This may be an inspirational story…or not. This may be just an idea that sparked into my mind a few years back…and nothing more.
The thing is…that it got to be more than that. It’s 2016, the 21 st of February, my birthday, and I am thinking: have I accomplished anything? Professionally?
And the answer was YES.
The dream and the plot
In 2013 I quit a boring job (as a computer programmer), sick and tired, but motivated at the same time (because I knew what I wanted to do) , and without any plan B.
What did I want? To work in the tourism business and to organize trips for foreigners.
The first week was pure bliss: coffee in the morning, biking in the afternoon, jogging occasionally etc.
The horror
The next week would be a nightmare. I would check my inbox 1000 times a day. At least.
I thought I was going crazy and I started to think: ok, maybe this was a stupid idea. It will never work. I have to start looking for a job.
The next day, just when I had decided to send CV’s, I realized something: if I quit now, I will quit forever. What kind of a business is that if you quit after a few weeks..or months? No pain…no gain,that’s what they say. And it is true, believe me.
So…I threw away all my CV’s, because I did not want to fall into temptation. I burned all the bridges and so I became more and more motivated to make it work.
Things can only get better
One day I met some UK expats in Bucharest, for a beer. They went on a tour with me, they loved it, and then the magic happened. The word spred and I started getting emails from foreigners who wanted to visit Romania and needed a guide.
So…2013 was a semi disaster. But 2014 was a success. I got to be nr. 2 on Tripadvisor. Then, I started to plan the next step: a travel agency.
The result, my brainchild, is Outdoor activities in Romania. Over the course of time I had developed a small network of tourism services providers around the country, and they helped me design the amazing programs that are advertised on the website.
Now, we serve guests from all over the world. It is more than I could have hoped for.
To cut a long story short, I always say to our guests: if you love what you do, you will never have to work again. Of course, it is not my personal quote, but I relate to it 100%.
What could be more beautiful and exciting than to travel, show others the stunning landscapes in your country, meet lovely people and learn from all the experiences?
And, to prove all the above, here are some photos from our tours, with our beautiful guests.
This is my story. What is yours?
