My Honest Travel Story. Living in 10 countries for 3 years.

My only goal when I was 19 was to travel.

I obsessed so much about it so I’m gonna make this article from scratch explaining exactly what I did and how I did it.

Since I left home 3 years ago I lived in 10 countries. The UK (London), Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Austria, Mexico, the US (NYC), Colombia, Romania (I count this because I went home for 3 months and after being away for a while it’s a totally different experience), and back to Austria.

I would lie if I said I loved every part of it.

40% was exhilarating and amazing – living my dream, exploring new locations, learning new languages, meeting family and friends from around the world. Waking up in a new place every day, taking photos and videos of incredible landscapes and views, and sharing new parts of the world with my friends back home! Watching a different sunset every day and experiencing so many new environments completely turned my being upside down.

40% was stressful and annoying – well, I couldn’t fit in my backpack a money-making tree. So I had to save up, or/and work everywhere I went. And besides that, having to pack and unpack, and to carry a 25kg backpack (with clothes, laptop, and camera and other tech equipment I needed for work) everywhere is fun for a while (3-4 weeks) but after that, it becomes super annoying and tiring. Living in bigger polluted cities without nature affected my mental health, as well as experiencing working environments so contrasting to my values and beliefs. And most of all, the constant homesickness, missing friends and family back home, and seeing how life goes on without you. Losing best friends, but gaining others. It’s part of life, but during travel happens way quicker because of the lack of constant physical connection.

20% was infinitely special and life-changing. I wouldn’t see my life any other way. The growth I experienced in these 3 years was phenomenal because I was so uncomfortable most of the time, that I had to learn to have my own back no matter what. Plus, who am I kidding, I lived in beach towns for more than 6 months altogether, so even that is an incredible achievement for a city girl like me.

Get yourself a cup of coffee or tea, cause we are going to be here a while. One of my favorite writers is Simina Cernat, and I remember reading her blog 2 years ago. She wrote some super long and detailed articles, one about a hike she did in India and another about trekking the jungle in Indonesia that I felt like reading an actual book. I was stuck there for a few hours in utter fascination, and I couldn’t move. This is what I’m striving for with my articles too. For my readers, if they choose to read the raw story, to be 100% engaged, even if it takes them longer to finish it. This story is my life and I think it requires more than a quick 5 mins read. So I would rather have fewer articles on my blog, but with valuable and qualitative stories and preparation.

Now let’s start with the beginning. How it all started?

My best friend Teo and I met at an outdoor bar in Bucharest, called Eden, in 2016. Over apple ciders, we talked about our love for traveling and how we both dreamt of leaving it all behind and go on an adventure. So we planned our first “get-away” to Morocco in the fall of the same year.

Earlier that year I got a job at a hostel (at the time called Doors Hostel). And I didn’t even know what had drawn me to that place. All I knew is that I entered the gates and I was welcomed by a lush and green garden, an old house, 2 fat cats, and the owner, Diana, who talked to me about her business, her travels, and her weird (but lovely) guests over a cup of tea. I was absolutely in love with that place. I didn’t understand why. My other work offers would have been at a call center or another company whose name I don’t even remember. As a business administration student, I promised myself to never get a job in a corporation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful that other more organized people are able to work in big companies, but my spirit wants to fly free elsewhere. So, out of curiosity, and wonder, I chose this hostel job (flexible hours, cool environment, nice boss, and quirky team).

For the next 10 months, I was surrounded by travelers (you definitely can’t call them tourists – if you’ve ever spent time around hostels you know what I mean. Most of them have traveled the world, and they not only have epic and unique stories but also incredibly free spirits and friendly attitudes.) Hearing their crazy experiences around the world, how they lived for months in different places, and how they’ve been on the road for years on end, only with their backpack, was truly inspiring to me. It was as if the Universe took me by the hand and brought me there. It was absolutely perfect.

On one summer day, one traveler walked in, his name was Martin and he was from Austria. He was annoyingly happy and he kept asking me a lot of questions. Frankly, it was a hot summer day, and all I wanted to do was to be left alone to scroll Facebook with a cold soda, not be questioned by this random guy. But he kept going, asking me questions about what I want to do in life, where I want to go, what I like to eat, what are my favorite places to go in Bucharest, and telling me stories about his time in Romania. In the end, I put my phone aside and gave in. We kept talking until he said he had to go and meet a friend and off he went.

