Wondering where to go
ZK7 got an insight into the life and awesome adventures of 25-year-old User Researcher, Serena from England, who has visited 45 countries so far.
Insta: @wanderingwheretogo
Website: https://wanderingwheretogo.com/
What did you study?
Maths and Economics.
Do you have a random fact?
I once celebrated my birthday ⅔ of the way up Mount Kilimanjaro!
Which achievement are you most proud of?
This one might catch you by surprise but I’m most proud of quitting my job earlier this year.
I knew it wasn’t working for me. I was very stressed and I wasn't learning what I wanted to in the role, despite it being a very stable job in a reputable company. So I decided to quit without having another job lined up despite many people advising me not to (I must stress that I was lucky enough to be living at home with no financial responsibilities).
In the end, leaving turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made, as just two weeks after my last day, I signed a contract for a new job taking up a role that I described to my friends as being the perfect role for me, working for an amazing start up!
In my new role, I am learning a lot every day and the work I do has a meaningful impact in people’s lives. I feel very fortunate to have been able to take this risk and to have found a job that both challenges me and inspires me!
Do you have any life advice for girls younger than you?
Don’t let anyone tell you that there is something you can't do. It's up to you to decide what you want to do in life!
Also, surround yourself with strong inspirational females who you can learn from and go to for advice. If you want something to happen or change, be your own champion and make it happen as others won’t do it for you. Ultimately, you're the only person who knows what’s right for you!
What are your views on happiness with material items Vs experiences?
For me, I would say 100% experiences.
Personally, I’ve always preferred experiences over material things and interestingly, I actually studied a course on the Science of Wellbeing by Yale on Coursera which is about this very topic. It talks about how material items actually make you more unhappy and how experiences make you happier (though there are many nuances of course). I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who’s interested as it’s very insightful.
In which country did you create your happiest travel memories?
I recently went to the Isle of Skye with my brother and it was one of my favourite holidays.
It was the first time we’ve travelled without other family members and it was so great! We’re quite similar and like to do and eat the same things so it all worked out really well. The scenery there is unreal and we had such a good time. I’d definitely love to travel more with him!
Italy or Norway?
This is such a tough one. I genuinely cannot choose between them because they’re both amazing countries that I have visited and want to visit more of. Let me explain further…
Italy
In Italy, one of the best holidays I have been to was Cinque Terre, which is a string of 5 coloured villages situated along the coast. It was such a cool holiday because you could hike between the villages and the views were stunning!
Also, the food in Italy is unreal (I think I must have been Italian in my previous life because I just love pasta so much) and we actually made our own basil pesto which was so delicious! I really want to go back to Italy and visit the Dolomites to go hiking and see the glacial lakes they have there!
Norway
I visited Norway during Polar Night, which is when the sun doesn’t rise. This was a bizarre experience as it never got fully light and was pitch black by about 2:30pm. It was a real arctic adventure holiday where we went husky sledding, visited the Tromso Ice Domes and went Northern Lights Chasing (we were lucky enough to see them appear just as our tour was about to end)!
I would love to go back and visit Norway during midnight sun and go hiking in the Lofoten Islands. How cool would it be to go hiking at midnight while it’s light?!
Bournemouth or Barcelona?
I haven’t been to Barcelona so I think I’ll have to say Bournemouth and coincidentally I actually went to Bournemouth a couple of months ago! It’s the perfect place to go and use as a base for visiting the iconic Durdle Door and Old Harry Rocks in Dorset.
We also ate dinner at THE PIG on the beach and it was amazing! All the food is from within 25 miles of the area and most of the fruit, vegetables and garnishes are grown in their garden onsite that you can actually walk around whilst you're there!
If you could live in any city (outside the U.K.) that you’ve visited, which city would it be?
I went on a road trip through the Canadian Rockies in 2019 and I would absolutely love to go back and live in Banff for a year!
It would be amazing to experience all the bright blue glacial lakes and hike during summer without any time limit or restrictions. I would also be able to make the most of skiing and all the snow-based activities in winter. When I was there, it felt so good to literally have the most amazing views on your doorstep and you forget about all the hustle and bustle in London.
If you want to see which lakes & hikes I’m talking about, have a look at my blog here.
Which city/country is on your bucket list & why?
Oh there are so many! I had quite a few holidays cancelled because of covid and one of those was Japan. I’ve heard so much from people who have visited saying they absolutely love it and were only planning to spend a week there but ended up spending six!
It just looks so different from any other country/culture I’ve experienced and has so much to offer, including high tech hotels, toilets and museums, beautiful natural experiences like cherry blossom season, bamboo forests and hot springs, cultural sights including shrines and temples and last but not least, really interesting food.
Travelling solo, in a couple or in a group?
For me, personally I’d say in a couple, with friends (whether in a group or with individual friends) or family. That’s purely because I like sharing experiences with those that I’m close to and it's nice that we can always remember them together! I would also say that I love going away with different people throughout the year, as your experiences always differ based on who you’re with.
Some of my best holidays have been with my family though, which may come as a surprise to some. I love that they’re so open to going to different countries and having new adventurous experiences.
I think travelling solo also has its own perks though, as you’re not restricted by other people's timings which means that you can go and do what you want to. Moreover, you often end up making friends with people from all over the world, so it really depends on what kind of person you are!
What are your top travel tips?
· Research as much as you can beforehand (read people’s blog posts to learn from their experiences) before deciding what you want to do
· Travel in the shoulder seasons so you don’t have to pay extortionate prices and benefit from less crowds
· Make sure you have travel insurance as you never know what might happen whilst travelling
· Be flexible and go with the flow. It's good to know what you want to do but you might find new things when you’re there or things might change because of the weather
What to know more?
Check out Serena’s Insta: @wanderingwheretogo and website: https://wanderingwheretogo.com/