Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Krasi Shapkarova
From a small village in Bulgaria to a citizen of the world.
Hi Globetrotters! My name is Krasi Shapkarova and it’s so good to be here.
I love to travel because… I honestly don’t remember a single moment in my life when I didn’t want to travel. Having grown up in a very small village in Bulgaria, during a time when traveling to many places was restricted or just simply banned, I couldn’t help but dream about exploring the world and visiting the exciting places I read about in many of my books.
I love to travel because counterintuitively, it keeps me grounded. It helps me stay connected to this one planet we all call home and helps me remember the universal themes that connect all humans. When I travel, I expect everything to be different and am so thrilled when I find commonalities. That said, I acknowledge that it’s the differences — in culture, in language, in way of thinking, in food, in weather— that make travel worthwhile and life-expanding.
My number one travel activity is… exploring by walking.
I’ve come to realize that this is the best way to learn about an area, whether a familiar or a new one. As I’ve leaned more into walking for the past two years, I’ve been shocked to discover how little I know about places I used to call home years ago. Thanks to walking, I have a completely different way of experiencing a place that truly connects me to it.
Exploring an area by walking teaches me a lot about that area. Are the streets busy? When are they busy? Who’s on the streets? Are people even walking on the streets? Are the streets even walkable? The answers to these questions tell me more about a place than any other resource.
I come from… a small village at the foothills of Sredna Gora Mountain in Bulgaria, but I’ve lived in the United States for over 20 years now. In 2020, because of the pandemic, I got to work remotely from Bulgaria, spending 6 months there instead of the usual 3 weeks. I now split my time between the two, sprinkling visits to other destinations.
Because I speak English with an accent, I inevitably get the question, “Where are you from?” when I meet new people, and it’s honestly a question I dread because I have no idea how to respond to it anymore. It’s impossible without going into a never-ending story of multiple moves!
By the way, if any nomads have discovered the trick to answering this question, please don’t keep it to yourself! :)
I work as … a career coach, a writing tutor, an occasional teacher and debate camp facilitator, and a writer. Until recently — the end of 2021 to be exact — I had a full-time job as a career coach at a higher ed institution in the United States, but having immersed myself fully in working remotely and being geographically independent during the pandemic, I couldn’t go back to an office and decided to make 2022 my professional gap year of sorts, allowing myself to intentionally pursue what wants to happen.
The best place I’ve been is… Zion National Park in Utah. I’ve only been once, on my first-ever road trip across the US, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I’ve been to many of the other national parks in the country, and I appreciate each one, but there is something about the rocks at Zion. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, I absolutely love rocks. Rock-gazing is my favorite activity and no better place to do that than Zion.
In my spare time, I like to… read, listen to podcasts, draw, walk, talk to family and friends, watch shows and movies, learn (I’m a huge fan of Masterclass!), spend time in nature, hunt for the best bubble tea or pastries in town. I don’t really get the idea of spare time!
My top travel tip is… to ditch the list of popular destinations to check off. Live in the place you visit. Even if you are only there for a few days. Pretend you live there and it’s the only place you will ever know. Visit the public library (one of my favorite things to do when I visit a new place), go to a local market, and eat where the locals eat. In fact, notice where the locals are and what they do and try the same.
If I could live somewhere else, I’d live in… anywhere and nowhere! Seriously. I can’t think of one place I want to spend my entire life. My small village in Bulgaria will always be my base, but I am not meant to stay in one place.
My favorite way to travel is… going on a road trip! Which is probably why I’ve enjoyed living in the US so much. When I left Bulgaria, road trips around my part of Europe were not an easy thing to do. Not impossible, but not possible for most people. In the US, road trips are a must and I am so shocked to meet Americans who’ve never been on a road trip. I realize that how I felt about my neck of the woods when I left is how many in this country feel about it. If you could, though, do the road trip.
Three lessons I’ve learned from traveling are…
- No place is perfect so don’t expect it to be. This is why travel doesn’t necessarily get easier the more you do it; what happens is, you get better at navigating uncertainty and ambiguity. I now know plans will fall through and things will not work out as I planned them, but I also know that no matter what, I’ll figure it out and enjoy the experience (with a bit of grumpiness in the moment for good measure :).
- You don’t have to go far to experience the benefits of travel. What’s important is to discover what’s a stretch for you. If you’ve never left your small town, maybe going to a local park or to a different city for a weekend is where you start. Find out what’s possible and plan the trip. It will be a lovely experience, even if you don’t venture too far.
- You don’t need 95% of the stuff you own. Truly, you don’t. Traveling long-term helps you realize that most of the things in your life are not essential. I was already a minimalist to begin with, but as I lean more into the life of a nomad, it’s become so freeing to not have much.
Thank you JoAnn Ryan for welcoming me in The Globetrotters community! So thrilled to be here — I feel like I’ve found my people :)
