Gift yourself the joy of finding something of your own, wherever you are

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Rosen, leadership skills and communication coach, and I love traveling around the world and within myself.

What does traveling the world mean to you?

Curiosity, recharging, new sensations, and a way to learn new things about the world and myself.

How many different countries have you seen so far?

Unfortunately, not as many countries and places as I would like so far – just over twenty. But last year I promised myself something ambitious – to visit at least 5 new places every year from now on, where I haven't been before.

Tell us a curious incident or highlights from your travels?

It happened in 2017 in Morocco… I walk into a  Starbucks in Rabat to recharge with coffee and take a little break from wandering around. At the counter, I am served by a nice girl who has a name tag “Radi” and it caught my attention. I ask in English what it means, and the lady replies, Oh, it's not a Moroccan name, it's Bulgarian. And I continue in Bulgarian:
Oh, look at that, small world!
It turned out that Radi's father studied medicine in Bulgaria and fell in love with a girl from Plovdiv, and the family has settled in Rabat for 15 years. Radi was very happy to meet a Bulgarian and we had a pleasant short conversation, partly in Bulgarian, partly in English, during which she gave me recommendations on what to see and try while I'm there.

Do you like to repeat destinations? Give examples and motivation “for” or “against”?

Yes, I have nothing against it – especially if the destination has many different faces – like China or Italy. I have my favorite places and my motivation to return there is to rediscover them and add nuances and new memories.

What was the first trip that truly changed you as a professional and can be said to have changed your thinking?

A trip to Morocco in 2017 turned out to be fateful for me. I had just left my job in the corporate world and took some time for myself to travel, think, and make a decision about my future. During the trip, on a beach on the Atlantic Ocean, I received an attractive offer from a large company – and honestly, I wasn't happy about it. In the company where I had spent nearly 10 years, taking a vacation for more than 5 days and actually resting was an impossible mission – the culture at that time was such that it was expected for you to be always on call and working. And here I was, already a few weeks completely free, without the need to constantly respond to emails and calls. And actually, on that beach at Cape Spartel, I realized how important freedom is for me to manage my time. And although I didn't have a clear idea of what exactly I would do, I decided to bet on myself and start my own business project.

What do you learn about yourself and your professional skills when you are in a new cultural environment?

Good question… One of the things I have certainly learned from traveling is how far my adaptability and ability to cope with unforeseen discomfort extend – for example, what happens when you dream for months of walking through the streets of Verona, but here you are finally there, and it's raining like a bucket. What do you do then? Will you be angry for two days at mother nature or will you say to yourself, “Well, I am here after all, let’s go for a culinary tour!”

Have you met people or ideas during your travels that have influenced your career path?

While traveling, I read a lot, listen to podcasts, and constantly discover new ideas and authors that provoke me and reveal new perspectives.

Do you think that traveling helps you expand your professional network? How?

Rather, for me it is indirect – as I just said, through reading I discover new authorities and people to follow.

What skills do you develop the most when you travel, and how do they reflect on your work?

I develop the skill to adapt to situations that inevitably occur on the road – canceled flights, bad weather, closed venues. I also develop communication skills – being able to understand people who do not speak your languages is a real creative challenge.

Is there a city or country that has inspired you to start a new business or project?

Unfortunately, I don't travel that much and I don't stay that long as I would like in certain places. And yet, there are cities where it seems that creative energy flows – like Porto, Barcelona or Florence – and there you can unexpectedly receive inspiration for new ideas and projects – the last time it happened to me was while visiting a museum in Prague.

When you are in an unfamiliar country, do you feel more motivated or more distracted? Why?

I feel more relaxed and my mind is more open – I try to absorb impressions and emotions.

Are there destinations that act as a “restart” for your creativity and ambition?

Not really. I have found that you can recharge anywhere, as long as you go there with the right expectations.

How do you manage the balance between work and pleasure, when you travel?

Easily – I choose not to work and I never carry a laptop while traveling. I return calls and emails, because I understand the dynamics of modern business, but I have a rule – no more than 10 minutes a day when I travel.

How have travels changed the way you perceive the value of money?

One of the common misconceptions I suffered from years ago is that traveling is an expensive pleasure. But over the years I learned that the best moments cost me very little or almost nothing – and that is the magic of spontaneous experiences.

I also have a habit lately of comparing some purchases that are on my mind with the price of plane tickets – and that is my criterion for making a decision. The last time was a few weeks ago when I had to decide whether to buy new running shoes, a higher class for over 300 leva. I told myself, oh, I can buy plane tickets to Valencia for that price… And that's what I did, I bought tickets.

Do you travel with the goal of finding new ways to earn money?

Fortunately, no. I travel abroad solely for pleasure. In contrast, in Bulgaria, I travel about 3-4 thousand kilometers every month for leadership programs in various parts of the country.

What lessons about financial independence have you learned from different economies and cultures?

That you can be happy with very little and that being independent is a matter of your mindset, not of material status at any cost.

Do you think it is better to spend on experiences, rather than on material possessions?

I doubt I will surprise you if I answer that the balance between things is important. Experiences create memories that last a lifetime – travels, concerts, meetings with interesting people or new adventures – all of this helps me to learn about the world and enriches me in so many ways. But sometimes we also need material things – they are necessary and useful, and very often a good car, laptop, or technological solutions give you the opportunity to work more freely, more efficiently, and faster. Sometimes material things help us capture and preserve moments with intangible, emotional value. But if it comes to a choice between the two, for me experiences enrich life more deeply – and I would choose them.

How do you see the future of digital nomadic life?

I expect to see more and more cities advertising themselves as destinations for communities of digital nomads. These are places that could offer better infrastructure, specially designed for remote workers, perhaps - specialized housing solutions, because you see what is happening in Barcelona, for example, where locals are starting to complain about the influx of tourists and digital nomads and the challenges that come with it.

Are there specific countries that are more favorable for work and investments?

I suppose that generally Denmark beats North Korea, but I also don't think there is a right answer – it depends on the type of work and the economic field in which you would like to invest.

If you could choose one place in the world to develop your next big idea, where would it be and why?

Bulgaria! Because my personal cause is to help build better leaders here.

What are the destinations you would definitely recommend visiting and why?

I really don't like the word “mandatory,” because every trip is a deeply personal experience and what I have long desired may be completely uninteresting to another. It is normal for everyone to have their own places and the insistence “you must see it at all costs” often leads to disappointments – because it simply isn't yours. Gift yourself the joy of finding something of your own.

What is the career advice you would give based on what you have seen around the world?

Andinvest in skills that work anywhere in the world. It's not just about digital knowledge and languages, but also about emotional intelligence, which will give you a sense of cultural differences. The people who truly succeed are those who can quickly adapt, find ways to communicate and feel confident even in unfamiliar environments.