Jetset Diaries | Marija Krosnjar of Sportsanista

I’m welcoming April with a brand new monthly column, Jetset Diaries (JSD). This column has been in the pipeline for quite some time and I’m so excited to share it with you all! This series will be on the first Wednesday of every month and will feature women both locally in Chicago and globally! Some I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and others, I’ve simply admired from afar! These ladies are bloggers, entrepreneurs, creatives and all around amazing women that all share in the same pleasure of travel. My goal with this series is to make travel less daunting and more of a reality. Ideally, I’m hoping to stir up a serious case of wanderlust and inspire you to see the world! I would love it if you shared your own travel experiences and tips of your personal Jetset Diaries by tagging #JSDjetsetdiaries on social media!

For the very first Jetset Diaries, I couldn’t be happier to introduce to you Marija Krosnjar, editor and founder of Sportsanista! This Chicago local has got game, pun intended! Sportsanista is a platform for fashion trends, beauty tips and game-day fashion. Not to mention, her recent jaunts are giving me the travel bug! Sportsanista started as a platform to provide helpful insight on avoiding the dreaded fashion cliches of women who work in sports and I can’t get enough of her style. Marija works full-time in the sports industry and fuses her love of sports and fashion on her blog. I’ll let Marija take over from here!

1. What is one of your most memorable destinations or travel experiences?
   1. Hong Kong – I was enamored with its beauty and structure. I couldn’t help but think that it was equivalent to putting Manhattan on top of Hawaii. It was a modern city built in the tropics sprinkled with traditional Asian heritage. It was full of life and color, both day and night. It’s a destination I’d recommend to everyone!
2. What is your packing style? Any must have pieces you always take with you?
   1. Sometimes hectic and sometimes organized, but I’m always a heavy packer no matter what. To avoid feeling unprepared, I put together an intense packing list that notes my essentials, miscellaneous items and my looks during my trip. My looks are separated by day and night – I try to pack pieces that can be worn for both day and night to save me a few inches of space, or room for another pair of shoes. That all being said, I tend to over pack, but somehow utilize everything I bring
3. What’s still on your must-visit list?
   1. There so many amazing places to travel and see – I love experiencing new cultures. Currently, I have the following on my list – Fiji, The Maldives, Argentina/Peru, Russia.
4. How do you stay healthy while traveling?
   1. The key is to stay hydrated – traveling, no matter the distance, makes you dehydrated so it’s good to always have liquids available. I typically pack a couple tubes of Airborne – you can never been too safe! The last place you want to be sick is when you are on a trip! And the age old cure for anything – sleep. You must get lots and lots of sleep
5. What’s in your carry-on?
   1. I’m always worried about loosing my luggage so I make sure to pack all my toiletries, make-up and a change of clothes in my carry-on. After I have the essentials, I load up on toys – computer, iPad, Beats by Dre, snacks, magazines, books and anything else that will fit.
6. How far in advance do you plan your trips? What’s your process for researching, planning, etc?
   1. That depends on a number of situations, but I typically book 1-2 months out from the trip. Much of my travel will revolve around my work travels – It’s easy to piggyback off a European trip once you are already there. Anything within Europe is generally easy to put together in a short amount of time. I LOVE utilizing TripAdvisor for information on where to go, where to stay, what to do and where to eat – I find the reviews to be very accurate.
7. Have you purchased anything memorable on one of your trips? If so, what and from where?
   1. My boyfriend and I collect vintage maps from each country we have visited together, and since we have started dating we have accumulated quite a few maps. We then frame the maps and hang them on a wall in our condo. They are great talking pieces and hold such rich memories from our trips.
8. What resources do you use to research and plan your travel? ie: apps, books, websites, etc.
   1. Booking airfare – Kayak.com (they always have the best rates)
   2. Things to do, stay and eat – TripAdvisor.com (it’s a trust worthy source that I find to be very accurate)
   3. If the city I’m traveling to has a big public transit system, I typically download their transportation app.
   4. Rove – This is a great app that documents your day and files pictures. It helps build memories from your trip and tells you how far you walked, etc.
   5. Convert – this is a great currency conversion app!
   6. Uber – you never know where you are going to find an Uber so its always good to have handy. Uber also doesn’t charge you any international fees.
9. From saving before traveling to budgeting for spending money, how do you financially plan for a trip?
   1. I wish saving money was my forte, but it’s not. I try to set aside a couple hundred dollars a week leading up to the trip so that we have the spending freedom in cash – those conversion rates will get you! It’s hard to not buy things leading up to your trip, but you have to remind yourself of where you are going and the cool things you can buy when you get there!

Thanks so much to Marija for taking the time to share her favorite destinations and travel tips! I can’t wait to see where she’s off to next! For some serious fashion inspiration and wanderlust, make sure to follow along!

Stay tuned for who will be featured in next month’s Jetset Diaries! I hope you all enjoyed the new series and would love to hear your feedback! Xx