The next day, he offered to prepare some pasta so we had lunch together. After a while, I decided he was cool and I liked talking to him. Later that day, my boss came in and they started talking. They figured out that she had an empty room that she wanted to rent in her flat, and he was looking for a place to stay for a few months in Bucharest. So they arranged that he will rent that exact room. Then she recommended him to check out Ruse, a city in Bulgaria, a 1-hour drive away from Bucharest. He looked over to me and asked me if I’d like to join him. First I was skeptical to accept an invitation from this guy I just met yesterday, but he was giving me a super nice vibe, so I thought – ok, might be a cool adventure. Let’s go.

The next day we drove to Ruse, and we had an amazing time. He told me a million stories about his travels to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, about how he visited all the European countries while working on a cruise ship, how he volunteered in a youth center in Cambodia, and how for the last few years he didn’t spend more than 6 months in the same place. I was fascinated and I kept asking questions like “How did you do it? How did you get the money? How did you get those people to hire you? How did you find volunteer jobs? What about your bank, can you withdraw money all over the world? How did you know where to go next? How did you communicate with those people that didn’t speak English? What did you pack? Weren’t you lonely? Didn’t you miss your family?” and so on.

He was the first person that gave me the exact answers to all of those questions and more. When I started planning my own travels I asked him confused questions, but he always had a story, an example, or an idea for everything, and that helped me build up the strength and courage to also always look for solutions. He taught me that it’s ok to work weird jobs around the world that will allow me to travel, he taught me how to manage my finances on the road, who to ask for help, and when to rely on my intuition. He helped open up my mind in those early stages, and to know that no matter what, there will always be a way to make it work on the road.

What a shocker, he became my boyfriend. That’s how our story started, and we’ve been together for 4 years. The reason why I added this story here is for any new/beginner traveler to see the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, that will support you and guide you in your journey. Even if they don’t advise you directly, you will learn so much from their way of thinking of living just by witnessing it.

That year, after spending 4 months in Bucharest, Martin continued his travels (to Mexico and Colombia), while I finished my last year of University. I wanted to graduate and get my Bachelor’s diploma to feel that my chapter in Bucharest was truly over. So I used the next months to focus on passing exams, working on projects, writing and handing in my final thesis paper, and of course, planning for when I’ll take off.

My best friend Teo and I started to contact people trying to create a plan for the first months of travels. The initial plan was to go and teach English in China, but for that, we needed a visa. And we heard that the Chinese Embassy in Romania only issued 2 weeks visas (which was incredibly short for us considering that we wanted to stay there for a few months to work and save up money).

Eventually, I met Josh, a friend from the US, who was an English tutor in Budapest and used to work in Vietnam. He recommended a school in Ho Chi Minh and he put in me touch with the director, who could give us a job if we ended up there. Amazing! The problem was that neither I nor Teo managed to save up money in the last year of University so we made up another plan – She asked her sister Flori and her husband, Jason, if we can stay at their place in London for a few weeks. We were about to work as waitresses (for Christmas parties and events) to save up some money for the flight and the first weeks. They accepted and their support meant the world for us, getting us a step closer to making our dream true! I will forever be grateful to Flori and Jason for hosting us because we managed to make an emergency fund that allowed us to start our travels worry-free.

On November 8th, 2017 we flew to London. I only had 300 Euros in cash. That’s it. One week later I booked my first job. During this time I marked some vegan and vegetarian places around our new home and I went asking with my printed CV (that’s right, the good old fashion way) if they are hiring. It was awkward in the beginning, but I’m happy I did it – because I developed a skill which I will forever be thankful for, which is getting over my shyness. Finally, I got a second job at a juice bar in Tooting Market. My boss Leon is an incredible guy who had the patience to teach me the difference between a mango and a coconut (how would a Romanian who’s never been to the tropics know that?) and many other useful things about nutrition, travel, and self-confidence.

During November, December, and half of January, I worked in over 15 different locations and hotels, sometimes even 17 hours shifts. I would start a morning shift from 7 am until 12 pm, then I would take the night shift at an event from 2 pm to 3 am. It was a lot of polishing glasses, cleaning tables, serving food, and pouring wine. I think I walked kilometers until I couldn’t feel my feet, but it was all worth it when I would look at photos of Java or Bali on the bus on the way to work, places that Teo and I were about to explore soon! It was also one of the most fun times of my life because I met so many cool and different people from all over the world, and each person taught me something new and inspired me to open my mind further to new experiences and ideas.

For Christmas, Teo and I bought our one-way flights to Jakarta in Indonesia. We flew in on February 4th. After those few weeks of working in London, I have saved up around 2000 Euros. I said the story will be honest, financials and all – so there you have it. In hindside, that’s not the best way to start your travels. I would advise anyone starting out to have an emergency fund of 5 monthly expenses (which they never touch unless in emergency situations of course) and another few thousand euros or dollars for fun stuff, accommodation, and food that will last a few months. This way, you won’t be stressed out to find a job immediately, and you will have the flexibility to enjoy the place you are at. Well, I learned that the hard way.

When we arrived in Jakarta, Our best friend Atika was waiting for us at the airport. We saw her last time 2 years ago when she was volunteering in Bucharest, and we missed her like crazy. Those first days felt like we were in Heaven on Earth. We got to meet her beautiful family, she showed us around Jakarta and I tried durian ice-cream. Didn’t like it that much. On our 3rd day, we took the train to Jogjakarta, where we rented a car and explored temples, had picnics, gave each other massages on the beach, tried all the weird and new fruits we could find, and simply enjoy each other’s company. It felt like Paradise. After those few days, Atika had to return to Jakarta for her studies, while Teo and I continued our travels East towards Bali. We trekked 2 volcanoes – Bromo and Ijen, but those are stories for another time. Over the next 2 weeks, we explored Bali, Gili Trawangan, and Lombok. I absolutely adore Indonesia, and those 3 weeks were one of the best ones of my life.

During those 3 weeks, I spent around 1000 Euros on tours, accommodation, food, experiences, and transportation. It sounds like a lot of Indonesia, but just the volcano trekking was like 200 Euros (because we didn’t do proper research and just went for the first agency we found.)

At the beginning of March, we got a flight to Ho Chi Minh, also known as Saigon. Where we met with Mr. Jack – the school director that Josh worked for. He interviewed us, trained us, and offered us a job immediately. I’m not even joking – the first day we got to Saigon, we went to school to teach. It was incredible. We worked in Saigon for 3 months, and in that time I paid back the debt I had (another learning point, make sure to off all your debt before your travels if possible), and I could stay afloat, paying for accommodation and food. I couldn’t save up much, unfortunately – but I was happy to not have a negative balance sheet anymore. That time was a bit harder, it was a bit difficult to live in such a huge and polluted city, and I had to learn to drive the scooter. During these 3 months, travel didn’t seem so glamorous anymore, because I would have classes of 50 5-year-old kids that won’t pay attention and didn’t want to study or behave. My teacher assistant Ashley did her best to coach and help me, but sometimes I felt like those naughty kids were pushing my buttons on purpose because they couldn’t rebel against the stricter Vietnamese teachers. I’ll talk more in-depth about that in another article.

So after 2 months of teaching English in Vietnam, here I was with about 500-700 Euros in my bank account, with a visa that was about to expire, and no other work opportunities going forward. So I started applying for online tutoring jobs. I think I applied to about 100 companies, got interviewed by around 40, sent 30 demos, and in the end, after 5 weeks of constant stress and anxiety, I got accepted by 2 companies. The next challenge now was choosing locations with good wifi so I could work online.

I didn’t mention till now, but Martin also joined our travels, while we were in Vietnam. So basically now I was traveling with both my best friend and boyfriend. What a dream (or at least I would think so)! Sadly, the stress over the little monsters at school and the online applications was making me very grumpy and I was a bit of a party pooper. We all knew that it was time for a change, so we kindly told the schools that we were about to take off – and decided that our next destination will be Malaysia, more specifically Kuala Lumpur.

Now, I don’t want to say that those 3 months were all stress and worry – we visited beautiful places like Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoian, and the Mekong Delta. We made new friends and enjoyed the absolutely delicious vegan Vietnamese cuisine. A little trick for my vegan travelers out there – next to all Pagodas in Vietnam you’ll find a “chai” place – that means vegan in Vietnamese. I loved the freedom of hopping on my scooter and driving wherever I wanted, no waiting for the bus or waiting on the taxi/uber. And many other things that I will explore more another time.

So now we were in Kuala Lumpur – absolutely perfect! Atika flew to us and a childhood friend – Raluci was also there so I got to hang out with her too. All of us also met Amirul, another friend from the same project where we met Atika, and Nana – Teo’s old friend. All of us + Martin had a few amazing days, experiencing the city, taking photos, spending time together and of course, trying lots and lots of new dishes. I adored KL, and how the modern architecture bonded perfectly with the lush tropical nature. For me, it felt like London in the tropics. I loved it.

