Jessica Donev

Jessica is the definition of Jack of all trades. When she wants to do something, she just does it. That's why Jessica is an event manager, professional dancer, trainer, content creator, speaker / presenter in training and much more. Having traveled the world a lot, she knows what's important when traveling and shares it with you here on TicketLens.

Home sweet home

Hello, it's me!

Hey! I'm Jessica Donev. My last name is from Bulgaria. My first name was given because my parents wanted anything but basic. Moreover, I have many relatives scattered all over the world who should all be able to pronounce my name.
Otherwise, people know me as the person who does everything. I'm a dancer, event manager, content creator for TicketLens and for various brands for which I make promotional videos. I'm also a singer, model, volunteer journalist for subtext.at, a member of the cultural association JunQ and I'm currently training to be a speaker. That's a lot, but I like to do a lot because otherwise it gets boring.

With my favorite work colleague in front of the Brandenburg Gate

Adventure from the start!

My relatives were the reason why we were never at home for long in the summer. I think that's how my passion for traveling began. As children, we spent every summer in search of adventure in Austria and the south of Hungary. The house near Dunapataj on the lake was full of children, the food from my distant relatives was delicious and the fun was huge. The language barrier was no problem for any of us and we often stayed longer than planned because none of us wanted to go home. One summer, when we had already been there for 4 weeks and were sad to be going home, we made a stopover with friends at Lake Balaton thanks to my spontaneous mom. Of course, like any normal Austrian family, we also went to the Adriatic, where I was sometimes allowed to celebrate my birthday at the end of the summer, or flew to Rhodes.

The beginning of the long journeys

My great-grandmother inspired me for the long journeys. She was the one who gave me my first trip to the USA. My great-grandmother, my grandmother, and I flew to my great-aunt in Michigan for 4 weeks. There, I was pampered by everyone, could enjoy the American lifestyle, went shopping in the biggest malls I have seen, and got every piece of Lizzy McGuire merch. The road trip to Canada was a highlight I will never forget. I experienced something similar a few years later with my sister, as our great-grandmother invited us to fly to one of my great-aunts in New Hampshire and live there for 4 weeks. I am very grateful to my great-grandmother, who is no longer with us!

Experiences are better than comfort

My family generally likes to travel, with ease and a lot. Luxury vacations were never really a topic. We grew up with adventures and had role models who moved to other countries to lead a better life. Like my grandparents, who moved to Greece in retirement to enjoy life. For me, traveling or moving was always an opportunity rather than a difficulty. Of course, this always meant leaving a part of oneself and a part of the family behind.

Free travels? I’m in!

I also chose my career so that I could experience a lot and be able to travel on the job. If you can’t afford the vacation yourself, you take a vacation on the job! As an event manager, I got to know Austria and Europe. Winter Games at Kitzsteinhorn, an iPad Rally in Prague, Geocaching in Barcelona, and Segway riding in Malaga are just a few highlights that I was able to experience during this time. And getting to know the food of different countries without having to pay for it was the cherry on top.

Life in London

The dream of being a dancer was rekindled on a third trip to the USA when I flew with my dance school to a convention in Orlando. Two years later, that dream brought me to London, where I was able to live for 2 years. I always knew that one day I would move away from Austria. How formative and successful this time would be, I could never have imagined. I found my community in London, got to know myself better, and was able to call the city of my dreams my home. As a freelancer in the event sector, I discovered many different corners of the city and know areas that many residents of London will probably never know.

As a Kolkata Knight Rider Cheerleader in the cricket stadium in India

As a dancer on the road

As a dancer, I went to countless auditions for cruise ships, Disneyland Paris, gigs, music videos, movies, crews, etc. After many ‘Nos’ but also some ‘Yeses’, my greatest success was my contract as a cheerleader in India for the Indian Premier League (Cricket), which I have now received twice. In 2019, I traveled with the Sunrisers Hyderabad through the subcontinent and in 2024 for the Kolkata Knight Riders. If you are interested in my journey as a dancer, feel free to follow me on Instagram, where you can see more!

On the way to the Dana Nature Reserve in Jordan

Normal job and more travel freedom

Since 2020, I have been living in Austria again and initially took on a ‘normal’ job because of Corona, which allowed me to undertake travels that I could never have done as a freelancer and dancer. These include spontaneous weekend trips to Budapest, climbing excursions to Gesäuse, hiking in Fiss, and a subsequent camping trip around Lake Garda or also our grand tour through Jordan. The Jordan trip will definitely be a highlight of my travel history forever!

With my sister at waterfalls in Carinthia

What the future brings

My next dream destinations are Thailand, Bali, and Mexico. Of course, London is always worth a trip, for dancing, visiting friends, and gaining new inspiration. Today, I enjoy being able to share my travels with my boyfriend and my family. The downsides of traveling were definitely that for a long time I couldn’t share my experiences with the people who are most important to me. Fortunately, I can do that now. And sometimes it doesn’t even have to go to other continents, but just to a campground on Lake Ossiacher.

As flexible as the sea

Traveling and me

I am many things - as a person, in my professional life, and when traveling. Currently, I am the type of traveler who prefers to plan everything in advance to make the most of the time. I believe this is also due to the fact that I am an event manager and a content creator at TicketLens, where I am allowed to research the best, most exciting, and most interesting travel attractions for you. I prefer to write about places or attractions that I have already experienced myself, as I love to pass on insider tips to you! Traveling means getting to know another world, another culture, stillness and movement, inspiration, motivation, experiences, and peace. I am like traveling is for me. The world is so colorful and beautiful, so we should be too with all our highs and lows.

Wordrap:

My favorite travel destination is … London
The best time to travel for me is … off-season and shoulder season
A place I would visit again and again is … London
My ultimate dream destination is … Mexico
The best food I have eaten was in … Sesimbra
I never travel without … sunscreen
My travel planning always starts with … deciding where I really want to go in the time available to me
My travel motto is … better planned than missed
My biggest adventure so far was … driving over 52 bridges to Key West
The most beautiful sunset was in … Jordan at the Dead Sea
Traveling for me means … experiencing adventures, learning new things, and gathering experiences
The best beach I have ever visited is … Stomeo Bay near Kyparissia
My favorite travel guide is … TicketLens ;)
I always collect on trips … memories and photos
A country that completely surprised me is … Jordan
The friendliest people I have met were in … London
A book that accompanies me on my travels is … my Kindle, I never read anything twice
The most comfortable flight I had was with … Emirates
The most exciting means of transport I have used was … a TukTuk in India
A destination I would recommend to everyone is … Jordan
The most exciting market I visited was in … Kolkata
My best travel bargain was … the pants and jewelry from the market in Mumbai

Language

English

Currency