Take a look at our latest travel interview with Danielle Hyman and Adam Aronson from travelhelix. Having traveled basically the entire world, they were kind enough to answer all our questions about their travels around the globe and their experiences in Slovenia. To put the icing on the cake, Danielle and Adam have shared some of their favourite photos from the trip to Slovenia with us, so be sure to check them out below the interview.
Duo Danielle Hyman and Adam Aronson of travelhelix on Bled Island.
Travel Interview: Duo Danielle Hyman and Adam Aronson from travelhelix
1. For our readers who don’t know you, please tell us a bit about yourselves and how you started to travel?
Hey y’all! Danielle (D) is from North Carolina. Adam is from northern California. We both lived in Spain—at the same time actually—but we’re pretty sure we never crossed paths there! In 2014, we finally did meet at work in Santa Barbara. In early 2017, we left our corporate jobs, and have since been pursuing a more balanced and meaningful life, focused on our shared passion for our world and its people. We’re so happy to be here talking to you about travel in Slovenia, a small country that made a huge impact on us!
2. Please tell us about your travel blog travelhelix? When did you begin writing it? What makes it different from other travel blogs?
Quick explanation of the name travelhelix: our friends started calling us “DnA” as a “couples nickname” for “Danielle and Adam.” DNA is pretty cool stuff (remember the double-helix thing from science class?!). It’s something that every human being in the world has in common, and yet it’s also the thing that makes every individual unique. Kind of like stories: everyone has one, but none are exactly the same.
Storytelling is the foundation of travelhelix. Through writing, photography & videography, we try to bring stories to life and inspire a desire to travel. From there, we offer resources that make it easier for our readers to turn that desire into action. Many people just don’t have the time to research or plan the perfect vacation. Others simply don’t know where to begin. Our goal is to remind our readers—and help our readers!—to relax, unwind and escape the grind.
Most recently, we’ve been working on a new artistic direction that combines storytelling with music we’re passionate about. Stay tuned! (OK, pun intended…)
3. Where are you currently in the world?
Quito, Ecuador! We’re coming to the end of a 3-month chapter here, and are sad to be leaving. This country and these people have stolen our hearts. Also, we had quite the introduction! We arrived in Quito on December 26, and knew nothing about the wild New Year’s Eve traditions of Ecuador. By our third day in Quito, we had witnessed a group of business people light a fire in the streets, and cross-dressing teenagers stopping traffic. Turns out, it was all just part of the tradition. If you want to see some of this wildness, check out this video!
4. How and when did you decide to explore Slovenia?
The seed was planted back in 2013. Adam’s Spanish coworker returned from a 3-week Slovenian road trip and said: “It’s beautiful, affordable, the people are so kind, and no one goes there.” Since then, it was just a matter of time! When we finally set off on our 3-month adventure in the summer of 2017, Slovenia was at the top of the list. It ended up being our last stop, and we could not imagine a better way to have wrapped up that incredible adventure.
5. Do you have a favourite destination in Slovenia and why?
We absolutely fell in love with Triglav National Park. Hiking Savica Waterfall…navigating the zig-zag pathways through Vintgar Gorge…but it was Lake Bohinj that made the biggest impact on us. After reading that Bohinj was as beautiful as Lake Bled, less crowded than Lake Bled, and most importantly: “where the locals go,” we knew we had to check it out. Our expectations were totally exceeded. Bohinj gave us sense of peaceful tranquility that we’ve only truly felt at one other lake in the world…but we’ll tell you more about that later in the interview!
6. Any interesting experiences during your travels in Slovenia?
On the day we arrived in Slovenia, we had no idea where we were going or where we’d be sleeping. Advice to all travelers: try this! At least once in your life. It’ll teach you a lot about yourself!
From a hilltop in Postojna, we decided to head to Lake Bohinj. Google Maps gave us 2 options: take the faster route through Ljubljana & Bled using national highways or take the road less traveled through remote villages on narrow, twisting mountain roads. We chose the road less traveled, and this unplanned Alpine excursion turned out to be one of the most beautiful and memorable drives of that summer.
7. What did you find in Slovenia that you didn’t expect?
Our first impression of Slovenia was striking. We crossed the southern border by rental car and were immediately blown away by the flawless Slovenian countryside. Pristine rolling hills. Vibrant fields of grass. Not a single piece of trash on the ground. During the short drive between the Jelšane border crossing and Postojna, it felt like we were driving through a painting. We were like “is this place for real?” We’ll never forget that feeling!
