About Me – At Lifestyle Crossroads

I currently live in a small town, with Valencia being the nearest major city. For city getaways in Spain, I love revisiting Madrid and Seville. I’m also a big fan of San Sebastian. Right now, my favorite Spanish destinations include the Pyrenees Mountains, the Canary Islands, and Tarifa.

Supporting Spanish artisans and celebrating the country’s art and craftsmanship is something I’m truly passionate about. I feature handmade Spanish products on the blog to give them international exposure and help support the unique and valuable work of these talented creators.

Beyond traveling, I cherish spending quality time with my kids – playing board games, painting, and doing crafts. I’ve also launched a new blog, Alas de Aventura (in Spanish), to share our family adventures. You can keep up with our latest moments in the Motherhood section and on my IG.

I consider traveling to the Spanish Pyrenees as my personal therapy. I make several trips to the region each year to explore new hiking trails, and I’m currently working on my own guidebook for the #Pyrenees. Once my kids are grown, I’d love to move there – living in a cozy wooden cabin, completely surrounded by nature.

I’m passionate about international travel. During my internship, I had the incredible opportunity to live in Hong Kong and Berlin. Of all the places I’ve visited, I’m especially drawn to the Greek Islands, Cyprus, Hawaii, and Iceland. My dream destinations include Tibet, Australia, Alaska, Iran, and Antarctica.

I’m deeply proud of my Ukrainian roots: growing up there has shaped my drive to pursue new ventures and instilled the resilience to work tirelessly until I succeed. Unfortunately, I’ve explored Spain far more than I’ve had the chance to explore Ukraine, as I moved to Spain when I was 20: I hope to travel more across Ukraine one day.

I’m lucky to have an incredibly supportive family. Every year, I make sure to plan at least one memorable family trip. With my in-laws, we usually go for cruises since they’re seniors. My parents, who had me young and are in great shape, often end up as the unsuspecting victims of my ‘hike-until-we-drop’ adventures in Spain!

I’m a die-hard language enthusiast. When I first visited Spain, getting by with just English was tough, so I learned Spanish in 4 months to return and have a different experience. Now, I speak English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Russian, and I have basic knowledge of German and French from school. Currently, I’m diving into Chinese!

I secretly love plants & gardening, though with all my travel, I now stick to low-maintenance ones. I used to have a knack for killing even cacti in my 20s, but these days, I’ve fully embraced what some call ‘granny’s hobbies.’ One of my grandmothers was a huge plant lover, so I guess it’s in the genes – no point in resisting!

While I’m passionate about hiking and nature in my daily life, I also love dressing up whenever I can. I use only natural and organic products for makeup and self-care. You can check out my list of travel beauty essentials that keep me glam on the go here.