About this Slovenian Loco
From Yugoslavian to a world traveler
I was born in 1972 in Republic of Slovenia that used to be a part of Yugoslavia at that time and became an independent country after a 10-days war in 1991. I grew up in a socialist environment of the most liberal, neutral and progress orientated country in Central Europe.
It wasn’t until the beginning of the 1990s, when the borders really opened for travelling; I was 19 years old by then, finishing college and decided for my first adventure around Europe.
I grew up in a medium class family, but we were relatively poor comparing to Western nations. Therefore, my ambitions to travel around Western Europe were not common at that time. I was also very unexperienced, since I hadn’t done much of travelling or hitchhiking before. I had been commuting for 10 kilometers to my college on a daily bases, my parents had taken me to Italian cloths market across the border in Italian Trieste and once we were skiing in Ukraine. Additionally, we spent every summer holidays on the beach at Veli Losinj in Croatia.
From shy beginnings to a world traveler
My first real backpacking experience, with schoolmate Andrey, was hitchhiking around Western Europe. He wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, I was eager on hitchhiking and meeting new people. In the middle of the war for Slovenian independence, my father drove us in an old Yugo car through barricades to reach Ljubljana, where we boarded a train to Slovenian-Italian border and started our hitchhiking journey.
It’s been many years since that time, marked by airplanes, cities, national parks, people, places, countries and global changes.
I have lived and worked in Ecuador, the United States, the United Kingdom, Panama and Slovenia. My journeys have led me to all continents and I have visited almost 150 countries so far. Furthermore, I have learned English, Spanish, Russian, and French.
I have two wonderful kids, Panamanian partner, homes in Slovenia and Panama. I worked for Slovenian and American multinational companies, before finally evolving to an independent consultant with flexibility and financial freedom. However, one interest has remained constant since my youth: the passion that led me beyond the borders of my beloved Slovenia and opened the door to a global experience: TRAVELING.
After hitchhiking and traversing over Western Europe with Interrail, working and learning English in London, I became passionate about Mesoamerican cultures. I was profoundly impressed by Latin-American countries, their people and language, ensuring that I remained connected with this unique continent on a daily basic.
In the initial phase of my travel journey, I never had a dream of visiting every country of the World. After crossing the Americas from the USA to Argentina in 1996-97 (American Big Tour), I started to be attracted by Australia and Asia. Through hard work to save money and travelling on a minimal budget, I spent 15 months on the road from Melbourne to Delhi in the year 2000. At the end, I decided to conclude my Asian Big Tour for two main reasons: I was completely broke and I had lost the ability to appreciate the beauty around me.
I hold the view that excessive, uninterrupted travel, may result in a familiarity that lessens my appreciation for the sights and experiences encountered. It is better to make a break, become anxious and return on the road again.
How many countries have you visited?
Africa is regarded as one of the most challenging destinations for budget travelers. Expensive, inadequate value for money with complicated logistics, often accompanied by inhuman conditions. Once you get in touch with Africa, you either love it or hate it.
If I wasn’t able to conclude my African Big Tour as originally planned, with years of travelling and experience. Years later, I started to enjoy even the most bizarre situations, when a basic meal, a decent bed or a secure seat in a run-down shared taxi made my day.
It was in Africa in 2008, when an Aussi mate asked me: “How many countries have you visited?”. I had no idea, I never counted them.
I was always looking forward and discovering new places, without particular plan to explore all of them. The only rule was to avoid going back to the same place for two reasons: if I liked it, there was a probability that the place might spoil or change for worst; if I didn’t like it, there was no reason to go back. In the long run, there were scarcely any locations or experiences that I failed to value from one perspective or another.
Over the years, my approach to travel has evolved significantly. The late 1990s saw the rise of the internet, leading to a decline in my use of Lonely Planet books, which had previously been my main source of information. My first photos were taken with reflex camera on photographic films, while diaries and newspaper reports were printed in hard copies.
If time was not important at the beginning and travelling was my only activity until money lasted, later in life I started to work as a sales manager, but only to save enough money for the next trip. After my kids were born, there were other long-term commitment and priorities to combine with my passion. My travels converted to trips, but the essence of backpacking has never changed.
Three decades of travelling, living, speaking, social interaction and exploration of so many different countries, places, languages, people, cultures and culinary delights have been a journey that I try to convey on this website.
This website reflects my personal impressions of the world through the last three decades.
The world has undergone significant changes, and many of the destinations I frequented in the past are probably unrecognizable today. Although I have revisited some countries on several occasions and I can confirm the change by myself, I have not returned to most of the locations.
It is a never-ending story that leads me to further adventures: fulfill my life with excitements of planning, travelling, writing, analyzing and exchanging opinions. There are still many reasons to put a backpack on my shoulders and step out to this beautiful World with one mission ahead as written by Muriel Rukeyser: The journey is my home.
When it becomes tough, dangerous or really complicated I am still inspired by the following thoughts: Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn!