Travelita: Interview Nathalie Bolet

1. Okay, Miss Nathalie, what was the specific incident that got you to this interview?

I form part of the Facebook group Wandering Women Travel Bloggers and saw her post about an interview to connect women around the world and encourage them to travel even if alone as you can find many beautiful and cool stories of other women and connect with them. It felt like something I would like to read, for sure, so why not write about it as well?

2. What has earned you the right to be an authority on this topic?

I’ve been doing budget traveling since I can remember. First with my family and later alone when I moved to Hungary. Plus, the fact that I’ve been living in Hungary for almost 4 years has given me a lot of insight and experience in the different processes to follow.

3. What is your brand, your topic exactly about?

The two main topics of my blog are budget traveling and living and traveling in Hungary. As I said, I’ve been living here since 2016 so I felt like it was important to describe my experience as a non-European citizen. I have a lot of experience in the kind of paperwork you need to do, how to travel around the country, and I love sharing these details with everyone who is thinking of visiting or moving to the country.

4. Why is it important?

People, and especially women, often avoid traveling to different places because they don’t speak the language, or don’t think they will find someone who speaks English. They also fear that it will be difficult to enjoy the experience if the culture is too different from theirs. Another big issue is not knowing how to find the exact info about how to move around so I wanted to make sure that everyone felt confident enough to visit Hungary. It’s such a beautiful country and it has so much to offer and you can, for sure, have an amazing time. Plus, it is not an expensive destination, so it still fits the “travel on a budget” category.

5. Now that I know what it is, now that I know why it’s important and relevant, how are you implementing this on your travels? I mean like, is there a process that you follow when traveling?

I have a 9-5 job, so that means I can’t grab my bags and leave whenever. And if I want to make good use of my holidays throughout the year, they cannot be luxury travels. For every trip, I plan the location, what to do, and especially the budget in advance. This last one using a budget travel sheet of my own creation that everyone can get for free on my website.

6. What if people took advantage of your tips and steps you are providing? What will happen, how will their travels change?

I’m sure that if they decide to use my budget traveling sheet, they will see a great improvement and control over their expenses before and during their trips. It will help them plan better for future travels and have a reference point in case they go back to a city or want to advise a friend on costs.

7. Now we would like to get just some general information about you and your travels:

(if not answered before)

– When did you start traveling?

With my family, we were always traveling together around Venezuela, and by myself, I started traveling more when I moved to Hungary in 2016.

– Do you remember how you felt when you traveled alone for the first time?

It was in 2017, I went to England for the World Camp Jamboree, I was 16. It felt literally like having a dream come true in all the movie style. Of course, I was traveling with the whole delegation but it was my first time outside the country and without my family.

– How did you, or do you deal with fears?

I try to focus on what I will be experiencing doing the trip, the things I’ll get to explore and know.

– Is there a place where you have been and you would definitely not recommend it for women on their own and why?

So far I haven’t been to a place where I would highly advise not to go on your own. But I do recommend to always be careful about where you’re going, who’s close to you and which streets you walk. No matter where you are, you always have to be safe and alert.

– Do you still have this excitement, when you go for a trip?

DEFINITELY! Just thinking about traveling gives me the goosebumps and makes my heart race!

– what are your top 5 destinations and why?

Budapest, Hungary: It’s a beautiful city, with lots to do and offer. Even though it’s a capital, it’s not as messy nor crowded as London or Berlin.
Verona, Italy: A small, beautiful city, full of history, young people and so much life and love that you’ll always want to go back.
Krakow, Poland: One of my favorite cities. It’s also a small one, full of life and nice people. There’s always something new to discover and a good time to be had.
Skopje, North Macedonia: This was a total surprise for me. It’s a really small city but with an interesting history and beautiful things to do. The perfect weekend getaway and to connect with nature.
Berlin, Germany: If you’re a history fan, this is your city. Definitely a place where you’ll be filled with details, facts, and so many things you didn’t know. From history to the cultural point of view. A city that, from corner to corner, makes you feel like you’re in a new place.

– The funniest story that happened to you when traveling?

Once I was traveling with my family back in Venezuela. We went to the countryside and wanted to visit some famous caves. They are called “las Cuevas del guácharo”. We asked in the hostel where we were staying how to get there and how long it was, they said an hour and a half. So we go out, set up a course (no GoogleMaps as there’s no satellite signal there). After a half-hour we stopped and asked someone on the road if we were on the right track and how long we still had left and they guy said: “at a steady speed, an hour and a half”. We rode for one hour more and asked another person on the way who also said: “at a good speed, an hour and a half”. This happened with I think two more people. We ended up eating at a restaurant on the way there and only after 5 to 6 hours we made it to the caves. We were able to enter the caves with the last tour group. And they literally told us to run to catch them. On the way back, we decided to take another road home (the right one it just so happened to be) and guess what: it was an hour and a half! From that moment on, every time someone asked us how long it took to get somewhere, we would always say: “an hour and a half”.

8. Call to action – what do you want people to do?

I’d love everyone to start traveling, going on new adventures, and exploring. Either with friends, family, or by themselves. Reach out to locals, ask them for advice, and maybe even a beer and you’ll have a companion to show you around. I’m always open to helping people, talking with them, and giving them all the tips I can and know about a place. And you can also find a lot of info on my blog www.boletworldwide.com or through my IG @boletworldwide.

For anything, please let me know!! These are my social pages: