Let’s start out with some quick facts about you…
Sabine Deviche – BJJ Globetrotters
Age: 35
Belt: White
Profession: Graphic designer / Illustrator / Web developer
How many years in BJJ: 2.5 years
Other martial arts: None. I did train for a couple of years in Olympic-style weightlifting in the past, and also dabbled in rock climbing, running, crossfit, and yoga.
Where do you live: I’m in Bangkok (Thailand) at the moment! I’m based out of Phoenix (Arizona, USA) and return there for a couple of months every winter to visit family over the holidays, but otherwise spend the rest of the year slow-traveling the world, changing cities about once a month.
Where are you originally from: Mostly Phoenix (Arizona, USA), though I was born in Liege (Belgium) and grew up in Fairbanks (Alaska, USA). My parents live in Phoenix and my extended family live in Belgium, so those are the two places I return to periodically and I feel the most connection to.
Other fun or curious information you’d like to share: Besides BJJ, my main interests include food, art, nature, and science. I’m working on becoming a better photographer, but am still in the earlier stages of that. I speak English (fluently) and French (fluently but badly). I’ve been to 19 countries in the last 3 years! Following in the footsteps of many BJJ Globetrotters that came before me, I’m on a slow quest to train at 200 BJJ gyms around the world, and am currently at 43. No deadline for completion of this, since I tend to stay in one place for longer periods of time. I write about my travels on the BJJ Globetrotters blog (https://bjjglobetrotters.com/author/sabined/) if you’re interested in reading more about any of the specific countries I’ve been to in the last 6 months.
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
Traveling the world, seeing and experiencing different environments and cultures firsthand was something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t articulated as such at the time, since it seemed like too much of an impossible dream to even consider, but looking back on it now, all my favorite stories and daydreams involved some kind of exploring the world.
Training regularly is part of the routine of my everyday life, so it seemed logical to continue regardless of where I was located. What really connected those two pieces though was the 2017 BJJ Globetrotters Summer Camp in Leuven, experiencing BJJ as a worldwide community as opposed to an isolated hobby.
Tell us about your most recent trip and your upcoming trips – where have you been and where are you going?
I’m currently exploring Southeast Asia, which is my first time in this part of the world. This month was spent in Thailand (one week in Phuket, then 3 weeks in Bangkok). I’ll be going to Hanoi (Vietnam) for a month next, then to Chiang Mai for another month in Thailand. I’m not certain yet where I’ll go for the couple of months after that.
I’ll return to Europe for the BJJ Globetrotters Heidelberg Summer Camp in late July, which I’m hugely looking forward to! Afterwards, I’ll continue traveling throughout Europe until November/December, when it’s time to head back to Arizona again. At the moment, the countries that interest me most in Europe are Croatia, Spain, Montenegro, and Greece – but that might change considerably before then. It’s a continuously evolving travel plan!
Sabine Deviche BJJ
What are the things you enjoy about traveling?
Visiting new gyms is, of course, always one of my favorite parts of traveling! Constant exposure to new training partners with different techniques and styles of rolling is a great learning experience, and forces me to constantly adapt. Training BJJ is also exceptionally great way to meet people, make new friends, and get to know the city and culture from a more local perspective.
Also, the food! Especially desserts – I love sweets. Every country has so many new meals and flavors I’ve never tasted before, and I want to try them all! I’m not certain what a lot of the ingredients in the meals I’m ordering in Southeast Asia actually are, but it’s all amazingly delicious.
Also, the people. I’m always amazed how friendly, open, helpful, and welcoming people are to travelers, and how easy it is to find yourself having a great conversation with a total stranger.
Besides that, I do enjoy seeing a few of the tourist attractions and museums that especially interest me. I also enjoy the everyday routine of going about normal life… but in a foreign city. It generally doesn’t take me more than a couple of days to get comfortable in a new place and start to feel a little at home there. If there’s any parks, natural areas, or smaller pretty streets nearby, I love being outside and going for walks, hikes, or jogs outside as well.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
One thing that comes to mind from last year’s travels in Europe: I’d been in Belgrade (Serbia) for about a week, training at Kimura Academy, and was starting to make a few friends at the gym. One day, I was having a conversation with some of the students about traditional Serbian foods. Later that week, Ivana (one of my more regular training partners) came to class with a freshly baked, home-made Zapečene palačinke cake for me! I was just so surprised and touched by this very thoughtful and kind gesture. Seriously, nothing says “welcome to my country” like a home-baked, traditional dessert!
