We're Thomas and Rose, expats from Colorado since 2016 when we reduced our belongings to two 65 liter Gregory backpacks and headed for Colombia with no return tickets. Our planned year abroad blossomed into an every day itinerary. Our job is to help you do the same. 

We currently live in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Next stop(s):
Cham Island, Dalat, Mekong Delta, Mui Ne, Vietnam (2019-2020)
Spain (Camino De Santiago) August-September 2020
Munich (Octoberfest) September 2020

The Dream

When we left Colorado in 2016, our blog had long been brewing, but leaving ignited a passion for professional direction— we wanted to be shoe-string budget backpackers. We believed that anyone could travel on any budget and we founded our site on this idea.

Now after two years on the road, we know that traveling isn't something easily done. No bullshit and no sugar coating, traveling is hard work. Traveling on a shoe-string budget is even harder. We respect those who can pull off an airtight budget, but it’s just not who we are, and it's not how the majority of people travel. 

We read all kinds of publications about traveling the world on $10/day before we departed, but we found that a restricted budget looks neat on paper, but it’s not realistic because it’s not universal. We consistently struck out with a tight budget. The blogs we followed didn't address the sacrifice of a $10/day budget, having to choose between necessities and a once in a lifetime opportunity to live with a family and their water buffalo in Sapa, Vietnam.

In practice, travel comes with unexpected costs, comforts, desires, and tough decisions. We’re good at spending money on travel. We make mistakes that cost money. We splurge. We’re not budget savvy, but we’ve also managed to travel through four continents hustling, spending, and moving wherever our money takes us. Because of this, our vision of travel has changed, and our understanding of the truth about travel has changed.

This is where the future of Scratch My Pack Travel, 2018, is headed—dedicated to reporting the truth about traveling, the ugly, the petty, the potentially inspiring insights of everyday people traveling the world. We want to post about budget failures, mistakes we’ve made, bitch about homesickness, the personal costs of traveling long term, and the genuine struggles of life on the road. The site needs to evolve as we have.

We hope to prepare people for the reality that shit happens when you make an effort to explore. Travel doesn’t always go as planned. Money comes and goes, but opportunities present themselves momentarily, and every cent spent on traveling returns in memories a hundred times over.

So pack your bags, quit stressing about the dollar, be impulsive and scratch more than just the surface of travel.

How We Can Work Together

We're keen to work with brands that mirror our interests of a better work-life balance. We can help showcase your brand and products to our growing audience in an alternative way to traditional advertising. For a more detailed media package about our services please email us at info@scratchmypack.com

Ways in which we can work together are:

• Professional photography for use in marketing and social media

• Sponsored blog posts

• Brand partnerships

• Sponsored campaigns

• Social media collaboration

• Hotel and restaurant reviews (Level 5 Contributor on TripAdvisor)

• Copywriting and editing

We want to work with brands that offer our readers something meaningful and makes their life easier by enabling them to achieve their travel goals. We believe in the power of community and support and we want to work with brands that inspire our readers. If you believe that your brand is right for our audience, we would love to hear from you. Let's see how we can work together and inspire more people to travel. 

Email us at 

info@scratchmypack.com and we'll be happy to evaluate your proposal.

Rose Hedberg Is a Content Writer and Editor for SMP

Hi, I’m Rose, a being with thoughts and an urgent imagination, so I write. I craft creative non-fiction because everyday life is fantastical if told accordingly. I’m easily, and happily, distracted by the prose of Atwood, Orwell, Sedaris, and Bradbury and Murakami when I can’t conjure the creation myself. Persuaded by the possibilities of great stories abroad, and an amazing partner, I’m a world traveler with a home base in Da Nang, Vietnam. 

Most memorable country traveled: Impossible to pick just one, but Japan left a lasting impression on my sense of taste and every minute in the country exceeded my imagination of how life proceeded in Asian countries. Myanmar also left me feigning for more when we left. The people and the untouched beauty were unlike any where we'd been.

Currently reading: The Power by Naomi Alderman

Most inspiring country as a writer: Vietnam

Thomas Brath Is a Photographer and Contributing Writer for SMP

Pursuing photography early on, Brath has always had an eye for telling stories through his lens, which is currently the Fujifilm X-T20 for street and documentary photography and a Nikon D5500 for landscape and travel photography. Traveling with his belongings packed tightly in his backpack, he set out for his first trip abroad to Europe in 2011 not knowing what to expect. Inspired and completely hooked on travel, each year since he’s had the pleasure of escaping for weeks at a time and bringing a first time traveler abroad with him. It’s allowed Brath to witness and experience the excitement of travel through a range of perspectives. Each new country, city or neighborhood reignites a vigorous passion for creating art and remembering to live everyday to the fullest. His favorite shots capture parts of history. Whether it’s in the buildings or the people, each photo reveals a fascination in witnessing the evolution of history and our fragile place among it.