A jet-setting flight attendant has revealed the dramatic highs and lows of his airborne career, including the terrifying moment his plane was struck by lightning during a routine flight.
From Humble Beginnings to Global Adventures
Mateusz Kowalewicz, a 29-year-old from Białystok, Poland, first caught the travel bug as a teenager during a school exchange to Israel. What began as budget European adventures, often hitchhiking to save money, evolved into a full-fledged career when he decided to become a flight attendant, allowing him to earn a living while exploring the world.
Now based in Warsaw, Mateusz works across three different aircraft types for his airline, ensuring no two months are ever the same. His profession has enabled him to achieve an impressive personal milestone: visiting all of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
"My biggest travel achievement is visiting all the 'New 7 Wonders of the World'," he told Polish media. "I owe a lot of that to my job - I visited four on layovers and flew to another using staff tickets."
The Dark Side of a High-Flying Career
However, the lifestyle isn't always glamorous. Mateusz recounted a particularly alarming incident to What's The Jam when his aircraft was struck by lightning.
"It felt like someone flashed a camera straight in my eyes," he described. "A moment later, we heard from the cockpit that we had to turn back to Warsaw. The aircraft was fine, but logically it's better to return and take another plane than risk finding out in Rome that the aircraft must be grounded."
His biggest professional grievance, however, is the severe sleep disruption that comes with crossing time zones. "Not being able to fall asleep, especially in the East on long-haul layovers," he stated frankly. "I'm a heavy sleeper, so any unexpected wake-up in the middle of the night because of time zones is awful."
Unpredictable Joys and Future Dreams
What he cherishes most is the career's inherent unpredictability and the unique connections it fosters. He recalled one memorable layover in Chicago where he met a Polish priest who invited him to an American christening attended by nearly 200 people - where he unexpectedly recognised a guest as a passenger from a flight months earlier.
The job has also funded extraordinary bucket-list experiences, from skydiving in Dubai to taking a seaplane ride in Mauritius.
Looking ahead, Mateusz's travel ambitions are shifting towards less-explored territories. "I'd like to climb Kilimanjaro, and I can see I'm being drawn towards Africa, which is the continent I've explored the least after Australia," he revealed.
For aspiring flight attendants, his advice is straightforward: master language skills. Other essential requirements include being 18 years old, holding a high school diploma, being able to swim for potential water landings, and having no visible tattoos.
