Well Wandered
Travel Tips & Wanderlust with Ioana Todosia of Comuna Travel
Cuba is by far one of our most treasured travel experiences, but in saying that, it’s definitely not the easiest country to travel. I remember one experience when we were at the infamous ice-creamery Parque Coppelia; we waited in line and were finally seated after around fifteen minutes. Just as we placed our order it began to rain! In true Cuba-style, everyone stopped working, staring at us from undercover as they ate endless bowls of ice cream to pass the time. It was just one of the many wonderful quirks of Cuba.
Looking through your highlighted Cuba stories, I love that you offer real experiences that you wouldn’t normally get to see in a country that is so allusive. How did you come to know Cuba so well?
Cuba definitely isn’t the easiest country to travel in, for many reasons, and it can be difficult to really get underneath the surface of it and experience the real culture and modern reality of those who call it home. It can be a huge tourist trap, and I know that for many, this, unfortunately, is their experience in Cuba. But there is another, incredibly rich, passionate, welcoming, kind and inspiring side to it. The REAL side of Cuba that isn’t manufactured for mass-tourism. I first went to Cuba in March 2017 and it was the first time in my lifetime of travelling where I experienced such an extreme separation between the local reality and the tourist reality as soon as I landed in Havana. I thought, there has to be more to the culture than what I’m seeing on the surface level. By chance, I met a local couple on my first evening in Havana that confirmed exactly what I was experiencing and thinking. They were very open and talked about how they wished that tourists would take more time to speak to locals and find out their reality and real culture, because what they (most tourists) experienced wasn’t really it, but rather a fantasy of what they want Cuba to be to them (aka the old cars, crumbling buildings and bona vista social club). This first experience in Cuba is what made the wheels start turning on the travel industry and cultural management in general, and ultimately inspired me to start Comuna. Cuba was the no-brainer first destination to focus on. When I was planning for my first scouting trip, I spent hours on hours researching, reaching out to interesting projects I came across, used instagram to my advantage, and put myself out there by getting in touch with people locally about the plans I had and this different approach to travel. I was lucky (and sometimes it still feels like fate) that I was able to connect to some incredible young creatives, visionaries and projects very early on when I first scouted in Havana who connected with what I wanted to do. I’ve put my open heart and soul into every interaction and collaboration throughout growing Comuna, and I think people see that and connect with it and reciprocate, allowing the experience to be as current and authentic and organically immersive as possible. These places that I work in have become like homes to me and every person I collaborate with locally has become like family. I whole-heartedly believe in what they are doing, and vice versa.
Why do you think it is so important for people to connect with a culture when they travel?
There’s this quote that I came across in a book of lectures by Ryszard Kapúscinski, a Polish journalist, photographer and writer, that I feel answers this question really well. It also allows you to think more about why and how you travel, as well as your individual roles within this exchange. He says,
“A journey is a challenge and an effort, involving hard work and dedication; it is a difficult task, an ambitious project to accomplish. As we travel, we can feel that something important is happening, that we are taking part in something of which we are at once both witnesses and creators, that there is a duty incumbent upon us, and that we are responsible for something. And in fact, we are responsible for the road we are travelling.”
I think that to travel is to connect with and be moved by the people, places, challenges, beauty, and a multitude of layers that make up the current culture of where you are exploring.
Otherwise, you’re just a spectator and consumer of a surface level experience of that place. Travelling isn’t about consumption, it’s a reciprocal exchange anchored by mutual respect. The side that we are responsible for as travellers is our openness to understand a different reality and making sure that our presence, engagement and local investment of our travel spending is going towards a place that contributes positively towards a particular culture being able to continue evolving in a sustainable way for future generations. Without truly connecting with the local culture in some way, it’s not possible to achieve that. I truly believe that open-hearted curiosity and meaningful human connection transcend cultural divides and this is at the heart of travel for me and for Comuna.
What are your tips for travellers wanting to immerse themselves in a culture within a short time frame?
