ABOUT ME

Hi! I'm Nahdika And I ♥️ To Travel the World!

Here You Will Find Out More About Me And My Trips.

Nahdika em Ibiza, na Espanha
Ibiza, Spain.

DNA: Viajante

I'm Nadia Ramanauskas and I love to travel. But I always say that travelling is in my blood, literally. For this story begins with my grandparents. One of my grandparents was born in the state of Paraíba, northeastern region of Brazil. He travelled down to southeast Brazil when he was still very young, without any money, on a "pau de arara" truck. My grandmother, this grandfather's wife, was born in the state of Pernambuco also in northeastern region of Brazil. As well as my grandfather, she moved to the southeast in search of better living conditions. Together they had my mother, who was born in the state of Paraná. But not long after they moved to the state of São Paulo.

My other grandfather, around the year of 1924, emigrated from Lithuania - a country in the northeastern region of Europe - to Brazil. He and his family were looking for better living conditions, since Europe was at war. They settled in the countryside of the state of São Paulo. It was there that my grandfather met and married my other grandmother, daughter of italians. After a few years my father was born. It was also in the state of São Paulo that my father and mother met, got married and live together until today. In the midst of all this, I was born, half "nordestina" half european. I'm really proud of that.

I remember that since I was very young my parents would love to take me and my siblings on car trips. We travelled everywhere around São Paulo - beaches, countryside towns and there were even a few times we ended up in other states of Brazil. Some other road trips were aimless, the goal was simple to enjoy the road and the further away the destination was, the more interesting the trip became.

Me and my brothers were three small kids but this was never a problem for my parents. On the contrary, it was really important for them to take us to see many different places. I still have good memories of some of those trips. Like when the 5 of us went to Campos do Jordão - I remember eating the first and most delicious gnocchi bolognese of my life; and I also remember when we went to the city of Pomerode in the state of Santa Catarina - known for being the most German city in Brazil.

We also did some package tours. One of those was my first international trip when I was about 7 or 8 years old. We travelled to Foz de Iguaçu and from there we visited a city in Argentina and another one in Paraguay, on the border with Brazil. Although I don't remember much about the trip, I remember how much I was enchanted of being able to "step" in another country, which is still very much the case nowadays.

Well, if today I love to travel, I owe it to my family who taught me from an early age the importance of travelling. How much it enriches us, how much it changes our way of seeing the world and relating to other people. But not only that, I also learned how great it is to be able to see new places with my own eyes - new cultures, cuisines, people - and to be able to live endless adventures around the world.

Vulcão Bromo na Indonésia
Bromo Volcano, Indonesia.

From Brazil To England

But it was from the summer of 2008 onwards that my life has completely changed. At the time, my brother was living in London and he invited me to spend my holidays from uni in the English capital. I wouldn't have to spend anything because I could stay at his place. My parents took the opportunity to pay for a two-week English course for me. In fact, this course was more to ensure that I would really enter the country without being stopped by immigration.

When I arrived in London was love at first sight. This city is simply unique. There are always lots of events happening, several entertainment options, huge parks spread around the city, many free museums and hundreds of charming pubs.

I had the opportunity to meet so many different people from all over the world. It was summer and the weather was wonderful, it was sunny the whole month and it didn't rain a single day (I now have come to the conclusion that this weather was just to fool me).

Ten months after my first experience in London, I finished my degree in Physical Education in Brazil. Then I had to deal with all the paperwork to get my student visa to be able to return to London as soon as possible. This second time the idea was to stay a year and a half studying English and working, but more than a decade later... I'm still here! And I have no idea when I'll be back to Brazil.

I came to London at the age of 20, alone, couldn't speak English and had no money. I had to work hard to pay my bills and save money for my trips. It was like this, travelling from time to time, when I could and when I had money that I started to travel to other countries. I would take a trip here and there and before I even realized I had already booked a plane ticket for the next one and was dreaming about the next of the next. I used to count the days for each trip - well, I still do it today.

It is true that for those who live here in Europe is a little easier to travel if we compare it with those who live in Brazil. This is because plane tickets here are very cheap, the countries are small and very close to each other. But even so I can't say it was easy for me. I have never been funded by anyone, nor by my family and even less by any boyfriend.

I have funded my own dreams. I would save money in everything I could, that's how I got travel a lot with little money. Choosing a new destination and planning the next trip is what I most enjoy doing. Travelling is my greatest source of inspiration, motivation and joy.

Strbske Pleso, Eslováquia
Strbske Pleso, Slovakia

Backpacking in Asia

But it doesn't stop there yet, as once again I dropped everything and hit the road. I have this problem of not being able to sit still for long. I left my stability in London, my job, my house, my friends and my routine. I left for Southeast Asia with a one way ticket and a return one for 6 months later. I had a backpack, a boyfriend who travelled with me - and became my fiancé during our trip - and a hostel booked for the first 2 days only, after that I would have to go with the flow. I planned absolutely nothing.

To travel for 6 months around Southeast Asia, to meet wonderful people, to discover new cultures, to taste dishes with exotic spices, to admire the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in my life, all that made me the happiest person in the world. It changed the way I see life, changed the way I treat people, the way I see other cultures and above all it taught me to be grateful for everything I have. Without a doubt, this was the best experience of my life and one that I wish to repeat.

Grand Palace em Bangkok, na Tailândia
Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Birth Of The Blog

I already travelled and took lots of photos of all the places I went many years before Instagram existed and long before travel profiles on Instagram were the trend they are nowadays. Because for me, travelling has always been a priority in my life. It is what makes me happy and fulfilled.

It took so many years of travelling and postponing the idea of creating a blog. Because in my mind there were already so many travel blogs on the internet that mine would be just another one in the virtual chaos. But as time went by I realized how wrong I was. Because each person is unique. So each blog will be too. Each one of us has a different impression of the places according to our background and experiences. I then discovered that I had a treasure in store that I could share with others.

So I decided to share my experiences and adventures to inspire other travellers to have deeper and more meaningful experiences. My goal is to help those who like to travel the four corners of the world and are always in search of One More Destination.

Jaipur, Índia.

The Evolution of My Travel Style

Although I have already done a 6 months backpacking trip in Southeast Asia and stayed in some 5 stars hotels in Europe (on employee discount), what I like to do the most nowadays are budget trips in a backpacking style. I usually choose to go to off beaten track destinations or paradise beaches. Minhas viagens não são de luxo.

However, I don't count the pennies. What I mean by that is, if during the trip I want to eat in a nice restaurant, go sightseeing in very touristic places or stay in a better and more comfortable place, I don't think twice. This is the kind of trip that makes me happy, the ones that you enjoy and also sometimes indulge yourself. Para mim, o que funciona mais é o equilíbrio.

Another thing, I always research a lot about the destination before the trip so I can decide which places are a must-see for me. I am not one of those "go with the flow" tourists. After many years of experience I have learnt to plan my trips completely independently.

And finally, all my trips were paid for with my own money. In other words, no information you find here is advertising. All opinions are my own and reflect my experience. I pay for what I consume, and if I recommend it, it's because I like it and I want to help you with really good tips.

Fez, Morocco.

How To Get In Touch

The best way to contact me is by email. Feel free to send me an e-mail using the contact form - I answer all the e-mails I receive.

You can also find me online at InstagramYouTube, Facebook and Pinterest.