About the Writer
Brandon Grenier
Writer, photographer, and recovering budget traveler
I’ve been crossing borders since before I knew what a visa was, visiting my mother’s family in Canada while growing up in metro Detroit. The early exposure to travel primed me for a life of visa applications and passport stamps. I received a degree in linguistics and Spanish from Michigan State University, and then almost immediately made plans to move abroad.
Shortly after graduating I moved to Spain, and spent four years living and working in different regions around the country. During my time there I earned a living teaching English in public schools, working hostel reception, and giving private English classes on the side. When I wasn’t teaching I spent my time surfing, hiking, playing music, and traveling as much as I could afford to. It wasn’t always the most glamorous form of travel, but I managed to visit over 20 countries on a shoestring budget.
Upon returning to the US I completed a masters degree in both Hispanic linguistics and TESOL from the University of Colorado Boulder, where I also taught Spanish courses for two years.
In 2022 I walked 500+ miles across the coastline and mountains of Spain on the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo. That hike became the inspiration this site, and most of the early photography and writing here came out of that trip. I’ll add newer stories and photos as I continue to travel, along with some lessons learned from my years spent abroad.
My goal with this website is to share both the good and the bad parts of budget travel to inspire new travelers to seek out their own adventures. In essence I’m trying to write the articles that I wish I had found when I first started traveling over a decade ago.
These days I work as a translator and technical writer, write here, and occasionally sell my photography online. Follow along on social media to get the latest updates on new posts, or sign up to my email list below.
If you’re looking for a good place to get started, I’d highly recommend checking out some of my posts about the Camino de Santiago, or the blog feed to see the latest posts.
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