“As means of motivating people to be cruel or inhumane – as a means of inciting evil, to borrow the vocabulary of devout – there may be no more potent force than religion.” Jon Krakauer
On Art of Airbnb host-guest matchmaking
There is always an element of surprise to all travel arrangements, and, for the sake of adventure spirit, I strongly believe it should remain so. If you have never been disappointed by accommodation in your lifetime, I’d say you are either a wizard or you have not been around that much. Of course, the Internet has tremendously changed the “booking game” for both, the world explorers and the travel industry. Nowadays, armed to our teeth with Google Maps, TripAdvisor, virtual location tours and millions and millions of reports by fellow travelers, we cannot be fooled very easily. But, as it is usually the case, with more information comes more responsibility and more work for you, the end customer. Opening an actual print hotel catalog and pointing your finger at one with the best and, frankly, the most doctored pictures seems quite an outdated option. What worked for the generation of our parents just does not do the trick for us, the travelers of generations X or Y. Our “information high” is always on the look out for the next fix. Those with the most typical cases of Internet addiction will be able to tell you the exact distance, i.a. the number of steps, metro stations, cycling kilometers between their upcoming accommodation and the beach, the nearest bakery, Starbucks, the best restaurant in the neighborhood or the theater/museum the tickets for which they have already acquired (of course!) in a great advance online (“Who wants to queue for hours with other sweaty tourists outside the venue??? Besides, a mobile ticket is environmentally friendly!”).
So how does it work with Airbnb and what “information fixes” should we look for while choosing a right Airbnb host? Continue reading “On Art of Airbnb host-guest matchmaking”
Airbnb – travel will never be the same again!
I have been a devoted Airbnb user since 2012. And it did not take long to make me a fan. Today, it seems impossible for me to unthink Airbnb from my travel experiences. As aware as I am that it is a commercial venture, I strongly believe that, if done thoughtfully, Airbnb can provide you with an absolutely unique take on people and places. Especially for those who embark on far journeys to unfamiliar places and are set to navigate previously unexplored cultural environments, Airbnb could be the best accommodation choice. However, I am not going to ramble on about all the pros and cons of traveling with Airbnb in this blog post. I just want to share my experiences and, may be, inspire you to explore the Airbnb community for yourself.
Continue reading “Airbnb – travel will never be the same again!”

©Viola Davis on Twitter
“‘In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me, over that line. But I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line.’ That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. And let me tell you something: The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.” Viola Davis, Emmy Awards 2015
The GAME is coming to… Girona
There are just those moments when you are wondering around clueless and than you stumble upon something very special… Right in the middle of the medieval town of Girona in the Northern Catalonia we ran into a group of religious fanatics from one very particular fantasy world, all prepped and costumed. Continue reading “The GAME is coming to… Girona”
Hamburg is not only one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is also my first real home:
“The Help” – Racism in a Candy-coloured Dress
I would like to dedicate this post to Angela Davis, a woman of a great strength and intellect, whom I have learned so much from and I have been lucky to meet once. Continue reading ““The Help” – Racism in a Candy-coloured Dress”
In Search for Happiness: Some Thoughts on Intrinsic Rewards
Gaming has been an important part of my life ever since my friend Julia was given her first personal computer for her birthday. We spent hours and hours installing and playing games, which was not so easy for two profane girls taking their first steps in Norton Commander. It was still DOS-time in Ukraine back then. Later I got my own Windows-based PC, and this was the time when the real gaming fun started. I can’t remember my parents ever being against my gaming habits presumably because I was an exemplary and self-sufficient school-girl.
Continue reading “In Search for Happiness: Some Thoughts on Intrinsic Rewards”