Theresia Clara is a travel and finance blogger who believes that everyone can travel the world while still being financially responsible. She is currently working in Kuala Lumpur as an SEO Executive. Read more about her travel stories at agirlnamedclara.com.
Visiting abroad to places like the Netherlands On A Shoe-String Budget is possible, shares our travel blogger who traversed the globe in search of seeking the best cheeses, among others
Thanks to the Millennials, the generation I belong to – the travel industry has experienced a surge of rapid growth from time to time. Is it for the “likes” and “followers” of is due to a Fear of Losing Out (FOMO)?
As much as I love taking photos, travelling to me is all about collecting memories rather than more “likes” or “hearts”. Being a Millennial who hails from a humble family, I see no point in working hard and saving money to buy a car when I can use public transportation or Grab. Or investing in a luxury bag that I would use only on the weekends.
Like Tony Robbins wrote in “Money: Master the Game” book, we should also invest in something that we love to do, something that makes us happy to drive us to earn more money. To me, that means sampling a variety of Gouda cheese varieties in the Netherlands or witnessing a crab migration in Cuba. After working seven days a week and sticking to my monthly budget for almost two years, it was finally time to embark on a 12-day Italy tour and an 18-day Northern Europe plus Russia tour in 2017. The following year, I even managed to go to Cuba for 15 days.
Speaking of Europe, I always recall fondly that one fine morning in Amsterdam when the tour bus stopped at Clara Maria Cheese Farm and Clog Factory. Wow, I didn’t know that “I” had such a big farm in the Netherlands – my name being Clara! Clara – the owner – and her husband, personally took us around for a tour of the Clara Maria
Cheese Farm and Clog Factory. Not only did they show us the intricate processes of making cheese from scratch – but they also demonstrated to our group how to create traditional Dutch clogs.
That was the first time I saw and touched a giant Gouda cheese. And, it didn’t stop there. They even let us sample a variety of Gouda cheeses! Clara Maria cheeses are special because of the additional ingredients and herbs infused into the cheeses. Some of their yummy specialties are chili cheese, garlic & chive cheese, Italian-herb cheese, ginger cheese, nettle cheese and truffle cheese.
I just had my breakfast before arriving but when in the Netherlands, there will always be room for cheese – especially high quality cheeses like Clara Maria’s!
Feeling happy after sampling the cheeses, I went outside for a short walk while waiting for the rest of the group to finish their shopping. Not far away from the cheese farm, I came across a beautiful lake with a small cottage in the middle which was surrounded by flowers.
The scenery was so beautiful. Therefore, I decided to truly embrace the moment and went closer to smell the flowers.
I didn’t remember when was the last time I stopped to smell flowers in Kuala Lumpur. But after that day, whenever I see flowers on the street, I will take the chance to drop everything to smell the flowers.
No video, photograph or article can match the real-life experiences of travelling. It is something that cannot be taken away from you – something that you carry forever with you.
Sure, I feel happy when I receive many “likes” and “hearts” for my travel photographs. But, nothing beats the feeling of contentment when I look at my past travel photos during the Covid-19 social distancing implementation.