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
Itinerary Brussels In One Day
Wondering what to do in Brussels in one day? Here's how to eat all the good stuff while discovering the best tourist places in Brussels. Belgium. Why not? It seemed to be a fun stop between Paris and Amsterdam. I surprised myself by thinking, "What to do do in...
Hippocketwifi Review
What the heck is a portable WiFi? Having a portable WiFi is basically roaming around… with your router instead of paying extra roaming data. Thank God, technology is great. Pocket WiFi fits literally in your pocket and as long as you have charge (and data) you’ll be...
Mental Health Travelling Tips Infographic
Suffering from a mental health condition can be very challenging and impact your quality of life. Everyday tasks can become more difficult. Travelling is an eye-opening experience however it can also be stressful at times as you are hundreds of miles from your...
12 Questions You Should Ask British People
England. There’s something unique about this word, about this country. It sounds perfect, kingdom-ish… in fact; it sounds very English. When I say England, it comes with that cute and polite accent. (Okay, perhaps, this accent isn’t really mine, but it sounds pretty...
9 Ways To Be More Of A Spontaneous Traveller
Spontaneous: Adjective; performed or occurring as a result of a sudden impulse or inclination and without premeditation or external stimulus. Being spontaneous isn’t a characteristic that suits everyone. Spontaneity is scary. Fact; it scares your parents and you...
Perfect Myanmar Itinerary
Myanmar was one of my biggest highlights in Southeast Asia. This country simply stands out in comparison with its neighbors. I had a huge crush on the people too. Burmese are very friendly. They are more than happy to have a quick chat with foreigners so they can...