Anka Śmietanka on Life in Denmark, a Trip to Podlasie, and Travel Safety in 2021

Anna Małysa is a freelancer, travel enthusiast, and organizer of her own original trips - wine retreats. Some of you may know her as a student in Denmark traveling the world under the name @ankasmietanka, and others as a participant in the wild show “Ameryka Express”. We asked Anna which places are special to her, where she likes to travel in Poland, and above all, what safe travel means to her!

WINGS: Hi Ania! We’re glad you agreed to tell us about how you travel and what challenges you faced over the past year as a fan of long-distance trips. But first, we’d like to know which place during your travels left the strongest impression on you?

Anna Malysa: Thank you very much for the invitation! I think each of my trips is special in its own way and leaves some kind of mark. However, if I had to choose one trip, it would definitely be Myanmar, which I visited in January 2020, just before the pandemic broke out. It was there that I decided to do a 10-day Vipassana, a silent meditation retreat at a Buddhist center.

W: How did the idea of studying in Denmark come about? What is the main difference you notice between life there and in Poland?

AM: Since the beginning of high school, I felt I wanted to study abroad. Studies in Denmark are often in English, which is why I chose that country. As for differences between Denmark and Poland, there are certainly many, including the fact that Danes are not spontaneous at all and you have to plan meetings at least a week in advance. Also, I think the work culture is completely different; Poles work a lot, often under pressure, which leads to high stress. Danish companies, on the other hand, place great emphasis on work comfort and ensuring employees are not stressed, which could lead to burnout.

W: Watching your social media, it’s easy to see that you often travel with a backpack. However, we know that traveling with a suitcase greatly affects comfort during the trip. What advantages do you notice?

AM: Of course, the fact that you have to carry the backpack on your back and thus strongly limit the weight of your luggage. Also, I think that traveling with a suitcase makes it easier to keep your luggage organized, and I roll my clothes, so I don’t have to iron them later, whereas in a backpack everything is compressed.

W: We have to ask. Did our suitcases meet your expectations? :)

AM: To be honest, your suitcases exceeded my expectations and I don’t know how I’ll go back to a backpack ;)

W: How do you think the pandemic affected traveling in Poland? Do you think we only now started to appreciate the beauty of our country?

AM: I don’t know if we only now started to appreciate the beauty of our country, because for example, I never doubted that Poland is a beautiful and diverse country with a lot to offer. However, I always preferred to see something completely different, experience a foreign culture, or try new flavors. Thanks to the pandemic (if I may say so), local sightseeing was the only option, and I’m very happy about that.

W: We know that in Poland you organized several trips to a winery near Wrocław and closer to us, in the Suwałki region. We already asked you about differences between Poland and Denmark, now it’s time for two opposite regions of Poland. Did any differences in nature or the temperament of people stand out to you?

AM: First, I want to say that I am simply enchanted by the Suwałki region! One difference I immediately noticed is definitely the landscape. Suwałki is a bit wilder and calmer. Lower Silesia feels much more densely populated. On a more mundane note, the residents of Suwałki tend to draw out their speech and many people speak with a distinctive accent.

W: Finally, let’s try to look at the pandemic more kindly. Maybe it was thanks to it that you discovered places you hadn’t had the chance to visit before?

AM: Definitely! “Thanks to” the pandemic, for example, I visited the Suwałki region, and in Denmark, I went on a bike trip to Bornholm twice. I had been postponing it for years before.

W: Are trips in Poland your furthest travels this summer?

AM: I don’t have any specific plans for this summer yet; for now, I plan to spend it in Copenhagen working on my ebook, but since I like to be spontaneous, that could change at any moment.

W: Great to hear. We hope this is just a preview of more trips you will take :) We wish you safe travels and thank you for the interview.

AM: Thank you very much!

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WINGS is a brand that breathes travel, which is why this year our goal is to promote safe travel. The interview with Anna Malysa (@ankasmietanka) is the first of planned publications dedicated to responsible trips. We also conduct our activities on other communication channels, for example on Facebook, where we organized a contest during which several dozen of our followers answered a very important question: "How do you ensure your holidays are safe?". Follow us to stay updated.