My story began in Mexico in 2017 when, after living in Chihuahua for 24 years with my parents, a little over a year after graduating as an ecological engineer, I was not completely happy with my job and wanting to look for more opportunities, I moved to the south of Mexico, to Cancun, that’s where the adventure begins! My best friend also moved with me and we both found work in the same place in tourism. Living with her and experiencing that adventure together was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Unfortunately, she returned to Chihuahua after a month. Things got a little complicated having to pay all the expenses alone and being alone without knowing anyone. But over time I found a better job practicing my profession, there I also made a very good friend. And wanting to explore more the beautiful place where I now lived and wanting to make friends with the same common tastes which was and is traveling, I discovered a travel app called Couchsurfing, where you make friends all over the world, staying at the home of people you don’t know but they host you as if they were friends or simply meeting up with those people to get to know a new city, giving you advice on what to do in a local way not so much as a tourist, meeting in a coffeeshop, etc. I started using that app to meet people I hosted only 4 people who became friends, and to this day we keep in touch from time to time. After making friends from different parts of the world and hearing their stories of how they started their journey (backpacking) I started to think that I also wanted and could do that. I started saving as much as I could and cutting expenses like moving from my studio apartment to an apartment I shared with other people, stopping going every weekend or on long weekends to some new place or short trips, restaurants, outings, taxis, etc. I started practicing my English with those travelers/friends I met and started making a plan of the places I wanted to travel to (Europe), joining Facebook groups for each country I planned to travel to and asking a thousand questions!

In approximately 6 months I planned everything. A month before deciding to return to Chihuahua I told my family about this decision and my boss at work. I thought my family was going to tell me I was crazy because I had a good job that had cost me effort and courage to get there. I thought they were going to back off when I told them my decision in such a short time, but on the contrary, their reaction was to support me and tell me that if this is what I wanted, I should go for it, that they would support me in everything, this reaction was a surprise to me! But I felt very happy and calmer to start this adventure. I returned to Chihuahua for a month to spend that time with my family and friends. And finally my journey began! At the time I left Mexico, despite the fact that I was a little afraid of exploring something completely different and venturing into something completely unknown, with a half plan but not specific and open to changes and without a return ticket, without knowing how to speak English very well but without fear of thinking that it was a barrier, my excitement to arrive and explore all those places that I had always dreamed of! In June 2018 the first place I went to was Belgium, where I stayed at the parents’ house of the first friend I made through the travel app, the first person I hosted in Mexico. In a small town called Durbuy, the parents treated me incredibly and I felt like family, we traveled a little near Durbuy and after a few days, I continued my trip, but I was in contact with them by email for the next 3 years.

After saying goodbye to them I continued to Brussels where on the way there I got lost in another city (like any good beginner) but of course I took the right train afterwards and arrived in Brussels, people speak French and Dutch there, so communication was a bit difficult too and of course I got lost again in the streets looking for the address where I was going to stay and with no battery in my cell phone, I could only write the address in a notebook that I used as my diary, asking for directions people indicated me with signs (in French) where to go but luckily I met a policeman, he spoke English and he offered to take me. Of course I arrived in style in a police car! After a few days I continued my journey to Bruges and Ghent and Antwerp.

