Hello and thank you for stopping by 

 

      My name is Anna, I am the person behind the scenes of Abroad and Beyond.net and an obsessive compulsive traveller. 

 

      I was born and raised primarily in Siberia, that faraway place where you consider sending your misbehaving children and all annoying people. Back in school years, I used to spend long cold winters browsing places on Google Earth and Panoramio, which would always leave me fascinated yet confused with how big the world is (pretty cliché, I know). Upon graduating high school I took an opportunity to pursue further education abroad and moved to Canada because let's be honest - I wouldn't survive a warmer climate. For the past four-and-a-half years, I had been based in the Netherlands, a mere 41,500 km² of land that I am quite frankly obsessed with. While I still need to learn to appreciate chocolate hagelslag (sprinkles) as a bread topping, it's safe to say that I'm the biggest Dutch wanna-be out there. As of 2017, I am working in Ireland and my hair is already getting redder.

 

      This blog was set up in October 2014 as a distraction from my excruciating Master's thesis and an outlet where I could keep family and friends updated during the following graduation trip around the world. Travelling is the only passion of mine that has stood the test of time - astronomy, professional bowling, and PhD in Linguistics were ruled out at one point or the other. I like to talk about travelling almost as much as I like to be on the road, but it is a long way until I master the art of narrating (I'm prone to typos and skipping words, too), so please bear with me. I'm also interested in people alike and their experiences - we may go to same places but we'll never have same stories! In other words, the blog has eventually transformed into a platform for sharing anecdotes along the way, reflecting on my journies afterwards as well as doing a bit of research without going back to school for a doctorate in tourism as I am sure they wouldn't appreciate some of my travelling antics... Although give it a few years. 

 

      My posts are catered to seasoned backpackers and novice globetrotters: be it inspiration, helpful tips or just a fun time-passing read, I hope that this experience will be of some use to you. Don't hesitate to get in touch! You can drop a line on the contact page or send an email at anna@abroadandbeyond.net

 

      Have a nice day wherever you are x