Bratislava, Slovakia - 2026

Slovakia was the first country I visited after moving to London, and it came together in the most spontaneous way possible. I was in Brighton with two friends when I realized I had a four-day Easter weekend, so I opened Skyscanner, searched for the cheapest flight leaving that Friday, and Slovakia it was. It's the kind of place I never would have considered visiting from Washington D.C. (too expensive, too inconvenient) but living in Europe made it an easy yes. When I mentioned my plans to my colleague Roberto at work, his eyes lit up: he had lived in Bratislava for three years with Amazon and immediately loaded me up with recommendations, along with the caveat that there were probably better countries to visit. This was my first solo trip, and I leaned fully into it — making small talk with strangers, saying yes to everything, and embracing the unexpected. That openness led me to Robin, a Prague local I met by chance, who spent the day with me teaching me about Slovak history and politics over Kofola and beer. It was a blast, and it set the tone for how I want to travel from here on out.

Featuring: Robin