STAMP THIS! TRAVEL BLOGGERS’ PASSPORT STAMP STORIES PART IV

01 passportstamps

For the fourth edition of Stamp This!  I asked a few of my favourite bloggers and vloggers to share the stories behind their favourite passport stamp/visa. Enjoy their more than stamp-worthy tales.

01

Coat + Coffee | Emily
My favorite stamp has to be my most recent one from Germany, where we flew in to before we reached Poland. My mom and I made an ancestral journey to Poland in April. I had been deep in genealogical research for the last year preparing for this trip. We stayed in Krakow for a few days and ate our weight in pierogi, then we made the two hour car ride journey to Dobrzechow where my family has lived for over 200 years. It was an absolute surreal experience to be in a town of 1,600 people and meet with the headmaster and priest. We dug through records from the 1800’s and got to visit the possible graves of my ancestors.

The next day we drove to Auschwitz-Birkenau, a place I’d never thought I would get to see in my lifetime. The day was emotional, but eye opening. What they teach you in school and what you read in text books was nothing like being there. I got to experience all this with my mom, and it’s definitely a journey I will never forget. I also got this beautiful ring from a flea market in Krakow that dates back to between WWI and WWII. And I may have forgotten my camera (yes I really did), but the memories I made here were better than any photo I could have taken.

02

Dignifiable |  Natalie
My favourite passport stamp does not relate to my favourite country that I have visited. Rather, it is the first stamp that I received in my current passport and is the stamp that made me fall in love with travelling. I received this stamp when I flew to U.S.A in 2012 which was my first overseas trip by myself. It was the start of a wonderful semester abroad and has irrevocably changed me. This trip challenged me and it made me realise that there is a wonderful world out there and I want to experience as much of it as I can. This stamp represents the start of my journey of exploring and travelling the world and all of my subsequent stamps are in my passport due to this one stamp.

03

EnterpriseMe TV |  Ivana
It’s not called Incredible India for nothing. It took me 6 months of traveling to finally get the courage and land with shaking knees. Turns out India loves me just as much as I love India. They say India is a teacher en shows you a reflection of yourself. Whatever you put in you get back. It can be quite painful and causes some people to leave within hours. For me it was like coming home. Within 30 minutes of landing I completely surrendered to India just like you would with a love at first sight. Traveling in India showed me being the control freak that I am is pretty much useless. Control is an illusion. Seeing people be happy no matter if they have a lot or no means at all is incredibly humbling. Letting go, adapting to a much slower pace (so relaxing!) and seeing so much beauty still keeps me grounded. The nature and food is mind blowing but the best part are the people. I have never encountered so much hospitality, kindness and generosity. I also love the boldness of the Indian people. It really suits my curious nature. Seriously can’t wait to return in fall this year!

04

Mintnotion | Eden
My favourite passport stamp is the one I got when I went to South Korea. This county was not even on my travel radar until I started my TEFL course and learned that this was a popular destination for people to teach English. However, after finishing my TEFL course I got a job promotion at work and decided to pursue Business School part-time instead of teaching.

It wasn’t until two years later when I saw a seat sale to Seoul that I knew a trip to South Korea was meant to be – I booked without regrets and it turned out to be one of the best trips of my life. There was a lot that I didn’t know about Korean culture, so I did a lot of research before my trip to help ensure a smooth vacation.

I live very multicultural city, so it was a big change to travel to a country that is primarily one race. I stood out like a sore thumb everywhere I went, but everyone was so kind and hospitable to me, even though I didn’t speak any Korean. Some of my favourite memories include shopping in Myeong-dong in Seoul and walking along the boardwalk at Haeundae Beach in Busan. As my first trip to Asia, it exceeded my expectations and I would love to visit again someday!

05

Travel The Globe 4 Less |Anne
The familiar sound of my passport being stamped was greeted with a huge sigh of relief. Mainly because it almost didn’t happen, so engrossed were we in gorging ourselves on the heavenly, Argentinian cuisine we failed to realize we had missed the last bus.

We had popped over to Argentina for the day to check out the other side of the magnificent Iguacu Falls. (In my opinion, the Argentinian side is way cooler!). Long boardwalks lead you across fast flowing waters until finally you are met by the roar of the torrential cauldron of water flinging mist into the air to drench all who stand gasping in awe at mother nature’s fury.

The best part of the trip though was that visit to the steak restaurant. After the desert of healthy food in Brazil the tantalising aromas of succulent, juicy steaks washed down with ice cold beers were so appetising that we lost all track of time. The bus left without us and we had to beg a hastily found taxi driver to drive like James Bond. He deposited us at the border just in time to pass before it closed. Even a night on the pavement would have been worth it though for that steak!

   Thanks for sharing your stories. 

What is your most precious passport stamp or visa and which one would you like to add?

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9 Comments

  1. I love this series and hearing everyone’s stories. It’s crazy how everything has a different country and a different story. So grateful for a community of women who are bold travelers! It makes me happy seeing women traveling solo and getting out there despite any fear or pressure from others. Thank you so much for including me Tea! 🙂

  2. I love this idea. It is so novel and have to say I almost wish I had plumped for India when I saw that visa. That country holds a very special place in my heart!

  3. My most precious was my China Visa, partly because it was just so pretty and also because I’d wanted to visit China for ages before I finally went in 2011. Sadly I have now had to renew my passport so although I’ve been plenty of places, they’ve mostly been in the EU and so my only current stamp is my one from my most recent work trip to Tokyo (which is still pretty damn cool).

    Lisa | Not Quite Enough

  4. What a great series! I love all of these stories! I only have one stamp in mine -I just renewed it a few years ago – but there is nothing more satisfying than when they stamp down on that little book of “you” ! I cannot wait to collect more!

    C | http://atlantic-c.blogspot.ca/

  5. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s story behind their favourite stamp, what a great idea for a series! Thanks for featuring my story, I’m so happy to be apart of this great community!