This is a great question because I think people, in general, believe that in order to truly immerse themselves and connect with a different culture that a long amount of time is needed and a ton of effort. But that’s not the case at all. All of our Comuna trips are pretty short, between 5-10 days. When it comes to travel, like most things, it’s about quality nor quantity. What determines a surface level tourism experience from an immersive cultural experience where you come away from it with a different perspective, having been challenged a bit, feeling highly connected, and ultimately energised and inspired from it all, is the openness with which we go into that experience.
Allow yourself to step outside of that pesky comfort zone and learn a few phrases in the local language to start a conversation with a local even if you sound terrible.
Do a bit of research ahead of time and learn the local customs.
Reach out to someone you’ve been following for a long time in a certain place you know you will be travelling to and let them know you’d like to meet up.
Choose local home-stays and guesthouses over big multinational hotel chains.
Support small local businesses and entrepreneurs and strike up a conversation with them when visiting their shops or studios.
Eat at local eateries and get to know the chef and owners.
Chat with your Uber/taxi driver and ask where their personal favourite places are in their city.
Look for local shows, artists and musicians to support while in town. Basically, my number one advice is to not be afraid to connect openly with others.
We are all human, and all looking for more real connections in our lives no matter what cultural divides, languages, or borders seem to separate us. I don’t think anyone ever walked away from an impromptu but authentically open exchange (even if it’s in broken communication) thinking, “wow, I really wish that never happened.”
How do you research a new destination?
I studied social and political sciences in University, and have always loved research, so I kind of approach what I do with Comuna from this mindset. I always start off with online research, saving articles from independent publications, using social media to my advantage to find interesting local projects, businesses, and creative entrepreneurs who I might want to connect with when I go scouting on the ground. Once I arrive in a new destination to scout it for the first time, I already have a very good idea of who I want to meet, what I want to experience, etc. but I also allow myself the freedom to go with the flow and have my itinerary completely change depending on who I meet, their recommendations and what I’m experiencing so I don’t become totally driven by my own bias. I never see a destination as being complete because cultural realities are ever-evolving and that’s something that I put a lot of focus on conveying through the Comuna experience. Although our journeys have a structure around particular places, local projects and collaborators, no two journeys are ever the same experience-wise. There might be a street party in Havana we come across, a birthday party of a local host we are invited to, a pop-up event, local festival, etc. that calls for spontaneity and a flexible itinerary. Also, it’s very common that our collaborators are like, you know what, we want to focus on something else this time, are you okay with that? And I always encourage it, because at the end of the day they are the best ones to show the best reality of their own culture. So, even on trips, having the ability to take advantage of unexpected moments is really important because every single interaction and experience is a type of research, participant observation, inspiration and opportunity to learn more and evolve. Comuna is an evolving project centred around cultural management through sustainable tourism, so naturally, our research is ever-evolving as well.
What inspired your love of travel?
I’m a first-generation Canadian and immigrated to Canada at 4.5 years old from Romania. I feel really lucky to have been shipped back to Romania constantly when I was growing up to spend my summers among isolated villages in the Carpathian Mountains and travelling around Europe to visit family that had relocated to other countries. My travel experiences have always been tied to the local reality of life lived wherever I’ve visited from a very young age. I’ve also spent the majority of my life in cross-cultural environments – from a decade-long career in hospitality to my own experiences growing up inside immigrant communities and navigating a dual-culture identity. All of it has cultivated in me this really strong sense of appreciation and curiosity for other cultures and the ability to easily immerse myself in them as well. It feels like something that has always been a part of me – to explore, dig deep underneath the surface, and seek out the unknowns wherever I am.
Luke can’t go anywhere without his eye mask and gel earplugs! And I take my yoga mat everywhere with me. What 5 essentials do you take with you on every trip?
Electrolytes to fight inner dehydration and Hyuloronic Acid to keep my skin hydrated in different environments.
Probiotics to keep the system happy while in a new environment and indulging in different cuisines.
Earplugs to make sure I stay rested during packed schedules and in loud environments.
A Turkish towel that doubles as a shawl, beach towel, picnic sheet, and aeroplane blanket.
A notebook, my camera, and most recently an audio recorder to document what I’m experiencing in different ways.
What is your most treasured overseas purchase?
