How traveling without money changed my life
In my last year of high school, I was restless. I wanted to travel at all costs, so after my graduation, I started saving and working.
For 7 months I worked with just an objective in my mind: traveling in South Europe alone. Everything changed one day in February. I was going to pick up my brother after work when I fainted while driving, causing a car crash.
After that, I had to spend 3 months recovering. I had so much time to think. Why was I saving so much money? I was going to lose my life, waiting to save enough money to finally start the life of my dreams.
That’s why, as a revolutionary act, I decided to leave with a very tiny budget, to use just for emergencies (300 euros) a tent, a sleeping bag, and a few clothes. With that, my second life started.
The 109 days journey
I live near Padua, northern Italy, in the countryside. In the middle of June, I left home on foot. Direction: the West.
I wanted to reach Madrid, just to say hi to a dear friend. What happened in the middle, was just incredible.
I found so much joy and love during my journey. I opened up to life, and life took me so many great encounters and adventures!
It was my first backpacking travel and I was just 20 years old. I had no experience, and of course, a lot of fears.
Once you rely on and act according to common sense and intuition, embracing your fears, wonderful things will happen in your world.
I reached Madrid in 40 days circa, walking and hitchhiking. After I arrived and spent 10 days there, I decided to go back home in the same way, changing the path a bit. So then I spent 60 days wandering around central Italy, only to return at the end of September.
I hadn’t planned my trip. I just wanted to experience freedom, and be totally responsible for my choices and consequences. I wanted to rediscover the most primitive, primordial part, which relies on the survival instinct. Remove the superfluous, to return to the essential.
To worry exclusively about my basic needs, day by day.
How did I travel with such a small budget for 109 days?
When I decided to travel without money I knew it wouldn’t be easy.
For food, I asked the bakeries for bread left over from the day before, which is usually free.
Or I would pick fruit from fruit trees that I found, or, when I was staying in people’s homes, I was given leftovers or small supplies as gifts.
I often slept in my tent or in the sleeping bag, on the beach, or in the woods.
I was hosted in the homes of many people I met along the way (I even slept on top of a camper once!)
In Italy, I asked for hospitality in the parishes, and in extreme cases, I went to youth hostels, which are very cheap. On two occasions I used the Couchsurfing app, which was free at the time.
The truth is that the Road teaches you. The Road is the best teacher you’ll ever have.
Most of the things, I learned during the trip: every day I had to overcome different challenges.
It’s amazing how so many people you meet, who share their knowledge and give so much advice.
But even without the help of others, it is enough to follow your instincts to overcome difficulties, and if you make a mistake, it becomes a lesson for the future. The journey allows you to return to being a child, where learning takes place through a series of intuitions and mistakes.
When you stop worrying about money, Life gives you abundance
It may sound absurd, but even traveling on a meager budget, and with the aim of using it only in emergencies, I have never lacked anything.
I met extraordinary people, that taught me Love, Solidarity, sense of Community.
But what happens then, when you go on a journey like this? Each path is different, but I’ll briefly describe mine.
I started a path of personal growth, starting from a base of great self-esteem, given the difficulties overcome.
I rediscovered a strong love for writing (every night I wrote a diary that I published online) and so, once back, I started what is my current job: writing articles for several travel blogs in Italy.
I have learned to love my body. When I was younger, I discredited it, but during the journey, I realized how far it has taken me, this machine that works so well to indulge my every will.
I am in love with Life, with people, and with the challenges that present themselves to me. And yes, even unexpected events change routes, taking you to uncharted seas.
Because in the end, life itself is a journey. But sometimes, it takes a revolutionary journey to figure it out.
You can check out the map of my journey on myMaps to have a more accurate view of the route and other interesting details.
