"Travelling makes you grateful and puts your life into perspective"

TRAVELLER ID

Name: Brad

Name on Instagram: braddeab

Age: 32

Nationality: Australian

City you're currently in: Barcelona, Spain

Peculiarities: Butt artist, into laughter yoga

Type of traveller: Backpacker

Most beautiful place you've been  to: Laguna 69, Peru

Motto: Live a little!

What initially motivated you to travel?

When I was 17 I went travelling. I did a gap year and I went to Europe with my two best friends. We travelled for four months. That's what gave me the motivation and inspiration to keep going. After I got back from that trip, I went to university, worked for a couple of years and saved up some money to then go on another big trip, a six month trip in South East Asia with a friend. Then came the Camino de Santiago in Spain and after a trip to South America to travel for a year with Workaway. Later, I decided to move to New Zealand, where I lived for a year and a half. I also spent six months in Central America after which I moved to London and started travelling again after three years there.

How do you support your travels?

Usually I work and save up money before starting a trip. In Australia it's pretty easy to get paid well and save money. When I was in South America I worked two jobs, 70 hours a week to put aside some money. 

I also camp out a lot so I don't have to pay for accommodations. Sometimes I stay in hostels and cook in their kitchens. However, when I occasionally want to treat myself, I go to a restaurant (laughter).

What motivates you to keep travelling?  

When I travel I have people tell me about new and exciting places, so every time my list of places I want to go gets bigger. Also, every couple of years I feel like I need a "refresh", to go and be free, especially after the pandemic. I want to meet people, experience new cultures and visit new countries, but I also want time for myself.  

You are now in Barcelona. What brought you there?

I lived 3 years in London. The city is a lot of fun, but it's also expensive and the weather is cold. I still wanted to live in Europe, but just somewhere else. I had been to Barcelona five or six times and I liked it. It's an international city with fantastic beaches and interesting things to do. Also, since I'm trying to incorporate traveling with work, I applied for some jobs in humanitarian organizations here. Hopefully, using Barcelona as a base, I can travel and work at the same time.

From your point of view, what are the advantages and disadvantages related to your way of travelling?

The advantages are that I get to know people from all over the world and I have lots of fun. Also, when you travel you think about the way other people live and the things other people go through. You don't get stuck in your little bubble. It's nice to remind yourself that there are other people out there and not everyone maybe has such a good life. It makes you grateful and puts your life into perspective. The disadvantages are that I don't get to see my family often, because Australia is far away, but it's nice to miss people sometimes as well. It's nice to have your space and become comfortable with yourself.  

Another disadvantage is that I never have any money (laughter). Other people tell me they bought a new car or house and I always tell them that I went travelling for months (laughter). I don't regret anything though. 

Did you experience difficulties while travelling?

I didn't really have many difficulties when travelling. I had some difficulties with the post-travel part. If you're gone for months and then you come back, you need to try to find where you fit in again. When you come back you need to fit back in to your friendships and relationships. Things happen, people change, life moves on. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I see myself in a steppe in Mongolia, riding around, being wild and free.

The most peculiar person you met while travelling.

There was this old Malaysian man a friend and I met. He got so deep, asking intense questions about ourselves. He gave us a list of seven questions. He said you should ask yourself these questions every couple of years. The first one was: when you look in the mirror, who do you see? which mask are you wearing? I felt like I was in a dream. He was so wise and he kept telling us really mystical-magical kind of things. He also had twirly mustache, which added to it (laughter).

What advice would you give to someone who wants to travel but doesn't know how to get started?

Save money and don't plan too much. If you plan too much it takes some of the joy and the spontaneity out of the trip. Be very open and don't be scared because a lot of people miss out on having really great experiences because they think people want something from them and they don't open up to them. Some of the best moments of my travels have been with random people. Obviously, you have to be careful but trust your gut and trust your intuition. If you feel like it's a nice person, then give them the time because those are the very rich experiences.