When I was in a hostel in Brazil, I met a very interesting British guy who was a professor from Paris. After spending a few days chatting over breakfast, I was fascinated with their lifestyles.

Photo of Rio Taken From Sugar Loaf

The Professor was, in my mind, straight out of a fiction book! He was a consultant who later became a business professor in Paris where he lives in a small apartment building in the centre of Paris. As he gets about 4-5 months off every year, he rents out his space to travellers and anyone who requires short stays while he travels South America. At the time I met him, this was his 5th year of travelling. He usually picks a country and stays there for a couple of months. In his free time, he is also a sculptor and finds inspiration from women in Latin America. I found his lifestyle to be fascinating not only because I personally would love to have the ability to travel for 4-5 months out of the year without having to worry about money, but also because I wanted to find out his motivation for doing so. I asked him, “Why are you staying in hostels?”, to which he replied hotel rooms get very lonely.

The second question which I was dying to ask was “Why are you travelling?”. Part of me knew the answer, new places, cultures, so much to see and do, but part of me knew there was more to it. It was not until the last night in Rio, where he would spend about 3 weeks in the same hostel that I found out the truth. He was looking for love! Love that poets wrote about, actors depicted on the small screen and everyone dreams to find. Being in his mid forties, he was tired of random Parisian or London women whom he found to be superficial (keep in mind the circle of the business world and art galleries). In Latin America, not only did he find the women attractive, but he could also pretend to be a simple man who travels the world on a budget.

While, I am not sure where the story ends, as two years later, I noticed his travels took him to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I would like to believe that he found his love on one of his journeys but if not, it is a fascinating way to live regardless!