Name: Maxime Kaci
Age: 24
Nationality: French
Time on road: 3 years
Funds: saving, work abroad & busking

What initially inspired you to travel?

I think it all started when I was about eleven years old. My Dad came home from a two month backpacking trip in Southeast Asia with a scary beard and a backpack full of exotic presents. I couldn’t help but be intrigued and amazed by his adventures.
So he promised me on that day if I did well at school and learned English, he would take me with him. Five years later I graduated from high school and he took me to El Salvador for a two week surfing trip where he taught me all his travel tricks, and gave me the travel bug.

What kind of tricks did your Dad teach you?

Simple stuff like taking super care of your passport, and how important it is to have all your money stashed in different places. Put some in your jean pocket in your bag, some in your pharmacy bag, some on you, some in a shoe… just in case something happens, you will always have a bit of cash on you.

But the most important lesson was to smile and say hello to people; to be social and polite.

Oh! And how to negotiate for prices (haggle, no?!).

But the other tricks I won’t reveal… for they are my family secrets!

How have your inspirations to explore the world changed since you began travelling?

I think at first I left to get away; to get away from all those questions that usually worries young people. “What will I do for work?”… “Should I study more?”… “How am I gonna be happy working every day?”

So I left in search of adventure, fun, friendship and excitement.
But after years of travelling and learning from new experiences I could definitely feel a shift in inspiration. I felt like I learned what I had to learn from traveling and socialising, and that it was time to travel with a different purpose. So now I am travelling with the idea of reaching financial freedom.

I feel that with financial freedom, I will be able to travel anywhere, live anywhere, learn anything without having to worry about income.

What has been your most memorable experience whilst travelling abroad?

I kinda travel with the cheap flights, so when I realised I could fly to Europe much cheaper if I arrived in Norway, I decided that the best way to get back to the south of France (home), was to do a Euro trip from Oslo to Marseille, and hitch hike a big part of the way.

Hitch hiking really is a great way to travel. It’s exciting, a bit scary, but the people who usually pick you up turn out to be kind and loving people! Even the scary looking ones! Three years ago a guy in Turkey picked up me and my friend Ryan in his car. He was a big guy with a mean face, and a soldier tattooed on his arm!

When he ask us in bad English if we wanted to stay at a place with him, we didn’t feel so comfortable… but said yes! Eventually he brought us to his apartment where his entire family was waiting. Babies… grandparents… the neighbour even joined us later, and they welcomed us like Kings… fed us until we nearly exploded. He gave us comfortable places to sleep, a great breakfast, and he even dropped us to the next town!

That would have never happened if we had travelled in a coach filled with other tourists.

What has been your most difficult or testing experience whilst travelling?

I think the most difficult part about travelling, is leaving people behind.
First you have to leave your family and friends at home. Then you create a new family and new friends on the road, and you will have to leave them as well. And there’s that weird feeling of leaving multiple homes behind. Buddhists believe that attachment is one of the biggest sources of suffering. Fortunately you get used to it, and I think it becomes a strength.

You basically become really good at saying goodbye.

Where are you right now?

Today I just got home after another year on the road. I live in Hyeres, a small medieval town in the south of France. Its awesome being from a cool place, that you’re happy to come back to! And being back with family and friends is always a pleasure!

This past year I had decided to do a working holiday in New Zealand. The aim was to travel only using the money from playing guitar in the street. I spent 6 months there and it was incredible. The people are so nice. They will invite you into their house! I hitch hiked all around, and it’s never boring, so many incredible sceneries! You do feel like a hobbit there! (It really is a paradise for people who like to walk barefoot…)

I left in the summer, and headed for Bali for a month of surfing, and a family trip! It’s so nice seeing your family after six months, and to be able to travel together!

What survival advice would you give to be travelers in this place?

One good piece of advice to travel easily in France, is to try to make a small effort to speak the language. Just learning how to say hello, how are you, my name is, etc…

The French people are very proud of their language and will appreciate a foreigner trying to speak it. This applies to many other countries.

And even if the cheese smells really bad, just try it.  You can always rinse it with wine…

If you had to recommend one place in the world to visit, where would it be, and why?

For any new travelers who want a culture change, adventures, and fun for a first travel, I suggest Thailand.
Thailand is a great country, easy to travel in, easy to meet new people (local and fellow traveler), beautiful, and full of surprises.
I know it’s becoming a backpacker Disneyland, but I think it is a great introduction country for solo traveler. Plus if you enjoy yourself, from Thailand you can easily get into many other countries.

Where are you planning to visit next?

Next I’m going to California. I will be reunited with my friend and associate, Ryan. Together we will try to mix travel and business with the promotion of a new product which you can find at http://www.coloredison.com – the first completely wirelessly controlled 12V RGBW outdoor lighting system.
We will be traveling in a 1974 Volkswagen van, surfing the coast and using the lights in fun and creative ways.

Do you have any blogs, websites or any other form of social media you would like The Darby Diaries to share with our readers?

Ryan and I started a YouTube channel at the beginning of our travels where we try to inspire and entertain with our crazy shenanigans !

https://YouTube.com/user/MaxBrianOnRoad

You can also find us on Instagram :
@maxime_cassady
@boston_on_road