"By 22, she was working as a receptionist in a private clinic but craving both financial stability and the chance to see more of the world. That's when a recruiter mentioned an option she'd never considered: a housekeeping role on a river cruise ship. "I didn't even know this world existed," she recalls. "But as soon as I understood it was river cruising -not ocean-and that I could go home every two months, it felt right.""
"Matcas found her stride on Uniworld's 110-passenger S.S. Victoria, where she became a guest favorite thanks to her meticulous approach and unfailingly warm presence. "I love cleaning," she says. "It's therapeutic. You have to really focus on the details, and that's what the guests notice and appreciate. Folding their pajamas nicely or winding their computer cord-it's an opportunity to show kindness through cleaning.""
"Her discipline has also been deeply personal: the money she earned at Uniworld helped her build a house in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, where she now lives with her mother and 10-year-old brother. Uniworld is also where she fell in love with her partner Vladimir, a housekeeping manager from Serbia, nearly six and a half years ago. Today, she's a laundry attendant on Uniworld's 148-passenger S.S. Beatrice, which sails the Rhine, Danube, and other main rivers."
Alivia Matcas left Cahul, Moldova for Portugal at 12, adapting to a new culture while living with an aunt. She later worked as a receptionist but sought financial stability and travel, and accepted a housekeeping position on a river cruise. She became a guest favorite on S.S. Victoria for attention to detail and warm presence, and values cleaning as therapeutic. Earnings funded a house in Viana do Castelo and supported her family; she met her partner Vladimir at Uniworld. She now serves as laundry attendant on S.S. Beatrice, which sails the Rhine, Danube and other major rivers.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]