World Travellers: Lavdi from Kosovo Girl Travels

For the latest in my World Travellers series, check out Lavdi’s story below and on her site Kosovo Girl Travels. Lavdi is the first Kosovan entry in this series, which has been running since 2012.

Who are you?

My name is Lavdi. I have a Masters in Public Administration and a long work experience in various institutions and organizations, both local and international. Currently, I am only working in my travel blog and social media as content creator while job hunting for something that suits me and energizes me as much as traveling does.

Where are you from?

I was born in Gjilan, Republic of Kosovo but have been living in the capital, Prishtina, for half of my life. Kosovo is the newest country in Europe and second in the world (South Sudan – my other home where I spent almost four years of my life, is the youngest).

Where have you been?

I have traveled to 54 countries as of now (September 2024) – including my own, Kosovo. I believe in counting our own countries because they also need exploring and I did mine throughout my life, though there are still places to see. I have traveled through Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. I lived for two years in Chicago while completing my Master’s (2014-2016) and about four years in South Sudan (2018-2022) while working with the UN Mission in the country.

Where are you now?

I am currently living in Prishtina, Kosovo.

What are the top 3 places you’ve visited?

It’s not easy to pick three places as top ones but since you’re asking, let me say: Jordan, Bhutan, and Djibouti. I spent two weeks in Jordan over new year and explored its diverse beauty: the Dead Sea, the Red Sea, Wadi Rum, Wadi Araba, Petra, Jerash, and others. It was my first time in the Middle East and I enjoyed their hospitality and touristic sites. Bhutan is a place I’d spend more time and explore if it was cheaper; my three nights there were some of the most expensive yet memorable ones to date. The architecture, clothing, temples, and nature are amazing and totally worth the trip. Djibouti is a small, peaceful country in the Horn of Africa that doesn’t get many tourists and it totally should. I enjoyed visiting the two famous lakes it has: Lake Abhe and Lake Assal and having the entire landscape to me and only one visitor was magical. No need to wait in line to take pictures of lovely places and with people who were friendly and helpful – both locals and the few expats.

What is the best travel experience you’ve had?

In Chiang Mai, Thailand I visited this elephant sanctuary and loved it. It was the first time seeing elephants, my favourite animal, in their habitat and it was breathtaking.

What is the worst travel experience you’ve had?

I got stuck between Zambia and Zimbabwe for about 6 hours due to my Kosovo passport as the Zimbabwean authorities were not allowing me entry though I had obtained an online visa through their official visa system. I had to go back and forth with Zambian immigration officers trying to convince their neighbor colleagues to let me in as I had already used my single entry visa to Zambia and my passport isn’t eligible for VOA.

What is the funniest travel experience you’ve had?

During a road trip in Turkey, my friend and I happened to pass by this small town where a childhood story character was apparently buried and there were statues of him from the stories throughout the main square, Nasreddin Hodja. My Chinese friend initially didn’t recognize him but agreed to tag along and only later one she realized they have stories in China with a similar character. We ended up the night watching some of those Chinese stories and laughing with the similarities sometimes you find in unexpected places.

What is the scariest travel experience you’ve had?

During one of my travels, in a hostel stay, I was sharing the room with a few people and one of them had a nightmare and started screaming and jumping in bed. I got scared as I had never experienced something like that and thought to myself that this should be the last time I stay in a hostel.

What is the most random job you have had on your travels?

I generally don’t work while traveling but it has happened last year when I was working as a consultant to still do some work when abroad. This was a content creating job in the tourism industry so it kinda matched with my travels. Ocassionally, I’ll do some translation projects that do not require a lot of time spent in front of the computer.

How do you fund your travels?

I have been working from 2008 and from 2011 in well paying jobs which has given me the opportunity to fund my travels. Ocassionally, since I have a good presence in social media and my travel blog, I’ve gotten some offers or good deals in exchange for promoting a certain business.

What 3 tips would you give a new traveller before they set off on their adventure?

1. Start small – sometimes an adventure can also take place in your own country, it doesn’t have to be another country or across the ocean. 2. Do it even solo – many times people don’t travel because they keep waiting for someone to join them. Don’t. Traveling solo is one of the best things in life and we can’t keep waiting for others to join in on our adventures. 3. Be yourself – you don’t have to follow a certain list or a Top things to do in X place. Have your own way of traveling and enjoy things that make sense to you. No need to travel on the same footsteps as others.

What are your future travel plans?

I am longing to go to the South America but that would be over my winter (December – January) and before that I will take a short trip somewhere in November. I don’t know yet where but I know it shall be somewhere in Europe.

Biography

I am Lavdi Zymberi, the first travel blogger from Kosovo. I was born in Gjilan and moved to Prishtina for my studies and then started working and made my life here. I started blogging in 2017 because Kosovo stories weren’t much present online or even when there was something about it, there was a lot of misinformation or propaganda so I had to do something about it. I love traveling to places not many people think of – though I also travel to mainstream ones or easy ones. I love writing, photography, and connecting (with) people.

Links

Website – www.kosovogirltravels.com

Twitter – https://x.com/XKGirlTravels

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kosovogirltravels

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kosovogirltravels/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lavdiz/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@kosovogirltravels

Thanks to Lavdi 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!