After Brussels I continued to the Netherlands, Amsterdam where I was supposed to meet a friend I met in Cancun Mexico. I was supposed to go by bus but I missed it (In Europe I learned the hard way that buses and trains leave on time not even a minute later like in Mexico and probably Latin America) so I finally had to take the next bus, I had no internet on my phone etc. But I finally arrived. Where I stayed in Amsterdam was a bit far from the city so I rented a bike to get around, but I hadn’t used a bike for years and it was a big bike not suitable for me, honestly it took me about half an hour to get used to it and to my bad luck the bike broke down halfway! I had to go back and at least I could take a smaller bike, finally arriving in Amsterdam I met my friend again and we bought two magic cookies but for some reason they didn’t work for me, we walked in the red light district where a kind of ‘prostitution’ is legal some women do it as a kind of job, they stand in front of big glass windows and if you want their services they tell you if you want them or not. And as I could in the dark and without my glasses to see I returned to my Airbnb. The next day I was going to take the train to Haarlem another city in the Netherlands, and of course I had the brilliant idea of ​​eating a magic muffin and thinking that it wouldn’t work again I ate it all and then I went to eat a pizza, arriving at the train station I felt really bad and for a moment I thought maybe it was something from the food.. but 2 minutes later I found out it was the muffin! I spent about 6 hours sitting at the train station, oops! But finally I went to Haarlem! I stayed with a couch surfer, there was also another guy staying there and the 3 of us visited the city, I stayed there for 2 days and then took another 20 hour bus to Warsaw in Poland, I stayed for a week, at first traveling by bus and asking people for directions was a bit complicated because most of the people didn’t speak English but I memorized the route and the transportation I had to take to get to the place where I was staying, I also tried a place called ‘milk bar’ which is popular in Poland, they are places where you go to eat for a cheap price or typical Polish food. Nothing was in English and the people who served me didn’t speak English either, so I used a translator and asked for food that at least included a word on the menu that I liked and I ordered that, I went to this same place 2 or 3 times and some of those times I also ordered without knowing what I was ordering, but I didn’t like it, so I better played it safe with the help of the translator.

After Warsaw I went to Zakopane, a small and super pretty city in the mountains and bordering Slovakia, that area of ​​famous mountains is called Tatra Mountains. From where you start walking to go up to the top of the mountains and have an incredibly beautiful view, it takes about 6 hours or so and the road is hard but it is totally worth it! When I finished the walk I ate a typical soup from there and went to a bar, some friendly people started talking to me and when I told them I was from Mexico, they were surprised and told me that I was the first person they met from Mexico and that if they could take a picture with me and they also invited me to have some shots of a Polish drink! I spent two nights in Zakopane and those two nights I slept in a car and the next morning we drove to Krakow, I found the city very interesting, it has many underground bars and unlike Warsaw that was totally destroyed in the second world war it remained intact, after this tiring and a bit crazy journey I continued my way to Slovakia, to a city called Pezinoc, again I missed my bus and had to wait for the next one, arriving to this city I was already a bit hurt in my left foot from hiking in the Tarta Mountains, I stayed with a very nice couple who by the way helped me a lot because my foot got worse and they had to take me to the doctor since I could hardly walk and I had several days of rest with them, those days of being there with them I rested, watched a lot of TV and by a great coincidence I saw that Bon Jovy (I am a big fan of his) was doing a tour around Europe and there were only two cities left to give his concert, one of them was Vienna in Austria was 1 hour and a half by train from where I was. And even with crutches I decided to go to the concert.

And even with crutches I decided to go to the concert. When the concert ended around 12am there was no train back to Pezinok, so I had to book a hostel at the last minute and walk and take transport on crutches after midnight, I almost slept on the street hehe. The next morning I went back to get my things and went to Banzca Stavnica another small and very picturesque town in Slovakia in the middle of the mountains, where two Mexican sisters hosted me. My next adventure continued in Budapest, Hungary and my host picked me up at the bus station by motorbike, getting to know Budapest by motorbike and at night is an experience I definitely recommend! That night we met his friends at his house and I tried some cool drinks, I went to sleep and the next morning I went out to explore the city, I made friends with a girl from Panama, and two guys from India and the USA, we tried a milk bar which is famous in Budapest, it is a place with different types of milk and you can create milkshakes, coffees and chocolate. In the evening we went up Citadella and saw the whole city at night, with an incredible view! After this beautiful city, I took my bus to Prague and met a German friend I met in Mexico, we explored the city and met another person and all together we went to see the Loreta District which is super nice and popular for tourists and locals. Afterwards I continued to Nuremberg in Germany, it is the city where Nazi parties and meetings were born, there is a lot of interesting information where you can learn about the Nazis and World War II. And the next city was in France, Colmar is the name.

