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
How To Claim Compensations For Delayed Flights In Europe
One of the worst things that could happen while traveling is to have a delayed flight. This can mess up all sorts of plans whether you are needing to be somewhere for an important convention or connecting your flight to get to your final destination. Flying is already...
Sustainable While Traveling? Yes, It’s Possible.
I bet you already heard multiple times how traveling is bad for the environment and how we should work towards decreasing the effects of it. Flights, buses, scooters, motorbikes and so on, are all major ingredients when it comes to traveling. Of course, we need to...
5 Golf Spots In Karuizawa, Japan
When considering a place to go on a golfing holiday excursion, Japan is typically not the first destination in mind. This country is so often skipped for its golf-related tourism yet it is highly underrated. There are many other sports that take the spotlight in...
Complete Guide: Where To Stay In Koh Lanta
Planning your trip to Koh Lanta, Thailand? We got your back. If you are wondering where to stay during your holidays in Koh Lanta, here are our recommendations for every budget - from hostels to luxury hotels. In this post, we will talk about the best places to stay...
Complete Guide: Where To Stay In Krabi
Planning your trip to Krabi, Thailand? We got your back. If you are wondering where to stay while in the Krabi area, here are our recommendations for every budget - from hostels to luxury hotels. In this post, we will talk about the best places to stay in Krabi,...
How To Avoid Getting Sick In Southeast Asia
We have all heard of the dreaded Bali belly but there are quite a few other common illnesses that risk ruining your Southeast Asia vacation. There is nothing to fear as most of these ailments are easy to prevent with a bit of mindfulness while traveling and some...