An Updated From Belgrade's Airport
Hey
I’m writing from the Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade, sitting at gate C3 during a 7 hour layover, watching a lone pigeon wander around the tarmac in the rain. It’s 6:15am and I’ve slept a total of 5 hours over the past two nights, which is probably why this pigeon is cracking me up. I’m also closing my eyes every now and then and suddenly waking up with a little drool on my cheek, but that's far less amusing.
Anyway, I flew here from Bucharest, where I was leading my latest Wander Across Romania tour over the past two weeks. It was an awesome tour, such a great group of people in such a great country. You already know of my love for Romania but between Bucharest, Brasov, the Transfagarasan, Salina Turda, Corvin's Castle, a stay in my friend's beautiful, remote cottage in the Carpathian Mountains, and plenty more in between, you really can’t go wrong in this country.
Finding a Real Airfare Bargain
From Belgrade, I will now fly directly to NYC and I ended up taking this odd route after finding a real bargain of an airfare.
In fact, the past few months of travel have given me a good reminder that a little flexibility can make a huge difference when making travel plans. Since February, I’ve been Romania, India, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Taiwan, USA and Mexico. And while that might sound like it should cost an absolute fortunate getting to those places, that really isn’t the case.
Here’s an example from my most recent journey:
When I was originally looking for flights from Mexico to Romania, the cheapest fare was $1425 USD roundtrip for my chosen dates. Then I played around with those dates, destinations and flight booking sites and eventually paid a total of $900 USD. This included Cancun to Brussels ($260), Brussels to Bucharest with a 3 day layover in Lithuania ($200) and then Bucharest to NYC via Belgrade (only $260 USD on Air Serbia) and NYC back to Cancun ($180). Flexibility really is key. Something to always keep in mind!
A New Routine
Before this trip, as you can guess with that itinerary, I had been in Mexico (Playa del Carmen) for 7 weeks, trying to see if this would be a good place for my next ‘base’, and getting my fill of Dona Mary’s incredible tostadas as well!
While down there, I also set up a routine, something a little different for me, and it actually went quite well. I found myself surrounded by a solid community of people, endless activities, excellent food, a beautiful beach and a high level of motivation. And this is why I’m returning there again...well, because of those crazy good tostadas too.
Part of this routine also involves improving myself, you know, to do what we all want to do - become a better, happier person.
It’s one of those goals we should always aim for since we can always improve!
Four Things I’ve Learned
1. Don’t think. Sometimes we just need to sit and let our mind wander on its own. It turns out that not thinking can lead to some useful answers to our most difficult questions just as well as thinking can, and it’s far less stressful of an approach.
2. Be kind to yourself every day. Stop the excuses (I’m too tired, I have to finish this work, I don’t have time, etc.) as nothing is more important than allowing yourself some time to just be you and to enjoy whatever it is that you enjoy. Even for an hour a day. You’ll quickly realize that it won’t lead to disaster if you walk away from something else for a while and just focus on yourself.
3. Obstacles are not always as challenging as they seem. For a few years I thought I had a bad knee. It was painful to walk for a long time or to run or play basketball and I assumed that I would soon need surgery to fix the issue. Then, earlier this year, I finally went to an actual orthopedic doctor. Turns out I have a slight case of tendinitis in my knee and with some stretching, I’ll be fine. Now I stretch every morning and the pain disappeared altogether. So don’t assume. Things are rarely as they seem and the obstacles that keep us from doing so many things in life - including travel - can often be overcome with a very simple solution.
4. Be genuine and honest at all times. I’m trying to fully respect myself by doing exactly what I feel like doing, not worrying what others will think and not trying to be someone I’m not, in every situation I encounter, whether big or small. It’s a lot more difficult than it sounds but, thanks to some unexpected experiences, I’m making progress and looking forward to my future days.
To cap this first newsletter off, I think I’ll be in Mexico, with some side trips (possibly Suriname), until I head to Iran in September and then to India in October. So if you happen to be in Playa del Carmen over the next two months, do let me know.
I’m about to board this Air Serbia flight right now and sleep for 10 hours. Actually, I’ll probably just watch Kung Fu Panda 3 for the fourth time...okay, the sixth time.
Thank you so much for reading, have an incredible week and more to come soon!
Derek
Any questions? Feel free to get in touch!