The Travelers

The desire to travel independently is a feeling that stirs within a lot of us. It's a big step that not everyone will take. But at 19, Alexandra Baackes wanted it badly enough to make it a reality. She cobbled together a "DIY Summer Abroad" to volunteer and backpack in South East Asia. Along the way, she met a collection of folks living a life of travel, working on the road to support themselves. She knew then that was how she wanted to live her life as well. Like me, Alex spent time bartending abroad to support her travels only to learn she didn't want to continue with that work when she got home, and instead wanted to learn a skill that she could do from anywhere in the world. So she studied graphic design and travel writing and rather than look for a job out of college, she created a life of travel. In 2011, Alex left her life in New York for one of exploration, more dedicated to adventure. Since then, she hasn’t stopped traveling and writing about her experiences over at AlexInWanderland.com. She’s a dive