Post by Anastasiia Borovyk

From feeling totally lost to 100% excitement ✨ This week I attended Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona for the first time — and wow… I think I went through every possible emotional (and physical 😅) stage in just three days. Day 1. Arrived, got completely lost in all the buzz, didn’t know how, whom or what to tell. Just wandered around feeling like I don’t belong there. …And then — finally found the NRW and Wuppertal stands with amazing Eva Platz and Sandra Kunhenn representing Smart City Wuppertal and my favorite FairUp 🫶 Immediately felt at home, relaxed, started networking — and it actually worked out! By evening though, I felt I was getting sick… ended the day a bit down and lonely 🤧 Day 2. Woke up sick and demotivated. Honestly googled flights back home that morning 😅 But then I decided to be strong and stay. First went to check the route for the new KiddyTrip Barcelona treasure hunt (yes, something’s cooking 👀). Barcelona was so beautiful that it instantly lifted my mood. Then straight to the expo — directly to the NRW stand and my favorite fair duo Jan-Philipp Koch & Christian W. from FairUp my little island of safety ⚓️. Somewhere between all that, I reinvented my way of talking about KiddyTrip — more human, more honest, without trying to pretend I’m something more than I am. Suddenly I was in full flow, chatting non-stop, totally forgetting I was even sick. And evening expo party? Just wow. So many like-minded people dancing, vibing, and feeling like we truly belong to this community. Pure joy! 💃✨ Day 3. Walked into the expo like it was my home. Totally happy, inspired, and full of ideas for KiddyTrip’s future. Feeling deeply grateful for every person I met, every exchange, and every smile along the way. 💛 Still a bit sick, but 100% inspired. See you next year, Barcelona. ☀️ #SmartCityExpo #Barcelona #StartupJourney #KiddyTrip #Networking #Grateful #FounderLife #WomenInTech #Edutainment