This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Veronica Pulido, 27, who has been traveling full-time for close to two years. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.
Moving out of Venezuela was one of the easiest decisions of my life.
My country isn’t in the best economic situation and I always felt like I had nothing to do there. I felt really depressed and unhappy. It wasn’t my home — yes, I am from there, and my parents still live there, but it wasn’t my place.
In 2021, a year after graduating from university, I came across the story of a girl who used a travel platform called AuPairWorld and found a host family in Switzerland. Her post was titled something like, “How I moved to Switzerland without spending money and without a sugar daddy or selling photos,” and I was hooked. I always wanted to travel, and when I saw her story, I thought, “I could be her, right?”
I logged into the website and connected with a family in Prague, Czech Republic. I spoke to the parents and immediately loved them, and without this family, my story would be very different.
It took two years of savings, which is everything I had, to buy a one-way ticket to Spain, where my sister lives. I was 25 at the time and had no money left after reaching Spain. Broke. Zero.
Veronica Pulido
I spent a week with my sister before I moved to Prague, where my journey began. I worked as a live-in au pair to a family with a toddler. The family was super sweet and my job was simple. I just had to take care of the child for four hours in the morning, Monday to Thursday. I stayed with them for two and a half months.
From there, I have been able to visit Romania, Germany, Switzerland, and most of the Balkans.
How I finance my trips
I always see backpackers online telling others that they need to have a set amount of money before they begin to travel. Traveling has been my life for two years now and I don’t agree, especially if you’re willing to be flexible and work as you go.
For me, the most expensive thing is accommodation.
I don’t have a home base, and typically move every two to three months, with my longest stay being in Croatia for a full three months. I brought one beautiful, cabin-sized purple suitcase with me from Venezuela, and have been living out of it ever since.
Veronica Pulido
I have found that “volunteering” at hostels, guest houses, and yoga retreats is a good fix. I offer to help with cleaning rooms or creating marketing content in some of the places I stayed in exchange for a room or meals. I often find myself living like a queen — I get a room all to myself and great restaurant food.
In other cities, I have taken on jobs with world schooling facilities, which is for children who study as they travel. In Bansko, a ski town in Bulgaria, I worked at a program called Kids Club, which takes children on cultural tours to teach them about the city and language.
In places that are expensive, like Switzerland, being a live-in nanny has been more sustainable.
Problems along the way
As a Venezuelan national, I am only allowed in the Schengen Area for three months at a time. This means that in order to continue staying in Europe, I have to travel to non-Schengen countries like Romania or Bulgaria every 90 days.
I use sites like Worldpackers and Workaway to find my jobs. One time, the only available job outside the Schengen zone was in Sofia, Bulgaria. I had to live with and help an old man who was partly disabled.
The first week was amazing. But he turned rude and grumpy, making fun of my Latin Spanish and saying it was not the right way to speak the language.
The living arrangement made me uncomfortable too – I was sleeping on a mattress basically next to him. He was also an artist who painted nude women, and asked me to model for him. I was there for three weeks before I tried to find a different job.
The happy end to that story was that I was able to find a friendly host family in another city in Bulgaria, and it turned out to be one of my favorite experiences.
It was the only job I accepted without a video call, so I am always careful to call the host and ask for a tour of the accommodation now. I also make sure to have two or three options in each city, so I don’t feel like it’s the only place to go.
The mindset that has helped me
Veronica Puldio
Despite the challenges, I have never felt homesick and have no plans to go back. The countries that were never part of the plan have been the most amazing trips.
I am currently in Germany, applying to my next round of jobs. If all goes well, I want to explore Asia soon.
I tell myself and others I meet: Just do it. Don’t wait for a lot of money —have just enough for an emergency. I keep 400 euros, or $435, in my fund, and I pretend I don’t have that money until it’s an emergency.
Pushing myself to get creative with jobs has also helped. I studied media at university and always approach restaurants and small businesses to shoot commercials or social media videos for them, which often works.
