. No spam, I promise!

Let’s connect on social media as well! I can’t wait to share with you what I know so that you will start enjoying traveling more!