Daniela Zavala “The Backpacker”

Since 1997, I have kept a diary of each of my travels. For years, I shared those journals via email with my friends and relatives, who forwarded my diaries to their friends and relatives. And that’s how the list of readers and followers of my travelogues grew year after year.

After realizing the impact that my stories had on those who read them and after the sudden death of a good friend at only 35, I knew it was time to do something in which I could share the  travel expertise I had accumulated in over a decade and in which I could inspire more people to pursue their own dreams. In October 2009, I finally launched www.diariesofabackpacker.com. I wanted this website to be informative and fun, so I have done my very best to use my skills as journalist with my passion for traveling to combine international journalism, travel, and investigative reporting to unearth stories that go beyond the new headlines, bringing awareness to subjects ranging from environmental, wildlife, social issues, women’s issues, human rights, culture, and world adventure. I write all the stories of my blog and I shot and edit the short documentaries you watch here (Yeap! I have no production team or crew, I am a one person doing it all!).

I started traveling in 1997, but began documenting my adventures in video in 2009 when I traveled to Tibet and Bhutan. I didn’t know if with a camera on hand, people would open up to me as it has been in all previous trip. But I have been blessed and fortunate to create an authentic connection with the natives, and have managed to immerse myself into a great diversity of cultures and an inhospitable places … from the deadly mountains Pakistan, the savage tribes of Ethiopia and the nomads of the Gobi desert up to the world of Amazonian shamanism in Ecuador.

With each video, photo or article, I try to take you to where many of many people do not dare to go, bringing  you closer to those fascinating places and  peoples across the globe.

I never imagined back in 2009 how many people I would reach with my stories and how many would join me on my world adventures through my website, YouTube videos and social media accounts. 

It fulfills my heart every time someone tells me that he or she has taken his/her first solo trip inspired by my own journey.  Inspiring others, and promoting tolerance toward cultural differences were my goal 10 years ago when I launched Diaries of a Backpacker, and those are still my goals today. Here that first ever video I ever recorded for Diaries of a Backpacker. Back then, I didn’t know how to use a camera much less to edit a video. But when you are passionate about something, you learn… I did and I keep on learning to bring you more stories from around the world!