One single phone call led to a series of life changing steps for one local woman. She tells her tale in One Suitcase, 1000 Stories

Cyprus, for more than four decades, has been home to Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis. But long before settling on the island, she had embarked on a journey that would eventually take her to more than 100 countries.

Now, the Swiss-born author shares her experiences in the form of One Suitcase, 1000 Stories, a book based on lessons, encounters and adventures inspired by decades spent exploring the globe. For years, she was encouraged by her friends and family to record those experiences in writing; however, she always felt that it was something she would do “one day”.

But as the years passed, she realised she had collected not just memories, but also thousands of stories and valuable lessons from around the world. “I didn’t want those memories to remain only in my head,” she says. “This felt like the right time to share them and hopefully inspire others to say yes to adventure and to life itself”.

Villiger Toufexis’ love for travelling began long before her decision to write a book. At 16, she took her first flight, with her aunt, an experience she still remembers vividly.

“It opened a door to a much bigger world and ignited my curiosity,” she says. “At the time, I never imagined those journeys would become a book. I was simply living my adventures one day at a time. Looking back now, I realise I was unknowingly collecting chapters”.

That curiosity eventually led her to pursue work as a tour guide. At 19, when she could not apply to any of the Swiss tour companies since she was below the minimum age requirement, she placed a two line advertisement in a Swiss women’s magazine. The advertisement received just one response: a call from the owner of a travel agency in Rhodes. Soon, she found herself heading to the Greek island, beginning what would become a very different chapter of her life.

Elisabeth and her new book

“I had one phone call with the owner of the agency and travelled there without really knowing what I was getting myself into,” she says.

That simple decision, she says, changed the course of her life. At the time, she had little idea that a simple advertisement and a single phone call would lead to decades of travel, countless stories and eventually a book inspired by those experiences.

After decades of travelling, Villiger Toufexis says the greatest lessons she learnt had little to do with geography and everything to do with people. “Travel has taught me humility,” she says. “The more of the world I saw, the more I realised how small a role I play in it.”

Having encountered people from a wide variety of cultures during her travels, Villiger Toufexis argues that people are more similar than dissimilar.

“People everywhere want the same things: love, safety, friendship and a better future for their families,” she says. “Despite our differences, we are far more alike than we think. And perhaps the greatest lesson of all is that kindness is a language spoken and understood everywhere.”

Among the memories she has collected over the years, one has remained especially vivid. While visiting Mother Teresa’s orphanage in Calcutta with one of her tour groups, Villiger Toufexis unexpectedly came face to face with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as she descended the stairs.

Elisabeth in Epcot

Although born in Switzerland, Cyprus ended up being her home. Villiger Toufexis came to Cyprus for the first time as a tour guide in 1982 and says it was love at first sight. Some years later, she returned to Cyprus, met her future husband, Hector, and has remained ever since.

Although she describes herself as a global citizen, she says Cyprus ultimately became the place where she found a sense of belonging.

“Cyprus has been my home for more than four decades,” she says. “It is where I raised my children, built my career, made lifelong friendships, and found a sense of belonging. Although I was born in Switzerland and consider myself a global citizen, Cyprus will always hold a very special place in my heart.”

It is these moments that form the basis of One Suitcase, 1000 Stories.

Villiger Toufexis hopes readers come away feeling inspired to embrace new opportunities. “I hope readers close the book feeling inspired to be a little braver, a little more curious, and a little more open to life’s possibilities,” she says.

For her, the message of the book extends beyond travel. She hopes readers will embrace opportunities wherever they find them. Adventure, she says, is measured not by the number of countries visited, but by the willingness to try something new and welcome the unexpected.

“You don’t have to visit 100 countries to have an adventure. Sometimes all it takes is saying yes to a new opportunity, taking a different road, or daring to step outside your comfort zone. I hope the book reminds people that in the end, we don’t remember the things we bought; we remember the stories we lived.”

One Suitcase, 1000 Stories costs €15, available from https://amzn.eu/d/07jH8L6b, https://a.co/d/07GaXzeX, https://amzn.eu/d/05AhQQki