And even with crutches I decided to go to the concert. When the concert ended around 12am there was no train back to Pezinok, so I had to book a hostel at the last minute and walk and take transport on crutches after midnight, I almost slept on the street hehe. The next morning I went back to get my things and went to Banzca Stavnica another small and very picturesque town in Slovakia in the middle of the mountains, where two Mexican sisters hosted me. My next adventure continued in Budapest, Hungary and my host picked me up at the bus station by motorbike, getting to know Budapest by motorbike and at night is an experience I definitely recommend! That night we met his friends at his house and I tried some cool drinks, I went to sleep and the next morning I went out to explore the city, I made friends with a girl from Panama, and two guys from India and the USA, we tried a milk bar which is famous in Budapest, it is a place with different types of milk and you can create milkshakes, coffees and chocolate. At night we went to climb Citadella and see the whole city at night, with an incredible view! After this beautiful city, I took my bus to Prague and met a German friend I met in Mexico, we explored the city and met another person and all together we went to see the Loreta District which is super nice and popular for tourists and locals.

Afterwards I continued to Nuremberg in Germany, it is the city where Nazi parties and meetings were born, there is a lot of interesting information where you can learn about the Nazis and World War II. And the next city was in France, Colmar is the name and it is close to the border with Germany, I was in a wine region called Alsace, there I visited some villages by bike from Colmar where I stayed. Following directions from Google Maps I got lost and took a route that took me to the highway and there was no way back, so I had no option but to just continue until the next exit that led to some village, I was a little scared and then a police patrol stopped me, because someone called them on the phone to tell them that some crazy woman was riding a bike on the highway.. they asked me where I was going and if I knew that it was illegal to ride a bike on the highway, I told them that I was lost using Google Maps and they told me to get on and they would take me, and I had to pay a fine of 90 euros. But in the end when we arrived at Ammerschwihr they told me that since I was lost I wouldn’t pay the fine this time but that if they saw me on the road again then I would have to pay a fine… at least I was lucky with the ride and they didn’t charge me the fine hehe. After a few hours of walking I continued on my bike to other villages like Riquewihr, Hunawihr and Ribeauvillé. The route has some impressively beautiful landscapes and the villages look like doll houses, super nice places. I was delighted; I had problems with the chain of my bike when I started to go to the second village. I stopped to fix it but I didn’t know how, then fortunately I met a couple with their son and they helped me. I continued like this until the chain completely broke. I had to contact my host to tell him if he could come by for me, explaining the situation and that I didn’t have much battery in my cell phone. He told me the name of another village where he would come to pick me up. I had to walk through a forest with my bike and when it was getting dark and I had almost no battery in my cell phone, I started to run with the bike. I have no idea how it was possible but I was just scared of getting lost in that forest and I started to run before it got completely dark! I finally arrived at Kaysersberg-Vignoble and there I met my host to go back to Colmar. After all that adventure and a nice dinner I slept like a rock to be ready for the next morning to go to Strazburg on my last day in France.

My next stop was Berlin, again I missed my bus, although in my defense this time the bus was an hour and a half late and then I got another message that it was again half an hour late, I was sitting at the station waiting for it and it arrived before the second half hour delay, so when I decided to look at the bus in front of me by chance.. that was my bus! And it left at that very moment! What bad luck I had with buses!.. But finally I got to Berlin, where as a curious fact in most places they don’t accept credit cards. I met up with a friend I made in Budapest, we went salsa dancing with a teacher from Asia, there I said to myself ‘a Mexican girl learning salsa with an Asian guy? I must learn to dance with youtube’ hehe and yes I learned after watching videos on youtube! Also in Berlin I tried the best kebabs to date and the spiciest! In a place called ‘Mustafasa’ I made two new friends and we went to an area called Marktplzt and drank wine and ate currywurst which is typical in Germany. After that I visited Bremen a city in the north again I met my friend Tim and we made another friend Malte who is originally from Bremen, we spent time with him walking and we ate typical German dishes, then I took the bus to Odense in Denmark, I tried a lot of Danish food and went to a concert, something that surprised me a lot is that they have little places where there are different kinds of organic vegetables and fruits and no one you pay, people just take what they want and leave the money there. People trust and respect each other and that is something I really liked.

