Hi! I’m Ana. Something made you land on this page, and I couldn’t be happier about that. So, let’s begin…
In 2018, I was on a bus at night in a foggy foreign city I had never been to before called Bucharest. I was slightly scared by the mutism and stern looks of everyone on the bus—it comforted me to be with the guy I was dating and falling in love with (now the father of my son). I was scared, intrigued and nervous, I was experiencing that indescribable feeling of leaving the comfort zone for good. I took out my journal and wrote:
The world doesn’t need more marketers, publicists or advertisers, instead, it needs more agents of change.
I knew then that this was not going be a regular travel blog. I wanted to talk about the important things that I was seeing in my travels, the good and the bad, as well as all the inner thoughts—how my brain rewires and my mind expands with every trip. It took me years, then some pandemic years and then some postpartum years to figure this out because there was no path towards the travel project that I had in mind. It was either the very commercial, fast-paced and self-centered kind of blogs (the worst kind for the environment and totally missing the point), or very serious travel photographers with serious gear that felt very intimidating (not to mention the lack of representation in this field...) Eventually, I discovered people creating travel content with a focus on local living and nature such as Fare magazine, F magazine, Haarkon Adventures or Lodestars Anthology. This felt closer to what I had been trying to articulate all those years, and that’s how Travellera was born.
I wanted a place to share all the inner thoughts and observations that would only come to life during my travels.
Why Travellera?
There’s something about the name that makes me want to lift my shoulder towards my chin and I needed the alter-ego to escape the woes of personal brands.
When I think of Travellera I picture the summer golden light. I think of linen dresses, red lipstick against white teeth and a Canotier hat. I think of the smell in your fingers after eating a ripe clementine and the taste of rosé by a terracotta cathedral. Travellera comes to life with the rattling sound of a suitcase against cobblestones, the morning mist against the cheeks and a fuchsia sky that embodies a romantic sense of adventure ahead.
Why Subscribe?
My goal with Travellera is to turn it into a book and a source of inspiration for your travels. When the time comes, the occasional paywalled newsletter will help me fund this little dream project. As of today, this newsletter and my photography website are my passion projects, I work when I can on these creative ventures alongside a full-time job and raising a toddler.
I’ve tried many ways for this journal to come to life—whether it was my Instagram (too focused on pretty and currently going through an existential crisis), my YouTube Channel (too many moving parts to think of) or my website (the designs and layouts always end up distract me from writing). Substack gives me the chance to create and share content without all of these distractions and gives me blogging vibes circa 2010s.
Let’s see where this year takes us—one story, one post, and one connection at a time.
Thank you for being part of this journey❤️
Ana
Followed for your precise and enlivening details—and of course to travel to these beautiful places I’ll likely only reach through your words x
Hello Ana / Travellera,
(Please indicate how to pronounce your AE — where does the accent fall? I want to be able to say it properly.)
I’m all aboard with the artistic impulse to become an agent of change, which is why I selected an endangered butterfly as a metaphorical name for my alter ego (AE).
I share your interests in words and travel, but I’ve been bound by circumstances to stay local… for now. An educator, disgruntled by the way our schools indoctrinate the status quo— and simply focus on training our kids to work, rather than think— I have just helped my youngest complete his high school education based at home.
That happened yesterday! It was a surprise. The overseeing English literature teacher handed him his credits in one meeting… we anticipated another course, but he’s been released. I’m still in shock.
I am suddenly cut loose of creating assignments and supporting his work to meet requirements and now I can put my full attention to writing for change in music and words.
I am restacking this article of yours. I hope you might take a glance at what I’m starting in here: The Subtle Sub. I am going through the transformation period as I tap this comment and extend a hand of solidarity in artistry for survival. Through Substack articles, comments and notes I am actively pulling myself out of the chrysalis chamber of my own secrets.
I’ve been a secret agent of change all of my life. It was easy to hide my radical nature because I look so very ordinary and can pass as way-too-white… because… uh… I am. Whiter than the Mayflower’s sail. But, despite my boring ancestry story, my mind is all its own. I am dedicated to seeking wisdom and highlighting truths.
I’m appreciating the way Substack is a space where free thinkers assemble to turn up the volume on human engagement and our Natural Intelligence.
Let’s do this together: Change the World of Thought … one word, one article, one song at a time.