Daria has always loved travel, however, it wasn’t until she moved to the West Coast of the United States and started exploring national parks and scenic places in the region that got her so interested in travel writing.
“I set up the Discovery Nut to encourage my fellow travellers to get out of their comfort zone and explore more scenic vistas. I hope my blog shows that taking a path less travelled is really worth it!’.
Daria has been based in Switzerland and spent most of her time working on the blog and building relationships with fellow travel bloggers.
“And I can't skip the fact that I also used the opportunity to explore this gorgeous country”.
During the lockdown, she was able to concentrate on her website and learn more about blogging. Since her blog is in the early stages, she is yet to see significant effects.
“I think domestic travel is going to be more popular (at least for now), as many countries have placed restrictions on who they are going to allow to enter. I also hope that people stop taking travel for granted, reassess their impact on the environment, and take steps to minimize it”.
When it comes to the digital nomad industry Daria thinks it might change initially, as many digital nomads are currently in their home countries, but as things go back to normal, and more countries open, she assumes more digital nomads will want to return to their lifestyle.
There have been positive changes for eco-tourism in her eyes, “but there’s still a lot of room for improvement”.
Daria can see that certain places are doing more than others, and believes that there should be more of a collective effort for a real change to happen.
“For example, I think that more countries should follow the example of Costa Rica, a country with some of the worst deforestation rates a quarter of a century ago that now has almost 30 per cent of its land is protected as national parks, refuges and reserves”.
Daria is vegan and always makes sure to support local businesses, wherever she travels. She sees animal tourism as a big issue and stays away from any form of entertainment that involves wildlife (unless it’s a sanctuary or rehabilitation centre).
“I realize that there are a lot of grey areas, and I always try to do my research before I go places”.
Daria has been based in Switzerland as of recently, and also Bali last year. She has hired people from other countries for graphic design projects when she needed help with her website.
Bali has become one of the most popular places for digital nomads, and this popularity definitely contributed to the rise in prices.
“This can be seen if you are staying in places like Ubud or Uluwatu that now have many high-end accommodations, stores and restaurants catering to tourists. Still, the island is pretty affordable, especially if you are coming from a Western country”.
Daria would say that being a digital nomad is one of the greatest experiences in life because it teaches you so many things. However, it also involves a lot of effort and responsibilities, depending on what type of remote work you do.
“It also involves learning cultures, adapting to a new environment and meeting people from all over the world. Being a digital nomad is a transformational experience, but it’s not without challenges”.
As far as her top destination, “I absolutely loved New Zealand, and I would recommend it to anybody as soon as travel restrictions are lifted!”.
First lessons are free of charge.
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