Once a wise guy named Will Rogers said 
"A stranger is just a friend I haven't met yet." 

This could not be any more accurate. It describes the experiences I made with fellow travelers in Thailand perfectly. I met likeminded people in the most random situations: sharing a taxi, while waiting for my Aspirin C to dissolve, on the metro, at the foot of a waterfall, on a hike though the jungle, in dorm rooms or even at the check-in desk.

All the beautiful landscapes, cities and natural wonders would not have been the same without those kick-ass travelers I met along the way and the random encounters with folks from all over the world:

Two German girls, just as unoriented as me, one of them actually recently moved to Vienna. Two friends from the Netherlands and Scotland, having to be taught the best card game in the world. One guy from the United States, who was an expert in making wine and even more so in making it very hard to say goodbye. Two twin brothers from England, one currently traveling the world. One lad from Singapore, who I am super jealous of, because he can just hop on a plane and go to Thailand every other weekend. One Israeli, who had some difficulties bringing his message across. One French girl, who was just as excited as me about hitchhiking in the open trunk of a truck and, who introduced me to the sheer endless deliciousness of the Night Market. One girl from Thailand, who surprised us with her perfect German and, who is coming to study in Vienna this fall. Three Canadians, who got us hooked up with the idea of getting a tailored blouse - or a whole business outfit, for that matter. One Dane, whose parents sounded like the coolest people ever. The whole staff of a random hostel in Bangkok, making it our favorite. One Spanish fellow, who looked like a Frenchman and liked us so much he followed us across Thailand - all creepiness aside. One English lad, who jumped off a fifteen meter cliff and managed to land face and butt first. Four Viennese climbers, who seem to love a game that I hate - yeah, I don't like to loose. One guy, born in Russia, raised in Germany, but having a British accent,  whose curiosity lead us to paradise. One girl from Luxemburg, who had the most beautiful tattoos I have ever seen and immediately offered to draw one for me into five minutes of knowing each other. One hipster Thai, who stayed sane while driving us around busy Bangkok and watching us go crazy for sticky rice and, who also convinced a shop owner to open up on a Sunday so I could get my little wooden elephant. Three creative Canadians, who went to the weirdest but coolest school ever in Toronto, where 17-year-olds can easily take a three-week break to visit Thailand. One guy from Israel, who took the most stunning pictures with his Go Pro and, who was totally rocking a spectacular beard. One Italian, who was not afraid to skinny dip with strangers and, who was typical Italian: hilarious as hell. Two friends from England and the U.S., sharing a house in the middle of the jungle and jamming their nights away. One Australian guy, who truly loves his wife and enjoys to tell weird stories about their marriage. One beautiful soul from Florida, who protects her loved ones at any cost, even if that means she has to flip a tea tray. One artist from Hungary, who was duct-taping his analog camera and paying for his stay with his drawings. One Hawaiian freethinker, who is taking photography and kindness to the next level.

To all of you I would like to say "Thank you" for sharing unforgettable days & nights together and making my trip so special! And all the others, please keep in mind: Traveling is not only about the places you have been to or the sights you have seen - it is mostly about the amazing people that cross your path and truly enrich your journey.

xx Lena

 Photo taken in: Chiang Mai, Thailand


Have you guys heard about the Full Moon Party in Thailand? You probably have. There is this beautiful beach on Koh Phangan - Haad Rin Beach - that is transformed into one massive party zone once a month: Loud techno music, enormous amounts of (probably not the most trustworthy) alcohol, fire and thousands of people dancing, screaming, shoving you around and - best of all - urinating and vomiting into the ocean. How wonderful!
Most people A and I met along our trip through Thailand asked us if we'll see each other again at the Full Moon Party - as if that was even possible in a crazy crowd like that. No, of course not. I had no intention whatsoever of going there. It seemed like every backpacker traveling in Thailand planned his or her whole trip around the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. Except us. We ended up there, anyway. 

Our original plan was to relax on the beaches of Koh Jum for a few days - which we did - and then quickly hop onto a ferry, a bus and a ferry to find ourselves on a beautiful little island called Koh Tao ten hours later. Perfect plan, in theory. There have just been small problems with the practical implementation of this plan. First mistake: We did not buy tickets when we had the chance to on the mainland, because we thought there will come a better time. We had not considered the fact that Koh Jum is - unlike most islands in Thailand - close to a deserted island and does not come with a bunch of travel agencies. So we booked our tickets through our hotel, which seemed like the safest way. Spoiler alert: That was mistake number two. 

