Philanthropist and luxury travel blogger Elona Karafin wants you to think outside the box when it comes to international travel. According to Karafin, travel isn’t just about taking some time off. Travel, says Karafin, can be a fantastic self-development tool—because it extricates you from the values of your culture and shows you another society can live with entirely different values and still function and not hate themselves.
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My journey as a traveler began with long weekend escapes while I was working full time. I’d take 2 days off, combine them with a weekend and go anywhere in the world: Hong Kong, Paris, The Caribbean … you name it! The airline industry has changed immensely and air travel is becoming more and more accessible due to its competitive prices. Affordable flights open up the world to millions and millions of people who otherwise may never have been able to travel. Accommodation comes in a variety of prices so you’re bound to find something that fits your budget – flight prices are trickier. If you see something good, best to snatch it. I’m loyal to @flynorwegian because for one, they get me to Europe for a lower price than I would pay to fly domestically to, for example, California. (Right now you can fly from NY to Athens for as low as $160 one way, for example)! Two, @flynorwegian renewed its fleet to continue reducing emissions per passenger and to help make aviation carbon neutral by 2050. In fact, @flynorwegian has taken on nearly a dozen environmental initiatives. I spent roughly three days in London shooting fresh content after being in a somewhat creative rut. I’m so excited to share with you. Inspired in part by @jerometraveller shot by @ofleatherandlace // edited by me! Where are you traveling to next?
A post shared by Elona • Travel Blogger • NYC (@elona) on Feb 26, 2020 at 9:28am PST
Traveling to some of the most stunning places across the globe, Karafin shares beautiful photos, where she can be seen sporting some stylish outfits. “Traveling alone takes resilience and an open mind,” she admits in one blog post. “It takes courage and stepping out of your comfort zone,” she notes, adding that traveling solo is something everyone should do at least once in their lives.
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Where is the first place you will travel when it is safe to travel again?! As you can imagine – whatever chemicals are responsible for the urge to fly again … are drowning everything else that is happening in my body 😅 As excited as I am, safety still remains the TOP priority. – @iata.training released an interactive map (google: IATA Travel Regulations map), on which you can see all the updated travel restrictions and border openings by country! – You can also search: “COUNTRY NAME travel covid” and click on the official embassy website to see what travel restrictions are in place based on your passport! – Consider traveling locally & PLEASE support local businesses, boutique hotels, mom & pop restaurants, gift shops, and more. – @thepointsguy is a great resource to be up to date on all things travel & flying as more information becomes available ✈️ – If you can financially, consider using a travel agent for your next trip! Travel agents suffered unimaginable losses during the pandemic and even so, they are often able to offer really low package deals ☺️ – I filmed a fantastic #TalksWithElona episode with the Owner of Plane Talking PR – we talk about biosecurity in airports, the cleanliness of aircraft, and the future of travel. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel / podcast to hear it first! – Safety, undoubtedly, is the top priority and as we continue to learn about safety measures for upcoming travel – it is imperative that we look after each other. Please wear a mask. Please wash your hands. And please don’t travel unless you feel 100% healthy.
A post shared by Elona • Travel Blogger • NYC (@elona) on Jun 19, 2020 at 8:55am PDT
According to Karafin, traveling solo teaches you how to be comfortable with yourself, appreciate silence, and most importantly—uncover the deep ends of your cognitive spectrum.
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I am very careful about who has access to me lately. It’s not out of arrogance, it’s out of the need to continue to protect my space and energy as I continue to do the work to elevate myself. This chapter requires me to be a little less accessible. (@hellonecole) As an empath the biggest blessing & curse is putting other people first, more often than not. My friend @glographics once perfectly said: “I was always the helper. The fixer. The go-to girl for many. It padded my ego to know that I could be the person everyone could count on but I had no idea how detrimental it actually was.” Sometimes when people treated me in ways that I wouldn’t treat them – I’d tell myself, “Elona, you know you’re too caring and too nice and you can’t always expect that to the same degree in return.” People will show you love and respect in ways that they know best. And while this is true, it’s ultimately up to YOU to determine whether those ways live up to your expectations. You are fully in control of setting expectations and boundaries with everyone around you. I started saying “no” more and more often. At first it felt like I was really hurting the people around me. But the reality is that now they respect me more. You grow the most when you’re out of comfort zone. This year my journey of self-development has been an amusement park: books, dozens of hours of podcasts, youtube, blogs you name it. If you could learn anything from me, what would it be? 👇🏼 . . 📸: @jerometraveller
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“The biggest excuse I hear all the time is, ‘I really want to share my experiences with someone else, that’s why I’d never travel alone,'” she writes. “You don’t always have to share your experiences with someone else—you’d be shocked to discover how different your surroundings are when you see them through your own lenses without anyone else’s two cents.”
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“I like to see people reunited, I like to see people run to each other, I like the kissing and the crying, I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can't tell fast enough, the ears that aren't big enough, the eyes that can't take in all of the change, I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone.” I like that I have that with you 🤍 If you could go anywhere in the world right now to see someone that you miss – where would you go? . . . quote by Jonathan Safran Foer 📚
A post shared by Elona • Travel Blogger • NYC (@elona) on Sep 22, 2020 at 9:17am PDT
With travel being a full-time gig, she creates content for various brands in the travel and lifestyle arenas. But she also leaves space for some charity work. This year, writes Karafin on her website, she’s focusing more on humanitarian efforts, leading various philanthropic initiatives to help children in underserved communities, and running a charity for underprivileged kids with cancer .
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K6 is to London as yellow taxi cab is to NYC. “What in the world is K6?” 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 … That is the official name for the famous red telephone booth! “Red Telephone Booth” obviously didn’t seem as appropriate as K1 – K8 and beyond 😉 𝐊 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐤 – I know you’re wondering about that, too 🙃 With its design strongly influenced by the tomb (yes, tomb) of architect Sir John Soane, the iconic red booth is a staple of British culture 🇬🇧. Nearly every single person in the area has a cell phone nowadays, so the phone booth has lost a lot of its core purpose. Some kiosks, like the one I’m standing in, are victims of severe vandalism and are marked with a pungent smell of urine (worth it for the picture am I right? 😅) Others, however, have been preserved and repurposed into shops, working pods, cafes, you name it. In fact, you can even adopt a phone booth! Whatever the case may be, prolonging the heritage is important or else, will London ever be the same? Did you know that the original booths were intended to be green and silver? Just imagine how different the dynamic of London’s landscape would be. Despite the decline in demand for standard phone service – I hope that these phone booths never completely become a thing of the past. Have you been to London? ☎️ (photo inspiration from my favorite @sergeysuxov // shot by @ofleatherandlace // edited by me!)
A post shared by Elona • Travel Blogger • NYC (@elona) on Mar 2, 2020 at 8:58am PST
With an impressive following on Instagram, the hype is real!