Kamil, your path to traveling wasn't the usual one. How did you actually get into it?

If you'd asked me ten years ago who I was and what I wanted to do, I would've told you:
A Giro d'Italia winner.
I loved cycling—the speed, the fearlessness, the grit, the adrenaline, the discipline.

But over time, I realized it was the traveling itself that fulfilled me the most, something cycling allowed me to do. I raced in the Alpine countries, on Mallorca, and in Spain. But when, overnight, the final door to a professional sports career closed, I experienced a harsh downfall. I lost not only my sports career but also my finances and health. Suddenly, I was faced with the question: What now? How will I make a living?

I spent a year searching for answers. I worked selling ice cream, at Decathlon, and in a bike shop. I thought that would be my new direction. But fate had other plans…

How One "NO" Opened the Way to a Series of "YES"...

It was my last day of probation at a bicycle shop. My boss approached me and said:

"Don't bother coming in tomorrow." He handed me a box of chocolates and a bottle of champagne—his way of saying thanks. When I got home, my girlfriend's family asked:

"Kamil, what are we celebrating?"
I smiled and answered, "My promotion!"
"Really? You've only been there three months!"
"Yes, but I've promoted myself to stop wasting time working for someone else.
I'm going to make my dream come true!" And that's when I founded CHOĎ ĎALEJ AKO DOVIDÍŠ (Go Beyond the Horizon).

And then came the turning point?
Exactly! A literal life test that changed everything…

How a Simple "YES" Changed My Life!
After calling the Kudrna travel agency to say I wanted to guide tours for them—despite two rejections and explanations that they have a months-long onboarding process for new guides—fate stepped in! Forty-eight hours later, I was on a bus heading to Romania with a tour group, where I'd be volunteering to watch over tents in the Romanian mountains. I had no idea what I was getting into or what awaited me! That's where I truly hit the limits of my physical and mental strength.

"If you get sick here, you stay here—no one else can do it for you," I told myself out loud, after falling asleep in wet clothes for the fourth night and waking up to ground frost. Had I listened to the advice of others at the time, I'm not sure how my life would look today…

From that moment on, I was completely hooked on traveling. Over the next two years, I journeyed through dozens of countries.

Two Years Later…

Do you remember the moment you first organized a trip for someone who had no idea where they were going?

Yes, and in fact, it wasn't initially intended as a business—it was a spontaneous gesture for my sister. She was going through a tough time after not getting into college. So I told her, "Pack your carry-on and trust me."
That's how she ended up at the airport with absolutely no clue about her destination. When "Paphos" appeared on the departure board, it meant nothing to her. Only after landing did she realize she was in Cyprus.

How did it all play out from there?

Over the next few days, we visited Cyprus, Mykonos, and London together. It was pure improvisation, yet I made sure everything was perfectly organized. Seeing her reactions and how she savored each moment gave me an immense sense of fulfillment. That's when it dawned on me that this is exactly what I want to do—create unforgettable experiences for people.
And in the middle of that vacation, she got an email apologizing that they'd neglected to grade one of her tests. As a result, she was officially accepted to college!

That same year, I took another 34 flights. Every month found me on the road, in a different country or on another continent. It even reached the point where, within 36 hours, I flew "from pole to pole"—departing Cape Town at night and a day and a half later, landing beyond the Arctic Circle in northern Norway.

And then came 2020 and the pandemic. How did you perceive it?

At that moment, I was at the peak of my travel adventures, working for three different travel agencies. I traveled across Southern Africa and Northern Europe. Then travel agencies began shutting down, and I lost my dream job. Everything ended overnight... While most agencies were going bankrupt, I realized my time had come. It was an opportunity!

Why did you view it as an opportunity?

Up until then, I kept telling myself I had a job that both fulfilled me and paid the bills. You don't think about new possibilities when you're living your dream. But the pandemic forced me out of my comfort zone and made me reconsider my next steps. I recall that mixed feeling: So this is why I worked so hard for years, overcoming countless challenges? Just to end up back in some store job?
The idea that I might lose this world altogether motivated me to take only a temporary job. In the evenings, I worked on my own project—creating the Choď Ďalej Ako Dovidíš website and the concept of Mystery Holidays. It took a year! As the pandemic eased, I took it as a sign that it was time to launch something new. I quit my job, invested all my money in travel, and started building #mysteryholiday.