So, after four days of doing nothing at all on this paradisiac island, we entered the ferry back to the mainland in the morning, totally unaware of where we would end up by the end of the day. The woman who was supposed to give us our tickets for further transport to Koh Tao casually walked up to A and me and told us that Koh Tao won't happen for us today. No seats available. She did not seem to care about the fact that we booked these tickets three days before nor that we had a room reserved for the night - Welcome to Thailand!
Clearly, I was not happy about that. We had a wild discussion with the ticket lady and I might have said some things I am not particularly proud of. In the end, there was only one thing we could do that brought us closer to the island we wanted to go to in the first place: spend a night on Koh Phangan, which is the island right next to Koh Tao. The more I think about it, the more it baffles me that there were no seats available to Koh Tao, but apparently more than enough to Koh Phangan, where it just "happened" to be the Full Moon Party that same night. Strange...

As you see, we were kind of forced into it, but we tried to make the best out of it - true traveler spirit and all. On the way over to Koh Phangan we met two lovely ladies from New York City, with whom we connected from the very start and who turned into really good friends after this faithful night we had together.


Looking back at the turning of events that day, I would not change a thing. Frankly, I am glad that we got scammed into going to Koh Phangan. Otherwise, we would have never met P and C and had one of the best nights of our lives. Also, we would not have met the Australian Professor who taught us how to be happy and appreciate what we have. And we would not have spent a magical morning on the heavenly white beach with people whom we just met but felt like old friends, swimming in the crystal clear water, sipping coconuts, exchanging compliments and hugs and as for A: Getting sunburnt to a rather unhealthy extent. So, thank you, ticket lady, for making all of this possibe!


The moral of this story, my dear friends, is: Everything happens for a reason. Seriously, it does. Just be spontaneous and happy and live a little. You will not regret it!

xx Lena

PS: If you ever find yourself at the Full Moon Party, leave immediately and take a boat to Garden Eden instead. Why? First of all: The Full Moon Party itself sucks so bad (just as I had imagined) and: Garden Eden will change your life, trust me!

Photos taken in: Koh Phangan, Thailand


I usually have Tuesday’s off. And every Monday I tell myself that I will write loads of amazing blog posts and columns on Tuesday. But you know, Tuesday comes and Tuesday goes. And I am busy with other things - mostly procrastinating. My productiveness goes south when I decide to pop over to our Student Council office “just to talk over a couple of things and see my friends” real quick. Right. Spending money on coffee on my way there is another thing I should not do on Tuesdays. Four hours later I walk out of the office, not knowing where the hell my day went. My to-do list is still as long as it was before but my life is a day shorter.

So this week I decided to trick myself into not going there by taking my laptop out on a date to one of Tallinn’s nicest coffee shops – August – where I would be surrounded by people but not talking to any of them. Because you shouldn’t talk to strangers. In theory. Naturally, that didn’t work out so well. Pretty soon I was having an intense conversation about American politics with the Canadian woman at the table next to me.

Three pretty unproductive but entertaining hours later I left August, hyped up on way too much coffee and a great conversation.  Because of the amazing weather I decided to walk through the Old Town like I hadn’t done in ages. Another hour later I had seen the inside of most of Tallinn’s designer stores and galleries, had spent way too much money and have had plenty of good conversations with Estonia’s creatives. My day got better and better and I had to force myself not to skip through town, but rather act like a normal human being. I think you get the point, talking to all these inspiring people made me really happy. I didn’t think the day could get any better. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong. Never in a million years would I have guessed what happened next. 

Climbing up the stairs to Toompea - Tallinn’s Dome Hill – I found myself facing  a group of four –tourists – as I thought – with American accents. Obviously, I was intrigued. After offering to take a group shot of them they told me that they were actually on a photoshoot. For Lonely Planet. The sane part of me managed to say “Oh cool, have fun then!” and leave it at that. But as I walked away, more and more crazy voices took over in my head. “They are from Lonely Planet. No big deal. Just the publisher of the best travel guides ever. What the hell am I doing walking away right now? They seemed like the coolest bunch. I want to be their friend. But what am I supposed to say? Hey, I don’t have anything to do, can we be friends? Also, could you please hire me? Right. No, that's too crazy, I can't do that.”

Of course I went back. After listening to the voices in my head for a bit I decided that I should just go for it. Because as the saying says "We only regret the chances we didn't take" - And I am so glad I don't have to regret not taking that one. Because the four of them were lovely. Turns out the two photographers of the group had just met the other two guys at lunch. And then the coolest thing happened. Just like that, they asked me if I had time to come with them and take some more pictures because they needed another person in the pictures anyways. Me. Casually, in pictures of Lonely Planet. Just what we normally do on a Tuesday afternoon in Estonia. I am not kidding. This was real life. Not imagining that in any way. (Yes, I am still pretty excited.)

