She's BACK...With Answers
Hello again, World!
It’s been a while since I last wrote anything on this blog, and since I’m now solidifying plans for my next adventure, I started reminiscing on the last year+ of my travels and I found this a good time to bring this bad boy (or girl) back!
As many of you now know, I am back in the US for a bit to tie up some loose ends and work a bit before leaving again to travel indefinitely. I’ll admit, for a while there I was contemplating staying when I found a job with a startup that’s growing really fast and promises loads of opportunities to move up… until I found myself dreading waking up to go to a job that I really don't like just to deal with the things that I wanted to get away from in the first place. Like, did I really just spend a year on the other side of the world challenging myself and growing as a person just to come back and be in the same situation in a job that offers me little in terms of personal growth and is run on a principle of fear? Obviously the answer is no haha! That type of job might be great for some people, but I don't think that includes me.
Anywaaaaay…
Over the past few weeks I’ve absolutely LOVED connecting with old friends and catching up on what I’ve missed over the past year and catching them up on my adventures while I’ve been gone. During most of these interactions, though, more often than not, I get asked the same question: “What happened to Vlogging/Blogging your travels while you were gone???” Welp… boys and girls, I am here to answer that question along with a few others I’ve received about my travels over the past year or so!
For starters, in the beginning I had every intention of putting together videos and blogs about my travels to keep everyone looped in on what I was up to. And I did, technically! I would film video diaries and capture bits of the places I visited & people I was with and also wrote short pieces about how I was feeling and other things I was doing/thinking. I very quickly realized that quite often I would be doing things because “it would be cool to vlog” or “I could totally write about this” as opposed to doing something because I wanted to do it and just be present for it all and enjoy every moment. It felt forced. A trip that was meant for me to escape social stigma and try to figure out who I really am and be who I wanted to be had started off by making me feel more confused than ever before.
So, updating everyone became less of a priority, and tending to my own feeling became more of one. I started to work on being more in tune with how I am feeling, what I want, what I need; things I had never bothered to do before. It seems so simple, but it can honestly be such a daunting task when you feel like you don’t have control of that space between your ears — a place that can be quite scary sometimes. Once I started to bring my focus in on myself and how I react to the world around me and even just make an effort to enjoy moments for what they were and keep them for myself, that’s when change really began to happen. I started to feel happy. I felt… ALIVE!
This trip was the first time I had ever dared to do anything this gutsy on my own, so I was still learning what it was like to travel internationally, on a mega budget and by myself with nothing but a backpack strapped to my back. On top of that, I was trying to learn how to be comfortable in front of the camera when I barely felt comfortable being myself normally and trying to film myself doing things and attempting to make it be interesting and come together into a full storyline and— Yeah… Too much all at once for me. So I decided to just do my own thing and learn this lifestyle first — before adding all the extras. Honestly, I think it was the best decision.
Yes, I did film a few video diaries every now and then when I felt I wanted to share what I was doing and filming wouldn’t take away from the experience, but I did it mostly for myself to be able to look back at things I had experienced and how they made me feel. I may share a few in the near future, but I’m not promising anything :p
So for those of you who have asked, “What happened with…”, the answer is: I decided to work on myself for a bit first. Not much else to it :D
Now to answer a few questions that have filled my inbox lately. Consider this my FAQ page. Dope.
What made you decide to travel?
Well… for many many many years, I was very depressed. Nothing and no one could make me feel better. I felt like my life was meaningless and the job I worked from the time I opened my eyes to pretty much the time I closed them every day made me feel like I was trapped. Without going into too much detail, I basically hit a breaking point and in that moment I felt like it was all or nothing. I either took a leap toward doing something I felt would maybe give my life meaning, or I didn’t want to live at all. And so I did.
How can you afford to travel everywhere?
I can’t.
When I left the US, I had about $3,000 in my bank account (keep in mind what that would be in Euros). I only expected that to last 1 month, maybe 2, max 3 if I was smart with my spending. Once I got to the point when I saw my bank account was practically empty, I thought maybe it was time to go home. But I wasn’t anywhere near ready to go home, so I asked around at the local restaurants if they were looking for any extra help with anything. With my luck, within the first day of looking and asking relentlessly, I found a job as a waitress that helped me get by. That’s when I realized I could do that anywhere, and rid myself of the fear of traveling with no money.
What did you have a hard time living without in Europe that you had in the US?
Honestly, besides the food there wasn’t much else. Like…cravings for Carne Asada burritos, In N Out and Hot cheetos were REAL sometimes, but the food out there was pretty amazing too.
oh! and Toilet Seat Covers! OMG they didn’t have them anywhere and even the actual toilet SEATS were missing more often than not. First world problems, I know haha
Where do you find cheap flights?
hahaha well…finding cheap flights has become kind of an art I’m learning to master. I use a VPN to be able to search as if I’m from different countries since the outcome can sometimes be different depending on where you are searching from and I look through and compare on multiple apps and sites. I also let the PRICES determine what days I travel. To be able to really save you have to be pretty flexible with travel dates. There’s a lot I do to find dirt cheap flights. Maybe I’ll write a post about it at some point if that’s something you guys are interested in :)
Also! I help people plan budget friendly trips, so if ya need help, hit me up!
