Gabriele (Brazil)

When I was 16 I worked with a girl who had an experience as an exchange student in Belgium, with the help of a philanthropic organization, and before I knew it, I was daydreaming about becoming an exchange student myself. So I searched for the organization that had helped her and a couple of years later I was living in Turkey, which was definitely a big change of scene for an 18-year old rebellious Brazilian teenager. I often say that this was the moment the travelling bug truly bit me. 

I came back to Brazil after one year in Turkey full of plans to explore the world, and I was especially interested in visiting places in Southeast Asia, due to the fact they were amongst the best scuba diving destinations in the world (I had become a diver while living in the stunning coastal Turkish town of Bodrum). For a long time I waited for the right opportunity to fulfill this dream, but life quickly took its toll: I started working as a journalist and for the next ten years I was too busy building a career to actually put any plans into motion. I was also waiting for a travel buddy to magically show up in my life in the form of a boyfriend, a friend or even my sister. Somehow I never really felt I could backpack Southeast Asia on my own. 

Things started to change when I was 29, and frustrated with the job I happened to be doing at the time. That is when I saw a promotional ticket to Bangkok, and filled with a rush of enthusiasm, I bought it without thinking twice. A friend eventually decided to join me and we embarked on a vacation to Thailand, where I fell in love with all things Thai, from people's smiles to the incredible nature and mind blowing food. My friend had to leave a week early, and that's when I had my very first experience as a solo backpacker. And it couldn't have been more perfect: in the space of one week I lived a short but sweet love story, met an incredible group of friends, and rode a scooter for the first time in my life (I still got the scar to remind me of that). Staring at the perfect starry sky of a Thai island I made up my mind: I would come home, leave my job, and go on to fulfill my travel dreams as a solo backpacker. 

Six months later I was back in Bangkok, the starting point of a 13-month journey that took me to 12 countries, including East Timor, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, and changed my life. For the first time ever I learned what freedom really meant: I had no one telling me what to do, no one waiting for me, and no one to make decisions on my behalf. Everything I did was something I chose to do, and I can honestly say that is as powerful a feeling as I have ever had. I fell in love several times, with people, places, food and cultures, and I felt the happiest I had ever felt up to then. Yes, there were challenging moments, such as when I took a four-hour journey on the open sea sitting on a crowded little fisherman's boat, but most of all I felt that the whole universe was on my side, helping me get out of any troubles that arose. It was as if by opening my soul to all of these adventures, I was finally fulfilling my path, and therefore all the positive forces in this beautiful world were on my side. It sounds quite mystical, but that is exactly how it felt! 

Living as a backpacker has taught me the value of time, and showed me how little we actually need to be happy. I am proud to say I don't buy things I don't need anymore, and I value nature more than ever -- sunrises and sunsets are some of the biggest treasures we all have, and both are free to behold. I have also become a better and more compassionate person, and learned so much about myself along the way. If I could give one advice to anybody reading this, is to just go ahead and take the leap! It will be worth it -- every single second of it.

My name is Gabriele I will be living in Spain in the next year, as I wait for the world to get back on track. Many of my travelling recollections will be published in a book that comes out in 2021, and I can't wait for all the new adventures the future holds

You can follow Gabriele’s travels and all her amazing photos on Instagram  instagram.com/gabiandthewo