Travel as much as possible, this is the best motivation

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Anton Bonov and I work as a coordinator at the Bulgarian Athletics Federation

What does traveling the world mean to you?

First, traveling the world is related to my work at the Bulgarian Athletics Federation and my professional commitments mainly with the national team and my work as an editor of the specialized athletics website www.atletikabg.com

Second, traveling the world with my family provides a very important part of my children's upbringing.

Every single trip around the world enriches and helps to understand different cultures. I also have another philosophy about traveling the world: The more you travel outside Bulgaria, the more you understand your own country because you have a basis for comparison.

How many different countries have you seen so far? Share an interesting story or highlights from your travels?

By my calculations, I have visited 51 countries by mid-April 2025. The interesting stories are many, but the most exciting ones involve missed or canceled flights when you unexpectedly have to change your plans suddenly. A highlight of every trip for me is to visit a place that is outside the tourist attractions, which gives a real idea of the place you are in and the real life of the people there.

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

I personally love to repeat destinations. When you return to a place, you already know it, and this opens up new opportunities and quick orientation in the environment. There are countries I have visited dozens of times for work or privately. Sometimes there are also places that do not deserve to be visited again.

 

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

In fact, my first trip was in February 1988 by train with the final destination being the capital of Lithuania – Vilnius, and the route passed through Romania and Ukraine. At that time, both Lithuania and Ukraine were within the Soviet Union two years before this state collapsed. It was related to a student athletics competition.

I can say that the professional trip that changed me was in August 1992 at a three-week youth camp during the Olympic Games in Barcelona. This trip provided the main guidelines for my later professional path as an organizer and journalist, and it can be said that it changed my thinking.

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

During international athletics competitions, seminars, or other professional commitments related to athletics, I have a lot of experience with different cultures. In World Athletics, there are over 210 member countries, and during world championships or Olympic Games, you communicate with people from all over the world. I have sat at a table with officials from the Cook Islands in the Pacific, Mexicans and Australians, Peruvians, Africans, and Asians from different countries. Everyone has their own identity. Usually, we exchange experiences about the development of athletics and sports in each country and continent. Then I realize that Bulgaria is very advanced compared to most countries in the world in every respect, but it also has a lot to catch up on to reach the most developed countries.

For myself, I learn that a person always has something to learn in a new cultural environment.

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

Many of the people I meet during my travels have influenced my career path. When you meet people who have succeeded in a certain field and communicate with them, you gain an idea of how things can change and how to help yourself in developing your own ideas.

Communicating with random people on the plane, train, bus, at the airport, train station, or bus station can also give you positives and broaden your horizons, allowing you to react more adequately in a situation in your career.  

 

Do you think that your travels help you expand your professional network? How?

Yes. Definitely, travels can expand the professional network or the field in which you work. This is only possible through active communication and skills for conducting a meaningful conversation. There should also be an exchange of contacts, which nowadays happens in seconds, and then many opportunities can follow, as long as you can catch and realize them. Of course, this can also happen through social networks, but whenever you have had contact with someone in person, it is much easier to communicate with them later.

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

When you travel often, you gain greater confidence and develop certain skills that positively reflect on my work.

Specifically, I can give an example of traveling with the national team of Bulgaria. When we travel with team members, the travel time is shortened with good organization (crossing borders, checking in luggage, preparing documents in advance, etc.) for which you have skills and routine. This is very important for athletes who need more rest before a competition.

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

I can't say that a city or country has inspired me to start a new business. But events seen and experienced in certain places around the world have been examples in many of the projects I implement. As mentioned in previous answers, there are also people who can inspire you to start a new business or project.

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

When I am in a new country, I feel more motivated to learn more about the country and to orient myself in it faster. This is so that the goals with which you came to this country can be achieved. Preliminary preparation also has great significance for getting to know the country and staying there.

 

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

Yes. There are countries that can 'restart' creativity, positive emotions, and thus ambitions to achieve new goals. Such destinations are at least 10 of the countries I have visited, among which I can highlight Germany, the USA, Thailand, Japan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Peru, Colombia, and even Russia before 2010.

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

I am a workaholic and I can say that somehow I have found the balance between work and pleasure when I travel. Another specificity for me is that work and my travels are related to my favorite sport – athletics, which gives me additional motivation or, to put it simply: Work and my travels are pleasure.

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

Here the short answer is: Every trip is worth the money. Because every trip gives you experiences that you cannot gain even with money. A traveling person always has a special attitude towards money.

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

The field in which I work – the development of athletics, is not specifically related to making money. The main goal is to achieve sports success. Achieving this goal, as well as all non-profit organizations, is related to certain budgets. So, finding additional funds for the development of athletics requires, of course, money. Travels also provide opportunities to earn money, but for me, this is not a priority when I travel.

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

From numerous travels, I have learned the following lesson. Even in the poorest countries, there are many expensive goods and services, just as in the countries with the highest standards, there are many, many cheap goods and services. Everything is a matter of management.

According to Vou, is it better to spend on experiences rather than material possessions?

There should be a balance in spending on material possessions and spending on experiences. This balance should not be lost because even a material person needs positive experiences, and a traveler should have a 'harbor' where they can prepare for the next adventure, which is related to certain material possessions.

How do you see the future of digital nomadic life?

We already live in this future. Millions of people around the world live in different places and work remotely thousands of kilometers away. I myself, when I travel, do not part with my computer, with which I do a lot of work in various environments – cafes, hotels, airports, etc.

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

I am a supporter of the idea that there are many, many undeveloped businesses in Bulgaria. This is again related to my travels. One of these undeveloped 'mines' is tourism. I would say that we use less than half of our country's potential in this business segment.

Among the known Bulgarians living abroad, there are many who are not satisfied with what they work on abroad, and conversely, many successful Bulgarians live and manage their business from Bulgaria while expanding into new markets abroad, but mainly in Europe.  

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

And again I will repeat. I have always taken ideas from other countries and implemented them in Bulgaria. In my specific field, this is athletics. In terms of business and even industry, there is a boom in mass long-distance running events. This industry involves billions of dollars, starting from sports equipment manufacturers and going through pharmaceutical products used by runners, and reaching software products related to competitions – timing, online registration systems, selling race photos, fundraising for charity, advertising and marketing of the event, television rights, etc.

In Bulgaria, this industry is still not developed even to the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia.

Worldwide, I will give only two examples for which I know the approximate economic effect – the London Marathon with 220 million pounds and the New York Marathon with 345 million dollars and huge economic benefits for these megacities.

What are the destinations you would definitely recommend to visit and why?

Personally, I would recommend Turkey as a nearby destination and Thailand for more distant ones. In terms of organization and variety, I prefer Germany among European countries, and the largest European tourist attractions are, of course, in France, Italy, and Spain.

These are also some of the countries that you must visit. For more budget-friendly, accessible, and at the same time exciting travels, I would recommend the neighboring countries of Bulgaria – Greece, Romania, Serbia, and North Macedonia.

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

Be yourself, do not stop gathering information and news, communicate with more people, try to apply the best in your field of work and ..... travel as much as possible – this is the most valuable and will give you motivation.