I don’t buy a lot when I travel and am a pretty light traveller in general – I haven’t checked a bag in almost 2 years. I do always bring back something small like an artisan-crafted treasure or something I can share with friends and family at home like local honey, spirits, or other things I can’t find at home. I also have a pretty ridiculous rock collection that I’ve moved cities with. However, I’ve always wanted a big, beautiful rug with a story and have never taken the leap to lug one all the way back home. Until now! This August, I was scouting in Georgia and came across an incredible 100+-year-old Georgian kilim that was part of a dowry chest. Having just made a new home in Montreal in the past year, this is the first big purchase I’ve made since and am pretty excited to bring it home and continue its story.
You’ve spent a lot of time travelling solo, which I personally think everyone should try at least once in their life. But I know many people; females in particular, are concerned about the dangers of travelling alone. What are your tips for travelling safely as a solo female traveller?
I agree! Having a travel experience on your own can be life-changing. I know it has been many times over for me. The majority of our travellers happen to be women, actually, which is something that I’ve come to think about a lot.
My number one advice is always to stay open while travelling so that you can listen to and trust your instincts and intuition. I think that if you go into travel closed off and afraid, then you’ll have a harder time listening to your instincts and you’ll also miss out on opportunities to connect with people. If something about a place or interaction with someone doesn’t feel right, it most likely isn’t, so listen to those initial gut feelings that help us judge our environments. They aren’t just paranoia or silly feelings, they exist within every individual to help protect us in unfamiliar environments. There’s a big difference between being open as a traveller and allowing the space to connect with locals when the opportunity comes up, and interactions with locals or other travellers that just not feeling right.
Even though I’d say I’m a seasoned solo female traveller at this point, I still use quite a lot of things to my advantage when travelling to feel safe and avoid any unwanted experiences. A lot of that being technology, like using ride-share apps to get around whenever possible and avoid dealing with scams. I use an unlocked phone and always have a local SIM card so I’m not dependent on wifi to get in touch with people.
Also, travelling in a group setting as a solo traveller is one of the best ways to experience everything that travelling on your own has to offer but with the security and company of others. In my earlier days of travelling solo, I stayed at hostels where I’d meet other travellers right away and we would go do things together, especially nightlife. This gave me a lot of confidence along with the freedom of being on my own. Group travel, like what we create with Comuna experiences, is a great way to travel solo, not have to wait around for your significant other, best friend, family, etc. to commit to a trip, and you get to explore a new culture on your own but not completely alone. There is something very special and beautiful about having others around to unpack what you’re experiencing and connect with one another in different ways through the shared experience of travel.
Who is the most interesting person you’ve sat next to on a plane/bus/boat?
I really think that anyone you take the chance to have an intimate conversation with will have an interesting story. I’ve had some pretty crazy encounters, wandered around Havana with A-list movie stars by pure chance, shared a plane with the Italian National Soccer Team, and be-friended who I’m pretty positive was a spy in Turkey. But, there’s one particular experience from my travels that really taught me the importance of listening to and giving people the opportunity to tell their own stories. In 2016, I joined a volunteer trip to Greece during the beginnings of a global refugee crisis. I can’t say that I feel like my presence as a volunteer at the time made a huge impact. However, the most eye-opening part of my few weeks there and what seemed to mean the most to people I met was the simple act of connecting with another human being who wasn’t in their situation and having their stories and individual journeys heard. This was at a time when the media and governments were painting all refugees with the same negative brushstroke, and continue to do so today in an alarming way. This experience solidified that we all have much more in common than we realize or are led to believe. That by giving people space, freedom and respect to tell their own stories, they are given an invaluable gift of dignity and hope for the future during very trying moments. That there is nothing that separates us from “the other” except for our own ingrained misperceptions. Most of all, I learned the importance of cultural exchange and integration. When we open ourselves and our societies and communities, as opposed to closing them off, we benefit everyone. This isn’t just in the case of immigrants, but within the layers of our existing communities as well. This is something that I’m always keeping front of mind with Comuna as well and the way that we collaborate with local projects and people. They’re in control of the story they want to tell of their reality and culture, not the other way around, and I think this is really important in how we approach not only travel, but life as well, within our diverse communities at home.