I had planned a trip to Asia for over 60 days. Then, after just a few days, the universe sent me a client who responded to my Instagram story about this epic journey, saying she also wanted to experience such an adventure!

A few days later, she flew out to Asia to join me, knowing only how to pack her bag and that she'd be flying home from Bangkok in 45 days. We started in Thailand, where we went snorkeling, tried parasailing, tasted Thai street food, and stayed in a luxurious villa with a pool. After that, we moved on to Singapore—a full day spent in a city that had been on her dream bucket list. The combination of surprises and living in the moment practically caused her to have an emotional blackout. Everything was so stunning and intense that it became overwhelming! And yet, that same night at the airport, I told her that in two hours, we'd be flying to the Philippines.

There, we explored deserted coral islands, dove down to a shipwreck, kayaked in crystal-blue lagoons, and even fed giraffes—until an unexpected twist arose.

What happened?

Due to COVID restrictions, we still couldn't fly to our planned destination of Bali, and we lost 12 flight tickets. We had to improvise and head to a little-known part of the Philippines—Daraga. Just two days after buying the new tickets, I found out that Mayon Volcano had erupted in that region—the very one under which we'd be staying. We spent the next 18 days living beneath an active volcano, one of the greatest experiences of my life.

"We're under active volcano Mayon, staying just 5 km from the evacuation zone."

What's one of the most interesting trips you've organized?

Aside from that Asian adventure, definitely Africa. Imagine standing at the airport and finding out you're flying to Zimbabwe. Everything was arranged for my clients down to the tiniest detail—private driver, a four-course dinner on a boat over Victoria Falls, a safari in Botswana observing wild animals from both a jeep and a boat, tasting zebra and giraffe steaks, and experiencing authentic African music. They then flew to Cape Town, where a stunning villa awaited them, along with outings to see South African penguins, Table Mountain, and the Waterfront, plus all the necessary flights, a car, and various tips for the most fascinating spots. And all of that in complete privacy, just the two of them—no group, no tour guide.

Such a private trip to Africa must have cost a fortune!

Surprisingly, it didn't. This 10-day trip with seven flights, luxury accommodation, and a packed itinerary cost them just €3,600 per person. A competitor might offer that with 20 other travelers, no private car, and a fixed schedule for the entire group, with no choice of departure date or airport.

I noticed that in 2025, Mystery Holiday is entering a new era. What can we look forward to?

With the addition of 42 new destinations, our portfolio is expanding to an incredible 104 unique places across four continents—all cloaked in secrecy. Where you're flying remains a mystery until you reach the airport! We're also introducing new USA road trips, giving adventurers the chance to explore the country by rental car while their itinerary unfolds day by day.

And that's not all—departures for Mystery Holidays will now be accessible not only to travelers from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, but across the whole of Europe! Our team is also working diligently on expansion under the new brand Beyond Horizon Travel, you can configure your Mystery Holiday from any international airport in Europe to over 100 destinations.

"Go Beyond the Horizon" isn't just about running a travel company. It represents a lifestyle and a philosophy that teaches us, even if we don't know every step of our future, we have the courage to take the first one. And then the next, and the next…

We've channeled this idea into the Mystery Holiday project. You set off on a journey that leads into the unknown. Step by step, the destination, experiences, and attractions reveal themselves—until you finally return home. At that point, you realize that the best part wasn't the arrival itself, but the journey along the way!

Life is that kind of journey as well! The best moments aren't found in the future or the past—they happen the moment we fully embrace the present. Travel knows no bounds, and we're here to push those boundaries even further!

Simply: GO BEYOND THE HORIZON

Kamil, it was a pleasure getting to know your story. I believe some readers may have seen themselves in it, and perhaps you've given them a spark of motivation and faith that, even when things seem bad at first glance, they come to awaken the potential we carry within us. The key is not to give up but to keep moving forward.

Share this story, and maybe your very "share" could change someone else's life.

Article Author:
Mária Rybanská, Travel Writer & Blogger

Published in collaboration with:
Go Beyond the Horizon (Choď Ďalej Ako Dovidíš)