G’DAY! WELCOME TO MY BLOG.
My name is Sean, I’m a budget solo traveller and photographer seeking out photogenic locations around the world that are less visited.
In a world where overtourism is increasingly becoming a problem – travellers are looking further afield, to places where they can escape the crowds and have more authentic experiences.
That’s where I come in! Here, I share my best tips to travel to these kinds of places without sending you broke.
So far, I have visited more than 30 countries – throughout Europe and South East Asia. The majority of these places have been completely solo.
WHY I WANTED TO TRAVEL ON A BUDGET
My first time leaving the country without family was to New Zealand back in 2019. We visited the South Island and saw some truly mind-boggling landscapes in Milford Sound and Mt. Cook. My mate and I were only there for a few days and I remember at the time wishing I could have stayed for an entire month!
My next thought was, “how on Earth do I make trips like these longer?”. And that’s when I discovered budget travel and backpacking.
I took the leap and went to Laos for 3 weeks with my mate, Rory, in November 2019. It was my first trip of this kind and it completely flipped my perspective of world travel on its head.
It was my first time backpacking and it taught me about a form of travelling that was completely fresh for me. I got to experience a culture that was completely different to back home in Australia.
For instance, I rode in a tuk-tuk for the first time. On another occasion, I (dangerously) hitched a ride in the back of a local’s ute to a bowling alley where drinks were cheap and aplenty; and that’s just scratching the surface.
So, that all takes us back to the big question – “why?” – at the end of the day – what that trip really did for me was to make me realise that there is so many more cultures that I need to see, whilst maximising my time.
When I discover something new, I aim to document them using my skills as a photographer and cinematographer. My goal is to encourage everyone who stumbles across my blog to get out there and have a go, as i’m sure that it will change your life in so many ways.
MY FIRST SOLO TRIP
Pretty much as soon as we got back from Laos, there were rumblings of COVID-19. Before we knew it, Australia was locked down and I wouldn’t be able to leave any time soon.
Just to be clear, not being able to travel is a huge first world problem. I get it. There were so many around the world who copped it far worse than I did (I didn’t even get COVID until 2022).
The plan was to travel more in 2020 and go on my first solo trip somewhere. Having those plans be completely cancelled was incredibly frustrating.
Fast forward to the second half of 2022, after months and months of doomscrolling and being unsure of what was ahead – I booked a one way flight to London leaving in March of 2023. I worked relentlessly all throughout COVID right up until I left, all whilst completing a Bachelor’s degree. Now, I could finally put those savings to good use.
I left for London and went straight to Bristol to catch up with one of my best mates. This was the first time out of the country by myself but I wasn’t testing myself yet – I guess having a friend around made it very easy. It wasn’t until I flew to Portugal was when I was truly solo.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t completely loving the experience. Sure, I was enjoying everything I was seeing and doing – but I was LONELY as hell. I hadn’t gotten used to making friends in hostels yet, and I wasn’t hanging out with anyone. I persevered and after a couple of weeks in Portugal, it was time to head to Morocco.
For the first few weeks of my trip, I had literally everything booked. Buses, trains, flights and hostels – you name it. I did this so I could settle in and not to have to worry about anything. Those bookings stopped as soon as I got to Morocco. I wanted to be more spontaneous with my plans and be a truly solo budget traveller!
Sadly, on my first day in the country – I was robbed by four guys in the maze that is Marrakech and it hit me like a brick. It was a huge wake up call for me and made me question if solo travel was even for me!
I actually ended up booking a flight to Spain that night – realising I need a bit more experience before I venture out into places that are a little more difficult to travel to. Thankfully, this was the best decision I could have made – I started making friends and I was having the time of my life.
I went from Spain to the Czech Republic, down to Austria and then into the Balkans, where I spent 4 whole months visiting some seriously offbeat destinations where there were barely any other tourists. To this day, it remains my favourite part of the world for travelling and I can’t wait to go back.
After travelling all throughout the Balkans, and volunteering in a hostel in Belgrade – it was time to leave. I headed up towards Hungary and Poland (where unfortunately I spend 90% of my time there incredibly sick). I then flew back to the UK for one final catch up with my mate – and flew to South East Asia.
I spent 3.5 months exploring Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – being spoilt with some of the best tasting food in the world and crazy landscapes. This is where I decided to call it a day, Christmas was approaching and to be honest – I was getting pretty burnt out.
Overall, it was an incredible 9 months and easily the best decision I have ever made.
Where I Have Been
2019:
My first year of travel since turning 18. I spent 5 days on the South Island of New Zealand in June and then in November I visited Laos for 3 weeks.
2020/21:
I can’t leave the country! I can only dream about where I want to visit.
2022:
My first trip since Australia opened its borders. I spent 3 weeks travelling around the UK with a couple of friends, going to London, Bristol, Glasgow and the Isle of Skye. We spent a few days in Amsterdam as well.
2023:
After saving up for a very long time, I finally got to take my dream solo trip. I visited England, Portugal, Morocco (for 2 days), Spain, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
THE CREATIVE SIDE
I was always an artsy kid growing up, but it wasn’t until I started using my iPod to create skits to upload to YouTube (which i’ve since hidden to save the embarrassment) when the cogs started turning.
As time went on and I started making short montages of my travels – my first one being a cinematic video of “My Year” that I put together for my major work in school back in 2018.
Since then, I have made videos on Japan, New Zealand, Laos and Malaysia which I have posted on my YouTube channel.
But of course, the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary halt to that and really kicked my motivation in the guts.
It wasn’t until September of 2020 when I finally decided to start a Bachelor of Film course to study to become a cinematographer (after relentless encouragement by my parents). Seeing that the future of the world was uncertain, I thought “why not?” (I know, dramatic). This sent me down a new path that I will never regret (thanks mum, thanks dad).
This led me to step into the world of filmmaking and helped me find my passion for documentaries. I had the chance to be the Director of Photography for a film documenting The Cowshed, the home of Australia’s top acrobatic club and Australia’s Got Talent winners, who have found success against all odds.
WELL, NOW WHAT?
All in all, now you know a bit about me and why this blog is even a thing to begin with! While you’re here though, I strongly recommend you follow me on my social platforms to see behind-the-scenes videos and more tips and tricks in the life of a budget traveller!