gottacaseofwanderlust

Gabby Boucher has traveled to six continents, writes for multiple online travel organizations, and lives a beach-filled life in Sydney, Australia. 

She has immersed herself in ten volunteering projects in seven countries around the world during the last six years with no desire to stop.

Boucher’s laidback attitude and radiant smile gives the impression of someone living their dream life — though this is partly true, she has yet to find clarity in her life’s direction. 

“I still kind of… have no idea what I want to do with my life,” the twenty-seven year old confesses with a laugh. “And I’m so fine with it.”

There is a certain pressure on young people today to have their entire lives planned out. After high school, students are expected to pursue higher education and pick a major that they want to study for the next four or more years. After college, graduates are expected to immediately begin their career in the field that they are expected to be in until retirement. 

Despite these societal pressures, Boucher was determined to follow the path that felt right to her: the path of travel.

“I just thought, ‘It’s time to do cool stuff’’”, Boucher recalls after graduating college in 2016. 

Her lust for travel was ignited during her year-long study abroad experience in London. The accessibility to explore other European countries spurred Boucher to go on many solo trips, which gave her a newfound sense of confidence in herself and the possibilities of travel as a lifestyle.  

It was during one of these trips when she discovered how to travel with almost no money: work exchanges.

A work exchange is an opportunity where a traveler trades their time to receive free accommodation. The type of work varies depending on the site and host, but can range from working at a hostel to teaching English to children. 

As someone who identified as “a broke college student”, Boucher was naturally intrigued by the idea, and soon embarked on her first work exchange in Ecuador. 

“I was super nervous,” Boucher admits. “But I just went for it.”

Now, Boucher’s passion is to inspire others to budget travel — especially young travelers who are unsure of how to make their travel dreams a reality. 

She has a self-designed blog dedicated to exactly that, called Budget Travel with Gabby. Its aim is to inspire people to experience new places without spending too much money. 

The tourism industry generally advertises travel as luxurious, high-end getaways that are supposed to make consumers believe that they are meant to spend excessive amounts of money while planning a trip. 

But take it from Boucher: that fabricated illusion of a vacation is not the only way to travel. 

Some of the ways that Boucher has explored so many places on limited funds include sleeping overnight inside airports, walking endlessly to avoid paying for public transportation, and taking the most inconvenient flights to score the cheapest price. 

Boucher says that budget traveling does not have to take away from your experiences, she thinks of it as “a way to reprioritize what you spend your money on.” 

“The $20 you save on this can contribute to another flight someday,” she points out. 

Her travel blog has a plethora of valuable ways to save money while traveling; however, her number one hack to travel cheaply is to participate in work exchanges. 

Many may think that a work exchange means sacrificing fun and free time — though in Boucher’s experience, they have only enriched her travels. 

During her work exchanges, Boucher has gotten the opportunity to live in the oldest rainforest on the planet, learn how to surf in Costa Rica, and make lifelong friends, including her current boyfriend. 

The budget travel expert advises prospective work exchange travelers to “be prepared for new and unexpected things.” 

She also encourages travelers to investigate the kind of experience that would be the best match for them. 

For Boucher, she loved working in hostels because of their social atmospheres. But for others looking for a more cultural experience, working somewhere like a family farm may be a better fit. 

No matter what kind of work exchange, Boucher strongly recommends learning as much about the experience as possible by reading the reviews, asking questions to the host, and reaching out to past volunteers. This will ensure that one can fully maximize the value in a work exchange.  

As she gets older, Boucher has become less strict about her finances on trips — though she says that she will always plan trips with the question of “how can I do this on a budget?” in mind.

She is currently spending her days exploring Australia while working as a bartender, finding ways to be physically active, and writing for her blog. 

Boucher’s future is still as uncertain as it was when she graduated, but she realizes now: no one truly knows what they’re doing either.  

“I try to have a loose plan for a year,” the 27-year old says. “And that usually changes a million times.” 

Boucher now knows that she will never have her future completely mapped out; instead, she believes that “little pieces will fall into place over time.” 

Meanwhile, she urges people to chase after their dreams — with or without a budget. 

“If travel is something you wanna do,  just do it now. Life is short.” 

Boucher’s thriving spirit and endless storybook of adventures are proof that going with the flow, rather than against, is the ultimate key to life.

“Do things that make you happy,” she shrugs with a smile. “And everything else will fall into place.”

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Connect with Gabby here:

Her blog: https://budgettravelwithgabby.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabbyboucher/