Have you ever wondered how you can travel the world? I can show you how I did it for the last 3 years.
Introduction: Confessions of a Vagabond:
💗2💗’s Wandering👣 Feet 001: "I Can Show You the World"
A gypsy life bought to you in Disney gifs
From January 2014- June 2017 I have been what you would call a vagabond, a nomad, even a gypsy by definition of the words. I had what they all have in common: no fixed home...and no fixed income
Don’t feel sorry for me, this isn’t an Aladdin, "street rat” kind of homelessness...
In fact, just to make this intro that much more fun, let’s continue using Disney gifs to paint the picture of what I will be sharing with you in the future!
I want to share stories with you:
How I managed to keep traveling for so long with limited savings, no guaranteed income and no idea what the next day would bring...
The humiliation of misunderstanding translation...
Learning the language (to avoid point 1)...
The arguments over where to sleep at night, when to stop for gas and who left the doors unlocked...
The border mishaps and necessary bribes (a targeted traveler)...
The wild animal encounters (our tarantula neighbor, the scorpion party in my clothes and the up-close and personal with a wild jaguar)...
Running super low on funds (not my favourite way to travel)...
Losing people (where did Dave go? Where did Lia go? Where did Uncle Bob go?)...
Traveling in a party of 3. How does that work?...
Also notes of interest such as:
Where we stayed, where we liked, where we didn't like...
The best food and where to find it...(a vegan perspective)
Tips and tricks to make life easier...
Managing expectations so everything ends up being better than you hoped for...
Getting rid of your preconceived opinions and opening up to culture...
Ways to spread your dollar further...
Helpful Apps to download...
Meeting friends and finding events near you...
I want to share this all with you here! My hope is to inspire you, give you a little advice and most importantly laugh a lot along the way. Pictures speak 1000 words, I'll be sharing those with you too, especially the candid ones. :)
…So now you know why I've gathered you here...
Let me give you a quick preview of what's to come!
My homeless life went something like this:
(At first...)
My partner and I decided to pack up some backpacks and roam the globe, someone told us the world was our oyster… so you know, no worries- just go. I'll tell you how we did this and how you can too!
This journey started where I'm originally from, Canada.
Then moved on over to the USA.
A harrowing tale of being hidden in a restricted area for weeks before being caught!
Flew down to Mexico:
Tacos, beaches, the usual... bribes from cops.
♫Makin' our way downtown♫, we crossed from North America into Central America for close to a year.
Starting in Belize:
A country on the beautiful coral reef with a motto to "go slow." It seemed like a great place to kick back and settle in.
The town we were based in was right on the border of Guatemala so we started a 3 month road trip over there, drove all over the country (those roads were crazy and our Spanish, not so fluent.)
How the truck kept breaking down on us and leaving us in sticky situations... especially at night.
Eventually we made it down into El Salvador
El Salvador was a paradise- a surfer’s dream.
Too bad I’m like Stitch here and am not so good at staying upright ;)
A look into a local surf town and the way we figured out how to go from crumby hotel rooms to a luxurious ocean side beach house.
Honduras next. Crossing that border was actually verging something from a horror movie.
How we ended up getting through to the Islands which were a magical paradise.
Next, was Nicaragua:
A quiet place to wind down from all the travel and get our feet back on solid ground for a month by the ocean. Honestly a bit more sand-in-my-eyes-windy than I was expecting. I'm sure Ariel here feels the same ... -_-
Costa Rica… the jungle affair.
True love blossomed here. Can't wait to tell you that chapter!
Onwards and upwards:
One month in Costa, before we drove all the way back up into Belize again and flew back to the USA to work a temp job.
Mexico followed again for a huge celebration (Las Vegas- Cancun was the most ... entertaining flight pattern I have ever been on) There will absolutely be an entry on this journey specifically- keep an eye out for that one (it's one of my favourites!)
From Cancun, we flew into LA to catch our way across the ocean... to the other side of the world!
Thailand
(Bangkok Edition)
At first glance everything is all flashy and enticing but somewhere along the way, through the alley with snake venom shots up for grabs and "ping-pong shows" at your leisure, it can be pretty intense!
Malaysia:
A huge hub and therefore a frequented destination for onward travel.
My favourite spot to pick up dates! (The sweet kind- OK, the chocolately-looking coloured ones...Hmm let's try again... OK, the food. Dates, the fruit.) ;)
A $12 plane ticket brought us to Langkawi, the beautiful island that I never would have heard about otherwise.
Australia:
Make sure you check your visa requirements before trying to enter!
You might love Australia, but it doesn't mean it will give you love you back! -_-
New Zealand:
A waterfall enthusiast's dream. An inspiring opportunity to connect and become one with Mother Nature.
Bali, Indonesia:
A magical place on earth full of wonder and secrets. It's name means "Spirit" in Sanskrit.
Hong Kong:
3 days on the ground to visit my mother who was in trouble!
Don't worry, we ended up turning it into a celebration!
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Pt. 2: Home of the magnificent elephants.
One of the best experiences of my life was being so close to these adored creatures.
Vietnam:
A surprise visit that was planned without my knowledge for 7 months!
NOW, finally back in Bali, Indonesia. I believe I've found my personal Atlantis.
I can't wait to begin this series to share the pictures, stories,recipes, reviews, tips and tricks we learned along the way and I encourage you to share yours with me!
This series will be the place for all of that so if you're interested in travel, food, love and life, hope on board this magic carpet ride, I hope to take a journey with you!
XO,
