I’ve only met Ana Hyseni once — but sometimes, that’s all it takes to sense someone’s essence. In just a few minutes of conversation, I felt that different vibe about her — a mix of quiet wisdom, open-minded curiosity, and the kind of freedom you can’t fake. The freedom to be herself, wrapped in a sweet confidence and a genuinely kind smile.
She didn’t give off the energy of a tourist with a rigid itinerary and 40kg of coordinated outfits. No — Ana is the kind of traveler who packs light but comes home heavy with stories. The kind who climbs peaks, not just for the view, but for the people met along the path and the quiet revelations found at the top.
If I didn’t have a newborn at home demanding hourly feedings and a nightly emotional monologue, I’d probably spend a few days with her — just to soak up some of that soul-soaked magic she carries from all the places she’s been. Since I can’t, I did the next best thing: I asked her to share it here, with you.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Meet Ana Hyseni!
3.Permet is known for hot springs. After climbing Elbrus, did you wish you could teleport to Benja for a soak?
After being at 5,642 meters, I wasn’t dreaming of luxury or celebration, I was just tired and deeply grateful. And yes, it would’ve been perfect to return to my roots, straight from the top of Europe.
There’s something about those hot springs, the warmth, the silence, the smell of the mountains, that just makes sense after something that intense.
Përmet doesn’t try to impress you. It simply welcomes you and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
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4.How do yoga and raki mix? Asking for a friend.
Now that’s the perfect recipe for balance.
Both are about connection; one with yourself, and the other with your friends.
Just maybe don’t try a headstand after too many raki shoots 🙂
5.If you had to convince a Parisian to move to Permet using only three words, what would they be?
No metro here 🙂
6.What’s one Albanian food that could bring world peace (or at least impress a french)?
Fërgesë. It’s simple, rich, and comforting, like something only a grandma or a small country full of heart could make. You taste it and think: Yep. I could stay here a while.
7.Let’s become emotional, where did you cry the most?
I cry the most when I climb mountains, especially on Ama Dablam. It’s not sadness, it’s something quieter and stronger.
Up there, it’s just you, the sky, the wind and this deep feeling of being exactly where you’re meant to be. I’ve seen sunrises that made me forget everything else, and felt more human than I ever did at sea level. It’s not the altitude that gets me, it’s the reminder of how lucky I am to feel that alive.
Meet Sonila Hyseni, the camping expert that will make you reconsider sleeping under stars
8.Which destination taught you a good lesson you’ll remember for life?
Nepal, when I first visited in 2021.
It taught me how to slow down. In Europe, we’re used to rushing, moving fast, deciding fast, expecting everything now. But in Nepal, things move differently. People take their time, and life flows at its own pace. At first it felt unfamiliar… then it started to feel right. I didn’t just learn to be patient, I learned to breathe a little deeper, and trust the moment I’m in.
9.What’s one thing the world still gets wrong about adventurous women—especially those who swap nail polish for climbing chalk?
That adventurous women are trying out to be someone else; But we’re not running away from anything. We’re running toward what sets our soul on fire. Swapping nail polish for climbing chalk isn’t about choosing between identities.
It’s about choosing freedom; the freedom to be strong, soft, scared and brave… all at once.
The world still struggles with women who refuse to fit into a box. But from where I stand? The view is way better from the outside.
10.From the streets of India to the trails of Peru, what’s your secret superpower as a woman on the road? Intuition, kindness… or the death stare that says ‘Don’t mess with me’?
Honestly, it’s a mix of all three; but if I had to choose, I’d say intuition.
That inner voice has kept me safe, led me to the right people, and helped me feel at home in places I’d never been.
It’s tells me when to smile, when to step back, and yes, where to give the death stare. But even that comes wrapped in kindness.
Being a woman on the road means learning to read the world and yourself fast.
And intuition? That’s the superpower you don’t pack… it packs you.
11.What’s the strangest (or most “adventurous”) thing you’ve eaten on the road—and would you eat it again?
I don’t take risk with food; maybe that is why I’ve never been sick while travelling.
But risky situations? That’s another story.
In Sri Lanka, I thought it was a good idea to travel without a SIM card. Long story short: I ended up walking for two hours in the dark with a 17kg backpack, no hotel in sight, no taxis. Just me, a few suspicious cows and Google Maps stuck on ‘searching’…
Finally, I stumbled across a pharmacy that was somehow open.
They gave me hotspot, helped me find a tuk-tuk, and I rode an hour to the nearest hotel in the middle of the dark.
Travel has taught me that sometimes, it’s not what you eat that challenges you.
It’s how far you’ll go without a signal.
12.Which country totally surprised you, in a “why didn’t anyone tell me it was this amazing?” kind of way?
It’s hard to name just one, every country I’ve visited has offered something unique.
But India and Nepal they feel different.
There’s something about the energy, the people, the chaos and calm coexisting… that stays with you long after you leave.They don’t feel foreign anymore, they feel like home. That’s why I keep going back. I don’t go to see something new. I go to feel something familiar
13.If Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, and Elbrus had to compete in a beauty pageant, which one gets your rose—and why?
Every mountain teaches you something. Aconcagua challenged my endurance, Elbrus tested my patience, but Ama Dablam? Ama Dablam touched my soul.
I first saw her while climbing another peak in Nepal. The moment she appeared, I started crying, I don’t even know why. It felt like she called me.
The next season, I came back just to climb her. And while I’ll continue to climb many mountains in my life, Ama Dablam will always be the mountain of my heart.