“Half the group – with tears in their eyes”. Belarusian woman organizes unusual journeys – from whale watching to safaris

“I only truly relaxed in my travels”

Katsiaryna worked in Belarus in the field of category and brand management. She earned good money but did not feel satisfied with her work.

“There was money, but no feeling of life in life, no energy. I only relaxed a bit during my travels,” she recalls.

Katsiaryna quit her job and launched the project "Coffee with a Traveler": she organized meetings in Minsk, and later, together with a partner, trips to Iceland. She gathered groups, and her partner accompanied the tourists. The pandemic halted the project for several years.

Павялічыць

In 2021, the girl received a job offer from a Ukrainian-Danish company and moved to Kyiv. After the start of the full-scale war, she moved to Gdańsk, where she soon met a Pole named Wojtek.

Later, Katsiaryna was made redundant from the company. Knowing about her love for travel and experience in organizing trips, Wojtek suggested reviving the project. He himself manages a sewing business and works as a recruitment manager. He promised to support Katsiaryna financially for as long as needed so she could launch her own business.

“This played a key role in me going for it. Because when your back is covered, you can give it a try,” says Katsiaryna.

Now, Katsiaryna handles most organizational matters herself, while Wojtek helps during trips: he drives, deals with cars, and advises on how to resolve difficult situations with group members.

Павялічыць

To Africa — for almost 4 thousand euros

Katsiaryna posted information on social media — and a group for the Lofoten Islands in Norway filled up almost immediately. This was thanks to the audience she still had from the time of her Belarusian project.

Currently, Katsiaryna organizes trips to Iceland, Norway, and Africa. In Iceland, tourists can see waterfalls and glaciers or drive around the entire island. And for the summer of 2027, she plans a trip to the wild central part of the country, accessible by off-road vehicles capable of fording rivers.

In Africa — South Africa and Namibia — the program is different: safaris, walks with cheetahs, kayaking with seals, and sandboarding down dunes. Katsiaryna explains that a trip to Africa is expensive — 3800 euros without airfare — and clients “want to get the maximum”.

Павялічыць

“Touching something very precious and important”

Katsiaryna's special love is whales. She tries to include whale watching in her trips, although this excursion is optional for tourists.

“Half the group typically has tears in their eyes. These are very vivid emotions, hard to compare with anything else. Something childlike, deep, a touching of something very precious and important,” she recounts.

Павялічыць

In Iceland, tourists go whale watching on boats. Katsiaryna prefers small boats, for about 12 people. An excursion on a large vessel costs around 80-90 euros, while on a small one it's about 150 euros. But, according to her, the impressions are worth the extra cost.

“People look at Instagram and imagine how they will see a whale, but in reality, it looks simpler. Usually, only the back and tail are visible; very rarely does it wave a fin,” the girl explains.

From a small boat, the animal can be seen closer. Once, a whale surfaced right next to the group. But it's impossible to predict where it will appear – 30 or 200 meters from tourists.

Katsiaryna takes people on such excursions not only for the impressions. She has long been concerned about whaling, which is still carried out in some countries, including Iceland, Norway, and Japan.

Katsiaryna reasons this way: if observing live whales brings countries more money than hunting them, authorities will have an additional argument to abandon whaling. Therefore, she tries to interest tourists in such excursions.

Katsiaryna also supports organizations that protect whales: she transfers donations to them, signs petitions, and monitors their activities. The girl would even like to work for one of them if a suitable vacancy appears.

Recently, she released hoodies with whale images, hoping to direct more money towards their protection. However, sales haven't taken off yet.

Павялічыць

“I cannot contribute to popularizing this madness”

Katsiaryna dreams not only of observing whales from a boat but also of one day swimming alongside them in open water. She even planned to organize such a trip to Mauritius but abandoned the idea when she learned that swimming with whales there is officially prohibited. Tourists are still taken to the animals there, circumventing the rules. And they jump into the water in large groups near sperm whales, disturbing them.

“I cannot contribute to popularizing this madness,” Katsiaryna explains.

The girl acknowledges that any swimming near whales can disturb the animals. However, according to her, there are destinations where organizers at least try to limit the number of tourists and control the distance to the whales. She would like to find such an option for herself.

For a deep immersion next to whales, serious preparation is needed: one has to dive while holding their breath, without scuba gear. Katsiaryna tells about a girl from her group who had already been diving and swimming with whales. Only during the third dive was she able to overcome her excitement and truly enjoy what was happening.

How safe is it? Katsiaryna considers whales to be peaceful animals but admits that they could accidentally injure a person.

“We turned around — and the place where we had just stood was gone”

Behind the beautiful travel photos also hide dangerous situations. Iceland can be especially unpredictable. The winds there are so strong that once a gust damaged a car door, and another time they literally had to crawl — it was impossible to walk. And once a snow cornice, which the group had climbed to photograph a waterfall, collapsed just as the tourists managed to move away.

“There was a rumble. We turned around — and the place where we had stood was gone. That was a moment of total realization of Iceland's wildness and danger,” says Katsiaryna.

Katsiaryna tries not to plan trips to Iceland from September to the end of May, but even in summer, tourists often underestimate the local nature. Therefore, she sometimes has to strictly stop group members and explain why they cannot go further.

Not a dream job

Organizing trips requires a lot of preparation. For example, Katsiaryna helps tourists apply for visas. According to her, obtaining an e-visa for South Africa can be especially unpredictable. Some clients received it on the first try, others on the fifth.

For participants, Katsiaryna prepares detailed instructions: about insurance, vaccinations, and malaria risks. The decision regarding vaccination is made by each person independently.

Accompanying tourists is not a vacation but work. The organizer must control all issues and bear responsibility for the participants. Katsiaryna believes that not all organizers of group trips fully realize the responsibility they undertake and are sometimes unprepared for emergency situations.

The girl admits that it is not always easy for her either, and ironically notes that it is “not a dream job.” But it is precisely this that makes her prepare more thoroughly for trips every time.

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