“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” ― Miriam Adeney
I loved this quote that Yulia Denisyuk, a travel journalist and travel photographer, shared with us during our interview. An eternal wanderer, it seemed to fit her personality so perfectly. Yulia is an immigrant from Kazakhstan and upon hearing her life’s story, it feels like she has movement, migration and travel in her blood.
Through our conversation, Yulia talks about her home country of Kazakhstan, her childhood in Estonia, her teens in Miami and then finally living in New York and Chicago. Her professional career too seems one of transition and movement as she navigated high school, undergraduate studies, the military, being on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq and then her MBA which led to a corporate career in New York. But Yulia left all of that behind to pursue a career in something that she really loved to do – travel and travel journalism. The courage and fortitude in Yulia as she shares her passion for places and people far beyond any regular traveler was so motivating and inspiring. We talked about how being an immigrant instills a certain level of understanding, empathy and compassion for people who are always perceived as ‘the others’, because most of us have been part of the others at some point and have learned how to navigate those feelings and emotions.
And clearly Yulia is very good at what she does having her work featured in Lonely Planet, Afar media, Passion Passport and many others. But this lovely lady didn’t just stop there. She has now establish her own travel company Nomad and Jules, where she takes people on trips to places like Jordan and Lebanon, which have traditionally been ‘off mainstream’ for years. “At the end of the day, we are all the same. I would much rather share a cup of tea with a local and learn their story than travel to an instagram-able place just to be popular”, she says. Yulia, I couldn’t agree with you more. People add an element of richness to any travel experience and help us understand cultures and communities in a much deeper way.
We also talked about how some places have our heart even if we haven’t been there. An almost soul connection that goes beyond any physical contact. Do any of you had places that you gravitate towards time and again?
Yulia is such a warm, kindhearted soul with a dose of wanderlust in her veins and a smile in her voice. I know you are going to throughly enjoy this interview.
{Photo credit by Yulia Denisyuk of Nomad and Jules – seen here scenes from Almaty Kazakhastan and Yulia in her happy place in Turkey}
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