About Michał Sitek | Traveler, Photographer & Entrepreneur

More than one path

Business, travel & curiosity

I have never been interested in living within just one world. Business and technology have shaped my professional path, while travel, photography, aviation and history have given me a completely different perspective on life.

For years, I have travelled far beyond the most obvious routes, especially across Asia and Southern Africa. I have now visited 115 countries, returning from each journey with new experiences, stories and thousands of photographs. For me, travelling is not simply a way of spending free time. It is another way of living, learning and looking at the world.

Africa — one of many encounters that turned wildlife into a lasting photographic passion.

Who I am

I am an entrepreneur, traveller and photographer, as well as an active supporter of pro bono initiatives. I created and became editor-in-chief of staraczestochowa.pl, a project dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of my home city.

Professionally, I combine business management, technology, strategic marketing, product development and R&D. I currently serve as Managing Director at DRABPOL’s headquarters and Head of R&D, working across automotive, aviation, e-mobility and advanced technology projects. Earlier in my career, I worked at DOSPEL, where I held roles including CIO, Marketing & Business Development Director and General Manager.

What stays
with me

I am drawn to places with character, people with stories and experiences that cannot be recreated in a studio. I have always been fascinated by the hospitality and atmosphere of the Far East, by the rawness of Africa and by the completely different rhythm of life found far from Europe.

Mozilla Firefox — the red panda. Quite simply, one of the sweetest animals in the world. Its front legs are shorter than its hind legs, which gives it a very distinctive way of moving. Red pandas spend much of the day sleeping in trees and conserving energy, while the night is reserved for marking their territory and searching for food.

When life gives you a hundred reasons to break down and cry, show it that you have a thousand reasons to smile and laugh. Stay strong — you only have one life, and when you are gone, people will remember the good you did more than anything else.

The Maasai are generally cautious and distrustful of strangers, but once they give someone their trust, they treat that person as a friend. What I value most in travelling is precisely this contact with other cultures — experiences that broaden my horizons, let me see the world from a different perspective and enrich the way I think.

Almost Like a Crocodile Hunter

After a long period of preparation, I finally managed to fulfil one of my dreams. Subduing this powerful animal is an experience that will stay with me forever. Was I afraid? Of course — but the desire to test myself, combined with an overwhelming rush of adrenaline, quickly pushed that fear into the background.

Encounters like this never begin with bravado — they begin with preparation, discipline and respect. Under the watchful eye of experienced specialists, I learned how to behave around crocodiles and understand their reactions. Over the years I have also trained and worked closely with spiders, snakes and wild cats — but creatures like these prehistoric giants remain in a category entirely of their own.

Beyond travel

I collect historical material connected with Częstochowa, as well as selected objects and memorabilia gathered over the years. Aviation, aerial photography, diving, martial arts and wildlife remain among the interests that continuously shape the way I spend my free time.

Travel as a way of life

The world keeps pulling me back

For many years, travelling to lesser-known parts of the world has been one of my strongest passions. I try to combine journeys — particularly through Asia and Southern Africa — with my professional life whenever possible. Travel gives me energy, distance and, surprisingly often, inspiration for work.

I spend a great deal of my free time looking at maps, reading about places I have never seen and searching for the next direction. I have always felt that the most interesting journeys begin when the obvious route ends.

Travelling the world has become my second way of life.

Photography

I bring stories home in photographs

I try to return from every journey with images that are different from the ones I already have. A photograph can say more about a place than pages of a guidebook. That is why people, faces, wildlife and moments of genuine interaction have always interested me more than postcard views.

Photography taught me patience and observation. It also taught me that the most memorable frame is often the one that cannot be planned.

The joy on my face was no accident. In one of the Zulu villages I know well, I came across exactly the kind of encounter I had always hoped for. What made the moment even more extraordinary was that the leopard showed no reluctance to come close. It felt almost like two old friends meeting again after years apart. I still remember that moment with enormous fondness — and the photograph of the kiss I gave the leopard brings me straight back to that remarkable encounter.

Wildlife

Closer than most people would choose

Crocodiles and other reptiles became one of the most recognisable themes of my photography. It is not only their appearance that fascinates me. It is the combination of respect, uncertainty and adrenaline that makes every encounter completely different.

After long preparation I once managed to fulfil one of my dreams — taking part in catching and immobilising a crocodile. Fear was there, of course, but curiosity and adrenaline were stronger. The memory stayed with me permanently.

A little taste of The Jungle Book — I did not need much persuading to set off on an elephant ride through the African bush. Sitting high on the back of such a magnificent animal, you can truly feel the extraordinary strength and power these giants possess.

Aviation

The world looks different from above

I enjoy travelling on land and on water, but flying has always had a special place among my interests. From the first flights I knew that simply being a passenger would not be enough.

When I am not focused on flying itself, I often use the opportunity to photograph landscapes from above. The familiar suddenly becomes completely different when seen from the air.

Michał Sitek with an aircraft — Land journeys — I love them. Travel by water — I crave it. But what I love most is flying. The first time I stepped into an aircraft, I already knew that simply being a passenger would only be the beginning of my relationship with the sky.

Aircraft flying above Częstochowa — Although the beauty of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland is well known, I find a completely different kind of pleasure in seeing it from the air. Whenever time and visibility allow, regardless of the season, I take to the sky and rediscover the landscape of my home region from a new perspective.

Częstochowa & history

Some journeys lead back home

My fascination with Częstochowa has accompanied me for decades. Over the years I gathered photographs, postcards, documents and other material connected with the city's history.

Creating staraczestochowa.pl gave me a way to organise, preserve and share part of that collection. For me it has always been more than a website. It is a long-term project built from curiosity, local identity and the belief that old photographs and documents deserve to remain accessible.

Business & creating

I like turning ideas into something real

The same curiosity that pushes me towards new places has always influenced my professional life. My experience has grown around technology, management, strategic marketing, business development and the creation of practical solutions for organisations.

I have worked in environments where ideas had to become products, systems, teams and measurable results. That combination of creativity, technology and execution remains one of the strongest links between my professional and personal worlds.

A few frames from the story