Next, Martin and I went to a gorgeous island called Langkawi, while Teo and Atika went camping on another remote island (without internet or electricity) for a few days. In total, we were in Langkawi for about 4 weeks. There I started running on the beach in the morning and meditating over the sound of the crashing waves. Driving on the scooter around the island would take I think around 3 hours, so sometimes we drove up to the other side of the island, where we could get a glimpse of the neighboring Thai islands. This was a tropical paradise and I felt so inspired once again. After feeling so stuck in a city for so long, being able to go for a swim first thing in the morning and to enjoy the sun all day long felt like a blessing. Then I also started to teach online, so I had a bit of money coming in.

After spending all May in Malaysia, we flew to Bangkok, for a few days. I loved the Thai atmosphere, the temples, and the delicious food – and definitely, 4 days weren’t enough to experience authentically the country, so I’m looking forward to going back. The best part of those days was our morning runs. We woke up at 5 am to go for a run in the park, but the city was already full of people, like Manhattan at 1 pm or something. One of those days I managed to run my first 5k and I was ecstatic!

In early June we flew back to Europe, to Austria, to attend Martin’s sister’s wedding and spend some time with his family. After reflecting on the last months I figured out that I needed that emergency and fun funds I was talking about before in preparation for my next travels. So I found a job at a vegetarian restaurant in Kitzbuhel. Basically, from 11h to 14h I would be tutoring online, and 15h to 22h I would be working as a kitchen assistant and housekeeper for the Airbnb rooms they had next to the restaurant. That’s what my life looked like from August 2018 to February 2019. It was a busy time, I did a lot of financial planning and saving up. But I also enjoyed the summer and winter in the mountains. I went hiking in the summer (but because of my poor physical strength it was quite tough) and I learned how to ski in winter. I started going to the gym and focusing on nutrition and I felt like I was getting stronger. Not gonna lie, I was tired and stressed most of the time, missing my friends and family back home, so I have to thank Martin for being so patient and buying me Thai and Nepalese food when I would get cranky. And of course, for reminding me daily of our future travels to North and South America.

In February I quit the job at the restaurant and went back to Romania for a bit to spend some time with my friends and family. Oh, and also, Atika was working in Mongolia and we missed her like hell! So we got her a flight to Serbia where all of us spent a wonderful week together – Atika, Teo, another good friend from the project, Georgia, and Teo’s school friend Monica. I feel so lucky to have these special ladies in my life! That week was like a soul recharge after working so hard for the past months.

Finally, after working 2 jobs for 6 months I saved up 6000 Euros and I was ready to bounce to the next chapter. But not before we found the best travel insurance for nomads from SafetyWing. I’ve been using it since 2019 now, and I can say with all my heart that this is the best one out there, for long-term traveling and a nomadic lifestyle.

So the adventure continued. In March 2019 we flew to Cancun in Mexico where we took the bus to Playa del Carmen. We knew we wanted to dive, so we looked on Workaway, and found a great opportunity. We would volunteer at a dive center and in exchange, we would get accommodation and discounts on dives and Advanced Water certification (which meant that we could become advanced divers and go down to 30m). We already got our Open water certification in Tenerife a few months back, so we both knew we love diving and wanted to learn more. It was incredible how much we improved our skills. We dove in cenotes, at the Playa del Carmen reef, and in the Cozumel coral reef. We saw huge turtles, a shipwreck, and even a few little sharks. Those 2 months were some of the most beautiful (become of diving) but also some of the hardest (emotionally). Because I had to wake up at 5 am to tutor online, I would end up tired and irritated all day. Now I wish that I would have just quit that job sooner and just rely on my savings, but I think I had a lesson to learn and that was how to not let my emotions take over. Also, the over 40 degrees heat and mosquitoes didn’t help. Around the end of our time in Mexico, I made a profile on Upwork, and I received an email from the manager of a marketing agency, Steve. He interviewed me and offered me a trial. After the trial, I started by working 5 hours/week as a copywriter and social media content planner.

