**Tom Thornton travels the world, including Florence in Italy. • Photos Submitted**

By Tom Victoria

Tom Thornton travels the world — on a budget.

The YouTuber posts videos about his journeys to Asia, Australia, other parts of Europe and the United States, showing people how to do the same without breaking the bank.

“It’s more accessible than you might think,” he said about exploring various countries across the globe.

Tom, 26, a British native, always was intrigued by maps.

**Tom roams New York by the Manhattan Bridge.**

“I was always interested in Geography,” he said. “And seeing new places and new cultures, but it wasn’t until the YouTube travel scene took off that I realized people like me could do these things.”

Tom saw that travel wasn’t reserved for the wealthy.

“If you saved money and put in the research, you could go anywhere you wanted,” he said. “You could actually gain varied, exciting and educational life experiences that you just can’t get at home.”

After Tom acted on the travel bug, starting to explore various places, he decided to document his sojourns.

“I just ran with it I guess,” Tom said.

Showing other people how they could do the same soon became the focus.

“Here’s how you can do it on a budget,” Tom said.

Prior to each trip, he earned money from jobs to use on each trip. Tom meticulously planned for each one, researching the less costly places to stay. During the trips with girlfriend Molly, he kept meals and lodging affordable.

Tom cited the neon streets of Tokyo, the Sydney Opera House and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco as some of the more memorable highlights.

“Probably, our best travel day was visiting Rottnest Island in Western Australia,” he said. “They have these tiny marsupials that are only found there, and they aren’t scared of humans because there’s not natural predators on that island. You just walk or cycle around this island and watch them come up to you.”

Australian culture also was a surprise to Tom. He was taken aback by their interest in a British royal wedding occurring at the time.

“They took off work,” Tom said. “I didn’t think they took that so seriously.”

He noted the irony of how the Australian continent was once populated with British malcontents, but now have more devotion to royalty than some people in England possess.

Cuba is another locale Tom vividly recalls.

“Havana is probably my favorite city in terms of photography,” he said. “The vibrant street scenes were partly why I wanted to go so badly, and they didn’t disappoint. There’s nothing like that I could see in my life in Europe.”

**Tom and girlfriend, Molly, visit the Isle of Skye in Scotland.**

Mother Nature made Vietnam stick out.

“I am wondering if anything can beat the views at Ha Long Bay,” Tom said. “I was lucky enough to spend a day on the top deck of a boat with two friends and a bunch of other tourists, watching it all go by.”

He cited Scotland’s Isle of Skye being the closest competitor to the bay’s view.

Tom and Molly were the attractions in one Southeast Asian country.

“The one thing we always talk about from Indonesia is people wanting selfies with us,” he said. “It was the most bizarre thing. It never happened on Bali. But we traveled right across Java by train and every day, we would be like celebrities, getting stopped on the street to take pictures with the kids.”

Among the things Tom misses about Asia are the fruit markets.

“Every day picking out something that we had no idea what it was called, trying it and sometimes it was great, sometimes not so great,” he said. “Then, you have durian. My friend brought some in Thailand and we both tried it. Let’s just say from one taste, we knew immediately we would be throwing it away.”

Tom said some people love the pungent-smelling fruit, but it’s so potent that some buses have “no durian” signs on the door.

“New experiences like this are what make travel a real privilege,” he said. “I love taking photos, but the conversations with people and the new experiences are the most meaningful things you bring home.”
In 2019, the couple traveled the United States, riding a train from New York to Los Angeles. Tom said America’s size provides ample space to explore.

“It’s just a vast country,” he said. “Americans should travel more. There’s so much to see.”

Tom was impressed to be in the Big Apple, one of the places frequently named in lyrics.

“I was incredibly excited to walk down a street from a Paul Simon song,” he said.

Tom did not find the stereotype of New Yorkers being less than polite true.

“I didn’t find them rude,” he said.

Tom did have an abrupt encounter with someone seeking directions who quickly departed after detecting Tom’s British accent.

