200 countries: I collect experiences – every incident is a lesson, knowledge, thrill
· Georgi Toshev
There is a shortage of capable, thinking, moral individuals in all fields!
Introduce yourself in a few words..
Curious, traveling, I believe that teamwork is still not a burden, but a pleasure. And that life organizes itself.
For you, traveling the world is?
A necessity, a passion, the only opportunity to transcend the locality of problems, people, culture.
How many different countries have you seen so far? Share an interesting incident or highlights from your travels?
About 200 are the countries I have visited. I haven't kept statistics for a long time. I am always ready to travel. I have learned to carry little and well-organized luggage. There are many incidents – living in a camp with bushmen, swimming with dolphins in Mexico, a long journey with a Bedouin in Oman, and a few days living in a Bedouin village without electricity, months in an Indian ashram, my meetings with Dalai Lama and Pope Francis, getting lost one night in Tokyo... Every incident is a lesson, knowledge, thrill. I regret that I have not yet visited North Korea to convince myself that freedom is the greatest privilege.
Do you like to repeat destinations? Give examples and motivation “for” or “against”?
I constantly repeat destinations – sometimes for work, sometimes for the pleasure of returning to places I love. Examples are Sweden and Japan, I have been many times and each time is different, even in places I feel I know better than corners in Bulgaria that I love. New York is another place I love in every season, situation. For me, the experience is important, and it is always related to the meetings I have. They are always different. Places change, meetings too, but there is something that makes me return – the memory of something exciting I have experienced.
What was your first trip that truly changed you as a professional and can be said to have changed your thinking?
The very first one by train abroad. I was with my grandmother Stefania and my mother. We were traveling to Prague, where my aunt Maria lived. I couldn't sleep the whole way. I had the feeling that my life was changing. And it did. I was 5 years old. Then, in the sleeping compartment of the international train, I realized that no one could take my life on the road from me. Now I continue to live my dream. For more than 50 years. On the road.
What do you learn about yourself and your professional skills when you are in a new cultural environment?
I am an open person to other cultures, people. I have learned to adapt quickly, to accept differences, not to impose my understandings, not to require to be understood at all costs. I leave space to meet others. And so I feel light, things work out. I work very well with foreigners. Sometimes better than with Bulgarians. There are no hidden agendas. There is work that you can either do well or not. Now I work with foreign teams and feel at home.
Have you met people or ideas during your travels that have influenced your career Vand path?
Every time. My last trip to Osaka for EXPO 2025 filled me with new ideas for films, a book. In November I will return for a meeting with students studying Bulgarian, I will show my film about the Four Gospels and give an open lesson at the universities in Kyoto and Osaka, where an exceptional young Bulgarian professor Ivo Vladimirov teaches. I hope to make a documentary film as well.
Do you think your travels help you expand your professional network? How?
This is inevitable. I have a notebook with phone names of people all over the world. There is always an operator I can call and we can work together, no matter if I am in Sydney, Miami, or Tokyo. This is part of the journey – to exchange experiences, ideas, to be interested in how others do it. This is also a problem when you return here, especially in the media, because you understand where they are and where we are…
What skills do you develop the most when you travel, and how do they reflect on your work Vand?
I am adaptive, I work with different teams, I follow rules and professional standards, I expand my worldview, I manage to adapt good practices in my work. The quality of my work improves, as well as that of the students I meet, and the teams I manage in Bulgaria. I start to think globally, not locally. This helps.
Is there a city or country that has Vinspired you to start a new business or project?
Dharamsala is the place that inspired me for a new project. India – the country that gave me confidence. Sweden and Japan – showed me the way how a person can be present in their professional dreams.
When you are in an unfamiliar country, do you feel more motivated or more distracted? Why?
I am concentrated, I pay attention. I absorb. I learn and want to understand everything about the place and the people. I am insatiable to learn from others. I feel needed. I understand that standards apply to everyone working in a given field and it doesn't matter whether you come from a small or large country.
Are there destinations that act as a “restart” for your creativity and ambition?
There are of course. Switzerland with its nature, Thailand with its deserted islands, Forio Island in Sweden. There I start everything from the beginning.
How do you manage the balance between work and pleasure when you travel?
I have learned to combine them. Of course, work is still leading, but I have a profession that allows work to be a pleasure.
How have travels changed the way you perceive the value of money?
On the road, you become more careful. Generally, I am one of those people who do not keep track of their expenses well, but on the road, I learned to be frugal, careful. When you are in Las Vegas or Tokyo, you cannot help but keep track of your expenses.
Do you travel to find new ways to earn money?
No, money is not my goal. I have never gone somewhere to make money. Money for me is a consequence of well-done work. They make me free. I have not been on a payroll for the last 25 years. I decide where and with whom to work. I can always leave. Sometimes I stay out of stubbornness to change something in the broken system. I have such a case now. And I know that I will win the next battle against mediocrity and its patrons.
What lessons about financial independence have you learned from different economies and cultures?
Every country has its financial culture. For example, the Swedes, even the rich, do not demonstrate financial prosperity. They have a moderation that makes them very calm both with having and not having money. Spaniards and Greeks, for example, love to spend money to impress guests, friends.
According to Vis it better to spend on experiences than on material possessions?
I have been doing it for a long time. I spend on travels. I have spent on several apartments and expensive cars during travels, but material possessions have never impressed me, they have never been my priority. I collect experiences.
How do you see the future of digital nomadic life?
A wonderful opportunity for an interesting, meaningful, fulfilling life, especially for the young. Being independent is a great opportunity to make your life richer and more harmonious.
Are there specific countries that are more favorable for work and investments?
Of course, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland. On the other pole are poor African countries, where with intelligence and good research one can make good investments.
If you could choose one place in the world to develop your next big idea, where would it be and why?
Japan. It only seems that it has everything. Materially – yes, but there is so much work with people, deep within the human being.
What are the destinations you would definitely recommend to be visited and why?
In summer, all Scandinavian countries – because of the cool summer, the green and fresh nature, the clean water, and the delicious food. Asia – Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos – because of the nature and mystique.
What is the career advice you would give based on what you have seen around the world?
It is hard for me to summarize. The world is a wonderful, albeit fragile place lately. The approach, the morality with which you enter a professional project is important. The world offers endless opportunities. It is important to know what you want, but also to know your own limits. There is a shortage of capable, thinking, moral individuals in all fields. Especially in the media and politics. Especially in Bulgaria. And managers who are ready to take risks with them, rather than rely on worn-out faces with compromised biographies.