My next destination in Denmark was Assens, where Ana and her family welcomed me. I met Ana through a backpackers group on Facebook 6 months before I started traveling, asking questions for my trip, she answered me and we started talking and we became friends without knowing each other. When I arrived in this city, she and her family picked me up at the train station and treated me very well. Alex, Ana’s brother-in-law, hosted me in Hvidbjerg, about 2 hours from where Ana lived. All of them were some of the best people I met on my trip! From there I took a train to Copenhagen, I spent several days there and one of the places that caught my attention the most was Christiana, where “everything is allowed” the police don’t go there, people smoke marijuana and there are not all the services like electricity in some places. From here I took a flight to London, after having been in the Schengen area for almost 90 days you have to leave for 90 days and return if you want to continue traveling. Most of Europe is part of the Schengen area but not the United Kingdom, Scotland, and Ireland. I stayed in London for 1 day to explore the city and took a train to Inverness in Scotland, where I did my first volunteering through HelpX (an application where you can do volunteer work in exchange for accommodation and food) https://www.helpx.net/.
Here I met Manon, Phillip, Zali, and Maya, we all got along very well and went out together to see the town surrounded by nature and forest, very close to Loch Ness, where one afternoon some of us went swimming for about 15 minutes. Of course the water was super cold, but after a while it didn’t feel that cold anymore, but when I got out, my God, I was shivering all the way back and I got to take a hot shower. Unfortunately, I didn’t like my first experience volunteering. After 2 weeks I was thinking of going somewhere else, but Manon had a problem with our host Charlotte and 2 other people and I decided to go with her. We stayed in a hostel and the next day we decided to hitchhike to the Isle of Skye, but after a while of waiting for a car to stop, we decided to take a bus. When we got to the island we stayed in a hostel to volunteer. We visited many places on the island, full of mountains, nature and sheep. Every place we visited we hitchhiked. I stayed there for 2 weeks and then I hitchhiked alone to Edinburgh for the first time. 2 Russian girls stopped for me and together we went to the famous bridge that appears in the Harry Potter movies: Glenfinnan Viaduct and from there to Edinburgh. I made some very good friends there; Jhon, Ana and Baz, I stayed longer than I expected in Edinburgh because of them, a few weeks, the first time on the trip that I went out partying with them! From here I visited the city of Angus for a day and continued on to another volunteering project in the Cairngorms National Park, a beautiful place in the middle of mountains, forests and lakes. I did several walks and climbed mountains in the afternoons.

Every day I went hiking and climbed mountains in the afternoons. I came back to Edinburgh for Halloween, stayed for a few days and took a flight to Dublin, Ireland. I stayed for a few days and spent my birthday at the Temple bar, the most famous in Dublin, with two very cool strangers, who I didn’t even tell it was my birthday. And from there I went to volunteer at a horse farm in Templemore. The family that hosted me had racehorses, it was difficult to understand English there, because the Irish and farming accent is hard to understand, so I only stayed for two weeks, and continued to Dingle and met Merle from Germany and Alejandro from Venezuela, he offered Merle and me to stay in his camper that he built and was almost entirely sustainable, he also had his organic garden where he grows his food. From there I hitchhiked to Galway where Liam was waiting for me and a day later Dyla arrived, we stayed together for a few days. One of those days I hitchhiked to Connemara National Park, a beautiful place and an impressive view! Dyla and I traveled together the next day to Cliff of Moher and Killarney and here I stayed again I hitchhiked to Dublin airport, the person who gave me a ride very kindly stopped at a gas station to buy me some chocolate and a burrito for my trip.