What backpack did you use to travel and how did you choose it?
I did a tooooooon of research before buying a backpack. And based in my needs I found that the Osprey Farpoint 55L was the best backpack for me. It opens like a duffle bag so I can access all my stuff. Based in my height, it’s the biggest I could get away with without it looking maaaassive and its also small enough to fit as a carry-on! I’m big on saving money so that was a huge plus! It also has a detachable daypack so after all that I was sold :)
What camera did you use to take the pictures on your instagram?
I took my Canon 70D with me but honestly I used my Google Pixel 2XL waaaaaaaay more! I have a Moment anamorphic lense (meant for video) as well as a Wide angle lens (great for a wider view of what you’re photographing) to hook up to my phone. And that paired with the Moment Photo app and the Google Pixels amazing camera, I found it easier to just take my small phone with me everywhere than my bulky camera. The thing about being a tourist is you have to NOT look like a tourist and blend in and having a big bulky camera is usually a dead giveaway haha
As a moment ambassador, I proudly take my lenses with me everywhere and love sharing how they have changed the photography game for me. Check them out! Its a mobile photographers dream. Trust.
Do you travel with a phone? How do you get reception/date?
Well there are different ways to have an active phone line while traveling. What a lot of people do is buy a cheap sim card with some data in every country. Its cheap and fairly easy, but that also means that while you’re traveling from place to place you’ll have moments where you have no data. For me, as a solo traveler, thats a bit scary and I prefer to be connected at all times. So I decided to sign up to the Google Fi Network with my Google Pixel. It works in most countries around the world and phone & data charges are the same as when home in The States. $20 for unlimited talk and text (international calls are an additional charge but super cheap if you call over wifi. Like…4 cents per minute cheap depending on where you call to) and $10 per GB of data, regardless of where in the world you are, and after 6GB you can continue using data for FREE! So the max you’d ever spend a month would be $80 but with WiFi hotspots being all over the place, I haven’t gotten even close to that. For me, it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made because with this, I know that if i’m in a jam and need to search something up, look for directions or make an emergency call, I’m always connected.
Can’t recommend this enough to solo travelers for peace of mind.
Click here for a $20 credit on a new Google Fi plan
Where did you sleep while you were traveling? hotels? Isn’t that expensive?
Nooooo, I did not stay in a single hotel while I was traveling. I stayed in Hostels mostly and a couple times I got an Airbnb when I felt I needed some privacy or recharging time. I would also do something called CouchSurfing. Couchsurfing is a little more on the risky side as you are staying in homes of people you meet on the app, but you have to trust that they are just as passionate about travel as you are and that they have loads of knowledge and culture to share with you as you do with them. It’s a completely different, new way to travel and definitely rewarding and a great place to get to know the place you are visiting through the eyes of a local. Just remember to trust your gut!
Here are a few links to the apps and services I used to find affordable accomodation along my travels.
How can I do what you do?
Take a leap of faith and…Just do it!
Literally what I did and figured it out along the way. There’s no “right way” of traveling. You make what you want of it.
Favorite place you have visited?
That’s a hard one. I loved every place I have visited so far. Each place had something different to offer and I had very unique experiences in each place which makes each of them special to me. But I guess if I had to choose 1, it would have to be Lagos, Portugal.
There’s just something magical about that place. It’s really small, but the people there are sooooo so nice and welcoming. The beaches are AMAAAAAAAAZING, and the overall vibe is just so…happy and chill. I can’t really describe it. It’s the place I spent the shortest amount of time but the place I wanted to stay the longest. I actually feel like I was meant to be there. It’s a long story but….That place definitely felt like home to me. I can’t wait to go back one day!
I’m going to be traveling soon as well, what shoes do you recommend that are versatile?
Dude, I was surprised, but the Vans Ultra Range shoes were my trusty go-to shoes for a straight year on travel, hiking, running and everything in between. Super comfy, have enough of the classic vans style people are used to, are also athletic so you can go on outings and also wear them casually. I LOVE them!
not sponsored by them, but I definitely wouldn’t mind if I was… wink wink ;)
Did you meet any cute boys???
Many. hahahaha but if you’re wondering if I found a boyfriend out there, the answer is no. I dated quite a bit but… when you’re constantly on the move, it’s hard to connect with someone on that level, at least for me. Which is fine by me because I love traveling solo and doing my own thing :D Some of the guys I did go out with though… oh man, you wouldn’t even believe me if I told you haha
Any embarrassing stories?
OMG…too many.
