My name is Kate, I am 27 years old and I was born and raised in Russian Siberia, which people usually find fascinating. Yes, it is super cold there, I’ve never gotten used to extremely cold temperatures (that’s why I escaped to a tropical island 25 years later). I dreamed to move to a big city and more than anything else, I wanted to travel. I got super lucky and at the age of 13. My family moved to Moscow, which is one of the best things that ever happened to me. With travelling it was a more complicated, as my family’s financial situation didn’t allow us to go further than Crimea or Bulgaria once a year. But when I was 17, I earned my own money, convinced my best friend, and we jumped on a bus to go on a tour to Europe. That was exactly 10 years ago, that’s when I started to make my dreams come true, and that’s where my real life began.

At the age of 18 I went to study business abroad for a year, to France on an exchange program with my University. France is forever in my heart as well as the feeling that the world is smaller than we think, and that there are so many opportunities out there, and if we dream big and work hard, so many things are possible. After graduation I entered HULT International Business School to get a Master degree in International Relations in London and Shanghai. Then I returned to Moscow and I thought I would get a serious job and start a “normal life” but life had other plans for me.

I went for experience. I still had that hunger for experiencing as much as I could. So I worked in Tourism and at a Social Media agency, and I also traveled and had diverse freelance jobs. I went to Colombia as a volunteer to teach English in a school in a small town of Barranquilla. Recently, I went to Zambia to help a social enterprise to grow their outsourcing business.

And then that happened. 2 years ago I went to Bali for vacation and I left my heart there. It felt like home there, like the place I finally didn’t want to leave. The idea of staying sounded crazy, but I knew that if you dream big and work hard things are possible, so I made it happen. I moved to a tropical paradise. I continued working as a freelance writer and social media manager for a while, until I went even further to start making my dreams come true. I started to teach yoga and spend more time on photography – two of my biggest passions.

It might sound like it was always an easy ride but of course it was not. Many people ask me how can I afford all the travel that I do. Believe me, it’s not easy. Apart from working a lot, I also spend very little. Seriously, I miss buying stuff, because most of my money in the past 10 years was spent on plane tickets. I cook a lot, walk a lot, I know about all the free stuff in cities where I go, I literally watch every penny I spend because every little counts. And that’s my choice and my priority at the moment. I don’t have a car, I don’t have a house to pay bills and buy furniture for, and I don’t have kids yet. And again, that’s my choice.

Also, I’ve been through internal doubts because of the criticism that I hear from other people about “what am I doing with my life”, “I’m trying different things but I don’t have a career built up”, “I’ve seen so many places but what about a place I can call home”? Right now I’ve reached a harmony, I’m at the place where I know that everything happens at the right time. I’m living a great period of my life, I enjoy life, I’m listening to my own heart, I’m growing in own way, and I’m extremely proud of what I have achieved.

Enjoying a sesame-encrusted bread ring in Istanbul, Turkey

The future seems exciting. I want to grow in my yoga practice and develop my passion for healthy food and lifestyle. Whatever the next step I take and decide to create, I know that all my studies in business and international relations, all my experience and travelling, will be very useful. I am also developing my passion for photography and you can see my works here: http://www.katepetrovaphotography.com/

As George Bernard Shaw said, "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

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Kate Petrova is a Russian world traveler, photographer, global citizen, and businesswoman. She currently resides in Barcelona, Spain.