Ana Teresa André, 25 years old. Free-spirit and adept of “out of routine”.

I’ve tried to fit into society, I’ve followed the crowd while i convincing myself that I should stay on the line. The line that traces the path of all who conform to the “must be”, “life is hard”, “you take a good course, you get work and everything goes well(or not)” But one day I decided to question whether are my interests, the genuine ones, if they would actually be in line with the “what should be.” I thought every day that life would have to be much more than that, that there were thousands of places to discover and millions of people to meet. I thought I had to do more for myself and others. One day I woke up and got out of the routine. On that day I also got off the line and started to inspire myself in the unknown and in what I can still achieve.

I was born introverted and asking for a glass of water in a cafe was an intimidating task. I blush as easily as Cristiano Ronaldo scores goals and nothing predicted that one day I would feel like for traveling alone. I am the proof that personality should not be an obstacle to go further. I do not have a life full of travels and until 2015 I had only gone to Spain and Belgium. But I have a father who in the nineties made a car trip through Europe and always encouraged me to see the world.

I leave home to travel (alone) as easily as I go out to the supermarket. I like changes and challenges. I prefer the day at night, I do not like make-up, I like calm and people who do not take themselves too seriously. I save all my money for travel. I like spring, yellow and the sun. And the lack of education and the people who throw garbage to the ground annoys me.

Since September 2015 I have visited 23 countries. In the summer of 2015 I did an interrail for Europe, 8 countries in 17 days. In 2016, for two months, I volunteered for a project of the European Voluntary Service in Croatia. Two months of volunteering, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Italy.

The next adventure changed continent and flew to Asia. I taught English in Vietnam and literally did construction work in a volunteer project in Nepal. I increased the adrenaline and I went there alone, because when you go around the world, you get out of fear!

I went to in the third round, the choice was Northern Europe, Lapland was my home for 6 months. And no, I’m not rich. My modus operandi in travel is the low-cost and volunteer and work-exchange experiences.

I try to enjoy life in life in order to make the present an unforgettable memory!

ps: nowtrip has grown and is no longer just my travel diary. Now you can find here all the information about my adventures and how I make all this possible. In addition to having a tab with some suggestions from volunteer organizations, I created another completely dedicated to the theme of being a woman and travel alone: Solo Travel is for Girls.