8. Is there anywhere you visited in Slovenia that did not live up to your expectations?
Not at all! Only wish we could have spent more time there…
9. Did you learn any Slovenian words while you were in Slovenia?
Pivo (beer!), Živjeli (cheers!) and slap (waterfall!) are the 3 that come to mind 🙂
10. Have you tried any traditional Slovenian dishes or desserts such as the Carniolan sausage, Zlikrofi or Potica?
On day 1, we actually drove through Idrija—the hometown of Zlikrofi—but didn’t know anything about it! We’ll just have to come back. Fortunately, we both tried Potica, and it was delicious.
Also, while we were wandering through a local Farmers Market in Bled, we met a sweet vendor selling local honey brandy, which was amazing. Three days later, we flew from Ljubljana to our friends’ wedding in Rhode Island with a few bottles. This Slovenian brandy put big smiles on a lot of faces!
11. What is your advice to others who want to visit and explore Slovenia?
There’s much more to Slovenia than Ljubljana and Lake Bled. Rent a car, explore some of the less talked about destinations, and make some impulse decisions!
Here’s an example: less than an hour after crossing the border, we stopped at a local tourist bureau in Postojna to ask where we could find the best view of the city. Using a combination of handwritten notes, local Slovene street signs and a bit of trial and error, we discovered panoramic mountaintop and enjoyed a moment of Zen.
PS – if you do visit Postojna, please visit Planina Cave and send us a picture of an olm (the famous “baby dragons” that can only be found in that area). Adam is devastated that we missed them 🙂
12. How would you describe Slovenia in one word.
Impossible!
13. How would you describe your travel style and what can readers expect when they visit your blog and social media?
You’ll find stories of off-the-beaten-path adventure. Deep dives into human and cultural experiences. Lots of personality. We try not to take ourselves too seriously. We like to get silly. You’ll read a handful of embarrassing stories and see photos of us having a good time. You’re more likely to see us making cheese at a goat dairy than posing in front of the Eiffel Tower!
Once a week, we send out an e-newsletter with travel guides, itineraries, food & hotel reviews, and entertaining anecdotes. We keep it real. We talk about our mistakes. We are human!
14. How do you fund your travelling?
Although it would be a dream for travelhelix to sustain us fully, we’re also realistic and understand the odds are stacked against us. So at the moment, our income is split between several buckets: 1) a slight trickle from the blog itself. 2) freelance writing. 3) marketing and medical device consulting (our previous industries). 4) D teaches social media and marketing courses to small business owners. 5) planning trips for people!
Although the days of the bi-weekly paycheck are long gone, our personal health, wellness & happiness are at all-time highs. So, that’s an interesting commentary on the concept of value, and what’s important.
15. Can you imagine life without travel?
No! We can’t imagine many scenarios that would be worse for our minds, bodies, spirits and souls…than a life without travel.
16. What is your favourite place in the world to travel to and why?
Spain and Ecuador will always hold special places in our hearts because we’ve lived there and met people that took us in like family. Australia, because we can credit the Aussie people and their approach to life with inspiring us to pursue our dream.
But truly, our favorite place is wherever we are at the present moment. We feel fortunate to have been able to travel as much as we have, and are grateful to be pursuing this path. This life of travel has restored our personal health & wellness, heightened our perspectives in countless ways, shifted our value system, and allowed us to shed our ego more readily. Wherever we are in the world, we’re humbled, and appreciative, to not be sitting at a desk in an office anymore.
17. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Is this a trick question?! For the time being, our goal is to continue doing whatever we can to turn this dream into a reality, so we can live EVERYWHERE in the world! At least, for a few more years. But when it comes to settling down, we talk a lot about Lake Tahoe. Finding a little mountain cabin with lake views. A sanctuary that we can come back to and live part time when we’re not traveling. A quiet space where we can maximize productivity and creativity.
Fun fact: when we soaked in our first Slovenian sunset from the shores of Lake Bohinj, we both agreed that it was the most Tahoe-esque place we’d ever visited. The stillness of the water…the forest surrounding the lake…we felt completely at peace there.
On that note, we’d love to discuss an extended stay at one of the Chalet Apartments in Ukanc.
Just kidding! (kind of…)
18. Have you visited a place that turned out to be completely different to how you imagined? If so, how?
On the recommendation of a friend, we made an impulse decision to visit the Portuguese island-paradise of Madeira. What we discovered on this volcanic, Atlantic island blew us away: vibrant, diverse landscapes, incredible food and local beverages, and a couple very unique modes of transportation. The locals speak Portuguese, but we felt like we were a world away from Lisbon or Porto.
