HEY HEY HEY!
If you’ve made it here you must have stumbled upon Intentional Detours for the first time. And no, this blog isn’t about those pesky orange road signs that pop up during those ever so inconvenient construction projects…
BUT WHO AM I?
I’m Samantha, a 20-something American girl set on seeing the lesser-visited parts of the world with my backpack and my tent. Growing up in small-town USA, I didn’t travel abroad at all growing up. In fact, I didn’t even leave the country until 2017 when I went on my first backpacking trip to Ecuador while studying in Miami for university.
backpacking trip in 2017.
I fell hard and fast for real budget travel, which soon led me to Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and finally to a region of the world I’d wanted to explore since I was (literally) 9 years: South Asia.
With each trip, I became more and more fond of places with the greatest amount of nature (I’m a reformed city lover) and the least amount of tourists.
While some hotspots are too good to be missed (Taj Mahal, I’m looking at you here!) my bucket list centers around places and people far removed from the heavily trodden tracks of those that have come before me. The less western, the better.
After working several side jobs and graduating with my Bachelors of Science degree in 2019, I spent 7 month backpacking around Pakistan and India, which is when Intentional Detours came to life.
My time grounded during the beginning of the Covid era gave me time to both work on my online endeavors, and learn Urdu online with a fantastic Lahori teacher.
This gave me the confidence back to Pakistan as a solo traveler, and nowadays I’m incredibly lucky to live in the majestic Hunza Valley (a region of Northern Pakistan) with my lovely partner, who I serendipitously met a few months after I arrived.
AND WHAT IS INTENTIONAL DETOURS?
My mission is simple: I want to show others that longterm travel does not have to be an expensive luxury that the majority assume it to be, and that you can really get off the beaten path anywhere.
As well as aiming to be the most thorough resource of Pakistan travel info on the internet, I hope to remind you that even the most touristy of places has the potential for a wildly unique adventure.
But while encouraging people to travel is well and good, what is paramount is showing how to travel immersively. As much as I love the snow-capped Karakoram and ocean-dipped sunsets, the real reason I travel is for the people I’m lucky enough to meet along the way.
And by giving a raw glimpse into what backpacking in far-out lands really is, I hope that some of you reading this might just decide to try it out for yourselves. And if you get stuck, don’t worry- my inbox is just a click away!
BUT HOW DO YOU PAY FOR THIS?
When 99% of the modern world thinks of travel, they think big. They think luxury- “If I’m traveling, I must have the absolute best of everything or what’s the point, right?” WRONG.
If I thought this way, I would still have a blank passport right now.
The key to long-term travel for those of us that don’t have unlimited trust funds is to travel in super cheap countries (by western standards, that is) and whilst in said super-cheap-countries, to live as close to the local standards as possible.
Think: street food and accommodations that have seen far better days.
Now of course, we all know that even the cheapest of trips still require some cash to keep you afloat.
Throughout my university years, I’ve worked multiple jobs and side hustles to stack the coin that made my first trips a reality. These days, I’m lucky to be making it happen while wearing various hats as a digital nomad: freelance writing and advertising revenue are my main sources of income.
But a few first-world sacrifices go a long way in the money-saving game, and even though I have a monthly income these days, I still travel on ~ $10-20 a day budget. (the ~ is for when my foodie tendencies take over).
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN SO FAR?
After heading out of the US on May 19, 2019, I was able to stick to my budget as I overland-ed through India and Pakistan until mid-December of that year.
Coronavirus seriously postponed my 2020 travel plans, but on April 8th, 2021 after receiving my vaccine, I once again returned to Pakistan (alone) my favorite place in the world! Through a whirlwind of incredible events, my initial love affair for the country has led to be truly (and even legally!) calling it home.
Though many countries remain on my bucketlist, I have finally found the adventure destination of my wildest dreams to base myself in, and I truly couldn’t be happier. For some it’s Bali, for me: it’s the surreal beauty of Hunza Valley.
I’ve since fallen in love with trekking and camping, and have been lucky enough to see some exquisitely stunning trails all over Gilgit Baltistan.
So far, these have been some of my favorite adventures:
WANT MORE?
If you still find yourself with any lingering wonders, feel free to contact me or peruse one of my other social media accounts. (If you’d like to share some food recommendations that’s happily accepted, too.)
