World Travellers: Anda Galffy From Travel Notes & Beyond

My latest World Traveller today is Anda Galffy, an Editor, Writer and Photographer who runs the website Travel Notes & Beyond. It’s over to Anda…

Who are you?
My name is Anda Galffy and I am the editor, writer and photographer at Travel Notes & Beyond, a collection of travel stories, photos and personal opinions from my wanderings around the world.

Where are you from?
I am originally from Romania, but have been living in Southern California for the past 28 years.

Where have you been?
While I lived in Romania I couldn’t travel anywhere outside the borders. As you may know, the communist governments were trying to prevent a ‘brain drain’ and as such, very few young or educated people were allowed to travel outside the country for fear they would never return. I started traveling only after my family immigrated to the USA. In the past 28 years I’ve visited North and South America, Hawaii, Europe and some of the islands in South Pacific, like New Caledonia.

Where are you now?
I am in Southern California.

What are the top 3 places you’ve visited?
I’ve seen many amazing places over the years, but the ones that impressed me most were the Iguazu Falls in Argentina, Banff National Park in Canada and Grand Barrier Reef, North of Australia.

What is the best travel experience you’ve had?
For me the best travel experience was in Rome, when I first set foot in the free world, after emigrating from Romania.

What is the worst travel experience you’ve had?
I can’t remember having a bad travel experience. I love to travel and I am always happy to discover new places, new cultures, and new things. Travel may not be always perfect, but for me it’s always fun.

What is the funniest travel experience you’ve had?
When I was about 14 years old, my parents took my sister and I on a hiking trip in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. We were supposed to hike for about 8 hours to one of the tallest peeks, Iezer Papusa, spend the night in the small cabin at the top of the mountain and head back the next day. But to our dismay, when we reached the top, we discovered the little cabin had been burned down. Only two walls were left standing to protect us from the cold of the night and from the wild animals. And, to make things worse, we realized we weren’t the only ones in this predicament. A group of college students was already lined up against those two walls, so there was basically no room for the four of us. But what seemed to be the most horrific travel experience I ever had, turned out to be the funniest and most memorable one. With nothing else to do, we all lit up a big fire and spent the night telling jokes and laughing. The next everybody was cold and exhausted, but in very high spirits.

What is the scariest travel experience you’ve had?
The scariest experience I had on an Alitalia flight from Los Angeles to Rome when the pilot entered a big area of turbulence. Most likely, all of us who fly have been through such an experience before, so when it first happened nobody got really scared. But when the overhead bins began opening and things started flying all over the plane we all began to wonder if this was our last flight ever. The ordeal lasted for over an hour with short breaks when things seem to be getting back to normal. Thinking back to that experience, I am really surprised that I still have the courage to fly.

What is the most random job you have had on your travels?
I never worked on my travels, I just travel for pleasure.

How do you fund your travels?
I have a job.

What 3 tips would you give a new traveller before they set off on their adventure?
Research your destination, plan your trip it wisely and be open to surprises.

What are your future travel plans?
I’ll be in Sweden for the TBEX Travel Bloggers’ Meeting in July.

You can follow Anda on:

Travel Notes & Beyond (http://www.travelnotesandbeyond.com)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/anda.galffy)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/travelnotes101)
Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/agalffy/)
Trover  (http://www.trover.com/u/travelnotes101)

Thanks to Anda for being the latest in my series of World Travellers! If you travel the world and run a travel blog or are a travel writer, please get in touch, you can be featured, either e-mail jonny (at) dontstopliving (dot) net or head to my contacts page and get connected! You can also subscribe to Don’t Stop Living by filling in the form below! Safe travels!