After my Highschool graduation in 2021 I decided to go on a trip. I had been dreaming to travel the world alone since I was about 10 years old. In school I had passionately studied Spanish, so it did not surprise many that I wanted to explore the hispanic countries. The most important factor while choosing my destinations was to go “away as far as possible”. I prepared myself to leave everything behind that made up my daily life. For eight months I wanted to start from scratch and live a truly free life.

I started packing not even a week before departure. My trip turned out to be just as spontaneous as my packing. 12 hours before take-off I realised that I had actually forgotten to buy travel insurance. With that ticked off, I was kind of ready to leave. I cannot describe in words how fearful I was at the airport. All my friends waited there for me and in tears we all said goodbye. We were not yet aware of how hard it could get to use FaceTime as the closest approximation to real-life meetings. As soon as I had passed check-in and security (which is tiny and quickly done in Graz), I sat in the departure hall and realised I was shaking with fear. At 6am I had not yet eaten and felt as sick as if taking a maths exam. I jumped into the ice cold water. Believe me, the first trip alone to the other side of the world can be immensely scary. I was filled with even more fear as I sat in the plane. Solely the indescribably beautiful sunrise could lift my sorrow a little. I had NO idea what was going to expect me in Central America, all I knew was that something in me was longing for Mexico.

As soon as I touched the ground 16 hours later in Cancún, I knew that I had made the absolutely right decision. The shuttle ride from the airport to the first hostel showed me that I had done EVERYTHING right. In fact, my life could not have been better. I could not stop grinning widely as I saw palm trees all over the place.

As a 18-year old, unexperienced girl I did not want to travel to Central America without having a plan, so my parents and I decided to contact an agency. They organised places for me where I worked in exchange for food and accommodation. What I wish I had known before is that you can book arrangements like that on workaway for 20$ a year instead of paying 1000 of $$ to agencies who act as “middle-men”. That’s how you learn in life and I probably would have been too scared to fly anyways. It also lead me to meeting one of the most beautiful souls in the world, who I can proudly still call my friend today (bebecita <3). It also gave me the opportunity to meet amazing people and make memories that nobody can ever take from me again.

The first two days I spent in the Che hostel in Playa del Carmen where I connected with fellow backpackers for the first time. I heard amazing stories that excited me even more for the journey that lay ahead of me. I got first insights on what backpacking is like: sleeping in a dorm room with 3-14 companions, sharing one bathroom and finding the best and cheapest food. Together we went to the beach (first time in 3 years for me) and were absolutely amazed about how soft the caribbean white sand was. The water was warm and we felt loved by the turquoise blue waves rushing to shore. We took two days to acclimatise to our new life situation. Bye bye old comforts, like having my own room.

Or so, at least so I thought. My first program took place in Akumal, which is situated between Playa del Carmen and Tulum in Mexiko. I worked as a receptionist in a 5-star hotel for 2 months. After a pretty chaotic arrival I was given a tour of the hotel. I don’t remember how long it took me to get over my “shock”. It was one of the most luxurious places I had ever seen in my life. One situation I remember as especially paradox: the collectivo (small bus) passed places that reminded me of the Brazilian Favelas and 20 minutes later, I found myself on the carretera federal (main highway) surrounded by jungle. From time to time I saw huge white buildings shining through the thick green. Dirt roads led to luxury hotels. Two world clashing together. It’s a picture I will never forget.

I was speechless when I saw my new home. I had my own room with my own bathroom too. Not one, but two kingsize beds, a huge wardrobe and my own mini fridge. I know that this is as totally wrong depiction of travelling in Central America, but obviously I was very fond of the place. It posed as a very good transition from my life at home to my new one. I could take all the time I needed alone to realise what a big step I had just made. Even though my room was amazing, I had lost the luxury of having a kitchen and so I had to get used to eating rice and beans EVERY SINGLE DAY. Yes, that cliché is definitely true. I could choose between that or buying snacks at the overly expensive gasoline station across the carretera federal. Oh, another fun story: how do you cross highways in Mexico? Traffic lights? You wish! Crosswalks? What is that? Well, you wait for a hole in the traffic and RUN.

Life in paradise had begun.