About Buzzing Backpack

Hey, I’m Esmay. And I’ve got the travel bug pretty bad.

I left The Netherlands in 2017 for my first solo trip and I haven’t really stopped since. My boyfriend shares the same obsession, which helps. Between the two of us we’ve got an embarrassing number of stamp pages used up and a very long list of places we still want to get to.

Here comes the longer version, if you’re curious.

It didn’t start with a plan. It never does.

In 2017 I bought a one-way ticket and figured the rest would sort itself out. It mostly did. Since then I’ve been through over 30 countries across Asia, South America, Central America and Europe. Some trips were carefully researched. Most weren’t. The best ones never are.

My boyfriend joined the chaos somewhere along the way and now we do a lot of it together. Two people with a shared love for nature, long hikes and finding the kind of place that doesn’t show up on the first page of Google.

Buzzing Backpack exists because I kept getting the same messages from friends. Where should I go, is it safe, how do you actually get there? I loved giving them advice and hearing other people’s experiences. At some point it just made sense to write it all down somewhere and share it with the rest of the world.

So that’s what this is. Everything I’ve learned along the way, including the good, the uncomfortable and the occasional stomach situation. All written down honestly so you don’t have to figure it all out from scratch.

No fluff, no unnecessary positivity. On this blog you’ll read real experiences from people who have been there. One of the things travelling has taught me is that everyone can learn something from anyone. I’d love to share my lessons, experiences and recommendations with you.

So, if you’ve caught the travel bug, or you’re still deciding whether to expose yourself to it… You’re in the right place.