As a young solo traveler, whenever I plan my next trip I somehow always end up focusing on big names on the map, such as London, Stockholm or some other capital city promoted on the Internet.I don't know how other travelers think, but I don't know if the small Village of Sapanta  in the north of Romania(http://www.romanianmonasteries.org/maramures/sapanta) is somehwere on their travel list.Or the small town of Medjugorje in Bosnia&Herzegovina.

 

 Before turning 18 ,I went on many roadtrips with my father in my Country ,Romania, and got to see almost all it has to offer.Yes,Romania is one of the ex-communist countries of Eastern Europe.And yes,it is behind Western Europe and the U.S. in many aspects.But what I have noticed in the small,poor villages I passed through were the tourists who realized that having a good holiday doesn't mean going to Paris. There were not as many as I wished there were but I think that Romania is slowly  progressing now that Tourism is present.

 

 Right now, Medjugorje comes to mind.For non- religious people,it might mean nothing but it sure shows what tourism can do over time.The village from the 1980s is now a very touristic town, with loads of religious and non-religious objects for sale  but also locally produced fruits,vegetables and wine. The local farmers  seemed content  and the competition between them and the people selling key chains,pens and mugs seemed  more fair. When I returned back home,my old high school classmates laughed at me for going to Bosnia and later on, adults sometimes asked, to my surprise “Bosnia? Did you see any land mines?”.

 

Medjugorje ,1981(Source:http://genesmusings-gene.blogspot.de)

 

 Medjugorje today(Source:Adriamark)

 

I am very thankful to live in a country that has visibly changed since I was a child and to see these changes myself.The region I live in is probably the most touristic area of my country thanks to  the legend of Dracula.I have met many people who came here as tourists and I've witnessed the city turn more and more beautiful so I  can safely say that tourism has brought good changes in my life and the life of the community.



 

I am also very fortunate to be able to compare                     

Vienna,London,Helsinki and Venice to small ,thriving communities such as Colmar,Medjugorje,Rupea and many others. As I'm sitting here on a couch in Singen,Germany ,I'm contemplating the huge turistic potential of the Bodensee area and thinking of my upcomming trip in Eastern Asia or Mexico.