About Melissa
Hello, I’m Mel!
I’m a Canadian travel blogger who has been traveling and living abroad since 2014.
Learn more about my story below.
Life before blogging
I’m originally from Quebec, Canada. Back in the days, I used to be a social worker. I used to travel once a year for about a month and I was always spending my summers in Europe since I was 20 years old.
In June 2014, I started my journey around the world at the age of 25.
Life on the road
I first started my journey in the Canadian Rockies, where I hitch-hiked my way around. Then, I moved to Australia for two years. I started A Broken Backpack in July 2015. Back then, I was working on a farm in Australia and needed something to stay entertained. Quickly, A Broken Backpack became popular.
After Australia, I decided to go on a backpacking trip to Southeast Asia. Later, I moved to the UK for less than a year.
In October 2017, I decided to move to Southeast Asia. Bali became my home for about one and a half years.
In 2019, I was based mostly in Thailand.
In 2020, I moved to Bulgaria.
In 2022, I moved to Thailand, and it became my main base.
Of course, I do plan occasional trips in and out, but since I’m running an online business and a few successful blogs, I prefer slow travel.
This brings me to you
A Broken Backpack offers excellent travel tips to help you stay on the road longer. I left Canada with less than CAD 2,000 in my name (and many student debts).
I’m living proof that you don’t need tons of savings to make your travel dreams come true.
I learned how to travel on the very cheap, volunteered when I needed to, and created an online business to support myself abroad. I share all these tips here on A Broken Backpack.
I’m now in my thirties, and my travel style has evolved. I’m not all about budget travel anymore, and I now travel with my husband (we met in Thailand).
So, A Broken Backpack is not just a budget travel blog anymore. You’ll find all the travel tips needed to plan your dream trip no matter your travel style, budget, or interest.
Pick Your Travel Style
Living Abroad
Backpacking
Camping
Hiking
Digital Nomadism
Volunteering
Read my latest blog posts
Complete Guide: 10 Easy Camping Meal Ideas
While we would all love to load up our car and head out on a spontaneous camping trip, camping is something that does require a fair amount of preparation beforehand. Food is one of the most significant considerations as camping limits us in storing, preparing,...
15 Easy Backpacking Food Ideas That Save Time And Money
Backpacking is one of the most fun and life-changing experiences you’ll ever have, but it’s not without its challenges. Finding easy backpacking food ideas can be tough. When you’re on the road, you lose the structure of daily life. While this can be...
Camping Coffee Guide: How To Make Coffee When Camping
One of the biggest joys of camping has to be waking up and preparing a mug of piping hot coffee first thing in the morning! Camping coffee is amazing, there's just something that makes camping and coffee the perfect combination! The smell of coffee brewing - and...
10 Easy Camping Breakfast Ideas
Summer is here, and therefore, so is camping season. One of the most enjoyable parts of camping is waking up in the morning and preparing your camping breakfast. If you’re new to camping, you may feel that making breakfast over the campfire is too complicated...
Tips For Renting A Scooter In The UK
Travel is an important part of our lifestyle. Many people travel for personal and professional reasons. The recent pandemic situation has made it difficult to travel nationally and internationally. However, things are now becoming less complicated and many countries...
Buying Guide: 4 Best Travel Mosquito Net
Summer is here, and all around the country, people are planning to travel and spend quality time outdoors. But along with the sweltering heat comes bugs of various kinds, which makes it important to find the best mosquito net for travel. Mosquitos actually serve...