An over-worked, over-shopped, and over-partied finance professional decides to break out of the routine and pursue her life long dream to see the World.  That would be me!

In October 2007, I took a backpack and a camera and set off on a trip around the world, to experience extremes of temperatures, altitudes, cultures, and the weightless state of living nowhere and being nothing else but myself.

It was the best thing I've done, a life-long dream come true and an opportunity to learn more about the World and about myself. Time to relax. I left all my ambitions, plans and projects behind. All, except one - to help girls less fortunate in lands less wealthy to go school and break out of the cycle of poverty through education, so they, like me can one day make their dreams come true.  

More about 100 Girls Back to School Appeal

The Unexpected Benefits of Philanthropy

Or why saving the World is more exciting than buying shoes

Throwing a bunch of spare coins into a beggar’s hat is not a philanthropy  – it is a charitable gesture without any long term consequences, a ticket out of a guilt trip. Philanthropy is the conscious effort you make to financially support a cause that you are truly passionate about. There are plenty of causes out there – cancer research, greener planet, saving endangered species, helping war refugees – whatever rocks your boat.

For the past ten years I went from a broke, sleep deprived student, through over worked finance associate on the brink of nervous break down to a well paid professional with a decent life-work balance. I was so focused on my career that I haven’t noticed the change - the closer I was getting to my financial goals, the less important they seemed. I woke up one Sunday morning and realized that financial success alone will not make me happy. Not that I was unhappy, it just didn’t feel exiting anymore. Even the usual shopping therapy wasn’t working. It was time to change something.

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In the media:

Interview with an Alien:) (in Bulgarian and English)

Click on the TV on the splash page (Kloug TV), then on the video with the little british flag on it (Arownd the World for Room To Read) 

ТV: 

NOVA TV - The Hour of Milen Tzvetkov (in Bulgarian)

ТV7: Part I / Part II (in BG)

VTV: "Trip around the World" Part I / Part II (in BG)

Radio: 

Bulgarian National Radio - A matter of personal choice (in BG)

DARIK Radio - The Words (in BG)

Magazines:

Programata: The long walk (in English)

Bulgaria Air inflight magazine: One world is enough (in English)

Kapital LIGHT: One Year Around the Wold (in BG)

Vokrug Sveta: Black, white, multi color (the bulgarian expedition to Brazil (in BG)

Tema: Around the world (in BG)

Women's magazines:) 

Elle: The travel bug (in BG)

Cosmopolitan: With a smile (in BG)

Madame Figaro: Follow your dreams (in BG)

Amica: Viktoria Orizarska (in BG)

Newspapers: 

24 Hours: Around the world... (in BG)

Novinar: How one finance professional left her job in London to ... (in BG)

Dnevnik: Fraday meeting (in BG)