Hi, I'm the brunette blogger behind Backpacking Brunette. I write about budget travel and expat life.

Days after graduating from college, I hopped on a plane to Amsterdam and spent the next five weeks backpacking around Europe.

That trip changed my life.

Since then, I've worked as an au pair, learned Spanish, taught English, slept in hostels and on strangers' couches all over Europe, walked the Camino de Santiago, moved to Mexico, rode in the back of pickup truckes, climbed pyramids, jumped off a 30-foot platform into a cenote and made friends from around the world. 

I've spent the past five years living abroad and having big adventures on a small budget.

Thinking about moving to Mexico? Here's what you need to know before you go.