After taking pictures for some time we all went out for dinner and just talked. These guys were truly incredible. An American photographer living in Norway, a Norvegian photographer traveling all over, a Norvegian living in Estonia, an Estonian Event Manager who changed careers is now producing and selling honey. And me. It was the most random group of people but that's exactly what made it so interesting. I listened to travel stories from the weirdest places, learned about bees and was just in awe of everything these people had done in their life. 

It still makes me so happy that five people who are - for the most part - so different from each other and didn't know each other a couple of hours earlier could just sit together like a group of old friends and chat about anything. I loved it. It reminded me why I love traveling so much. And why I like talking to strangers. And why I will never stop doing it. Yes, it is scary sometimes. And yes, there are times when I am too "scared" to talk to somebody. But to be honest, that is stupid. Because we are all human. We all have our baggage to carry. Nobody needs to be scared. And meeting new people is just so good. It gives you so much more perspective on this world. And it is so much fun. Everybody has a story to tell, we just need to listen. (And as a bonus you get to be part of a photoshoot - sometimes.)

So what is your take on talking to strangers? Yes? No? Maybe? Let us know!

xx Kathi

Photo taken in: Tallinn, Estonia



Kohvik Must Puudel (Coffeeshop Black Poodle - CUTE!!)
Address: Müürivahe 20, 10140 Tallinn
Coffee: €1,80
Best meal on the menu: Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad with Berries
                                      or: Coconut Soup with Mushrooms & Salmon

Find them on Facebook (here) & Instagram (here)


So let’s talk about Must Puudel. A Tallinn favorite. I don’t think there is a single person in this town that doesn’t like it. It’s got everything. Great food, the best retro playlists, cool, retro furniture and the coziest retro atmosphere. Basically retro everything. AND its name means Black Poodle in English - can it get any better? It’s a restaurant/coffeeshop during the day and turns into a hip bar at night. The "Black Poodle" is the kind of place you keep going back to – for literally everything. It’s my safe haven. Need to study but can’t concentrate? Must Puudel. Have to write blog posts but feel too lonely writing at home? Must Puudel. No food in the fridge? Must Puudel. Need  a place to work on a project with your team? Must Puudel (& a glass of wine). Plan a date with a random guy you met at a bar one night? Must Puudel (& even more wine). Every single time. Must Puudel.


I was lucky enough to find this place in my first week in Tallinn, when I was standing in line to get into a horrific club that, for some reason, is very popular with exchange students. I was with my flatmates back then. And a German guy that I had met at the airport in Vienna a couple of days earlier and whose arrogant look made me fall for him only one day into knowing him. The two of us couldn’t be bothered to be pushed around by all the drunk people anymore and decided to pop into that interesting bar right next to the club. That night at Must Puudel I decided I liked him not only for his arrogant facial expression, but also for his personality. Worst idea ever. That's what I found out three very flirtatious weeks later. He had forgotten to mention a tiny little detail. His girlfriend. Well, let’s just say that guy is not around anymore.

Months later, when I went on a date with a guy I had briefly met at a bar a couple of days before, I ended up at the same table I had been sitting at that first night in Must Puudel with the German guy. My date was 20 minutes late and once he did show up two Finnish tourists sat down at the same table – because they couldn’t find any other free seats in the bar. Turns out they were super interesting people – a barista who was reconsidering his career path and a stylist for Helsinki fashion week. We ended up talking the whole night and I found myself flirting with the Finish guy instead of my date. Whooopsies. To be fair, he was late. Does that justify it? I don’t know. In any case, I probably shouldn’t take guys there anymore. I feel like the waiters greet me with a knowing look everytime I walk in. But then again, I am paranoid sometimes. 

There are more stories about Must Puudel. Can you tell I spend a lot of time there? But this is enough for now. Enough to make you think the only thing I do in Tallinn is date random guys. Which I am not. But whatever. It makes for great stories every now and again. 

If you ever find yourself in Tallinn, make sure not to miss out on this goodie. You won't regret it. I promise. Oh, and Tallinn locals: Let me know what your favorite place in Tallinn is. I need to branch out a bit.


xx Kathi

Photos taken in: Tallinn, Estonia


Hello, it's me. I am back in freezing Austria and so far I have been trying to ignore all my responsibilities. Obviously, that is not the best strategy, I know that. I was just not ready for reality quite yet. An abundance of unread and unanswered mails and messages for my birthday made me realize: I can't hide forever. So, here I am, telling you a short story of how I got sick in Thailand. Yeah, we all know I can't keep it short. 

