Leon

Staying at an Austrian local's holiday home in the Hochkönig Mountain range, I remember waking up and asking what there was to do locally. The woman took me outside and said, "Point to a mountain, now climb. I'll see you tomorrow for the journey back." Born and raised in England while being half Italian and half Trinidadian and belonging to a huge global family of the O'Briens, most of my life I have been lucky enough to travel. Since the age of 2 years old until 16, I have been on many family vacations, and on my 20th birthday, I decided to go solo traveling throughout Europe. Since then, I have visited 18 countries by myself with no plan whatsoever apart from finding some locals and hearing their suggestions. One of my fondest memories is going to Salzburg for a quick day stop between trains and meeting people that inspired me and allowed me to stay for three whole months. Side note: I entered the city with £400, and yet they still made everything survivable for me. Most of my experiences have been in and around the alpine mountains of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, but I also have vast connections in the Caribbean, Canada, and some parts of Asia. Thanks to this, I have seen and done many amazing things and have many more yet to accomplish. But I would rather not be greedy with all these hidden treasures people have granted and suggested to me. Instead, I would love the pleasure of sharing them with all who wish and using my local connections alongside my professional connections to ensure more people have holidays and travel vacations that change their outlook on life.

Firstly, I have a notepad with three separate itinerary options. These are: Holiday, Experience, and WHH (Whatever Happens, Happens). I'll break down the main differences for me. Holiday: Stress-free holiday, relax and enjoy. For me, this is where I have accommodation planned. There's a goal, whether that be seeing a friend, concert, family, the city, or just a weekend away in peace. I will budget for best and worst outcomes, find a few hotels that match both budgets, find a car that matches where I would want to drive to, and find evening activities that I could bring my family to or experience solo depending on the occasion. Experience: Side quest collecting, cultural experience. This is my personal favourite. This, to me, is my go-to for siblings, cousins, friends, and romantic holidays. Book a hostel or a hotel that has a good sense of guest community. Spend the first night in your accommodation's lounge with the others staying there and find someone or a couple of people you can click with, then try to plan the perfect day out all together. Take an adventure to a late-night after-work bar for some networking to learn about the people of the city you're staying in and discover where all the discount days out are, as well as all the stuff that is not listed online. My fondest memory of this is meeting an Irish girl in Austria who knew a French guy with rock climbing gear and climbing the tallest alp in the region (Hoher Dachstein) with him, then parachuting off for the steep price of a beer and a pack of cigarettes. WHH: Adventurous spontaneity, budget-friendly. This is my own personal method that I wouldn't suggest outside of confident solo travelers, and that is no plan, no itinerary. Catch the next ferry into Europe, hitchhike to wherever, stay in homestays with locals, help on farms, flip a coin on a map, and wherever it lands is the next goal to hitchhike to. Now, as budget traveling goes, this is the magnum opus where some days I didn't spend over £10, but the risk alongside makes it much more of a personal way to travel. Again, I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a confident solo traveler.