We’re excited to share the story of Polina: a student, dancer, choreographer from the Czech Republic and App in the Air ambassador. Read on to learn about her travel stories and more.
Hi Polina! So, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a student, dancer and choreographer from the Czech Republic. Amongst this, I love traveling and do it both for work and fun. For me, traveling always transforms me and makes me a completely new person. I’ve always met amazing people during my journeys and learn many new things. It is literally something that motivates me to wake up every morning.
Oh interesting, tell us more about meeting people on your travels!
I met so many amazing people while I was working abroad. I usually stay in hostels and it is the perfect place to make new friends or just to get to know someone. During my last trip to Gran Canaria, I joined a full-day tour across the island. We were a small group of 20 people and got along right away. That’s what made that trip so unforgettable. I felt like I spent time with people I knew for a long time. I really hope to see them again one day.
Have you found any fun travel hacks over the years?
I started traveling on my own 2 years ago after I had just turned 18. That was the time when I realized that I need to pack my stuff carefully. There is one great hack I came up with that helps me de-stress before my trips. If you freak out before leaving your house because you may not have packed something — don’t worry! I always say that the most important things you need to have are your travel documents, tickets, phone and wallet. If you have them then you can calm down and not worry about the forgotten swimsuit you could have left on the chair. Oh but I always take my GoPro because there is always something I want to film and save for memories sake.
Speaking of memories, do you have a special experience you’d like to share with us?
Every time I go somewhere, I always say that it was the best trip until the new one starts. That’s why it’s hard to choose one. But I had a dream trip and I fulfilled it in October 2019. It was my first trip since I had turned 12 years old. I knew that it was impossible to go alone, and my parents refused to travel with me at that time. That’s why I planned my journey over a period of time and even set the date for it (which was October 2019). I still can’t believe it but that day I was actually sitting on the plane to New York. It required a lot of planning, but I am glad I made my dream come true. It was the furthest and the most impressive trip so far and definitely not the last one.
But the craziest thing I have ever done on a trip was sleeping in the airport! It happened this past January. I had an early morning flight from the airport that was too far away from my home. I decided to arrive a night before and wait until the morning. It was quite interesting. Everyone was respectful to each other and just slept on the seats. I even managed to sleep for 4 hours and felt great the next day.
How about a favorite airport you’ve visited?
My favorite airport so far is Vienna International Airport. It has only 3 terminals and seems cosy to me. It is safe (I spent the night here), it is not as crowded as Heathrow in London or JFK, and there is good transportation which allows travelers to easily go to different parts of Vienna. I have been there a lot of times and know all the best places inside. By the way, my favorite terminal is the 3rd one because of the buffet (called Henry) which offers the best breakfast!
Where are you looking forward to traveling to, once it’s safe to do so?
There are so many beautiful places I would like to visit in the future! One of my dream destinations is Australia, Singapore and a road trip across the USA. I would love to combine my trip to Australia and Singapore together. Firstly, plan to fly to Singapore and stay there for a few days. There are several amazing places that I want to see.
I love learning about local flora and fauna and would like to walk through The Southern Ridges of parks and hills, Gardens by the Bay with the worlds tallest indoor waterfall, and also Singapore Zoo which is considered to be the worlds best rainforest zoo. I love amusement parks which means that I will visit Universal Studios which opened only 8 years ago. It offers a lot of different attractions and worth spending some time on it. Then I will continue my trip to Australia starting from Sydney where I plan to go sightseeing and relax at the Bondi beach. After that, I might join a tour across the country to see more and learn from a professional guide. I hope to visit mount Uluru, Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne and Adelaide and Kakadu National Park!
I hope that the pandemic will be over soon so we will be able to get back to normal and enjoy doing what we love the most. In my case, it is traveling.