We closed that chapter in June when we flew to the United States to attend our friends Sammy and Eddy’s wedding in Fort Lauderdale. I loved their beautiful ceremony and party, it was lovely. After that, we went by train to New York City where my great-aunt Atena was kind enough to let us stay in her flat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for a while. I’m so grateful to her because otherwise, I wouldn’t have had one of the most formative experiences of my life. Very close to me, 6 blocks down the road, lived Josa – my Access Bars fairy. I had my first session with her after which I attended my first class. I made a video for her, and in return, she gifted me a second class. Another learning point here is that you can leverage your skills to get things you need during your travels, like accommodation or experiences – paying money is not the only way. Oh, and also – coach surf when possible! Use your existing network to find people who can host you along your travels. Firstly cause it’s cool to spend time with locals or people that lived there for a while, also if they are your friends or family it’s nice to catch up, and secondly because you’ll save up a lot on rent/accommodation.

In NYC I also met my new boss, Steve, and his wife Juliana. He is American, she is Colombian and they both lived in Medellin where his business and most of the team were based. After getting to know Steve better, and finding out that my friend Adita wanted to explore Colombia for 2 weeks on Christmas break, it seemed only fair that our next home should be Medellin – the city of eternal spring. I loved the sound of that.

We arrived in Medellin in August and I must say, that time was also incredibly beautiful. I had a wonderful routine of waking up early, going to the gym, working for a few hours, going to Spanish class, eating out the daily menus at the nice restaurants nearby, and spending time with friends in the evening. On Mondays, I would go to the coworking place, meet and work together with the team, and it was nice to have the community feeling by living in a huge 2 store flat with another 5 foreigners, some also digital nomads, and others English teachers. I practiced a lot of Spanish, had fresh fruit smoothies every day, lost a lot of weight by exercising and eating healthy, and explored Colombia with my friend Sarah while Martin went on a Vipassana meditation retreat. When my friend Adita arrived in Bogota in December I couldn’t believe that time flew by and she was already there! We had planned this trip over the phone for the last 6 months and now she was there. How crazy! Together we went to the Amazon jungle in Leticia, to the coffee region in Salento, and the Caribbean coast in Tayrona and Santa Marta.

In February 2020 I came back to Romania because I was missing my friends and family a lot. I was quite homesick after being abroad for so long. I missed my best friends, my parents, and my grandparents, walking down Calea Victoriei with a cup of coffee, and walking around Cismigiu. I got to really appreciate being back home for a few days – and I also went to another Access Bars class. Then I flew back to Kitzbuhel for a bit, and then to Barcelona for another class. On March 15th the lockdown started in both Romania and Spain so I had to fly home last minute. The flight was extremely expensive. The prices went up in just a few hours from 50 Euros to 500 Euros and I had to pay this money from my pocket and I was honestly kinda panicking. Luckily I had my SafetyWing travel insurance and it was all covered for COVID-related emergencies! I had a super pleasant experience. I contacted the team, fill out a form, sent the proof of the flight, and in just a few weeks I received a reimbursement. I couldn’t be happier, and honestly, as a traveler, you always take up these risks with flights, luggage, hiking, and traveling to new locations when different accidents might happen so you MUST have the insurance you can trust.

Now back to March 20202. I was in Romania for 3 months, at home, with my parents. I felt very isolated from the outer world so I had to start exploring my inner world. To ask some tough questions, meditate, run my bars, and figure out how I want my life to look moving forward. I’m grateful for those 3 months because I got to spend some quality time and family time.

In June 2020 I came to Austria to get reunited with Martin. We stayed in Innsbruck for 2 months, and I must say – that’s my favorite city. Everywhere you look there are mountains, it’s incredible. More friends visited us and I felt so happy that I get to spend even more time with the people I love. We were cycling almost every day and enjoying the little things like a swim in the lake, a morning smoothie at the river, or a coffee on the balcony.

We settled down and rented a beautiful flat that we now call home in Krems an der Donau in August because Martin is studying Tourism Management at the University here. I’m still working with Steve’s agency, alongside different projects related to marketing, virtual assistance, organizing an empowerment retreat for women, and putting together my own classes and events. I’m taking each day as it comes, and I’m learning to slow down. I’m learning that I don’t have to DO every day something to feel worthy of self-love. I’m learning to enjoy being at home and finding exciting adventures even just 5 minutes from where I live. I’m learning to maintain a healthy morning routine, practice yoga, and meditation, write and smile even if I don’t feel like it.

Thanks for joining me on this crazy journey, and if you read until the end, I’m so grateful for you! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll respond to all messages and hopefully, I’ll be able to use what I learned to support you on your own journey. This world is too beautiful not to see her whole magic – from abroad, from home, or from wherever you are in life! You can make it happen.

Do you have any questions or curiosities about long-term travel or nomadic lifestyle?

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What glorious adventures await?

grateful for you,

Andreea