“I was born in Yerevan and went to school here until I was 13. Then, my family moved to Odesa, Ukraine, because of my dad’s job. That’s where I graduated from a medical university,” Ani begins.

But Ani never became a doctor. From the start, her heart was set on travel, inspired by her parents' example and the adventure novels she read.

“It’s kind of a funny story,” she says. “As naive as it sounds, I chose medical university because I thought a doctor would always have a place on a ship traveling the world. So, naturally, I thought I had to be a doctor if I wanted to travel. Well, those were the dreams of a child, and over time, of course, they didn’t quite work out. Turns out, to travel the world, you need to do something else entirely, which is where I eventually ended up. Still, I don’t regret my medical education. At 16, it was my dream. If I hadn’t pursued it, I might have always felt like I missed out. Plus, medicine taught me something valuable: clinical thinking, or the ability to analyze cause and effect. That’s a skill I’ve carried with me,” Ani explains.

Despite becoming deeply rooted in life in Odesa, Ani always dreamed of returning to Armenia.

“Henri Troyat wrote a story called Aliocha about an immigrant boy who first distances himself from his roots to fit into French life, then later returns to them in a new way. In many ways, it mirrors Troyat’s own experience. I think anyone who’s emigrated can relate to that story, even if to different degrees. I’ve never rejected Armenia, but there were definitely times when my connections to it were weak, apart from a few personal connections. Still, for 15 years, I always knew I wanted to return. I wanted to live in Armenia, mostly because of the close relationships people have here.

I got married in Odessa – my husband is Ukrainian – and we worked in tourism. I longed to return to Armenia, but I knew it would only be possible if my husband felt at home here too. Fortunately, over the past 10 years, we’ve built a life here, and our children were born here. My husband has grown to love Armenia as much as I do. He still sees the country with fresh eyes, appreciating the positive aspects, especially the warmth of human relationships and the sense of safety and comfort here, as well as the resilience of the people. Every time we drive through an Armenian village, my husband says, ‘Look at these remote villages where life isn’t easy, and yet people stay, create, and build despite not having the best conditions. Their homes are well-kept, cars are everywhere, and life goes on despite the challenges. Without waiting for ideal conditions, people are making their own way toward prosperity," Ani shares.

Ani met her husband while attending a tour guide course in Odesa, and her mother was already running tours in Armenia. Together, Ani and her husband began organizing tours, and when the business grew, they formalized it into a company. Initially, it was called Armen Trip. Later, we rebranded, expanding to include inbound and outbound tours, as well as trips to Iran and Georgia. Now, the company we run together is called Horizon Travel.

“The tourism industry relies on partnerships. No single agency or operator can do everything on their own. We create travel packages for Armenia, but other agents or operators in our clients’ home countries sell them. European partners rarely book tours for just one country; usually, their trips cover several destinations. So, it made sense to include Georgia and Iran as part of our offerings, and they became independent areas of focus for us,” Ani explains.

How do you decide on content for your company’s blog?

“I love the idea of the blog, but unfortunately, I often don’t have enough time to give it the attention it deserves. I think about it a lot more than I’m able to actually work on it. The most active time for the blog was during the first phase of COVID-19 when there was no tourism. I worked on a film about Vazgen the First and a short one about coffee during that time. I’m really passionate about it, and I’d love to dedicate more time, but the opportunity hasn’t come up yet.”

 

 “For a long time, I didn’t even want to call it ‘repatriation’ because deep down, I felt like I had just been away on a long trip, even though it was 15 years. And now things have simply returned to where they were supposed to be. Moving back to Armenia was the fulfillment of a dream I’d been working towards, and it’s been a positive experience. But it’s probably not the typical repatriation story. I was coming back to a place I knew well, with strong family connections, so it wasn’t like stepping into the unknown. For me, it’s always felt like coming home after being away for a while.”

By Ani Grigorian