Hello,
I’m Joanna, the author of The World in My Pocket and the voice behind the blog. Born in Romania, I have been living in England since 2013.
I have a major thing for writing and photography. From childhood, my answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is always a creative one. “A movie director,” “a writer,” or “a radio journalist” are among my favourite answers. So, while I enjoyed subjects like Computer Science and Maths in upper school, my first love — writing — always beckoned me to return. Upon completing my Bachelor of Arts degree at the the Journalism University in Bucharest, I knew my life would center around travel. I haven’t looked back since.
In 2007, Romania entered the European Union. The entire European continent opened up for me! No more borders, no more visas, no more obstacles. Rome, Italy was my first international destination. As I leave bits of my heart in each place I visit, the romance of Rome retains a special place in my heart and soul.
I have traveled all over the world, exploring 50 countries on 5 continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, North/Central America.
The World in My Pocket takes you along on my journeys. I share my knowledge, my experiences, the world through my eyes. I don’t travel to see; I travel to discover, to explore, to be a better storyteller. With every trip I take, I create new friendships with those I meet. This is precisely what The World in My Pocket is: showing the wonderful world in which we live and the captivating people who live in it! Afterall, my belief is most people are good, and kindness should be promoted in media more than we currently see.
On The World in My Pocket, you won’t find glam Instagram photos. Or long dresses on hikes. You certainly won’t see perfect hair and make-up after a trans Atlantic flight! Nope. I’m an everyday girl who loves to travel. I prefer a t-shirt, shorts and hiking boots or sneakers to those dressed-up looks. You won’t ever find me in high heels…like, n-e-v-e-r!
I believe that everyone can travel. However, no one should feel intimidated by the Instagram standard these days or feel scared to start their journey around the world. Rather, traveling is all about learning about and experience other cultures, not necessarily luxury hotels or flying first class. In essence, if you’re here, you prefer to see REAL. I will inspire you to travel — not because it’s all glamorous (’cause it’s not) — but because it’s a fun, wonderful, educative experience which opens up your heart, mind and soul.
Here is a list of some of my qualifications…
- Graduated the Journalism section of the University of Bucharest
- Have a Master in Multimedia production from the University of Bucharest
- Graduated the Social Media School at Spada Digital Media Agency in Bucharest
- Certified in SEO, Google Adwords and the Display Network at Jellyfish London
- Graduated Squared Online Digital Marketing Leadership Course developed with Google
- Google Partner Certified
- Top 5 Finalist at the UK Post Office Awards 2018
- Exhibited a photo at the Herrick Gallery in London, in a project by Traverse, Three and Samsung.
Special thanks to Raluca, my university colleague who forever asks, “When will you start your first book?”
You can find me on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you want to chat, drop me a line through the contact form below: