Hi there,
my name is Lydia and for as long as I can remember, exploring and researching travel destinations has been my dream. Ever since I was a little girl, when my parents would take my sister and I on short summer holidays to the nearby beach towns of Slovenia and Croatia, I wanted to explore beyond just the beach and the sea. Lying in the sun and doing nothing all day was never an option for me. I wanted to explore every village, town and landmark I could find, even in the smallest of towns that barely had anything to offer. And although we had no internet back then and travel diaries were written with pen and paper, I knew one day I will be an author of my very own travel stories.
As I grew older, my love for travelling grew with me. I travelled without my parents for the first time when I was 16 years old and I have been hooked ever since. But unlike most travel bloggers, who strive to travel the entire world and visit remote areas in every continent, I liked to explore places closer to home. I was fortunate to be born in one of the most beautiful countries in the world – Slovenia (not just my opinion, but according to the readers of the Rough Guides as well). Slovenia is a small country in central Europe (only 2 million inhabitants!) most people have never heard before. Being in the centre of Europe made it really easy for me to start exploring countries nearby, like Austria, Italy and Croatia. Soon, I was hungry for more and countries like Portugal, Spain, England, Malta, the Netherlands, Serbia, Bulgaria and many more started to appear on my travel list.
When Covid hit in 2020 and travel almost came to a standstill, I started exploring my own country more and fell in love with this area of Europe all over again. It was during this difficult period that my idea of a European-inspired travel blog was born and four years later, my first blog post on Leisure with Lydia was live. Leisure with Lydia is not just my travel diary, but hopefully a source of knowledge and inspiration for anyone who’s looking to explore the immense beauty, history and charm that Europe has to offer. Hopefully, this blog will help you find ideas on what to see, where to sleep, what to eat and everything else that you wish to experience on your next European holiday. And although I might wander outside of the European borders from time to time, I promise to continue exploring this wonderful continent and bring you the latest inspiring stories from all over Europe.
With love,
Lydia
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