Meet Aurelia, a full-time professional blogger and traveler

Traveling the world, being financially independent, and enjoying life without restrictions. Remote working is the way of the future and some of us have figured this out way before it became the norm. Aurelia Teslaru is a full-time professional blogger and a full-time traveler who enjoys a life of freedom and adventure. Since she started traveling she has visited 40 countries and has boarded over 100 flights, all while working remotely. She documented her adventurous life on her blog, Daily Travel Pill.

1. What made you leave your traditional job and travel the world?

Before traveling full-time in Asia, I worked at an advertising agency in Bucharest. I loved my job but I wanted to travel more. I always used all my holiday days to plan small vacations but I felt the need to travel for a longer period of time. 

For me, traveling full-time was a unique opportunity that I had to take. Me and my boyfriend, Dan, saved up money for years and we decided to use it to buy a one-way ticket to Thailand. From there, our adventure started and we ended up visiting 13 countries in Asia.

2. What do you advise people that want to do this in the future?

I encourage anyone to travel long-term. It will teach you to be more understanding and open-minded. I think that we need to travel while we are young, to open our minds to new cultures and ideas.

Even if your budget is rather small, you can always travel only for two or three months. Actually, traveling in Asia is not expensive at all. You can easily live with only $1500 per month.

3. How do you manage to strike a balance between working and travelling?

This is probably one of the hardest parts for me. During my journey through Asia, I started taking my blog more seriously. In time, it grew a lot and now, practically my passion is my job too.

Wherever I travel, I always take notes about the places I visit and shoot lots of photos for my blog and Instagram page. When I have a bit of free time, I write guides and update old blog posts. It takes a lot of time and dedication but it’s also very rewarding to see travelers from around the world following my advice.

4. What is your favourite destination so far?

I think that every place is unique but if I were to choose only one destination, I’d choose Bali. It was my home for a few months and it’s one of the most diverse places I’ve ever visited. From endless rice fields to beautiful temples and stunning beaches, Bali has it all!

After Bali, a close second is Myanmar. It’s a stunning country, with beautiful temples and an incredible culture.

5. What is your favourite place to visit in Romania?

I always love going back home to Brasov. I think it’s a beautiful city, with a lot of potential in terms of tourism. I plan to write about it on my blog soon and hopefully, more people will discover its beauty.

There are many other places I like in Romania. For example Corvin Castle, Iasi, Transalpina, Transfagarasan and Sighisoara.

6. Any funny stories to share?

When we visited Vietnam, our first stop was on Phu Quoc island. At the guest house where we were staying, there was this older couple and even though we never had a conversation, we always politely said hello to each other.

After we left Phu Quoc, we headed to Can Tho, a town in the heart of Mekong Delta. One morning, we took a boat ride through the delta and guess who we met? The same couple from Phu Quoc. We told ourselves “well, coincidences happen” but this was not the end of it.

After a few days, we arrived in Ho Chi Minh, a huge city with a population of almost 9 million people. As we were walking on one street, guess who we passed by? The same couple. It was crazy to meet the same people, in 3 different locations in Vietnam. This time we talked a bit and laughed at the situation. I guess, the world really is a small place.

7. Which nations did you find to be the friendliest?

The people of Myanmar were by far the friendliest. During our journey, we always had to be careful about scams but in Myanmar, the people were very honest.

I felt extremely safe visiting the country and whenever I had the chance to interact with Burmese people, they made sure that I felt welcomed. Burmese people are the kindest, most genuine people I ever met.

8. Any area where you absolutely loved the food?

I absolutely love Thai food, especially Pad Thai and Mango Sticky Rice. I love it so much that when I got back to Bucharest, I searched for Thai restaurants in the city.

9. How do you deal with jet lag?

I get jet-lagged easily but there’s nothing much I can do about it except to sleep it off. I remember that I had the worst jet lag when I got to Thailand. It took me about a week to get used to the new time zone.

10. Are there things that shocked you in your travels?

I can’t say that there were things that shocked me. In an era when the internet is widely available, it’s hard to be shocked by something. However, I was surprised by Japan. It’s such a developed country, a place where you feel safe and everything works like a Swiss clock.

11. Do you think travelling can change a person? If yes, how?

I’m not sure if city-breaks can change people but long-term travel certainly does. I think that travel makes you more open-minded and more grateful for what you have.

I think that traveling to completely different cultures changes people the most. It’s fascinating to see how different we all are, and that we have different needs and expectations from life. Travel makes us more understanding and modest.

12. What would you like to visit next?

When we got back home, last autumn, the plan was to stay in Romania for a year and then head to the USA and South America for another long-term holiday. However, due to the current situation, we had to cancel our plans. I hope that maybe next year things will be better and we’ll be able to resume our plans.

Meanwhile, the plan is to explore more of Romania. Last weekend we did a 3-day road-trip through Transylvania and we plan to visit Oradea this month.

13. If you had to move permanently to another country which country would you choose( except Romania)?

This is an easy choice – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It’s a beautiful city, with a great infrastructure and delicious cuisine. Kuala Lumpur is one of the most developed cities I ever visited and I feel that I could live there for the rest of my life.

There are lots of beautiful places nearby such as Melaka, Langkawi Island or Penang. Malaysia is a diverse country, a place where I felt welcomed and I’d return anytime.

Don’t forget to check her blog, Daily Travel Pill!