Hi! I'm Alba, co-founder of ViajeroslowcosterosI was born in Barcelona in 1996, and for as long as I can remember, travel has been a part of my life. I studied International Business at the University of Barcelona, ​​but it didn't take me long to discover that I was more into international affairs than business.

After working for several years in the world of e-commerce and digital advertising for major consumer brands, I decided that the office routine and 25 days of vacation a year were not for me. In 2021 I quit my job, grabbed my backpack and took a one-way flight with Pau.

Since then we have traveled to more than 30 countries and turned this passion into our full-time job: Create content to inspire others to travel in an affordable, adventurous, and sustainable way.

✈️ This is how it all began

As a child I was lucky enough to travel with my parents, something that undoubtedly It awakened in me the incurable “traveler syndrome” which finally blossomed during my exchange program in the United States in 2012 when I was just 16, and later during my Erasmus exchange. In 2016 I went on Erasmus to Berlin and I started exploring Europe on my own. And on a low, very low, budget—Poland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. I didn't study much, but I traveled a lot.

After finishing university, between poorly paid internships and excessively short holidays, I squeezed in trips whenever I could: Thailand, Albania, camping trips through France, weekends in the Pyrenees… Then in 2020, just days before flying to Chile, the pandemic hit.

Those months in lockdown allowed Pau and me to save money and ask ourselves a big question: What if we go on a trip without a return ticket?

🎒 The nomadic life

Almost without realizing The great adventure began in November 2021Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, NicarWater, Honduras and El Salvador. A journey of more than six months in which We spent less than 8.000 euros between the two of us.The plan took a turn when, at over 3.000 meters altitude in Panama, we met someone who He told us about working in Iceland… And a few months later we were there doing the summer season at some thermal baths, something that helped us save money and confirm that we wanted to continue living by traveling.

After Iceland came Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, northern India, and a week in the Maldives before returning temporarily to Iceland for a second summer. A country that had stolen our hearts, and where we decided to spend several more months until winter.

The journey continued through South Africa, China, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Zealand, where we bought a van and toured the country for three months, experiencing vanlife for the first time. We continue traveling the world With stops in Barcelona to enjoy friends, family, and delicious food: Bolivia, northern Argentina and Chile, Paraguay… before returning to Oceania. Now we're in Australia, where we plan to complete the legendary #TheBigLap route, more than 30.000 km in our 4x4 camper van around this immense country.

💛 What moves me

What inspires me most about this lifestyle is to be able to live freely and decide where I want to beI love busescar Visiting off-the-beaten-path places, trying new things, needing nothing more than what fits in a backpack, and meeting people who make you see the world from a different perspective.

I've always thought that the best balance is to make work fit my life, and not life fit my workAnd that's exactly what I've achieved with this project and what I hope to continue achieving day by day for many years.

🌅 12 moments I still struggle to process

• To feel the strength of waterfalls of Iceland like Dettifoss.
• To fly over in globe temples of ancient Egypt at dawn.
• Shout under Aurora borealis dancing at night and iridescent clouds for the day
• The deserted beaches of the Banyak Islands In Indonesia.
• Seeing lava for the first time in a active volcano of NicarWater.
• The first giraffe in Kruger, and the first group of lionesses.
• Combat altitude sickness to climb to 5.350 meters above sea level in Bolivia.
• Diving for the first time with reef sharks in the Maldives.
• View whale jumping from the car window on the west coast of Australia.
• Arrive at Machu Picchu after four days of trekking.
• And the impossible turquoise of Maldives.

💭 Travel Philosophy

I feel that The best stories come from trips on the tightest budget.that the world is full of good people, and that we live on a planet that needs much more empathy. I also firmly believe that The greatest pleasures are found in the little thingsHe who does not know how to enjoy breakfast in the sun in good company will not know how to enjoy a five-star hotel either.

In Travelerslowcosteros I try to share this way of seeing life:

• Travel cheaply and without rushingTraveling can't be about seeing a thousand places in 15 days just to check them off.
• Respect local cultures and traditions.
• Do not participate in activities with animals that are not 100% in their natural habitat and Let us be mere visitors in your house.
• Discover different places and encourage you to visit them too. I don't know Bali, but I've spent 4 months in Indonesia. The world is too big and beautiful for us all to go to the same place that's become popular.

🌏 Where would I live?

After so many kilometers, there are three countries where I think I could live for a good while: New Zealand, Malaysia and ThailandSpeaking of Thailand, it's my favorite cuisine (besides Spanish), especially the... Khao soiAlthough Korean and Japanese food also drive me crazy.

This concludes my travel story, although it's really still being written every day. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and happy travels!

See you around the world! 💛 Alba