Alina:

Hi there!

My name is Alina Viktoria and I was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany. I'm working as a flight attendant for Lufthansa Airlines for almost 10 years now and would like to share my story with you, in the hope to motivate each and everyone to go chase after their own personal dream - no matter how different this path may look compared to others.

I grew up with a father who used to do a lot of international business trips during his career. His company usually booked his flights with Lufthansa and that's basically how it all began...My father, who by the way always dreamed of becoming a pilot when he was younger but couldn't because of his poor eyesight, turned into the biggest Aviation- and Lufthansa-geek in general and I guess you could say that he definitely infected me! Through him, I got the opportunity to visit China when I was 15 years old. It was my first longhaul flight and the first time to fly all by myself as well. You can imagine my nervousness, but I still remember the lovely crew who took perfect care of me during that flight. Looking back, I believe this was one of the key moments where I fell in love with the job and the unique lifestyle that comes with it.

My passion to explore unknown territory, different cultures & people while getting out of my bubble (which we also call 'home') started to grow constantly over the years. At the same time, I realized the struggle of financing such kind of 'travel life' while working on my career and going to university.

After I graduated from high school I turned 18 and my father told me about Lufthansa hiring new flight attendants. Without the slightest amount of hope for an acceptance (due to my young age and inexperience) I decided to apply for the job anyway – 'cause what would I have to lose, right? I told myself if I would be accepted, I would just go for it and do the job for maximum 2 years to see the world, get to know myself and what I want a little better and most probably: have the time of my life before I will start my studies. Sounded like a perfect plan to me!

A lot of my friends were surprised and I can still hear some of them react „you graduated and now you want to become a flight attendant?!“ But after rushing through my school years, the last thing I wanted at that time was another rush into university, without any clue what I would want to do with my life (like sadly so many others did and still do). And sometimes that means you got to get out of your common surroundings, expand your horizon and choose a different path than the usual one. And you know what? Most of the ones who were critical about my decision in the beginning, approached me with curiosity over the years, showed a lot of interest in my job & life and committed that they envy me and my journey in some way today. Not because my job is a dream for everyone - it definitely isn't and depends a lot on your personality and desires about life in general, if it is for you or not - but because they see how much happiness and excitement this lifestyle offers me every day.

So here I am today, almost 10 years later - 5 times longer than planned but the best 10 years of my life! I can't imagine my life any other way today. And let me tell you, choosing this way for myself didn't stop me from following my other goals (like going to university) as well. I'm studying education while flying for Lufthansa and I couldn't be happier about these two duties, which give my life a very nice balance.

Nevertheless, I don't want to create a naive idea about a flight attendants' job and life of always being roses and red, please don't get me wrong. Of course it is not and challenges like homesickness, insomnia, missing special occasions etc. exist and unfortunately are a reality for us (at least sometimes). But I'm sure you will not find anything in life with just positive aspects. When I get the feeling of homesickness f.e., I usually remind myself of the great times I already experienced away from home and that good things are happening, when you overcome your comfort zone. I also believe these kind of challenges are important for us to learn how to cope with difficulties in life aswell, which is building our selftrust in the end.

At the end of the day, it is all about how things make you feel, right? If something makes you happy, you are most probably on the right track - simple as that. Don't give to much attention to what others may tell you how you should spend your life and what career would be best for you. Everyone can give you advice and you should be thankful for them, but in the end you got to be the one who decides for yourself. 'Cause there is no universal idea of how a great job and a happy life looks like. You got to create your very own version by following your heart and passion.

For me, I'd choose the travel life over and over again and I'm sure there are many others out there, who feel the same like me!

Can't wait to meet you all in the sky! :)

Alina Viktoria (IG @alinaviktoria__)