Zig Zag around Romania

Today we have the pleasure to present you a brave initiative of a dynamic team of Romanians that are attached to the geographic and cultural inheritance of the country and have the ambition to open to you every gate of every county and to show you the places and great people that make the perimeter and current Romanian destiny.

ZigZag around Romania is a very beautiful initiative…. What made you kick off this project?

“For us, the motives are pretty obvious: we love our country and we want to promote it, not only to the outsiders but to the Romanians, too. Everything started with the curiosity and wish to wander around our beautiful Romania, with its pompous mountains, its enigmatic villages and magic customs. Our passion for Romania warms our hearts every day. As we discover a part of the richness of this country or live an unique experience, we feel like we trick time and make our youth last longer. We do what we like in an intelligent way!”

Why now and not 2 years earlier or later?

“The concept of the Zig Zag movement took place two years ago, and since then, we daily modified and improved the plan and strategy of the whole trip.

As a group, we first met two years ago, during a business project we were working on together. An element that reunited us was the passion for traveling  and teamwork, and, as we were sharing our dreams, a compact group with multiple abilities started to grow beautifully. Anywhere we went we made ourselves seen and appreciated for our joy and energy. These two years were really necessary to finalize the project.

Now, we can invite you to meet our baby, ZigZag around Romania!”

What are your core values?

“Ooh! We have a lot to say here! First, eternal youth and life without death! We pay attention to what we eat and manage our time daily in order to exercise a little: gymnastics, jogging, swimming, table tennis etc. We consider that health is very important and we need to take care of our body.

Secondly, we keep our mind vigilant and creative. We often think about how we could improve our Ziggy’s “education” (our mascot with a beard, which represents the modern Dacian): what new strategies we should develop, how we could become more efficient, how to best present Romania for our public? Proactivity and creativity are key.

Thirdly, we consider vital the financial education and entrepreneurship spirit. This is the fuel that makes projects like this happen. Without a bit of pragmatism, you are alone in this world. Therefore, we study: we read books, write in our diaries, think out loud the project, analyze our behavior etc. In the evening, we all gather to a “round table” (that’s how we call it) and communicate the results, experiences and discussions from that day. We think of new ideas and make the program for the next day. It’s a habit very dear to us.”

What is the mission of this project?

“Our mission, of the 14 young people united under the umbrella of ZigZag around Romania, is, firstly, to promote valuable people from every county. We refer to people that really made a difference, people that are known as the best in what they do and/or that have an attractive story, with unusual experiences.

Then, another mission is to ‘scan’ the beautiful places, touristic or non-touristic, from every county. We are interested in catching the essence of every county in a collage with thousands of pictures, pictures that are ‘glued’ in a fabulous hyperlapse video.

On the other hand, we are also interested in the business environment of every county, because depending on how you keep your business running, you run your life.

Back to our story, we thought of a marketing&promotion package through which we can stimulate hotels, guesthouses, restaurants etc. to open courageously ‘the gold chest’ for us, so that we truly promote the best services and products from every county. Yes, in Romania you can get quality services!

Finally, our intention is to get to know Romania thoroughly and also promote its everywhere we will go. We are bold, but Romania is a country with a gigantic potential, it is a “jewel of Europe”, and the ZigZag around Romania team is ready to explore every part of it!”

How is the team structured?

“We’re all from the Moldovian area: Iași, Suceava, Bacău, Neamț and Galați. We all met in Iași and from there we started the big ZigZag adventure.

The roles were divided easily between us, according to each one’s abilities. Right now, we are 4 teams:

– the sales team: 9 people divided on different categories (hotels, restaurants, fitness, salons etc.) who talk to the CEOs for future partnerships. The sales team always keeps us from the cold and rain and brings us a roof over our heads, a warm and hospitable room, fragranced with the smell of soup and tasteful wine.

– the researchers: 2 people plus one photographer. A few days before reaching a county, we conduct research concerning the successful people from our next stop and, once we reach the destination, we discuss with them. The research team enchants us every night with a bedtime story for grown-ups.

– the visual production team:  2 people. They are the ones who provide the hyperlapse video after sightseeing every county. They are our courageous artists that confront even bears in the forest for an exceptional footage.

– the online and SEO optimisation team: 2 people that make wonders behind their laptops. They work every day so that deliver both our online image and our partners’ image.”

According to what criteria do you choose location and people?

“Our plan is to wander in every county for a month, which means a total of 4 years.A big part of this expedition implies aimed research and anticipated orientation, whereas the other part is scattered with spontaneous and cheerful visits. We choose certain unpromoted locations after talking with locals, according to their recommendation. Most of the times, this creates the best experiences…”

A typical day for you?

“Our day begins at 7am with a personal ritual: running, gymnastics, reading, organising the day timetable, shower etc. Afterwards we all meet for breakfast.

Then, off we go on the field, every team with its own thing.

At lunch we meet again and discuss what we’ve done so far and, of course, joke around. We continue the team-work, and after 5-6 o’ clock, we go back “home” and have some sort of “individual time” when we either read, study something that we like or do an activity together, use the services offered by the hotel or participate at a local event.

Afterwards we meet again for dinner, around 8 pm and talk about everything that happened that day and we organise what we have to do the next days.”

You started with Botoșani… What was your impression? What surprised you the most?

“The first impact of Botoșani on us was the hospitability and the willingness of people to help and guide us anytime we needed to get to a specific location.

On the Pietonalul Unirii (Unirii Pedestrian Area) you would always meet someone you knew.

We were also impressed by the many parks and green spaces that enrich the area at every step. If we were hungry, an apple, plum or grape would come in handy. We would get anything very easily, like that, while walking.

I remember a mansion ‘Fata verde’ (The Green Girl) in Șoldănești, where our stay was great, full of surprises: we went on a chariot into the woods, swang on the hammock, played football on the sand, ate sweet strawberries and tomatoes straight from the garden, played with rabbits and swam in the Stȃnca-Costești lake.

We were also surprised by the huge number of artists – painters, sculptors, illustrators, dancers, writers – that we met. Botoșani is a fertile soil for artists.”

Botoșani in five words?

“Little, smart, green, artistic and intimate. It’s magic!”

A place you would recommend?

“There’s more than one: the ecological mansion “Fata Verde”, the Stȃnca Costești lake and the water lilly lake of Ipotești.”

Someone who impressed you?

“Mr. Ducu Bucșinescu. He welcomed all of us with great joy at the mansion ‘Fata Verde’. He served us how he knew best, invited us to talk, to swim, fish and he jumped head first with us from the Costești rock. We found this amusing.”

Botoşani hyperlapse :

Do you want to do a documentary or touristic guide in the future?

“Yes, we already have this idea with our county e-books presenting all the people and places visited. Plus, on our website, our public can discover, by region, all the hotels and mansions where we stayed at. The site will represent a rich database of the cool Romanian companies, great locals and places.

Plus, we are very open to media marketing. We have a valuable project that deserves to be known.”

A farewell word?

“Our words are our actions. And we invite everybody to join us in this journey of Zig Zag around Romania on our online platforms. Give us a Like! on Facebook and discover Romania with us!”

If you want to follow Zig Zag around Romania team’s adventures, you can access:

– the Facebook page

– their website

Have a nice trip!

Andreea

The Romanian version here