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
Perfect Algarve Road-Trip Itinerary
The Algarve is probably the most popular region in Portugal. With it being quite hot all year long, it's the perfect spot to enjoy a bit of sunshine next to the seaside. If you're planning on traveling in Portugal you might want to add the Algarve on your itinerary....
Review: Surf Camp In Ericeira, Portugal
Portugal is known as a surfing destination. Its pretty long West coast makes it a hotspot for surfers and a good place if you want to learn to surf in Portugal. Although we may think Portugal is hot, the weather might seem to be promising but it's all a lie. As soon...
Top Holiday Destinations This October
The month of October brings with it cooler weather, Halloween and of course the usual premature Christmas hype. As the days start getting shorter, we sit there casting our minds back to summer and maybe to that wonderful holiday you had. For most, a holiday during the...
7 Fun Adventures In Norway
A few months ago, I flew to Norway. I was catching a cheap flight to the United States from Oslo, so I had less than 48 hours to make the most of Norway. Obviously, my bank account was crying - Norway is not a budget destination. Norway is quite a big country; 385,252...
Perfect One Week In Portugal Itinerary
Planning a week in Portugal? Let us help! Portugal is a wonderful country and while 7 days in Portugal may seem like a long time, you’ll wish you’d stayed longer. In fact, we recommend a minimum of 10 days in Portugal, but we understand that sometimes, we have...
Free Things To Do In Porto
Porto, also known as Oporto, is the second largest city in Portugal. For a color seeker like me, it was love at first sight. With the old-ish vibes, the colorful scenes and Douro River in the background it was quite hard not to fall for Porto. Any Port wine addicts...