Hi! I'm Elena! Welcome to my travel blog Creativelena.com.
For me, it is all about “life-seeing instead of sightseeing”: Join me as I create, eat & live my way around the world. Curious?
*Check out my book, “The Creative Traveler’s Handbook”, for learning more about what we mean by creative travel. Travelling means the world to me, makes me fit for everday life and sometimes, I trust, also calmer on the inside. Read this blog with a smile, share what you love and remember to check back regularly: After all, when was the last time you did something for the first time?
Just amazing: It feels like watching one of the seven (or was it eight?) wonders of this world. This canyon, with all its colours & shapes, is a landscape truly unique – even the Grand Canyon is, in my memory, dwarfed by this majestic view of “La Quebrada” in Argentina. 10 years ago, it has […]
One day after my horse riding experiencing with the Gaucho Facundo in the local community Nirihuau, Analia Garcia who is employed by the local ministry of agriculture offers me to join her for one day of work with the network of families “Red Argentina de Turismo Rural Comunitario” (RATuRC). What an opportunity! Hailing from an international […]
Thank you again, dear team at ANDA Travel! Thanks to your research and contacts I finally became involved with the Argentinian network of community-based tourism, or „Red Argentina de Turismo Rural Comunitario“ (RATuRC). This network presents a total of 26 rural communities with families wishing to share their customs, lifestyle and traditions with visitors from all […]
“Eating Calafate berries means you are going to come back.” That’s what Argentinians like to tell me. Well, I hope so! In any case, I have not come to the small town of El Calafate in order to taste its bittersweet origins, but to marvel at one of the most incredible natural monuments of our […]
Ok. I will not say I am the most knowledgeable, passionate or enduring hiker. But this trek made me smile. Right through. Blisters, trembling knees, screaming toes, stinging sunshine & tears with laughter: We’ve had it all. Read on if you want to find out how you, too, could enjoy the hike of a lifetime. […]
What is growing at the foot of the largest mountain in this area of the Patagonian desert? (Almost) Everything! Hotel Las Torres, where I am staying for one weekend, runs an organic orchard for its many international guests here, including tomatoes, rhubarb, delicious local Calafate berries, apples, broccoli, cucumbers, salad and many more. After breakfast, I “take […]
Calving glaciers, grazing Guanacos and oh so gentle men: Torres del Paine is full of wonders. Most people arrive here to experience the crown jewel of South America’s national parks (the “Teenagers of the Andes”), and when you do, I recommend you do it in style. Right now, I am sitting in front of a […]
What is YOUR perfect travel day? Relaxing, (city) touring, meeting a local, sharing stories, good food, not a single thought about money or work maybe … ? Well, you can have all of that – and more – in amazing Tierra del Fuego. It is certainly worth travelling here though it is far from everywhere. Let […]
This is a story dedicated to YOU, dear travellers. It’s a story about the “naked truth”, cuddling penguins and other quirky travel bits from “the other side of the world”: Ushuaia, the southern-most city in the world. Check out why this destination is worth travelling to and why “Tierra del Fuego” (country of fire) has just […]
It feels … cooler. Pleasant, actually. The landscape is: A miracle. Mountains with snow fields clad in lush forest reach down to sea level. I smile, happy as a child. After 18 months of living in beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand, I immediately bond with this far-away region and city. 13°C, a light breeze and clear southern skies. From […]