My Story: 3 Young, Cool Ladies from Montreal, Canada

While we were traveling in Mulu National Park, Malaysia at D Cave Homestay a communal breakfast was included each morning. While there we met three young French girls from Montreal. I thought it was so cool how they were all traveling together. They had such a zest for life and were so happy and energized each morning.

This feature is a place for travelers of all types to share their story. How do you travel? What type of upbringing did you have? What led you to decide you’d like to have travel in your life? Do you come from a family of travelers or are you the first one to really break the mold? What drives you to get up and go to work so you can fund your travels?

Hearing people’s travel stories is one of my favorite things to do when I am on the road. No two people have the same background or the same travel style. And there are so many different ways people work and save for travel! If you would like to be featured and share YOUR STORY please send an email to: tiffany@vagabondway.net. And with that, let’s meet this week featured travelers –

Hi, our names are Claudèle (19 years old), Julianne (19)  and Juliane (18). WE TRAVEL. This is our story.

1. Please introduce yourself. Where are you from and where did you grow up?

We are three girls born and raised in Montreal, a pretty big city in Canada. We are students who will start university in September.

Kui Buri National Park, Thaïland

2. Do you come from a family of travelers? Summer vacations? No vacations?

Juliane : I do come from a family of travelers. My parents traveled a lot when they were young (or should I say, for the sake of my mom, when they were “younger”). They went abroad almost every summer, going  in Europe, Asia or South America. My parents are so impassioned by travel that they used to take us, my brother, my sister I traveling with them around the world every summer vacation. Thinking back about it, I realize how truly lucky I am to have been able to travel so much during my youth, and for that I am very thankful. With a childhood like the one I’ve had, I guess I was just bound to travel.

Claudele : Yes, well my father traveled quite a bit, mostly in Europe.  My mother didn’t travel a lot, but she did have some experiences away from home. For example, she was a teacher for a year in Nigeria and five years the north of Quebec. With my parents, when I was younger, we did many trips in Quebec and in the east of Canada, which I have very good memory of.

Julianne : I do come from a family of travelers. My parents visited a lot of countries in Europe and when my mother was younger (in her twenties) she did a trip to India for a long period of time. They also travel a lot in the United States since it’s close, but they are not really backpackers anymore. Nevertheless, they were insistent  that my sister and I do some travel/backpacking because it’s such and wonderful experience.

Kawah Ijen, Indonesia

3. How did the plan come about for the three of you to travel?

We’ve been friends since high school and travelling together has always been in our plans. We already knew that we wanted to travel in Asia, but we didn’t know exactly where until Juliane’s parents went to live in Singapore for half a year and invited her to visit them in their new home. It seemed like an amazing start for our trip and a great way to finally start this dream of ours. From there on, we developed a draft of our travel plans and that’s how we began our trip of two months and a half in Southeast Asia.

4. Were your parents worried about your travel plans?

Our parents weren’t too worried.  Of course, they were aware of the risks of travelling as backpackers, but even though they were a bit scared for us, they encouraged us to live this life-changing experience. Moreover, the fact that we were well prepared and incredibly determined to go through with this plan was enough to reassure them.

Rock climbing in Railay, Thaïland

5. Did anyone tell you not to travel or you’re too young to travel?

People didn’t tell us not to travel, on the contrary, most of them were very encouraging and helpful; they gave us a lot of tips about how to backpack, how to stay safe, and where to go. At first of course, some people were surprised and impressed that we were going to do such a big trip at a young age, but they were mostly happy for us because we were going to see a different part of the world. And since we have some experiences in travel, they weren’t so worried. We think that since we live in very multicultural city, the people there are easily open to different cultures and countries, thus are not very scared of travel.

Cooking class, Thaïland

6. Was anyone worried because you’re single female travelers?

If people weren’t exactly terrified that we were three young women travelling in Asia for a few months, they certainly expressed their concerns and insisted on the importance of safety abroad. They just recommended to travel safely and respect the cultural norms without necessarily changing our plans. We firmly believe that women should not be afraid of travel; as long as you know how to adapt, you will be fine and you should definitely not refrain from living such an amazing experience!

7. How do you fund your travels?

Juliane : In order to fund my travels, I did little jobs here and there, from babysitting to cleaning windows. However, when I made  the decision to travel two months and a half in Asia this summer, I knew that I needed a “real” job in order to make that dream a reality, so I worked as a janitor in an university all of last summer. I had to wake up at 4:30 AM everyday and to clean bathrooms, but the thought of this trip kept me going. In the end, it was so worth it that I’d do it all over again!

Claudèle : For one year and a half now, I have been working as a laboratory technician in a pharmacy. I also work as a tutor with some students at the high school I went to. I quit those jobs just before we went travelling. It was a hard decision since I really like those jobs, but I figured that going travelling was more fulfilling for me then just continuing accumulating money. My family also helped me a lot by giving me some necessary material, money and a lot of tips !

Julianne : Last year, I found and applied for a job to fund my travels. I worked during school and summer and saved enough money to come here. I really like my job because, even though I left for the whole summer (so two months and a half), my boss still allowed me to keep my student job. Plus, the people I work with are really amazing and we have a lot of fun.

