Travel Writer Fernando Castiñeiras on Traveling Witout a Plan
Writer and traveler Fernando Castiñeiras visited AUBG to present his book, "El plan es no tener plan. Viaje sin rumbo por Sudamérica"* Feb. 10 at Panitza Library. Оrganized by the Modern Languages and Arts Department and held in Spanish, the event gathered together AUBG’s Spanish learners, book lovers and avid travelers.
Back in 2016, Castiñeiras headed to South America with no travel plan and a diary to document his adventures. He ended up visiting Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Columbia. When he returned to Germany – his country of residence – six months later, Castiñeiras decided to turn his travel experiences into a book. “If you read it, you can find out about the history and culture of the countries I visited,” he said. “But above all, it is a story of a person traveling through the continent, and how the continent and the people there changed him. I decided to travel alone because I wanted to enjoy an opportunity to meet new people. Enjoying my time when I am alone is something important that I’ve learned and I wanted to share with people.”
The book took three years to compete and Castiñeiras first presented it in Spain and then AUBG. “Bulgaria is like a destiny,” the writer said. “It is a little country but I always come back. I was very surprised to see so many people at the presentation. Everyone had questions; the atmosphere was nice. It was a moment between travelers.”
Castiñeiras, who has a degree in Journalism, teaches Spanish in Munich. “You are crazy,” a colleague of his told him when he first moved there. “You came to Germany without a house, without a language, and without a job. I don’t know how you’re going to stay here.” But Castiñeiras stayed for six years. The writer has also lived in Italy and Portugal.
The book is in Spanish and the author said he feels like if he translates it, it might lose its meaning. It is a private, personal project that he wanted to share with people, he said.
*“The plan is to have no plan: traveling without a direction in South America”