What does sustainable travel mean to you and how can people incorporate this into their next trip?
Sustainable travel to Comuna means being a responsible and conscious traveller. We’re all part of the same global community, and I believe that we each hold a responsibility as part of this very global generation towards protecting one another's unique cultures, lands, and traditions in a sustainable way. Sustainable how? By engaging as much and as widely as possible on a grassroots level which I see as every dollar spent and every exchange created so that our presence leaves a positive impact on all sides of the travel experience. Through Comuna experiences, in particular, we work hard to promote the development and preservation of local creative culture, both contemporary and traditional, and also to support social and ecological conservation projects. We do this by collaborating with inspiring locals working towards preserving and enhancing their cultures through varying creative, entrepreneurial and sustainable projects while making sure that our travel dollars are spent strategically so that they stay in the local economy.
Outside of our personal experience with travel, it also allows for a very important and impactful exchange of ideas, culture, capital and services. Becoming a more sustainable and responsible traveller all starts with cultivating a more conscious mindset towards how and why we travel. The tourism industry is one of the biggest industries worldwide and the livelihood of the majority people in developing economies. But, the money isn’t distributed as evenly as you might think. For every $100 that a Western tourist spends in a developing economy, only about $5 stays in the hands of locals. With over-tourism being such a big problem in so many destinations, simple acts of conscious spending and exchanges make a big difference.
Next time you plan a trip, ask yourself where and how you’re spending your tourism dollars and what it supports. Are you shopping at Zara and other big brand names or at the boutique shop of a local designer, artisan market or flea market? Are you staying at a big international hotel chain or at a family-owned B&B or eco-lodge? Are you just sticking to the major tourist cities or travelling outside to smaller communities? Are you travelling at the same time as everyone else and contributing to the wear and tear of local infrastructure, or could you be planning your trip during the off-season so your presence isn’t felt as negatively? Are you consuming bottled water or travelling with a BPA-Free water bottle that you can refill whenever clean filtered tap water is available?
What are your favourite podcasts or albums to listen to on long trips?
Comuna Sound Sessions Spotify playlists that I curate for each destination :) I think music is such a big window into any culture, so these playlists are constantly evolving as I come across more interesting local music and artists from the regions we travel to.
Some podcasts in general that I love listening to while travelling are On Being, Kerning Cultures, and The Trip by Roads & Kingdoms.
What has travel taught you?
Oh wow, so much. Travel has been a school in itself for me, much like it is for everyone else. It’s taught me what ethical and sustainable cultural management means by approaching travel through an anthropology lens. It’s taught me about environmental conservation and how dire the global need is for a serious and immediate overhaul of our institutions and corporate systems. Travel has been the wisest philosopher. Teaching me how interconnected we all are across cultures, borders, continents and oceans. It calls on the traveller to take more responsibility for our collective home. Challenges one to constantly honour the changes and challenges in our inner worlds as we explore the outer world. It’s personally taught me how to become more resilient, patient, open and understanding in my everyday life. To call out my own bias and listen without judgement. And possibly one of the most important teachings for me has been to have honest, difficult and progressive conversations with others. Something that I think is more needed today, living in our individual echo-chambers, than ever before.
I know there will be many, but straight off the top of your head can you share with us a treasured travel memory.
I think it has to be the one that I mentioned in the first question, about being pulled out of Havana’s heavy tourist circuit my first time there by chance of meeting that local Cuban couple. They spoke so openly to me, a complete stranger, about how they felt about tourism and how they wished that travellers would try harder to get to know the reality of their culture. That conversation sparked in me questions that inspired this entire journey with Comuna. They’re questions that I continuously ask myself as this project grows and evolves, and they keep me accountable as a business owner with every decision I make. It was a simple, but so very honest and open conversation. It’s wild for me to also think about how they’ll never know what a big impact they made on me personally and the ripple effect it started. Sadly, we parted ways that night just as quickly as the conversation happened. So, there’s a big lesson in there I think, that one small action can have a significant impact in ways we can never know.
What are you top 5 travel tips?
Be Open
Be Kind
Be Curious
Be Respectful
Be Conscious