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Google Golden Pin Award

In 2021, Google has introduced the Golden Pin award by Google Maps in order to celebrate the success of popular businesses in the HoReCa industry. Based on the reviews of the users, Google has awarded this title to the top-rated businesses on four categories: restaurants, hotels, spa centers and coffee houses. I was chosen to be the Google Ambassador for the western region of Romania and therefore had the opportunity to go and hand the Golden Pin trophy to the four winners, one for each category. Together we announced the winners on the 27th of September, which is the World Tourism Day.

Without further ado let’s do a round-up of this year’s winners:

  • Restaurant: Naru, a beautiful place with a wonderful atmosphere and let me tell you, the food is something else! Really interesting dishes adding that much needed twist to what we are used to when we go out to eat.

  • Hotel: Villa Trevi, a few kilometers away from Timisoara, this place is a luxurious dream. The rooms have an alluring design that makes you feel like you teleported to another country, maybe somewhere in Italy.

  • Cafe: Ovride Speciality Coffee, right in the city center of Timisoara this place serves coffee like no other. They are very careful at the quality of service that they provide to you and their coffee blends are unique. You’ll want to come back again and again to get your energy boost.

  • Spa: Dynamic Gym and Spa is the place where you go if you want to swim or relax by the heated pool. Located in Caransebes, this place has a loyal customer base that loves to relax here.

Let me know what are your top picks on these categories? What businesses do you think that will win next year?


The Dolomites Mountains

This type of holiday was a journey of maturing, getting to know yourself, getting out of the infamous comfort zone that a city break and a flight will offer you. I am talking about discovering yourself because that is what travelling is all about: getting to know your true nature and trying things that are not in your daily routine. To explore new places, not knowing what you are going to see next and not knowing what to expect.

I was here in September because that’s when my schedule cleared. In the months of July and August you will see countless tourists come here. Happily so, because September was great as it wasn’t that crowded and the weather was far better than I expected it to be.

You can’t really go wrong in the Dolomites. No matter where you go, no matter which path you choose, you will love what you’re seeing. With that being said you have to get yourself organized. We are talking about a mountain road full of serpentines that will take you a while to drive through. Some of the places I have visited are: Seceda, Lake Carezza, Lake Sorapis, Lake Braies, Alpe di Siusi and Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Every hiking trail has signs and you will know which one is the easiest and which is the hardest. Those signs will also tell you how much time you need to allocate for the hike. There are plenty cable car options, you will find them everywhere! I was actually surprised to see how well developed this segment really is.

I’ve spent about 9 days in the Dolomites, having a different and relaxed approach without being in such a rush. You should really get out of your comfort zone. Wakeup early, catch the sunrise and, why not sleep outside, if you’re up for it.

This holiday has taught me a lot. Now I know what I really like and that was thanks to this unique experience. It has helped me to grow as a human and I hope that everyone will get the same experience. May it be a holiday in the Dolomites, the Alps, in Switzerland or a roadtrip and hiking around, it is something that you should do at least once in a lifetime, even if these things may scare you or make you feel uncomfortable or tired at first.

4 amazing places in 🇷🇴 in the fall

Part of the @romanianvoyage project

  1. Amfiteatrul Transilvania

  2. Delta Dunării

  3. Rimetea

  4. Țara Făgărașului

Timisoara – The European Capital of Culture

The European Capital of Culture is an important title granted to a city chosen by the European Union for a period of one calendar year. The city is given a chance to show its cultural life and cultural development. Timisoara will be the European Capital of Culture in 2023.

I created the #AdrianNearbyPlaces project over five years ago, inspired and driven by wishing to reveal the architectural and cultural heritage of my city, to people all around the world. Being born and having lived in Timisoara for such a long time, I was able to see how it morphed into a city that combines accents from the long gone era with the modern influences.

While improvements are still needed, some buildings are revived and restored and I made sure to catch every change that I could in a photograph.

The culture is now instagrammable and only together we can take this project to another level by visiting Timisoara in 2023. Cannot wait to see what 2023 will bring to the city.

How to get the cheapest plane tickets

Travelling does not have to be expensive. If you plan your trip in advance and use the proper strategies you will save a lot of money and you will be able to travel more often. Learn now how to find the cheapest plane tickets.

More often than not, people complain and say that you have to have lots of money in order to travel. But what people don’t realise is that they already have the money they need, yet they spend twice the amount on things they don’t need, in the city that they currently live in.

Which are the websites to find the cheapest airplane tickets?

1. Skyscanner has to be my favorite tool because of how well the search bar is organized and because of its friendly interface

2. Momondo is another search engine that a lot of travellers use. You can check prices for different dates and it is helpful if you are flexible with your departure

3. Google Flights as the name suggests, is Google’s search engine. It is a great way to see which airlines have flights to your desired destination.

Everything you need to do is to have a few destinations in mind (either a city or a country) and think when you would want to go there. After you decide on that, you can save the dates and destinations, then set up the email notifications. If there are any changes to process, you will be notified.

You should check multiple dates because that is why how you will figure out which one is the most affordable. There will be a lot of price fluctuations and you have to check your email regularly. If you really want to go somewhere, you can make it happen on a budget!

The main thing is that you have to be flexible with the departure dates and the luggage allowance. When you are searching you can set the engine to go through the cheapest month. You can do this if your schedule is flexible because you will find better offers.

You can save a lot of money if you opt in for a layover. Having a longer layover may mean that you will be able to even visit another city without spending more money. For example you can have a layover in Singapore, Shanghai, Doha or Istanbul. Sometimes the airlines even offer tours in those cities for those that have a longer layover.