19. Do you have a Bucket List? If so where are the 5 top places on it?
We’ve been in Ecuador nearly 3 months, but weren’t able to make it out to the Galápagos Islands. So that’s probably #1 on the list.
We both have siblings who have lived in Kenya, yet we’ve never been. We’d love to plan a trip with both of our families to visit Kenya, Tanzania and see The Great Migration.
Some of our closest friends are from Ethiopia, and we’ve been talking about a trip with them for years. As soon as their kids are a couple years older, that’ll happen.
Next: Japan – we’re fascinated with all aspects, from Omakase to Ninjutsu.
Finally: Sri Lanka – we talk about this as our Honeymoon destination!
Bonus answer: Vanuatu – we saw this thing on the Discovery Channel a few years back where some locals have underwater mailboxes which the mailman actually dives down and delivers to. Adam has been weirdly obsessed ever since, so we would like to check that one off the list so he can move on.
20. Please share a unique or funny travel experience.
The Australia trip that inspired our new life of travel, also put us to the test a few times! Maybe the travel spirits wanted to make sure we were up for the challenge?! Here’s what went down:
After a long night out in Sydney, we came home to our Airbnb…and opened the door to find a Saudi-Swedish couple (probably in their ‘60s) sitting on our couch. After flying in from Stockholm, they took the concept of “early check-in” to a whole new level by showing up to the apartment a day early! They were very kind, and we taught them about Uber (called them a car!) and HotelTonight (reserved them a room!). Three days later, we ran into them on Manley Beach, over an hour and a boat ride away from the Surry Hills apartment. Their kids (both college students who were studying abroad in Sydney) thanked us for taking care of their parents and teaching them what Uber is.
A few days later in Byron Bay, we got kicked out of a bar for being…too OLD. That was a humbling experience! Then, a few hours after that, we electively kicked ourselves out of our Airbnb when a huntsman spider crawled out of D’s bag. Turns out, the huntsman is completely harmless to humans (despite being enormous and scary-looking). Our Aussie friends had a good laugh about that one, and ridicule us to this day.
21. Have you had any bad experiences whilst travelling?
Aside from the standard, occasional stomach issues that come with the territory, we’ve been pretty fortunate during our time traveling together.
Pre-DnA, Adam had a pretty bad experience. During a post-college backpacking trip, my friend and I had our backpacks stolen in Madrid. This was 2006. No smart phone, no Instagram. I had not uploaded a single picture from my pocket-sized camera during the entire trip. This was day 89 out of 92. I was devastated. We tried to get over it and make the most of our final few days, but it was tough. For years, Madrid left a bad taste in my mouth.
Fast forward 5 years, and I got my first international job opportunity. “How do you feel about Madrid?” my boss asked me. I ended up living there for 2 years, and still look upon it as my second home. I learned a hard lesson about street smarts and awareness while traveling. But I think there are also some more intangible lessons to be learned about anger…forgiveness…second chances.
In hindsight, the experience was bad at the time, but I grew from it, and now the impact it’s made on my life—and our travels as a couple—has been positive.
22. You capture some stunning photos of the destinations you visit. What favourite photos would you like to share with us from your trip in Slovenia?
So glad you asked! Check out a few of our Slovenian faves:
Light rays through the Vintgar Gorge.
Vintgar Gorge – emerald green waters of the Radovna River.
The always-amazingly beautiful Lake Bled.
A magical sunset on Lake Bohinj.
Lake Bohinj Statue of Goldhorn.
Savica Waterfall near Lake Bohinj.
The village of Ukanc in Bohinj.
The Parish Church of St. Joseph in Idrija.
Cerkno Landscape on the road less traveled.
Spectacular views from Koča Mladika na Pečna Rebri in Postojna.
All photos © Danielle Hyman & Adam Aronson.
Thank you, Danielle and Adam, for taking the time to answer our questions and for sharing your favourite photos from your trip to Slovenia! Safe Travels!
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Published on August 16th, 2018 |
Published on August 11th, 2018 |
Published on July 30th, 2018 |
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Published on July 5th, 2018 |
Connect with Danielle Hyman & Adam Aronson:
Website: travelhelix.com
Facebook: facebook.com/travelhelix
Instagram: instagram.com/travelhelix
Pinterest: pinterest.com/travelhelix
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