Leader of the Pack: Yvonne from Brussels Travel Massive

Have you heard? Travel Massive is now in 60+ cities and counting! This month in our Leader of the Pack series we meet Yvonne Ivanescu, chapter leader for our newest edition, Brussels Travel Massive. We caught up with the Canadian expat about joining Travel Massive, her insight into the industry, and tips for traveling better.

What inspired you to first get involved with Travel Massive? 

I was first introduced to Travel Massive when I attended an event in Toronto. I instantly fell in love with the concept. I had just started my blog Under the Yew Trew a couple of months prior to the event and felt that Travel Massive was the perfect event where I could meet fellow travel industry professionals, create long-lasting connections and learn more about this fascinating industry.

Why did you decide to organize Travel Massive meet-ups in Brussels?

Brussels is known as the capital of Europe and possesses a cosmopolitan ambiance thanks to the diversity of its different cultures. Brussels really does have it all and I realized that a Travel Massive chapter would be the perfect way to bring all this diversity in the travel industry together in one single space.

What is your best advice for starting out in online travel?

Work hard, don’t get discouraged and surround yourself with like-minded people. It is extremely easy to get discouraged in this industry, especially if you work hard and see no immediate results. If this is your dream, stick with it. Furthermore, connecting and talking to other individuals allows you to air your frustrations to someone who understands and also can be extremely motivating. Every time I come back from a press trip with more seasoned bloggers, I feel re-energized. Seeing that they’ve made it makes me realize that my dream is possible, I just need to work harder at it.

Our meet-ups will be networking events in the beginning and in future we hope to provide themed events where companies or industry experts could present on specific travel-related topics. My goal is to help create partnerships between bloggers and travel professionals and to establish a strong online travel network in the city.

Why should people attend Travel Massive in your city? 

To meet-and-greet, have fun and create connections with French, English and Dutch online travel professionals. If you don’t happen to be in the city, you can still can connect with the Brussels community on our local Facebook Page.

Do you have any favourite go-to travel websites for Brussels?                     

Before moving to Brussels, I spent most of my time reading CheeseWeb, a blog started by a fellow Canadian, about expat life in Belgium. Brussels is also home to a number of foodie bloggers who write about their delicious Brussels (and Belgium) food finds in French, English and Dutch – they even have their own series of events called Brussels Food Friends. Some of my favorite blogs include Very Hungry Explorer, S Marks the Spot, and Wonderful Wanderings.   

So tell us, how do you like to travel?

I personally love slow travel where I can really take my time to enjoy everything that a specific place has to offer. I also love local travel where I can meet and get to know the locals of that area. I am a huge South American fan and I am absolutely in love with Buenos Aires.

What do you avoid when you travel? 

Snobby travelers and tourists that complain too much. My worst travel pet peeve when I was living in Chile was when I met people who complained Chileans didn’t speak English. Sometimes they would say things like “Well, in [inset Western country here] we don’t ….”  I always chuckle quietly to myself when I hear Chileans reply “Well you aren’t in [inset country here.]”

The point of travel is to go outside our normal comfort zones and experience something new and exciting. This also includes trying to deal with incredibly frustrating situations and language barriers. To me, that’s the best part of travel. Travel challenges us and it opens up our minds; even the tough situations teach us valuable life lessons. Personally, if people don’t have an open mind or joie de vivre then I tend to avoid them.  

What is the most important during your travels?

Becoming (as much as humanly possible) a local – eating the food, immersing in a new culture, learning the language, laughing too hard, dancing like no one is watching and forgetting all your worries.

Inspiring quote you live by?

Never let your fear dictate your decisions, just go!

Leader of the pack is a monthly series that profiles organizers from Travel Massive meet-ups around the world.