A Week-In-The-Life of Will, The Broke Backpacker

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Writer and photographer. Adventurer and vagabond. Master of the handstand pushup. Conqueror of the infamous dick tick, survivor of deadly motorbike crashes and crusader for cheap escapades. Avid hitch-hiker. Not above borrowing bread. Part-time farmer, full-time charmer. Frequently uses stolen napkins as toilet paper. Has an extensive vocabulary but mostly uses ā€˜dudeā€™ and ā€˜awesomeā€™ to convey all emotions. Inventor of the man-hug. Has been described as an incorrigible cad. Sexually aroused by raging rapids, perilous peaks and cheesecake. In constant need of a haircut. Smells of old leather. An expert at budget travel and how to be a digital nomad…please enjoy this week-in-the-life of Will Hatton ā€“ The Broke Backpacker, in Antigua!

See also: What to See, Do, and Eat in Antigua

This post was originally published in 2015. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

Day 1

3:00pm: Weary from a thirty hour journey I finally arrive in Antigua where I check into a pretty nice hotel where I have wangled free accommodation.

3:10pm: Instantly bored of the hotel I leave in search of a beer.

3:30pm: Drenched from a sudden downpour I stumble into the smallest bar I have ever seen, ‘The Snug’ where I proceed to acquaint myself with the local beer and a bunch of hells angels.

8:00pm: I join my newfound friends at an underground cash poker game.

9:10pm: I appear to have won all of their money, they buy back in.

9:11pm: They appear to have won all of my money, I buy back in.

10:40pm: Having lost a small fortune ($4), I hit the road and spend nearly an hour trying to find my hotel.

Day 2

8am: I awake early, on the floor and wrapped in a towel. My head hurts.

8:10am: I head to the market, pick up some bananas and lug my stuff to a cheaper hostel across the road.

10:40am: I am contacted by the TV show Naked and Afraid who interview me for half an hour on Skype to see if I would like to be stranded naked and with no gear on an island… I say I am interested.

1:00pm: I head out to celebrate my guaranteed TV stardom, I drink some beers.

2:40pm: I go for a run around the busy cobble stone streets of Antigua, I get some odd looks.

6:20pm: I find a local restaurant with a gringo playing a guitar.

6:28pm: I join my new buddy and sing Hotel California (poorly) to the packed establishment.

Day 3

7am: I wake up early and spend the next four hours learning Spanish…. Yo bebo cervezas con mis amigos!!

1pm: I start filming with my spanking new GoPro.

1:40pm: I go out to celebrate my guaranteed film-maker stardom, I have a coconut water – I need to watch my figure.

3:00pm: I nearly kill myself doing 100 burpees for time followed by 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and 100 double-unders (I bought my skipping rope out with me).

7:00pm: I stumble across a brand new hostel, Tropicana, opening it’s doors and serving totally free drinks from 7-9. I proceed to get pretty hammered.

Day 4

1pm: After Spanish lessons, I move hostels to Tropicana… it has a pool…. I am happy.

2:20pm: I have a conference call with a very exciting company ‘HovelStay’ who wants to hire me as their hovel hunter – it sounds like it might just be the best damn job in the world. I gleefully accept. 

4:00pm: I head out to explore the main square where I pick up a kick ass enchilada!

5:20pm: I sign a contract with another company, Holiday Pirates, who want me to blog for them – another super fast and super exciting development for my writing career!

6:00pm: You guessed it… I head out to celebrate.

Day 5

7:50am: I awake pretty hungover and with just ten minutes to get to my spanish lessons.

10:12am: I keep falling asleep during the lessons… I feel distinctly guilty!

1:00pm: I spend the entire afternoon shouting at my laptop whilst I fix various bugs on my website www.thebrokebackpacker.com and write some new content up.

8:00pm: I head out for a cheeky beer, I’ve been working non-stop and feel pretty tired.

8:10pm: I spot some super cool leather beer holders nailed to the wall.

8:35pm: I bail on my buddies and head home to crash.

10:40pm: I am woken up by everyone coming in to the dorm.

10:55pm: Someone drops a rucksack on my head.

11:05pm: Someone has been locked out, they bang on the gate for the night man.

11:15pm: No sign of the night man, I get out of bed and brave the mosquitos to get to the gate.

11:20pm: The bloody gate is locked.

11:25pm: I finally find the night man.

11:45pm: A new crowd of drunk people come in to the dorm…

1:00am: I finally fall asleep.

Day 6

1:20pm: After spanish school, I practice my handstands by the pool.

2:10pm: I convince the entire dorm to join me for a workout…

3:05pm: I enjoy one of the best burgers of my life.

6:10pm: I find a brand new, recently opened restaurant which is super cheap, super amazing and super posh. I sit there in a tattered tank top whilst a waiter in a suit brings me a steak knife on a silver platter.

6:55pm: My entire meal, complete with drinks, comes to just under $12.

Day 7

1pm: I finally finish spanish school… I am hardly fluent but I reckon it might help with getting around.
See also: How to Become Fluent in Spanish (and Other Languages)

1:40pm: Another day of working on my site, lots to get done…

5:40pm: I finish for the day and chill out by the pool, tomorrow I am heading into the hills to find work on a sustainable farm project…

Will is currently in Venezuela, gearing up to explore Roraima. He is still trying to blog every day, spend as little as possible and build awesome new relationships with kick ass companies. Over the next month Will plans to explore as much of Venezuela as possible before heading home briefly for a wedding… after that, who knows? Iran is beckoning…. So is Indonesia… Will is pretty sure he will end up wherever he can fly for the cheapest! Follow Will’s adventures on The Broke Backpacker, and on Twitter @wandering_will and Facebook.

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1 thought on “A Week-In-The-Life of Will, The Broke Backpacker”

  1. lol:
    I appear to have won all of their money, they buy back in … They appear to have won all of my money, I buy back in … Having lost a small fortune ($4), I hit the road and spend nearly an hour trying to find my hotel.

    Sounds like quite a week! Good luck on the hovel hunting!

    Reply

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