Arriving at the airport with just enough time, I had the bad idea of ​​going to the bathroom to put more clothes on to make less space in my backpack and for that reason I missed my flight! So I had to stay that night at the airport and wait to take a bus the next morning and then a ferry and a bus to get to Glasgow in Scotland again, when I arrived it was raining and I had to walk for like an hour to get to where I was going to stay, and for the first time I rented an airbnb where I stayed for 3 days, I locked myself in and slept a lot, rested and watched movies those 3 days, I definitely needed that break! And from there I went back to Edinburgh to visit my friends and the Christmas market in the city, I loved it. And I loved all the Christmas markets I visited in Europe too. On the last day with my friends we went dancing at Stramash a highly recommended bar, my favorite in Edinburgh! From here I took a flight to Germany, to Munich for a few days and then to Augsburg where I stayed a few more days and visited Garmisch-Partenkirchen a super cute and picturesque town surrounded by mountains and bordering Austria. From here I went to Kaufbeuren where my friend Dani, who I met while he was backpacking in Mexico, was going to stay with me. We talked about his travels through South America and Mexico and I told him about my travels in Europe and he suggested places to visit! From here I hitchhiked back to Munich. There I met my friend Angel, we were both studying German in Chihuahua and he went to study his master’s degree in Germany. I spent Christmas and New Year in Munich with him and his friends.

We visited Tutzing and Füssen, some very cute towns, and in Füssen there is the castle from the Disney movies; Neuschwanstein Castle. This was the first time I saw snow in Europe and while we were walking through the forest to get to the castle, the landscape all covered in snow looked like a Disney movie hehe. I waited like 2 hours to enter the castle but it was worth it. After that I took a train back to Nuremberg and from there I hitchhiked to a small town called Pegnitz where I stayed with a very nice family for a few days, and then I took a bus to Berlin and from there to Copenhagen and hitchhiked to Malo in Sweden, then a bus to Gotengurgo and hitchhiked trying to get to Oslo Norway. In Sweden and Norway it took me the longest to get a ride, it seems that people are not very used to it. But finally I got to Oslo and from there I took a train to Lillehammer where I was going to do one more volunteering job through Workaway (similar to HelpX where you do volunteer work in exchange for accommodation and food but here sometimes there are options where the volunteering is paid, but obviously they pay you very little) the volunteering job I chose was in a ski resort where I was going to take care of and walk 2 huskies, and then also go sledding with them and with the tourists. Here I learned to ski and I loved it! In this place after finishing my walks with the dogs, I went skiing and to the pool, gym and sauna every day! It was the best and most fun volunteering, I stayed 2 months in this place hehe. And from here I went to Beitostølen where I also did dog sledding with 8 huskies for a few days.

I camped for the first time in the snow and in the cold! But with good camping equipment, I also did ice fishing and snowboarding. From here I took a bus to Olso and a flight to Tromso and a bus to Narvik, where I stayed a few days, there I met Cecilia from Hong Kong we stayed with the same host and his 2 roommates, every afternoon we ate together and played board games the 5 of us. One of the most fun experiences. Cecilia and I went out together every afternoon and tried to see the auroras but we weren’t successful. We both went to Tromso together, we stayed with different hosts but we saw each other in the evenings to explore the city. And finally we saw the auroras! From here I had planned to go to Alta and Cecilia had made some German friends those days who were also going to Alta the same day as me, so I went on a ride with them, we drove 5 and a half hours, I stayed a few days in Alta and I saw the super big and bright auroras! It was one of the happiest moments! I went to the Ice Hotel, where you can actually stay, all the rooms and the entire hotel are made of ice, the bar, the church, everything, everything is made of ice, a beautiful place! Here in Alta a girl who was going to host me asked me if I wanted to work a few hours to cover for her because I was busy with my other job and I said yes, the only thing I had to do was translate from English to Spanish on a horseback riding tour in a Christmas village, the people who came to the tour were from Argentina and Mexico. On this tour I met Lorena from Argentina and we became friends, we exchanged our contact information and agreed to go together the next day to the airport to take our flight to Oslo, before taking our flight we stayed talking for hours until we took the flight. And even after this we kept in touch for about a year through email and calls. In Oslo I stayed 2 days and visited the famous Viking black church Fantoft Stave. From here I took my flight to Iceland, Reykjavik where my second adventure began! ..

Arriving in Reykjavik, covid had started so countries and airports everywhere began to close borders, I had a volunteering in the Faroe Islands and a ferry ticket to go after 4 days in Reykjavik but just as I arrived everything closed. My ferry was cancelled, the airport and everything. I got stressed and scared not knowing what I was going to do here.