I could say it’s not an easy path, but if somebody really wants to travel, he/she will do it anyway. Just be brave, and follow your heart.
Name: Anna Stavenskaya
Age: 22
Nationality: Russia
Current Location: Singapore
Employment: Graphic Designer
Contact: eppelas@gmail.com
We were lucky enough to have a talk with Anna, a passionate solo traveler, graphical designer and photographer. She has worked for VKontakte (biggest social network in Russia), for Look at Me (online media trending website) and Rolling Stone Russia magazine. Although she travels always alone, her trips go for months, she works both as a freelancer online and also offline in a more traditional fashion. Independent of that she keeps on going. When we talked to her she was in Singapore and wrote to us from the airport.
StayGypsy: How long have you been traveling and where are you now?
Anna Stavenskaya: Well, I’ve started my way around a year and a half ago, but I cannot say I was ‘travelling’ all the time. For almost a year I was just living in Thailand and from time to time I went to explore some countries around. Right now I’m in Singapore – really love it here and I’m ready to stay for long time.
SG: In that time which countries did you visit?
AS: This time in Asia I’ve visited 10 countries, including Abkhazia, I’ve visited it when working in the Olympic Games in Sochi, just a few days before I flew to Asia. I can say Sochi was the point where I’ve started my way.
SG: You work while traveling right? How do you find your clients or are they contacts you made previously?
AS: Now I’m working for a company. Some people from that company knew me already, we used to work together a few years ago, and when they started looking for a graphic designer they just wrote me. It was 6 months ago and now we are doing a big interesting project about knowledge together. Before that I was using Odesk / Upwork for freelance work along with some work friends asked me to do from time to time. Also, Chiang Mai (Thailand) is perfect for looking for clients. There are so many cafes and co-workings, and so many people who have their own projects and online business, that you can easily find work since most of them need designers for their projects.
SG: Usually how much time do you spend in a country?
AS: As I already said I was living in Thailand for almost a year, but in other countries I usually stay from two weeks to a month. Two weeks isn’t really enough to explore a country, there are so many places to see and so little time!
SG: I know you couchsurf but you also book and rent. Tell us a bit more about how you plan and go on about staying in a new place?
AS: I only rented a place in Chiang Mai. In the first week I was living at a friends’ place, and then found apartments for rent. It’s easy there, just take a walk. For all other countries I did couchsurfing (not that much), stayed with friends, stayed in guest houses or shared apartments with somebody. I don’t plan that much. I like to decide everything on the place. For me it’s easy, I only have a small bag and can just walk around for a couple hours, look for a place or guesthouse I like and get in. Sometimes, this way, you can find people who will help you or give you some recommendation. In India I was simply walking along the road and one guy asked me if he could help. In the end he just called to some friends and I became roommate of a girl friend of him for three weeks. That was a nice experience.
SG: What are your thoughts on couchsurfing? Would you recommend it to others and why?
AS: I recommend it for people who really want to explore the country, meet locals and share experiences, not just to stay for free. For ‘true’ couchsurfing you should give back to people a lot. Your energy, your help, try to make the place where you stay a bit better, do something good for the person who host you, speak and ask questions as much as you can. Staying with locals is one of the best ways to explore a country. They will show you their city by different eyes, and usually it’s really cool. Especially if you like to learn more about different cultures and different people. I also like it because it gives a lot of emotions, more than you could have in a hostel or traveling alone. I’ve met a lot of friends because of couchsurfing, and we’re still good friends and still keep in touch. I believe couchsurfing isn’t about free hosting, but more about finding new friends and exploring a country in a different way. When I was living in a house in Chiang Mai we also hosted couchsurfers. I’ve met so many people from around the world, with different stories, different wishes, different views on everything and different experiences. And it felt nice to show them my favourite places, as well as exploring something new together.
I believe couchsurfing isn’t about free hosting, but more about finding new friends and exploring a country in a different way.
SG: How do you organise your daily work? Do you work everyday or set some days just for doing non-work related stuff?
AS: Before I was working a few days a week and then had one/two days for rest and exploring the city. Now I’m moving a lot and want to see and explore something every day so instead of taking 1 or 2 days just to see things I work less hours per day but a bit every day. Definitely the first way is more convenient, when I concentrate in work for most of the daytime and later have full days to do something for my self. When I’ll get stuck somewhere for a longer period of time, I’ll get back to my work/weekend days again.
SG: For people wanting to travel and work what advices and resources you think are worth sharing?
AS: Wow, you know… I’m not really good at giving advices. I think it’s better for everyone to find their own way, since we’re different and have different wishes and interests. I had a hard first 7 months until I found my way. Sometimes I was living without money, did some work for really low rates just for portfolio, had a lot of stress. I finally found what I was looking for, but it was kinda hard and I don’t think it’s the right way for everyone. So instead of talking about that, the thing I really would like people to do is to follow their hearts. And don’t give up. This is all that is important. Maybe also be friendly and tolerant, and making more local friends.
SG: Is graphic design a good option for people looking to work remotely?
