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About Steve Haenisch aka BackPackerSteve

Hey, my name is Steve Haenisch aka Backpackersteve and obviously I'm the guy that runs this Travel Magazine and the Travel Video Show. Ever since traveling has been a very important part of my life – but: born in the GDR I was not able to travel everywhere in my very young years. My parents and especially my grandparents actually never had the chance to do what I am doing now and somehow encouraged me to use this chance and travel the world.

Actually I'm a guy like you (I assume you are interested in traveling if you came along here, huh?) that used to live the ‘normal' life until September 2012 and traveled a lot in between – which means I made numerous weekend city trips in Europe (e.g. Madrid, Berlin, Barcelona) and used my vacation to travel to countries like Chile, Estonia or the Canary Islands (Spain).

high rope course in portugal

Until that time in 2012 I was living straight forward: I had a good paid job after university as an Expert & Consultant for Usability and Social Media, lived in a really nice apartment in Hamburg, had a big circle of friends and enjoyed hosting people from all over the world in my apartment through Couchsurfing.

Couchsurfing Invasion Hamburg 2012
Couchsurfing Invasion Hamburg 2012

In 2010 I went for my first big trip overseas to Chile in South America – beside traveling and discovering it was also a chance to see if this kind of Backpacking life actually fits for me. It did and so I decided to safe some money during the next months to fullfill my dream. Moreover I started to write a Blog and was overwhelmed by the feedback I got – so I kept working on it the last two years.

Snowboarding in La Plagne, france
Snowboarding in La Plagne, france

Due to the fact that I never took some time off in between it felt like something is missing – this one big adventure everybody seems to go for after school or in between university and the first job. Friends of mine went for work & travel to Australia or New Zealand, others went for an exchange Semester to Spain or South America.
I once had the dream to do a big Round the world trip in one year and it somehow stuck to me until I finally said to myself: now or never!

Videoblogging for VisitDenmark
Videoblogging for VisitDenmark

Meanwhile some things have changed: due to my increasing readership and my work background I was able to get in contact with tourism boards and set up my first individual blogtrip in June 2012 with VisitDenmark. I got more into the travel blogging industry by attending conferences in Porto and Girona. I kept working hard on my Blog and finally decided to quit my Job earlier than I had planned as I realized that it is really possible to be a freelancer in that area.

Videoblogging in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid
Videoblogging in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid

Today I'm working more than ever (around 60 hours a week) and earn much less but I'm really happy and appreciate it very much. Travel blogging alone is not paying my bills at all but it enables me to get some costs covered. I earn the ‘real' money with my Consulting and Videoproducing activities. With this I am also able to run the whole Travel Magazine very independent by providing my own views. All the content I provide from my travels is completely my own – this goes for opinions and views as well as for recommendations. If something isn’t worth a recommendation I just pay it by myself and don’t place it here. With this i want to make sure to keep a high level of trust.

Mobilizing my Website - (second Version)
Mobilizing my Website – (second Version)

When you have a look at this Website today you'll realize that it is not a Blog anymore as it used to be – as already mentioned I turned it more into a Magazine and a Travel Video Show for Budget Travelers. By providing Travel Guides, Photo Essays and lists of Free Things to do in cities around the world I'd like to encourage and inspire more people to travel and explore this wonderful planet. With my Video Show I want you to enable to travel with me even though you're at home or you don't have the possibility to travel, yet.

Budget Check Madrid - in those videos I tell you what to calculate for a day in a city
Budget Check Madrid – in those videos I tell you what to calculate for a day in a city

I always work on new content, tips and recently special deals you are able to get by using discount codes you'll find here. For the last mentioned I'm working directly together with Hostels and Touroperators and only include what I personally proved to be worth a recommendation.

It's great to see you here – I hope you enjoy reading my stuff and watching the videos. Feel free to interact or contact me if you have questions, tips or critic – of course it would be cool if you can spread the word.

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. (St. Augustine)

Sanboarding on the Dunes of the Moon Valley
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