I thought I was going to Thailand for a 2-month trip. I was wrong. Things kind of escalated. I ended up travelling around the world for 2 years instead — and I’ve been a travel addict ever since.
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I went to Thailand in part because I was frustrated with my life. I had just lost my job working in the video game industry in London. Many thought I had a dream job, but to be honest, it was fraught with endless meetings and corporate politics. It was the fourth job that slipped through my fingers due to downsizing or corporate strategic shifts.
I felt frustrated and needed a break from it all.
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. I travelled all around Southeast Asia for nearly one year, and then from Mexico to Argentina in another. I burned through all my savings, but it was 100% worth it — in fact, it was the most epic, most fun, and the most fulfilling thing I’d ever done.
You see, 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 am. And it helped me better understand the world I live in.
It’s also been a lot of stupid fun!
With this blog I hope to encourage others to travel more and to travel independently, by sharing real stories and honest advice.
You can dive in by checking out my best travel tips. And don’t miss my 91 Weird & Wonderful Lessons From Traveling the World, which will give you a sense of what truly drives me to travel — and may just inspire you to go on an epic trip too.
I’m from The Netherlands (hoi!) and my mum is Polish (hence my first name). When I’m not exploring caves in Thailand or eating guinea pig in Peru, you can probably find me working from a park or cafe in beautiful sunny Lisbon, where I’m living most of the year these days.
Good luck on your travels, and thanks for stopping by!
– Marek
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