Urša's Miniature Europe and Green Style of Living in the Netherlands

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Urša.
So, I'm Urša. Volunteering at Hostelling International Slovenia is something I started doing in the last couple of months. I like to travel to larger cities and experience their vibe because I live in a quite peaceful environment. I travel to see other cultures, visit museums, concerts… All that is a part of my trips. I'm also a nature lover.

When did you start travelling and what memories do you have of it? How do you see yourself as a traveller today?
I started travelling with my parents when I was little; we went to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Greece. But I started travelling on my own at the age of 19 and went to Spain where I stayed at hostels and met people. Their stories gave me inspiration for the future. I try to travel as much as possible, to organise a trip in my free time and just go. Even if it's not that far, I always have a great experience.

Are you more of a coffee or tea person? Which country has the best coffee or tea in your opinion?
I like both. Otherwise I drank the best coffee in Italy. Real espresso. Nothing can really compare. The Italians are true masters when it comes to preparing coffee. I order it frequently when I’m in Italy because it's not the same, if I make it myself at home. The authentic one is the Italian one.

Where did you meet the most friendly and hospitable people and do you have any experiences you can share with us?
I can say that people were eager to help me almost everywhere if I got lost and they directed me on the right path. I went on a trip with a friend once. Our van let us down along the way, so we were asking people at the gas station if they were headed the same way. We came across a Slovenian family that were on their way to the airport, just like us, and thanks to their kindness we caught the plane at the last moment. It all ended well.

The Scots are quite open to foreigners because they are extremely friendly, and the Spanish simply approach you and start talking to you.

You're one of the volunteers at Hostelling International Slovenia. How do you contribute with your work and what has it given you?
I've been managing the Pinterest profile for several months now. I used to use the social network, Pinterest, earlier already because I get a lot of ideas there for further travel and promotion, and I also make graphics there. I also met other volunteers at HIS with common interests and goals, and I am really happy to be able to co-create this story.

I find managing the Pinterest profile as the most challenging. I have to use appropriate style, post every day and be active enough. In addition, I'm balancing all this with my free time. I would like to take this opportunity to invite others to join us, as there’s miscellaneous work available and everyone can contribute. Maybe we can even co-manage different social networks and distribute our tasks. We can add better content and better quality posts.

I also went on the HI Connect exchange and visited the Netherlands to help in a hostel. At the reception. I think that this experience helped me get a job at the reception in a hotel in Slovenia.

When traveling, do you also collect or buy something as a memento from each country you visit?
I’ve always liked buying small souvenirs in the form of known or typical buildings ever since I was child. I have a little town (especially from Europe) based on this. My last one is from the HI Connect experience, from Utrecht to be exact. It’s a belfry . My first one was a castle from San Marino. I am proud of all of them because they are all valuable memories to me.

You really love architecture of the places you visit. What do you think about the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the catastrophe that happened not so long ago?
The cathedral is really magnificent and very old. I hope it will be restored with today's technology as the basic structure remains intact. The tower collapsed and burnt down. Take Warsaw, for example. It was practically burnt down during World War II. They rebuilt it with the help of archival documents and historical records, so the city looks old although it was newly built, though, not in the original style.

You mentioned that you went to the Netherlands as a volunteer under the HI Connect programme and Hostelling International Slovenia where you stayed at a HI hostel in The Hague. How was it?
Well, I had actually wanted to volunteer abroad before I became a volunteer at HIS. I was interested in working in hostels, so I contacted Anja, the vice-president of HIS. I wanted to go as soon as possible. My desire was to go to a city and the HI hostel in The Hague was the first to welcome me. Working at the reception is useful and you can also do it while on the go. Besides, who wouldn’t want to earn some extra money? I spent ten days at the hostel. My co-workers were very friendly, they answered all my questions and accepted me warmly. On top of that, I got new work experience. After I had finished working there I toured the city. So, I would be more than happy to do something similar again. Perhaps I could go to America or South Korea as a volunteer.

At the hostel, I had a place to sleep and food to eat. I also got some tickets for the museums. The Stayokay Den Haag hostel focuses on sustainable tourism. I was always working with a co-worker at the reception and carried out various activities and projects in the meantime. There were lots of signs on the walls, kindly reminding guests to save water when showering. They also sold reusable bottles. There were booklets available, containing information on how to enrich the water with some fruit, herbs etc. Every month, they organised dinner for the elderly or a social event for those who were lonely, without families.

I visited the main office in Amsterdam where I met several volunteers, and we attended a lecture on sustainable tourism. The Dutch actually use wind energy for everything. The food doesn’t differ much from ours. Their desserts are particularly interesting.

As for the legality of cannabis – this is something you can see the most in Amsterdam. You can smell it from all coffeshops. It’s no big deal for the locals; for them it’s just something ordinary. It’s way more interesting for foreigners.

There are bicycle rentals with used bikes that are refurbished. When talking about the distance from point A to point B, the locals use time. And by time they mean how many minutes it takes to reach the destination by bicycle, not by car, by public transport or on foot.

Otherwise, the Netherlands is very flat and people are fairly tall . As I’m a short girl, I can’t imagine going to my favourite concerts with tall people blocking my view, as that would obviously ruin the experience for me.

My co-workers taught me a few Dutch words, but the Dutch don’t like it if, for example, you say that their language is similar to German, since they’re not very fond of the Germans. All my co-workers were true Dutch from The Hague who also gave me first-hand tips on what to see in the city.

In conclusion, what did you learn on your travels in general and about yourself ? Would you mind sharing your future travel plans?
In particular, they taught me how to be more independent, how to organise my own travels, and helped me become more inventive. I also learnt how to be more open to other cultures. I found that they’re not as different as they seem at first glance. Even if I go on a long trip, I see that I don’t need a lot of things like I’m used to at home. The basic items in my luggage are enough.

Until now I've mostly seen Europe. My next stop is New Zealand with a working holiday visa. Before that I’ll maybe go on a short trip. Scotland impressed me the most, as I recall. Mainly because of its architecture, culture, many interesting events and friendly people.

I would like to once again invite all those who are interested in traveling to join us as volunteers. It's gonna be amazing.