Hey, I’m Benji.
Right around when COVID hit, I was wrapping up a decade in the military — and when the world’s shutting down, what else are you going to do besides travel? So I grabbed a backpack and left.
The plan was a year. That turned into multiple years, dozens of countries, all solo, all out of one bag. Basically a professional hobo. After a few years on the road I went through so many variations of what’s in that bag that I’ve got it pretty dialed in now — for me, at least. $5 Hostels, nice spots, weird spots, expensive spots, slightly dangerous spots, all of it.
I’ve slowed down since then but I still get out whenever I can. Got a bit more money these days, but I still prefer one-bag travel. There’s something freeing about having everything on your back and nothing else to deal with. If you’ve never tried it, I think you’ll find that you really don’t need much on a day to day basis.
There’s already a ton of travel content out there. Some good, some not, and a whole lot of it just telling you to go drink coffee at a cafe in every article. I’ll probably be guilty of that too — sometimes that really is all there is to do somewhere.
But what I’m more interested in is the practical stuff. The things that actually helped me over the years — logistics, gear, travel hacking, and how to move through the world without overcomplicating it. Whether you decide to One-bag it or not, my goal is that there’s something in here that you find useful.