About The Broke Backpacker
Adventure. Honesty. Authenticity.
Cut through the crap and join our tribe of real adventurers sharing all the knowledge, resources, and support you need to dive deep into life’s ultimate learning experience…
Hitting the open road.
There IS a better and more rewarding way to travel, and we’re here to tell you all about it.
Welcome to The Broke Backpacker.
The Mission
Our mission is simple. The Broke Backpacker exists to spread awareness on the truly transformative power of travel.
We want to teach YOU how to safely voyage beyond the edges of your comfort zone. To embrace adventure travel as a way to foster personal development, to grow your confidence, learn new skills and become a more capable human being.
Some people hit the road to escape, some to find a sense of purpose, others travel so they can live cheap whilst building an online hustle, and some folks hitting the road decide this is the life they wish to live, forever.
Regardless of where you find yourself in that spectrum, we’re here to open your eyes to the opportunities of travel for personal development.
We are truly passionate about the power of travel, especially broke backpacking, to cultivate confidence and open eyes to new opportunities.
The Story
In the early days, The Broke Backpacker started as a collection of handwritten notes passed around travellers, evolving into a small email list of around 40 people.
Will Hatton, founder of the project, ventured all around the world for many, many moons on a budget of just $10 a day. Journeying to far-flung lands, hitchhiking, sleeping in train stations, camping, walking for miles to save 50 cents on a tuk tuk ride…
Will did everything he could to explore, to grow, and to push way beyond his comfort zone. And in doing so, he laid the foundations for what The Broke Backpacker stands for.
At the time, there was very little information available online about the art of true budget backpacking and so, just over a decade ago, The Broke Backpacker was born…
Today, this site is the ultimate resource for aspiring adventurers looking to ditch their desks and hit the road in search of raw, real, and meaningful adventures.
The Broke Backpackers
We’re a diverse bunch of folks from all different walks of life. Some have met on the road, others just mysteriously found their way into our lovely home.
We let them stay, cause quite honestly, they’re as cool as they ever get. 😉
Will Hatton
Founder & Chief Adventurer
Traveller and entrepreneur. Adventurer and vagabond. Master of the handstand pushup. Will has been on the road for more than a decade, travelling to far-flung lands on a shoestring budget. Nowadays, he is to be found down at Tribal – Bali’s best co-working hostel…
He is passionate about self-development and finding meaning and strength through personal challenges. His mantra? Growth begins at the edges of your comfort zone.
Aiden Freeborn
Gear Manager & Senior Editor
Failed rock star turned failing writer. Second-longest-serving member of team Broke Backpacker. Can’t resist a colourful shirt, and ideally one with zero buttons. Rampant psytrance addict, quaffer of ale, and serial cat fancier. If seen, please avoid as he has been known to bite.
The Broke Backpacker’s gear manager and senior editor, catch Aiden over on his eponymous blog: Freeborn Aiden.
Tomás Monteiro
Brand Specialist & Whizz-Kid
Relaxation wizard and master of absolute nonsense. A moderately functional dirtbag that sometimes goes places, experiences things, then writes a coupla’ words about it.
A Lisbon native and jack-of-all-trades, his travels have taken him to the Middle East and South Asia alike, though he primarily puts his knowledge and expertise into preening The Broke Backpacker brand.
Laura Pox
Senior Editor & Chill Goddess
Laura is an earth-passionate, sustainably-minded traveller who wears bright colours, no shoes, and listens to Arctic Monkeys too much.
“Home is where the backpack is; especially if it’s near the beach.” She loves the learning curve of life. Her goal is for it to continue to be full of surprises and creativity.
Laura always travels with a chess set – challenge her if you dare!
Samantha Shea
Travel Writer & Adventure Expert
Samantha has been adventuring to wild adventure frontiers and documenting it for the past several years. When she’s not eating her way through a new city, she enjoys hiking, floating in the ocean and cycling along quiet paths.
She’s currently learning Urdu, lending her pen as a Broke Backpacker writer on adventure travel content, and further cementing her love of hippopotamuses. There’s always more Samantha to be found on her blog: Intentional Detours.
Clair Cathryn
Superstar PA
A wanderer caught between worlds, Clair has found herself – in one way or another – hitting the road since she could walk it. Though both the UK and Australia have both been homes to her, her heart still belongs in Thailand and the bristling chaos of Asia.
Between bouts of rattling on the cage and planning her escape back there, Clair enjoys misplacing her purse and red wine. She’s starting to think there might be a connection between the two…
If you want to check out our full list of most recent contributors to the site, come say ahoy and meet the team.
Our Responsibility
The Broke Backpacker’s content stands true to its mission and is supported by a set of strong values. We strive to instil them in every single word we put out.
We publish real travel content written by real travel writers. We’ve been doing it for over 10 years, and we don’t plan on doing it any differently.
Feel free to have a look and read through our Editorial Guidelines.
Where to now?
If you feel you’re ready to embark on a journey through the wonderful world of budget travel, gently make your way into our library. Starting here.
