I’ve always loved to travel, but in 2012 everything just went into overdrive.
I thought I was going to Thailand for a 2 month trip. I was wrong. Things kind of escalated and instead I ended up travelling around the world for 2 years.
I went to Thailand because I had lost my job working in the video game industry in London. It was the fourth job that slipped through my fingers due to corporate strategic shifts or cancelled projects. I had never been able to finish anything I started and I felt frustrated with my career.
I arrived in Bangkok thinking I’d take this time to figure out my next steps… maybe emailing some recruiters and updating my CV while chilling on a beach somewhere.
I never even opened my CV. Instead, I got sucked into the world of travel. Thailand got me hooked, and then I simply couldn’t stop. One thing quickly led to another. I travelled all around Southeast Asia for nearly one year, and then from Mexico to Argentina in another.
Since completing that epic journey I’ve gone back to having a fixed base again, and take trips throughout the year.
To me travel isn’t just about relaxing or being on a holiday; it’s also about venturing out into the unknown, following your own path, and pushing beyond your comfort zone. It means trying new food, experiencing other cultures, and doing silly things sometimes. At its best, travel lets you view the world with a sense of awe and wonder.
It probably sounds cheesy, but travel let me rediscover who I truly am and helped me better understand the world I live in. It’s also been a lot of stupid fun.
On this blog I hope to encourage others to travel more and to travel independently, by sharing real stories and honest advice. I think too much travel information gets glorified by travel guides trying too hard to sell a destination – instead I want to try and give you an honest perspective.
Be sure to check out my travel tips, read about some of my adventures, or use my destination guides. I also authored a book titled Travel the World Without Worries—out as eBook and on paperback.
I’m from The Netherlands (hoi!), and when I’m not exploring caves in Thailand or eating guinea pig in Peru, you can probably find me living somewhere in the UK I’m now based in lovely Lisbon in Portugal.
Good luck on your travels, and thanks for stopping by!
– Marek
P.S. I earn an income with Indie Traveller through sales of my book and affiliate advertising. I never run so-called ‘native ads’ or undisclosed partnerships. I explain this here.
Crazy things eaten: Guinea pig, chicken claws, fried giant ants that tasted like popcorn, tiny ants that tasted like lemon, other non-ant related foods. Mostly just delicious local cuisines.
Drinks had: Pisco Sour in Pisco, Singapore Sling in Singapore, Manhattan in Manhattan and Tequilas in Tequila.
Transportation used: propellor plane, tuk-tuk, taxi, banka, jeepney, mule, horse, quad bike, bus, bicycle, tricycle, speedboat, catamaran and hot air balloon.
Best local experiences: accidentally crashing a wedding in Laos, getting invited by Filipinos for dinner in their bamboo hut house, and watching the football world cup with Argentinians in a liposuction clinic in Cordoba.
Festivals and events: Day of the Dead in Mexico, carnaval in Barranquila, Christmas in Vietnam (so much fake snow!) and in Guatemala (where the town’s xmas tree ornaments were guarded by a security dude with a shotgun), Easter in the Philippines (saw a guy actually nailed to a cross)
It’s often MUCH better to ask your question in comment! I check them more often, and my reply can be seen by others who might have the same question.
Sorry, I can’t offer detailed itinerary advice! 🙁
I simply get too much e-mail now to help with this individually. Perhaps my destination guides or my book can help you specifically with route planning. Sorry to be lame about this! Feel free however to shoot me any other travel related questions.
= countries I’ve travelled 
= countries I’ve blogged about (click to explore)