Hi, I’m Alice! A transplant from the southern part of China, I have made home in New York since I was still a teenager. Growing up in the Big Apple was not easy and it has made me realized one thing, that the world is big and nothing is same everywhere. But sure there are commonalities. Finding those connections between people, things and places is the passion of my life. And what would be the best way to do that other than traveling?
My Story
To be honest, I do not have a breaking story to tell of how I have become a traveller/backpacker. I did not do anything dramatic like quitting my full-time job or selling everything I have to pursue my travel dreams. But I can tell you this much about my way to the traveling path.
When I was 19, I went back to China to visit my relatives for the first time that summer. My cousin and I then joined a tour to see the neighboring city Guilin. The two of us did not have a good time at all as the tour was too restricted and offered little of what we wanted to see. Until one day we befriended one of the locals by some random chance and he was showing us around when we opted out from the ‘mandatory’ shopping part of our original itinerary. While I was happily riding on the bicycle around the rice paddy fields, I realized the fact that touring with a travel agency was not the only nor the best way to see the world.
Then in 2006 (wow, was it 10 years ago already!), I went to a study abroad fair in my college. If there is something called a life changing event, I think this is close to being one. At the fair, I met a girl who just recently finished her exchange program in England. She told me all the wonderful things she did while studying abroad. After hearing her stories, I was totally in. I wanted to see the Stonehenge. “Did the aliens really make it?” I wondered. I wanted to see the Buckingham Palace. “Should I say ‘how do you do, Your Majesty’ when I see the queen?” I wondered more.
Well, not only did I see the Stonehenge and Buckingham Palace (not the queen though), I did a lot more than that during that Easter break when I was traveling with a small group of exchange students around Europe. Spain, Italy, Germany, France…we were all over the place.
I knew I was addicted to traveling after that study abroad semester. A year after, I travelled to Tokyo, making my first itinerary and learning how to read maps. The few years after that, I have travelled to more places like Seoul, Taiwan, Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, and Iceland. It is not that easy at first as I am naturally shy. But it is getting better now. Whenever I get the chance, I always try to make a visit to some place new and meet new people. So far, I have set foot on about 20 countries and 53 cities and hoping more to come in the future!
Why Chibi Backpacker?
“Chibi” means “small/tiny” in Japanese.
Personally, I tend to like taking short trips (4-10 days) over longer (1 month to few years) term travels. Since I cannot carry more than 10 lbs of weight, I usually travel with my small backpack and a suitcase. And I am a budget traveller and prefer local small eats over fancy dinning. So everything about me is small, small, and small.
Most of my travel experiences have turned out to be safe and inexpensive adventures. They are solid testaments that you don’t need to be a rich or physically well built person to travel. And you don’t need to give up things that are important to you in life to pursue your travel dreams. Most importantly, it is perfectly okay to take chibi-steps and see the world at your own pace.
Through my travels, not only did I learn new things about the world, I have continually discovered new things about myself. My goal for my Chibi Backpacker blog is to share my personal traveling stories and traveling tips so it will help you to plan for better, cheaper and more adventurous vacations. I hope by reading my stories, you will get inspired and feel the love for traveling.
May you be a chibi with big dream!
– Alice (aka Chibi), April 2016