When Oliver Bowering, a 21-year-old from Nottinghamshire who shares his travels and tips on TikTok, boarded a plane to Thailand at the age of 19, he never could have predicted how it would forever change his life. What started as a spontaneous decision to join friends on a trip to Southeast Asia ended up shaping his perspective on life and travel in ways he never even thought possible. After spending £8,000 on that trip, it changed his life so much so that he decided to then go back for another four months to dive even deeper into the experiences that had captured his heart.

He told global travel booking platform, Omio: "I came back from that trip a changed man. Many people who have gone travelling will say this – it changes you. It gives you a sense of freedom that you can’t find anywhere else. Thailand introduced me to travel, new cultures, new people, and a completely different way of life. From that moment, I knew I wasn’t finished, and it was just the beginning. This led me to come back a year later to stay in the country for another four months!"

He explained how he came to spend all his life savings on the trip: "For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the impulsive type, but it didn’t settle in that I was about to travel 6,000 miles across the world at 19 years old with a group of friends. Bearing in mind, this was my second holiday without my parents.

"I ended up doing a well-known trail in Thailand called the Banana Pancake Trail and spent a total of 2 months and 2 days out there. The first time I went on this trial, I spent £8,000 – every penny I had to my name."

Bowering said that travelling had a transformative effect on him which he described as "a sense of freedom that you can’t find anywhere else."

Looking back, he wishes he had known how much Thailand would shift his perspective.

He added: "You think it’s just a holiday, but it completely changes how you see the world—and yourself."

He shared six key travel tips on how to budget. These included setting a realistic budget, staying in local homestays with free breakfast, eating street food, using sleeper trains and ferries to get around, making connections with locals, and staying open to new experiences.

He recommended homestays or budget hotels with free breakfast and eating street food to save money but also said that he believes it to be better tasting than restaurant meals.

Another tip is trying new foods and spending some time in one place and getting know locals who will show you cheaper and better ways to travel and eat.

Ultimately, the experience taught him lessons he never expected, about himself, the world, and the value of saying yes to the unknown.