**Tom stands by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.**

“It’s the hurry thing,” he said about people who always seem to be in a rush.

However, most of the Americans Tom met were friendly.

The Windy City was another high point.

“My favorite Chicago moments were just walking through downtown as the sun was going down and the snow was starting to fall,” Tom said. “We are small town people who have always romanticized stuff like that, so we are really grateful to soak in the simple moments.”

He also will not forget seeing the Rocky Mountains by train.

“I spent the day in the lounge car,” Tom said. “Sat with these two older guys. They were just happy to keep talking, teaching me about their life in the USA, cracking jokes and telling me when the best views were coming up, where to look to spot elk, etc. These are people I would never meet at home or even if I had gone backpacking, but flown everywhere.”

In Los Angeles, Tom checked off everything on his list to capture, including palm trees, a busy Venice Beach boardwalk and activities on the beach.

Tom also found it surreal during the trip to stay one night in a motel, lodging unfamiliar to Europeans.

“It’s only in a Hitchcock movie,” he said, referring to British film director Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous movie, the thriller “Psycho,” which is set at a motel.

Tom was relieved to discover Americans’ love of driving did not preclude the availability of public transportation, a necessity for some visitors, in U.S. cities.

“I’d say that was a pleasant surprise,” he said.

**Tom rode across America by train, seeing such sights as the Rocky Mountains.**

To ensure a trip is affordable, Tom’s research is comprehensive. He views YouTube videos typing in the country name “on a budget,” googling flight costs, checking Rome2rio for available train and bus transportation, visiting Airbnb and Hostelworld to compare those rates to hotels, looking at Wikivoyage for such information as local customs and regulations, and viewing government websites for visa prices.

“Using these things, you can get an estimate of what, say, a two-week, three-city trip or a six-week, 10-city trip will cost,” Tom said. “Add $1,000 to $2,000 for unforeseen expenses and you have a good figure that you can use as a savings target.”

He said planning ensures a young traveler has sufficient funds for the journeys ahead.

“You can pull it off in the long term,” Tom said. “All you have to do is keep your desire to travel in mind when making key life decisions.”

While many prefer flying to riding trains, Tom savors the opportunity to relax, listening to music on his headset.

Tom learned to not be overly chipper while filming.

“In my first videos, I thought I had to smile all the time,” he said.

Eventually, he acted more natural.

“I’m glad I’m myself on camera,” he said.

Tom’s videos often tap into his love of music, including American singer Frank Sinatra extolling Chicago while Tom is traversing through that city.

“I’m a huge music fan,” he said.

Tom said people’s interest in his travels helps motivate him.

“Having a YouTube video blow up this January has kind of been a highlight,” he said. “I would have spent all my money on travel anyway, but having my travel memories appreciated by others is a huge mental boost.”

**Tom points to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.**

In addition to meeting new friends, receiving offers to stay with people across America, Tom raised $100 for a Chicago food bank from those views.

He said prospective travel vloggers should not be deterred by any misgivings.

“For travel filmmaking, I encourage everybody to be absolutely terrible at first. I still see a lot of flaws in my videos, but compared to videos I was trying to get people to watch in 2016, they are basically “Citizen Kane,” Tom said, referring to the classic movie directed by star Orson Welles. “On that subject, “Citizen Kane” was edited with scissors and tape. If you have a Smartphone, you can shoot something.”

He cautioned those recording trips don’t forget the basics, such as getting a perfect shot for the grandparents in between videotaping.

“The real art of travel filmmaking includes capturing real social moments without either annoying people or missing out on the actual experience in the moment,” Tom said.

Although Tom’s traveling was delayed last year by government restrictions implemented in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, he has ample unused footage from past trips to air. He also is starting to film in Germany, where he and Molly reside.

When international travel becomes feasible again, Tom would like to reach such destinations as South America and Eastern Europe/Northern Asia.

“Russia is so fascinating,” he said.

Although Tom has a college degree in software engineering to fall back on, he would like to continue traveling.

“I want to show off this amazing world.”