So, as Kathi has already mentioned: I was traveling around Thailand for one month, most of the time with my friend A. After we spent a few days in Bangkok together, we took a night train to Chiang Mai, which is located in the North of Thailand. Oh, how much I love Chiang Mai! A and I went on a three day-trekking tour where we got to bathe elephants, jump off waterfalls, sleep in the middle of the jungle and eat delicious Thai food. It was magical. And dirty.

pure nature

As you can imagine, we were kind of exhausted after three days of hardcore trekking - I swear, there were moments where only the anticipation of Mango Sticky Rice kept us going - so, A thought it would be a great idea to get a Thai Massage afterwards. 
You know how people tell you that Thai Massages really hurt and you don't believe them because you think they are just overreacting little babies? Well, you better believe them, before you actually get one and end up scarred for life. 

After my barely-survival of the Thai Massage, A and I decided to visit the Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai, which is an old quarry filled with water. It is almost as exciting as the "real" Grand Canyon in the States, but you can cliff jump and swim in there, so, it is basically the Grand Canyon in cool. We went there by scooter and for the first time in my life I felt confident driving, well, anything, to be honest, and I think, also for the very first time someone actually felt safe while I was driving. Anyway, we spent the day there jumping off 15 meter-high rocks, which led to heavy bruises on A's thighs and arms, because she was paying too much attention to overcoming her fear of heights and too little to the whereabouts of her limbs.

Grand Canyon, Chiang Mai

I am not sure whether it was the search for a certain association that did not want to be found or one too many cigarettes smoked by a certain someone that led to a certain scenario where we were racing through Chiang Mai trying to get ourselves and our backpacks to the train station in time and the scooter back before the rental place was closing. Classic race against the time. Long story short: We lost. 
I tried to cry several times during this hell of a ride, but my body just did not let me. Can you believe it?! You must be thinking: She cannot even get this tiny bit of satisfaction during dark times like these?! I know, I was just as upset about the absence of my tears then as you are now. But hey, life is unfair. 

In the end, I got my passport back - even though the rental store was already closed - and I made it to the train station safely. We missed the train anyway, because it was seriously ON TIME  - for the first time ever in Thailand. Our only chance to catch that train was to pay one lucky taxi driver enough money for him to feed his children for the next two months to chase our train down to the next scheduled stop. During my most expensive taxi ride ever, I started feeling very unwell and thought I might throw up, but my body knew very well that I couldn't afford to clean that taxi, so it waited until we arrived - but only right until we entered the building and tried to figure out if we missed the train. (Of course, we did not. It was late, duh!) The next toilet was out of sight, so a trash can had to do it. Apparently, me throwing up into a trash can with a huge backpack on has been an amusing sight as A had a good laugh over it and even considered taking a picture of this weak moment of mine. At least one of us thought it was funny. 
Good news: We made it onto the train and our beds were - surprisingly - comfortable. Bad news: I did not sleep. At all. I am going to spare you the details, but I can tell you this much: the toilet and I became quite good friends that night. 

xx Lena

Photos taken in: Chiang Mai, Thailand

You know what I really hate? People who go on an amazing trip and post the most beautiful pictures afterwards. Makes me so jealous. Because first of all: I wish I would have been on that trip as well. And secondly: because I envy everybody who is actually capable of taking nice pictures. Yes, I’m talking about you, Lena! I really really hate you right now. Especially because all these pictures of you guys made me regret my decision not to go on this trip. And most of all, they made me realize how much I actually miss you.

For everybody who doesn’t know, it’s L’s special day today. And I have a tendency of writing incredibly cheesy and soppy texts on birthdays. So be prepared. Last year Lena got the lamest story about how we met. This year she gets an official statement. Is that an upgrade or what?

Just before writing this I was looking through all the photos we took together. And for some reason they reminded me of why I admire this girl so much. She is the only person I know who is actually able to spend three hours in Forever 21 on Time Square without freaking out or getting tired. “Shopping is my cardio” truly is her motto. This also falls into the category of “Things I wish I had known before I agreed to go shopping with L”. She did teach me how to differentiate a bad quality T-shirt from a good quality one, though. How? A whole day of T-shirt touching in Manhattan.

Jokes aside: I admire her for always chasing her dreams. She wants to travel the world, so she does. And she does so with a smile on her face. Most of the time. This girl keeps reminding me that I should live life to the fullest and not hide behind my “responsibilities”. She doesn’t settle for anything less than she thinks she deserves. And she makes everything a little more fun.

 I love her for that and for so many other things. For judging gossipy people, not realizing that she is the queen of them sometimes. For freaking out when she has to drive a car in Austria. For the fact that she always has to have the last word. And for making me miss her so much today. I wish I could go home, just to spend one day with her.

So, Linahasi, I love you loads. And I can’t wait to go see a little more of this world with you!


Happy birthday, babycakes ♡

Photo taken in: Boston, USA
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