So you'd like to get to know me a little better hey?

Hi, I'm Daan!

I'm a young Belgian guy with a passion for travel and photography. In 2016 I made my first self-organised backpack trip to Croatia which was way out of my comfort zone as I am an introvert and back then I was very shy and timid. I didn't know if backpacking would be something I liked but I wanted to give it a try. It turned out to be the best experience ever! The travel bug has never left since. From then on I knew this is what I love to do. I want to explore a country and immerse myself as much as possible. Not just visit the most popular places that everyone gets to see, but try and discover the more hidden gems as well.

As I’m also a photography enthusiast I love to capture pictures of all the amazing places the world has to offer and to share them with others. I mainly focus on landscape and city photography but I love to expand my horizons and learn new things on the way.

A little history

Next to travel and photography I also have a passion for graphic design, IT, AV technology & film. Having such a broad field of interests made it hard for me to make a choice about what to study but eventually I found an education that combined some of them: Multimedia & Communication Technology. After graduating I wasn't quite ready to throw myself on the job market yet so I decided to take another course which would hopefully increase my market value and took another bachelor: Eventmanagement. With 2 bachelors, one would think to easily get hired but that wasn't quite the case. I applied for various jobs in the graphical and events industry but I always ran into the same wall: experience.

As I wanted to get a job as a graphic designer I started working on a portfolio by making some own designs and made myself a video resume. I was able to do some free logo designs for a few acquaintances but at some point I got stuck in a downward spiral. I could no longer find the motivation to apply again and again and I was losing my self confidence which almost led me into a depression. Luckily I was aware of that and I started looking for things that could help me out of that black hole. After a long period of struggle I came out stronger than ever. That black period really helped me to find out who I really am and what I want in life.

Working as a freelancer

After some fruitless attempts to find a job in the film industry, which ironically was due to an administrative conflict with the same "system" that wanted me to get a job, I finally managed to land a job as a location assistant for a popular Belgian TV series. At the same time I got in contact with a company that hires freelance crew for the build/break of events. Now I have built a little network of people that know me well and call me when they have a new project. When I'm not working in the film industry, I'm working as a stagehand at concerts and events. Besides that I still want to develop my graphical skills further and be able to get a living of that as well.

Pushing my boundaries and exploring the world

My first self organised backpacking trip was in 2016 where I traveled around in Croatia and a part of Slovenia. It was a huge leap into the unknown as I had never been away that long and my previous journies where all-in packages where I never got out of the hotel besides going to the beach or taking an organised excursion. Now I got out of my comfort zone and tried to go with the flow and see where I ended up. It was the best experience of my life! This is what I want to do!

In 2017 I was planning for my next trip to Portugal when I suddenly realised that I still had my international passport which would expire the next year. I'd better plan a trip to somewhere out of the European Union so it would be used as much as possible. After some research I threw aside my itinerary for Portugal and began planning for Indonesia! I must say it took quite a lot more planning than a European trip and maybe was a little "tricky" being only my second backpacking trip, but everything went very well and I was hungry for more :p. A few months later I went on a roadtrip to Canada with my best friend. I still had my passport to take advantage of, remember :-)

I'm so glad to be where I am right now. Being able to make a living by doing a job I really like and combining that with exploring the beautiful world around me. If you had told me 5 years ago that 5 years from then I would have backpacked around Croatia/Slovenia and Indonesia all by myself I would have called you crazy. I was quite a timid person and I really hated it when I didn't know well ahead what was going to happen. Well I still am a little timid, being an introvert, but I used to be so closed up that it took me quite some courage to even get to the supermarkt. So now, having a job where you almost never know where you'll end up the next day or who you will work with, and seeing every day as a new adventure, I am able to say I'm proud of myself!

What will I be writing about?

I want to share my journey with you and hopefully inspire you to pack your bags and explore the world too. I will collect all my experiences and give advice about the best sights to visit, photo opportunities and places to stay and eat. I prefer slow travel as I really enjoy getting to know a place thoroughly and mostly stay in hostels as I would love to meet other travelers and I have experienced those are the best places to find likeminded souls :- ) I'm also vegan so if you see some restaurant recommendations, you are sure they'll be vegetarian/vegan friendly.

My main focus will be on:

Slow travel
Budget travel
Traveling as a vegan
Traveling as an introvert
Travel photography
Tips & tricks

If you have any questions, suggestions or just want to say hi, let's connect on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or send me a message.

Now that you know me a little better and learned about what you can expect, go snoop around a bit on my blog and get inspired!

Grtz,

Daan