Travel Blogger in Romania | Episode #7: Dalene & Pete

Rolandia Travel

 

Now it's time to meet Dalene and Pete of Hecktic Travels. Born and raised in Canada, Dalene and Pete have been traveling 5 years, non-stop, making this a way of living. They were nominated Travelers of the year by National Geographic in 2014.

 

Interview with Dalene & Pete from Hecktic Travels:

 

1. How long have you been travelling for?

Since 2009, we have been travelling non-stop.

 

2. Are you a backpacker/long-term traveller/business traveller, or do you live and work abroad?

Long-term travelers for sure.

 

3. How many countries have you been to?

We've counted over 54 countries.

 

4. Quickfire questions:

Favourite season? Autumn.
Beach or mountain? Mountains, always!
Urban or rural? Rural.
Next destination on your list? Mexico because we have some intense taco cravings to satisfy!

 

5. How did Romania find its way on your list of destinations?

Honestly, it was pretty random. While we were in western Canada, we had some travel plans follow through with only a weeks notice! So, we spun the globe and just wanted to go somewhere we were intrigued by but had never been before. So…Romania was chosen!

 

6. Expectations vs. reality in Romania

We really came in with few expectations; we knew very little about the country. One thing that did surprise us though was how fast the internet is – we certainly didn’t expect it to be some of the fastest we’ve used in the world!

 

7. How was your experience with the traditional Romanian food?

We really enjoyed traditional Romanian food and even wrote about it. However, we felt like we didn’t get enough green vegetables while we were there!

 

8. How did the Romanian people seem to you?

We found Romanian people to be so incredibly friendly and warm. We had one very endearing weekend – spent with a family on a farm in Sinca Noua – that will always stand out as an exceptional experience for us. Such warmth and hospitality!

 

9. Regarding this, did you make any friends in Romania? Do you keep in touch with anybody from Romania?

We weren’t there long enough to make any solid friendships, but we did meet a lot of interesting people.

 

10. Do you have any funny travel stories from Romania?

During our weekend in Sinca Noua, the family we stayed with barely spoke any English at all. We fumbled through, mostly using Google Translate to talk to each other. During the second day with them, we realized that one of the daughters actually spoke Spanish, which we do as well! So here we were, two Canadians and a family of Romanians, communicating via a third language of Spanish!

 

11. Did you convince anyone to travel to Romania?

One couple we know of for sure followed our advice and went to Brasov – and I am sure there are more. We often get questions from readers about our time in Romania.

 

12. What is your least pleasant experience in Romania?

I honestly can’t think of one, we had a really pleasant time in Romania. So much so that we are eager to get back and explore some more.

 

13. Could you ever live in Romania?

In fact, we even wrote about how we could see ourselves living in Brasov!

 

14. Do you have any pieces of advice or tips for aspiring travellers?

For aspiring travelers on their way to Romania – we would advise them to take their time and visit not only the big cities but the off-the-beaten-path locations in Romania. There is so much to see! And also to take the time to get to know the locals, which will surely endear travelers to the country forever!

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