Bako National Park Malaysia

8. What has been one of your favorite travel experiences?

Claudèle : One of my favorite travel experiences has been all the big trekking that we did. In particular, the trekking to climb Kawah Ijen, an active volcano containing a stunning lake in Indonesia, doing rock climbing in Railay, Thaïland, as well as doing cave climbing in Mulu National Park in Malaysia are achievements that makes me proud. Succeeding in something so diametrically opposed to what I am doing back home and that is physically very challenging is deeply gratifying. It helps me realize that I am capable of surpassing myself, not only in physical activities, but in many other aspects.

Juliane : One of my favorite thing during this trip was the opportunity to truly immerse myself in nature and to experience the wilderness in its purest form. I come from a big city, where the so-called “nature” and “wildlife” solely consist of trees on our front yards, squirrels and dog parks, therefore being able to see lands (mostly) untouched by mankind was an incredibly new and entrancing experience. Going to places like Kui Buri, Bako or Gunung Mulu  National Parks, where we could adventure ourselves in the depths of nature and see no trace of other humans, was something that I loved deeply and that I hope I will get to live again in future trips.

Julianne : One of my favorite travel experience was during this trip. We were in Indonesia, more precisely in Java and we decided to go and see Borobudur. We wanted to see the sunrise so we woke up very early and drove there with two other travelers that we meet at our hostel. I don’t really have words to describe how amazing the sunrise was. You see, you arrive there when it’s dark and there, you can slowly see the sun break through the night with all its colors. Furthermore, with the lights, you start to realize where you are and you see the forest with a little bit of fog inside. Then, you start to see the temple you are in and it’s a beautiful and majestic representation of Buddhism. You feel like you are in a totally different world where worries don’t exists. You feel peaceful and relax and it’s just amazing.

Sarawak River, Malaysia

9. What has been your biggest challenge in the trip ?

Juliane : I think that the greatest challenge that I had to face during this trip was physical. It’s not that I am very unfit or anything, but the extreme heat and lack of sleep made the trip a bit difficult at times. It required a lot of mental strength to stay positive and keep smiling. We also did a lot of trekking through the jungle and we climbed quite a few volcanoes and mountains; that was a real physical challenge! I mean, you book a tour, thinking nothing of it, and the next thing you know it’s 2 :00 AM and you’re standing knee-deep in mud and grass, sweating from places you didn’t even know you could sweat from, and you think to yourself : “Oh gosh, what was did I get myself into?”.  But then, you get to the top, stand on your wobbly legs and take the view in. Nothing quite compares to the feeling of pride and achievement that you get at this moment.

Claudèle : My biggest challenge was just after a motorbike accident I had in Indonesia. I fell down on the road and got injured at the ankle, the knee, the hip and the elbow. It wasn’t the accident itself that was a challenge (even if obviously, it wasn’t a great experience), but it was adjusting to the reality of that accident. The day after the incident, we were suppose to do our biggest trekking of the trip, which was a two day long trek on the volcano Rinjani, on the island of Lombok. Accepting the fact that it was no more possible, and that at the Gilis, I couldn’t even go swimming or snorkeling, was really difficult. I finally accepted it and enjoyed the things we were doing, even if it wasn’t what was planned at the beginning. Adjustment is an essential part of travelling, and fighting the unexpected only makes the trip harder.

Julianne : My biggest challenge during this trip was the lack of privacy. I really had to adjust to the fact that I didn’t really had any privacy. Back home, I really like to be with myself sometimes just to think or relax, but during this trip, I was always with my friends and I love them dearly but sometimes, you still need your space. Also, we stayed a lot in dorms since it’s cheap, but then you share a room with twelve people so privacy isn’t even an option. That was a good challenge for me but I made it through and by doing so, I meet a lot of new people on the way. I also learned that being alone can be good sometimes, but it will never be as fun as being with others.

10. What is a next destination you are so excited to see?

Claudèle : There are plenty of destinations I am looking forward to! Considering I am a student, I think that going in the eastern part of Europe would be perfect for me, as it is pretty cheap. Going in the south and in the west of Africa is for sure on my bucket list. Japan is also a place I want to visit deeply (I already started learning Japanese!) I can’t wait to plan all these trips!

Juliane : There are so many countries that I want to visit, but if I had to pick one, I’d pick New Zealand. Ever since I first watch the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, which was filmed there, I’ve wanted to go and explore that amazing place and see those breathtaking landscapes that you see in the movies. This is one of the many trips I would love to do in the future.

Julianne : The next destination I’m really excited to see is Scotland. The history there is so rich and I heard a lot about the beautiful landscapes and the kindness of the people there. I would really like to do a road trip there because of the freedom you have : you can go wherever you want whenever you want. I also think that it would be the best and cheapest way to visit this country because you can pack a tent and go camping or you can just sleep in the car.

11. Just out of curiosity, what are you each studying in school?

We are starting university in September. Julianne is going to study in neuroscience, Claudèle in biochemistry and molecular medicine and Juliane in international studies.

12. What words of wisdom do you wish to share with other people who are wanting to include more travel in their lives?

We’d say that if you want to travel a lot, don’t be afraid to travel cheap, whether it means travelling in your own country or travelling abroad with a small budget. You can save a lot of money by staying in homestays or guest houses and by leaving beating tracks and not going to very touristic attractions. Not only is that good for your budget, but it also bring you closer to the locals and to the culture of the country you are visiting!

Bali, Indonesia

Thank you so much Claudele, Juliane and Julianne for sharing your story! It was such a pleasure to meet you all and so cool how the three of you as friends traveled like this together. All the best and see you on the road again! 🙂

Instagram :

Claudèle : @claudele_

Juliane : @julianevandal

Julianne : @juliannechenier

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