Flying during the COVID-19 outbreak is an experience, to say the least. My original plan was to stay in Canada and wait out for the situation to get better. However, when it was starting to get more serious, I chose to leave. By that stage, the borders all over Europe were already closed, and traveling to the USA was not an option either.

Booking a flight

I reached out to our embassy on the day I found out I had to make a decision. No repatriation flights were organized for Slovenians in Canada so I was pretty much on my own here. I booked my flight on Lufthansa’s official website and informed our ambassador of what route I was taking. He then shared the info with Slovenian embassies in the countries I was passing by. He also gave me some tips.

The situation at the time of my travel

I was flying on April 6 and April 7, 2020. All flights to Slovenia were (still are) suspended until further notice, so my best bet was to fly to Croatia or Austria. The main difference? Vienna is further from Slovenia and upon landing, you are required to take two trains to get to the border. In Croatia, you take a 20-minute taxi ride instead.

Europe had an agreement allowing all EU citizens a transit in a foreign country as long as they were returning home. Read More

Every few hours, I glance at the phone. I know there are messages I still need to answer, but instead, I swipe a notification to the left and clear it. Not today, I tell myself again.

When you are moving overseas, you usually don’t question if you are ready to survive the apocalypse away from everyone. In January, when I was getting ready for Canada, I knew exactly what I was going to do (or should I say: which country I will try next) if things don’t work out. What I didn’t take into account was a global pandemic.

Life in Toronto before the outbreak

My impulsive decision to go to Canada no longer seemed such a brilliant idea when I was boarding the plane at the beginning of February. Read More

I still have to pinch myself, but yes, that is happening! It seems like 2019 is going to be very eventful. And quite life-changing too! Let’s cut to the chase: I am moving overseas soon. Here’s how my next year and a half will (hopefully!) look like:

USA

When I started my current 9-5 job at a travel agency back in October, I had no idea how fast my life will start changing. My colleagues are simply wonderful, I enjoy the work I do (most of the time) and I am surrounded by fellow travelers. Just 2 weeks before me, Nina started her job. I didn’t take us long to connect and come up with many inside jokes. In December we spontaneously decided we could spend our next summer in the USA. Preferably somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Turns out, we will be working in a small family-run hotel in Montana. We start in June and will stay there until autumn! Did I mention we will be living just minutes away from the national park?

At Niagara Falls, October 2015

Canada

It is not a secret I have always been drawn to Canada. I chose my high school program based on the opportunity to do an exchange with Canadians. And those 2 weeks in Fredericton, New Brunswick didn’t really help with my wish to once live there. Years later, I visited Toronto, Ontario for a few days – and again, we all know how that went. On Christmas Eve, I had finally applied for my working holiday visa. I will discuss the whole process a bit more in detail later in a separate post, however, let’s just say it can be quite a long one. The first round of invitations for Slovenians to apply for visa was sent out on January 21, 2019 – on my birthday. I was one of the lucky ones and submitted all my documents just days later. After that, it was a game of waiting. Today I finally found out – I am officially moving to Canada in 2019! Don’t ask me when and where just yet – I will keep you posted and I certainly plan to take you with me. Are you in?

So that is it! I think South America might have to wait again. Or I may be able to squeeze it in… Who knows! I couldn’t be any happier right now, that’s for sure!

“Excuse us, would you have any coins that we could exchange for our banknotes?” we approached a middle-aged security guy in front of some modern looking building. “We need them for the streetcar,” we explained further.  “Let me check,” he said while pulling bills out of his pocket. He went inside the building, leaving us and our overpacked backpacks waiting. “Here,” he poured the coins into my partner’s hands once he was back. “That should be enough for two tickets. Enjoy Toronto!” he smiled. The Canadian wanted nothing in return, he wouldn’t even take our bank notes. And this is how our trip in Toronto began.

Sunrise on our second day.

This is just one of many stories I can share about the kindness we experienced there. Read More

In October 2015, me and my boyfriend spent a little less than 24 hours in Niagara Falls, Ontario. We arrived from Toronto and spent most of the day on Canadian side, which is better in terms of the view and activities offered, although I liked American side a lot more. It’s greener and more park-like.

Since this was our first time there, we pre-ordered Niagara Falls Adventure Pass before even flying out of Europe, but you can also get it at the Welcome Center for the same price (adult $54.95, child (6-12 years) $36.95, kids 5 and under free). My recommendation would be to buy it there, so you have an option of changing your mind. You need to visit ticket booth anyway to redeem the online ticket.

Attractions included

Journey Behind the Falls
Hornblower Niagara Cruises
Niagara’s Fury
White Water Walk
+ 2 days of bus transportation throughout Niagara Falls
Read More