It’s certainly been a while! After a few months backpacking in South America, I am home and back into the swing of daily routine and trying to hold onto the fast-fading tan whilst incorporating some of that travel energy into my everyday life here. 

My original plan prior to travelling was to write reviews of everywhere I’d been as I moved around but I decided to stick to pen and paper, keeping a little journal and just enjoying every second. I wanted to let the experiences marinade, and allow things to rise to the surface as I encountered new towns and faces, observing the contrasts and similarities. 

I was also determined not to chase tourist-traps solely for blog content. I wanted to write about the ambience, the people and the country, not about the viral locations – many of them like a wet towel wrung dry of authenticity and made threadbare by mass tourism. 

I don’t feel I am yet qualified by means of budget or experience to be writing city-specific reviews about where to eat and stay, but I’ll mention where I’ve been when appropriate. 

The aim of my travel-orientated writing is to share advice more generally about a country or city, rather than simply listing the hostels I’ve stayed in. I would expect the inbound articles to be seasoned with the perspective of a young white woman travelling solo. 

My focus for now is to lean into my authenticity and my narrative when writing. I’ll be starting my MA in journalism at the end of summer, and before that I have so many places and people to write about. 

If you are still reading, thank you and stay tuned for upcoming content (finally!!).

Yours,

L 

Myself and THE backpack in Arraial Do Cabo, RJ, Brazil