AS: If you’re a good designer and able to discipline yourself, then, for sure. But there are a lot of options for working during travelings. Some people work on farms, some teach English (in local schools or by skype), some write or help in writing blogs, some do translations, some start their own online business. I think there isn’t really a formula on what should you do to be successful and be able to travel. I could say it’s not an easy path, but if somebody really wants to travel, he/she will do it anyway. Just be brave, and follow your heart.
SG: How do you calculate how much you charge? Do you have a specific system you use?
AS: For now I have my fixed salary. Before I charged the same price I would charge in Russia. Maybe it’s a bit lower than international standards but I don’t feel good when I charge more than it should be. In Asia I don’t need that much money to live so it’s more about interesting projects and not about money.
SG: What is your substitute for a regular office? Cafes, home, co-work places or any others? Where do you normally work?
AS: I like to work in cafés because there is some people around, but still it’s not too loud. When I need to concentrate I go to a library or stay at home. And sometimes my office is a bar on a beach or a 44-hour train in India. I think after some time I get used to being comfortable with what I have right now. I’m writing this text while seating on the floor at the airport and feel like it’s convenient enough.
SG: You’re a woman, I’m curious, with how much stuff do you travel?
AS: I hate big bags, so I have one small backpack and usually a small extra bag. Of course after some time staying at one place we start accumulating more stuff. But before starting to travel again I do something like a “revision”, just throw out some things or give them to my friends. There isn’t that much stuff that we really need.
SG: Is it safe to travel alone? You’ve been to quite a few countries, which were the best for a solo-woman traveler and the worst? AS: I have a theory that all supposed problems are in our minds. We find that which we want to find. For me, I believe that Asia is the safest part of the world. People here are so open, friendly and ready to help. In the end it’s that that I see around and it’s what actually happens with me. Although I know some people who had lots of troubles there. Most of the time we’re the biggest reason for our troubles, even if we don’t think so (of course we don’t think so, our brain doesn’t want to feel guilty, but it’s truth, we are the only ones who create our own problems). Be nice with people but be careful as well. Asia is quite safe… There are only a few places I wouldn’t go alone again and wouldn’t recommend to go alone – Malaysia and some parts of India. I’m not really a careful person so I could get into problems there and I was almost getting into them. It’s not that safe because of the culture and the way some people think about woman in general and particularly about woman from Western cultures. At the same time I know a few girls who were travelling and living there for a long time and had delightful experiences about the countries and the people there.
For me, I believe that Asia is the safest part of the world. People here are so open, friendly and ready to help.
SG: Up until now, which was the country you most enjoyed being and why?
AS: I really love those unique countries like Myanmar and Nepal. Mostly because of the people but also because of the beautiful nature and cities. It’s a different kind of beauty, with unique costumes, unique textures, handicrafts, etcetera. I love it as a designer, these places inspired me a lot. I also enjoyed my life in Thailand. And for now I’m falling in love with Singapore.
SG: Which is your next location?
AS: I was thinking about going to Taiwan and Hong Kong, two places I’m curious about. But let’s see, my plans don’t work out most of the time. (laughing)
SG: Where would you like to be and what you would like to be doing in 5 years?
AS: I love to work with statistics and data and want to become a professional infographer. Now I’m learning html/ccs/java script, so later I could do my infographics more oriented towards web and interactive displays. Also I like to take pictures and wish to work for some magazine. Regarding where – seriously, I have no idea. I would like to stay in one place for a long time, learn more about the culture in that place and learn a new language. For some reason I was thinking about Serbia.
5 things about Singapore
It’s unbelievable green. It’s a small country, but it’s really different due to the mixture of different nations and people who live here. You’re not allowed to smoke here. Often in buildings you will find something like gardens, sport courts, playgrounds or just viewpoints on the rooftop. English here sounds like Chinese and the locals call it Singlish.
Which are the best parts of the city to stay? The cheapest area is Little India and Chinatown, there’s nice local food and it’s close to the main touristic destinations.
Your favourite dish? I love a dish called ‘Carrot Pie’. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s not a carrot pie at all, still I like it (smile). You can find my favourite version of it for just 4 SGD (around 3 US dollars) in the Chomp Chomp Food Centre close to Serangoon Garden Circus. It’s a bit far from downtown though.
The best places to go on a rock & roll night? Wow, I’m usually too tired before night. (laughs) Local people told me about the riverside close to the Clarke Quay subway station. It’s also a nice place to walk during daytime so you can visit it anyway.
Things worth doing while in Singapore? Run around a building on the heights of a 50th floor! Explore the Cloud Forest in the Gardens by the Bay and take a walk on the Marina Bay Sands skywalk.
Local words/expressions worth knowing? At the end of almost every sentence the Singaporeans say ‘lah’. Some words sound a bit different here, for example instead of ‘nine ‘ people say ‘naish’. Badass is a popular word here. And it’s not a bad word it’s more like an expression about how cool somebody is. ‘She just threw out half of her belongings, she’s such a badass’.
You can check Anna’s photography at eppelas.com and some of her design/illustration on behance.net; if you want to follow her travels find her on Instagram as eppelas
staygypsy | Traveling and freelancing 