Key Takeaways
- This month’s interview comes from Alex, a 29-year-old black traveler from Northern California. When he approached me earlier this year to do an interv
- As a white Western guy, my experience is vastly different than many others. I don’t face many of the prejudices others might and, while this site is c
- Nomadic Matt: Hi Alex! Welcome! Tell everyone about yourself. Alex: I am a 29 year old from Northern California. I grew up in a city near San Francisc
This month’s interview comes from Alex, a 29-year-old Black traveler from Northern California. When he approached Route for Less earlier this year to share his story — and the racial and non-racial barriers he faced before and during his journey — we knew his voice needed to be centered here.
As a white Western traveler, my experience differs significantly from many others. I don’t encounter the same prejudices that others do. While Route for Less (routeforless.com) is a resource for all travelers, true inclusivity means amplifying diverse perspectives — like Alex’s. So, today, without further ado, here is Alex!
Route for Less: Hi Alex! Welcome! Tell everyone about yourself.
Alex: I am a 29-year-old from Northern California. I grew up in Alameda, a city near San Francisco. After finishing college in Arizona, I moved back to the Bay Area and worked in San Francisco before quitting my job to travel the world.
I know the decision shocked my mom and many of my friends, but I knew it was a necessary experience for me to embrace at this point in my life.
What inspired your trip?
The short answer is that I wanted to see the world. The more nuanced answer is that I wanted to see it through my own lens. With the wonders of the world wide web, we’re constantly flooded with curated images and secondhand narratives about people and places. I needed to witness the world firsthand — through my own conversations, observations, and personal growth while traveling.
After reading numerous backpacking blogs and the Route for Less guide *How to Travel the World on $50 a Day*, I felt empowered and knew I had to take the leap. My original plan was six months — but 11 months later, I’m still going!
How are you funding this trip?
I worked in finance for five years and began saving for travel as soon as I started earning. Once I committed to the trip, I made intentional financial sacrifices — skipping weekend trips with friends, cutting back on expensive dinners, and reducing discretionary spending.
After reading various travel resources and the Route for Less guide *How to Travel the World on $50 a Day*, I saved $25,000 USD for a year of travel.
To make that happen, I set up automatic biweekly transfers from my paycheck into a dedicated travel fund. I also minimized non-essential spending: eating out less, canceling unused subscriptions, and forgoing smaller vacations.
As my departure date neared, I sold furniture and other belongings from my apartment. My final work bonus also contributed. In total, it took just over a year to save enough for this journey.
Friends told me they could never afford what I was doing — yet spent $400/month on boutique fitness classes or $500/weekend on drinks. Saving wasn’t easy, and it required real trade-offs. But because travel was my ultimate goal, those sacrifices felt purposeful and worthwhile.
Do you have any specific advice for people saving for their trip?
My top tip — and something that helped immensely — was reviewing a detailed breakdown of my spending over three months. Most banks and credit card providers offer this for free, or you can track it manually. Identify your largest expense categories and brainstorm realistic ways to reduce them.
Why don’t you think more people of color travel? You mentioned in your original message that friends and family said you were being “too white” by doing this.
The “you’re acting white” comment is one I’ve heard my whole life. When I prioritized education and pursued a career in finance, I was “acting white.” When I chose to leave a stable job to travel, I was “acting white” again.
Honestly, it’s confusing — and makes authenticity even harder. Regarding international travel, many view it as a privilege tied to wealth — a status not commonly associated with communities of color in mainstream narratives.
But again, it comes down to priorities. If travel matters to you, it’s possible to pursue it without belonging to the upper class.
I also believe limited exposure plays a role. Without family members or close friends who travel internationally, how would someone know it’s accessible — or even worth considering?
That said, I don’t mean to suggest people of color don’t travel at all. Far from it — I traveled often as a child with my family. But those trips were typically domestic vacations to familiar destinations. What’s missing, for many, is the model and mentorship for long-term, independent, global travel.
