On the plane, a person is truly "above things" and can look at their life philosophically

Introduce yourself in a few words..

Maksim Behar, honorary consul general of Seychelles in Bulgaria, an irreparable traveler and adventurer, in love with his profession PR expert, father, husband, dreamer.

What does traveling the world mean to you?

Knowledge, emotions, and photos. In these three words, I summarize hundreds of thousands of miles traveled by plane, on foot, by ships, trains, and all sorts of vehicles. The knowledge is also complemented by the hundreds of books read and the hundreds of films watched on planes and in hotels during travels. But actually, knowledge mainly comes from the people I meet and the stories I experience.

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

Certainly, the countries are over 60, but I'm not sure that the number is that important. Rather, it’s the people I’ve met there, and they are truly thousands, the memories, the evenings together, participation in world forums, and the exchange of opinions, even the photos together, which often take me back and remind me of those moments.

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

I love America a lot, our travels, together with my wife, by car through different states, we happily return there every year. And... of course – my favorite Seychelles, where I have been going every year for nearly 25 years, sometimes even several times, with pleasure, with love, with excitement, and always with huge expectations to see the changes. 

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

I have two very important trips in my life that changed me to a large extent. My first was studying in Prague and my work at a unique magazine with a multi-million circulation – I learned the Czech language perfectly, learned professional journalism, found invaluable friends and acquired experience that could not be found anywhere at that time. And after that – my work in Warsaw as a correspondent, just when communism collapsed in days and Poland took its first steps into a market economy. I saw how things happened, gained invaluable knowledge, and this really changed me a lot. Every other trip, really every one, has changed me a little, this continues even to today, but my two three-year stays in the Czech Republic and Poland completely changed my worldview and taught me values in life and principles in my profession. I carry them with me even today. 

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

I believe in the definition that if you are the smartest in the room, that is not your room. I love meeting amazing people from whom I can learn – professionally and in life. I have in my biography meetings, lunches, dinners, interviews with hundreds of kings, emperors, prime ministers, presidents, lords, barons, princes, and princesses, world economists, intellectuals… It is precisely the different cultural environment that changes people during their travels, the rest are details. But… an important clarification! You need to have receptors to perceive, to learn, to absorb, and quickly analyze, to build upon. And ne not just to photograph sunrises, delicious dishes, and write enthusiastic statuses on social media.  

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

Oh, constantly! Time on planes, sometimes for dozens of hours, gives me the opportunity to relax and think about things I don't have time for in my daily life. And there’s also another thing – somehow intuitively at thousands of kilometers in the sky, one feels truly “above things” and can look at their life, their ideas, their successes and failures, somehow more philosophically, more analytically, and with “different eyes”. In fact, my best ideas have always appeared in two places – in the shower and on the plane. But also – of course – during the travels themselves, in meetings, in discussions, in the exchange of opinions.   

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

Traveling is the most important part of my profession. Once, at the forum in Davos, Switzerland, a journalist from the American business television CNBC asked me a rather trivial question, what I expect from the forum. I answered briefly and clearly: “One sentence”.  What is it - she asked. “I don't know – I answered.  I only know that even if I remember just one single sentence from this forum, it will be worth my coming here.” Here, this is my simple formula from my travels – you should strive to remember one sentence, one word even, one meeting, one photo… If there are more – so much the better. But you need to have a goal – in travels, in meetings, in experiences. This goal can change your life and make you more knowledgeable, more professional, and ultimately – better.

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

I often travel specifically for work. I meet amazing professionals who often tell me that they learn from me, but that doesn’t interest me because I try to learn something from them. I always succeed.

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

Of course – London. There I encounter exceptional professionals in my business, I hold the highest position in the British PR association PRCA as a member of its so-called Advisory Council, I also had an office there while I was president of ICCO, the global PR Association. And now I often go to London, once a year I have lunch in a very small circle in the House of Lords, precisely due to my responsibilities in the Council of PRCA. I always choose the central hotel St. Giles, David Bowie's favorite, with a huge portrait of him right at the entrance…  Every minute in London fills me with new business ideas,  I spend hours in the bookstore Foyles on Tottenham Court Road, I leave there with a bag full of books, then I buy the same ones from Amazon for my Kinde, to have them for the journey. 