More recently, here in Bangkok, I had the very cool experience of trying an “ice bath” for the first time at Bangkok Fight Lab! This basically consists of filling a huge plastic bin with ice and water, then submerging one person at a time up to the neck in freezing cold water for a full minute. It’s supposed to help with muscle recovery and have all sorts of great health benefits. Admittedly, the thought of getting into a giant bucket of ice water sounded like just about the worst idea ever, but I wasn’t about to turn down such a unique experience! Fortunately, Morgan (head instructor and gym owner) didn’t give me any time to reconsider after I agreed to try it, otherwise I probably would have backed out. I succeeded at staying in the full minute and felt amazing when it was over, so crisp and refreshing!
Overall, traveling has had an immensely positive impact both myself and my perception of the world. Traveling solo has greatly improved my confidence in my own abilities to handle logistics and to resolve unexpected challenges. Dealing with so many unknown factors on a regular basis has made me a considerably more patient, accepting, and easygoing person. I’ve also become much more comfortable talking to strangers, even when there’s a huge language barrier.
Traveling abroad has also changed my perspective of my own Western/American culture. While I’m more critical of some things, I can also now better appreciate certain aspects which I previously took for granted or never noticed.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
I’ve been surprised by how universal training BJJ is. Even in classes where people speak little/no English, following along with and participating in training sessions has been no problem. Even when the rest of the city feel quite foreign, stepping onto the mats is stepping into a familiar space. Regardless of country and culture, the experience of training BJJ remains largely the same everywhere.
I’m also surprised how safe most of the places I’ve visited so far have been. Which isn’t to say there aren’t still a few isolated areas to avoid, and that you shouldn’t still exercise some general level of caution everywhere. But overall, even traveling solo on a pretty tight budget (which limits options sometimes), I’ve felt completely at-ease in most places I’ve traveled abroad.
Sabine Deviche BJJ
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Yes, I’m very much a budget traveler! Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a huge amount of money to travel many parts of the world – it just takes some planning, prioritizing, and saving/spending money wisely.
First, I choose destinations where cost of living is affordable/cheap. Honestly, there’s no way I could live the quality of life I have now on my current budget in America – everything is just much more expensive there. I also choose cities and lodging where I’ll be able to easily rely on public transportation, biking, or walking on a regular basis. I don’t actually own a bike, but many European cities have options to rent one for cheap.
Second, I find the cheapest way to get anywhere. Europe has a ton of ultra-budget airlines that make it easy to country-hop for super cheap. I once got a flight from Paris to Venice on Ryanair for €7.99! Southeast Asia has a lot of great budget airlines as well. Another wonderful option is a long-distance bus. I once got from Brussels to London on a Flixbus for €19.99! I have the huge luxury of being fairly flexible with dates and destinations, which makes it easier to take advantage of great deals when they pop up.
Third, I try find the cheapest possible accommodations that fulfill my basic criteria. I don’t care how small the place is as long as it has a desk, refrigerator, good wifi, access to a laundry machine, good reviews, and decent location (not too far from public transportation, the gym, grocery stores). The sweet spot for this seems to be a bit outside city center, but not too far towards the outskirts of town. Many places give significant discounts for longer stays as well.
In regards to saving up, there’s no real secret or shortcut to it – I basically just live a very minimalist life and rarely spend money on anything that isn’t an absolute necessity. In terms of material things – I really don’t need much to be happy, and would rather just spend the money I have on more travel and cool experiences abroad. I cook at home a lot too, which does saves a lot over eating at restaurants regularly.
Logistical expenses aside, I do also give myself a small “fun” budget to see/do the handful of things that interest me most in each new city, or treat myself to food/drinks at a nicer restaurant once in awhile. That’s part of the joy of traveling too, after all!
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
Get a lightweight travel gi – they’re worth their weight in gold for the luggage space and kilos saved over carrying a standard gi! They also air-dry much faster than regular gis, which becomes important when you’re only traveling with 1-2 gis and training pretty regularly.
Leave a huge buffer of extra time when you’re going anywhere (but especially catching flights). Traffic can be bad, busses and trains might be delayed or altogether canceled, you might get lost on the way, signs might be confusing, lines might be extra long etc. Far better to arrive early than to deal with the stress of being rushed or possibly altogether missing a flight.
If a local person recommends anything, it’s probably definitely something worth seeing, doing, or eating!
Lastly, for new travelers – do not be afraid. Or, be afraid but don’t let it prevent you from doing anything. I know it might seem really intimidating and overwhelming your first time traveling (especially solo), but it’s really quite feasible. Leave your comfort zone and go see some new places – the experience will definitely worth it!
Thank you Sabine Deviche BJJ for doing this interview!
