At one point during my solo backpacking trip to Western Europe in 2019, it hit me how alone I was.

Psst! Dreaming about walking through the City of Light on a beautiful spring, summer, winter, or fall day - or night?

Close your eyes and imagine wandering through Paris’ charming, night lit neighborhoods, savoring the city's exquisite culture, and living your solo backpacking dream without maxing out your credit card. What if I told you that that dream can be your reality?

Traveling on a budget?

Don’t know where to go when you’re in London?

Read our first London On A Budget article and want even more great places to visit while you’re there – without breaking your wallet?

You’ve come to the right place. Gentlemen, London – as you may well know – is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. It’s rich in culture, and it’s simultaneously modern without sacrificing its history.

As I Stumble out of the bar - trying to act sober -, my friend holds me back. 

“We need to order you an Uber”, he says.  I'm indifferent. It's New Year's Eve and I'm at my workplace's NYE party.

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

Yes, sometimes, in order to uncover the world’s most beautiful destinations, we’re required to blaze our own trails. I’ll be 100% honest with you, gentlemen; I have not yet backpacked to unfrequented destinations.

The reason that I write this article is because I see backpackers asking questions about them all the time, and I thought I’d help out. Furthermore, I know that Europe gets crowded with tourists, and when that happens, we want seclusion.

That said, privacy doesn’t have to mean locking yourself in a hostel room, or going home.

Sitting in an economy class cabin seat near the window, I spend hours trying to get shuteye, and can’t. Despite wearing my travel pillow around my neck, sleep avoids me.

I spend the first 2-3 hours of my flight trying to watch movies available on Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment network, and – after giving up trying to find something worthwhile – I settle for napping, but that doesn’t work either. My body clock is off, so even though it’s nighttime, I’m wide-awake.

Finally, I decide to put on my headphones, and listen to music as I lift up the window blinds to look out at the troposphere – which is black.

While everyone around me slumbers, I smile with excitement.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

I see black. The sound of the alarm on my phone feels like it’s coming from my dream… and upon further investigation, I realize that it’s not – it’s legit.  

RING! RING! RING! My alarm rings.

Groggy, I open my eyes, check my phone, and find that it’s 6:00AM.

As I wake up at Home Lisbon Hostel, I remember that I’m travelling to Madrid today. “Oh man”, I think. “I’m so freaking excited!” And with that, I climb out of bed, start packing, and brace myself for the journey ahead.

“F***”, I thought to myself as I stood at a debit machine in Vienna at 9:37PM. In the midst of withdrawing cash for a restaurant meal I had just eaten and couldn’t pay for (as the server had notified me – AFTER I ate - that they don’t take debit or credit) since I had no other form of currency on me, I made a deal with the waitress that I’d run to the nearest debit machine, withdraw cash, and come back to pay and tip her before the restaurant closed at 10:00PM.