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

Much more motivated, I naturally see new things, explore different cultures, meet unfamiliar people and customs, characters, foods…  

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

These are my favorite Seychelles. There I feel both at home and abroad. I relax, I am happy, carefree even, and I see that life can be lived this way too. This for me is a complete restart and I return to Europe as a new person. And this happens every time, for nearly 25 years now. I highly recommend it. My friends gasp and sigh in admiration of the beaches and palms, but that’s not the essence of this country, but the people and their way of perceiving the world.  

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

For me, work is pleasure, and traveling is work. A simple formula that doesn’t burden me, neither when I travel nor when I work.

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

Money has nothing to do with traveling, except for the prices of plane tickets, which are becoming more flexible with the emergence of Wizz Air and many other similar companies. And in the most expensive country, you can have a wonderful time with very little money, as long as you know how and plan your trip well. For example, Seychelles has the perception of being an expensive country, but I guarantee you that we spend much less there than on any vacation in Greece, Turkey, and often even in Bulgaria. We live in a cheap house on the beach, which has only one large room and a huge bathroom, we shop from local small Indian shops, and it often costs us much less than going for a weekend somewhere on our Black Sea. Everything is about planning and a good understanding of where you are going.   

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

No, never. But the knowledge I gain during these travels often fills me with ideas that  then turn into new and unique projects, both for our clients and for my company.

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

Well, there aren’t many. I learned that money doesn’t matter if you are a good person, but it matters a lot when you are a good person and want to make a successful business. And this applies to all countries around the world, at least for those I’ve been to.

According to Vis it better to spend on experiences rather than material possessions?

These are different things, although very related. Experiences  are the most important because that’s where ideas and knowledge come from. The so-called material possessions are important for business – good mobile technology, fast laptops, complex cameras, what not… These are means of labor (according to Karl Marx), without which you can’t do business. But without experiences and knowledge, it’s impossible to run a successful business, at least the one I’ve been in for the last thirty years, a business of creativity and new ideas.  

How do you see the future of digital nomadic life?

This is not the future, but the present. The pandemic of 2020 really changed the world forever in many directions, but remote communications are one of the most important. Probably this would have happened sooner or later, but the way it happened – abrupt, forced, overwhelming our businesses, fundamentally shaking the way of thinking and making strategies for the future. We must look only at the positive sides and not pay attention to the negative. One way or another – from now on this will be the main way of communication. 

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

Well, of course there are. It seems to me that Bulgaria is one of them. Here we generally complain about everything, there’s always something we don’t like, we are always dissatisfied with something. But Bulgaria now undoubtedly has the lowest taxes in Europe and the best, most educated, and most motivated young people I’ve ever met around the world. Of course, there are plenty of things we need to overcome – corruption, even more independent and freer media, bureaucracy, electronic services, and what not. The process of change has begun with great force and I always want to believe that a return to a centralized economy, something like dictatorship or undemocratic governance will not happen. For other countries, I really can’t speak, I need to have done business there for years, to know them well, and I don’t have such experience. Not long ago, I managed an American company in my business in the Czech Republic, I know Poland well, these are also countries where there are huge niches for starting new businesses, for good management, but it seems to me that in Bulgaria the opportunities for success are immeasurably greater.   

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

It seems to me that it would be Seychelles. This is a small country, somewhere around 80 thousand people, everyone knows me, I know everyone, and most importantly – I know the mentality, reactions, and culture of the people.

What are the destinations that you would definitely recommend to be visited and why?

Well… I recommend everyone to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, something that we did together with Veneta, we came back refreshed, purified, super rested, and we even wrote a great book that sold out in days. Iceland is a wonderful place too, and every American state is like a separate country, it has its own peculiarities and we specifically can't wait to travel as much as possible among them.

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

It is very universal  and works quite well – do what makes you happy,  no matter where you are. But… if you are abroad, you must love the country you live in, and if that doesn't happen, your career won't go well.