About
About Me
I’m a passionate travel blogger with an insatiable curiosity for exploring the world and uncovering its hidden gems. Through my journeys, I aim to inspire others to step out of their comfort zones and embrace the beauty of adventure. Whether it’s hiking through lush mountains, savoring street food in vibrant markets, or immersing myself in local cultures, I capture each moment with vivid storytelling and stunning photography.
FROM CUBICLE WORKER TO TRAVEL WRITER
Growing up in Boston, I was never a big traveler. I didn’t take my first trip overseas until I was 23. After college, I got a job and the standard American two-weeks-a-year vacation. For that first trip in 2004, I went to Costa Rica. The experience changed my life. It opened me up to all the possibilities the world had to offer. There, I experienced another culture, wildlife I had only read about in books, and new foods; got lost in a jungle; saw conservation projects in action; and met people from around the world.
I was the captain of my own ship.
Every day was new and different.
From that moment on, I was hooked on travel.
The following year, a trip to Thailand opened my eyes even more.
There, in the wonderful city of Chiang Mai, I met five backpackers who showed me that I didn’t have to be tied down to my job or be rich to travel. That you could travel long-term and on a budget. And that millions of people did it each year. I wanted in. I wanted to do what they were doing.
After that trip, I flew home, finished my graduate program, quit my cubicle job, and, in July 2006, set out on an adventure around the world that was supposed only to last a year but continues to this day.
I’ve been to over 100 countries and territories, traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe, slept in over a thousand hostels, tried some unique food (including fried maggots), made lifelong friends, learned multiple languages, and, most importantly, made it my mission now to help travelers like YOURSELF to realize YOUR travel dreams the same way those five backpackers helped me realize mine.
This website has been featured on major media sites time and time again because it’s the best budget advice out there. My tips work. They are going to make you a smarter traveler.
Do you have to be rich to travel?
Hell no.
I gallivanted around the globe on a budget of $10 a day for years. And many of my fellow Broke Backpackers on the team here have also got extensive experience traveling on a tight budget.
In our different ways, we here at The Broke Backpacker all learned pretty quickly that anything is possible if you want it bad enough. All I ever wanted to do was see the world and if that meant sacrificing a ton of comfort then it was a trade I was willing to make. I traveled like a hobo for seven years, sur-thriving on crackers and kindness.
I often camp out and I found that traveling broke is simply the best adventure experience – when you’re broke you’re forced out of your comfort zone, you learn, you evolve and you make friends all over the world.