David Peluchette 
One minute I was breezing through immigration in Spain, practically handed a glass of Rioja with my stamp, excited to start the Camino de Santiago and wondering why everyone made international travel sound so complicated.
A few months later, I was stuck at the Polish-Ukrainian border, passport in a grim-faced officer’s hand, customs agents tearing through our humanitarian vans like we were smuggling gold.
It happened in Kyiv. I was on my way to meet some friends for a few pints on a Friday night in a small basement pub back in the day called “The Drum” or “Baraban”.
Everyone’s got that one friend, you know the one…
I assumed “everyone speaks English” and “the customer is always right.” Turns out, I was embarrassingly wrong!
Switzerland, Japan, Norway? Here’s how broke-ass travelers still eat well, sleep comfortably, and live large on a tight budget.
Have you ever come back from a vacation feeling like you need another one?
You know the experience…
If not speaking the language is your excuse for not moving abroad, scrap it.
It’s useless.
We’ve all been there, returning home from a trip feeling more drained than when we left.
You just landed in Tbilisi or Kyiv, fresh off the plane, feeling like a seasoned traveler.
After all, you’ve tackled the Paris Metro, survived a tuk-tuk ride in Bangkok, and even navigated New York City without getting scammed into a $40 hot dog.
What could possibly throw you off here?
I once made a man in Ukraine go from smiling to staring at me like I’d just asked for his bank PIN and his grandmother’s secret borscht recipe in one breath.