My name is Matthew Griffin and in November 2021 I was on my first backpacking trip. Like many before they travel, I was terrified of being overwhelmed. A devastating heartbreak months prior had given me incentive to obsessively plan and map my journey, and, like most plans, it flew out the window almost as soon as I got off of the plane. My original plan had been to go from Amsterdam, to London, to Edinburgh. (I was painfully reliant on my English) and I had bought a pass that allowed me flexible transportation because it made sense financially. However, from my accommodation, no such pass existed. This meant I had booked some hostels weeks in advance. This would come back to haunt me.
Amsterdam had been a rush, and when I arrived in London, I was already exhausted. I stayed at a hostel called "Prime Backpackers" in the neighborhood of Angel, a whimsical little venue nestled near the train station at Kings Cross. I had been feeling exhausted, and I remember my first night there. I checked in, fell asleep, and woke up 14 hours later. When I went downstairs I found myself talking to a tall guy with a scraggly beard who shared a name with me. His name was Matt Hemenway, and for the next week or so, the two of us shared London.
I had originally convinced him to travel north to Edinburgh, but on our last night, Matt met a woman who was going to Paris. The only thing standing in our way was my premature room reservation. I made the call and cancelled my reservation. When they wouldn't refund me, I was shocked that my transportation pass had no accommodation equivalent. This gap in the experience was the earliest seedlings of BackPass.
In Paris we ate strange food, snuck into grand cathedrals, and joined a rave in the catacombs upon the invitation of a drunk waiter. We met a majestic white-haired Scottish woman named Glenda who danced with us both until the sun rose. For about a week we met excited people from across the world, caught trains with seconds to spare, and watched the sun rise from rooftops. Matt eventually caught up to his date, and I had more room reservations on the other side of the continent I was too frugal to miss, but I left Paris with my heart full, because thanks to Matt, not only did I have a business idea, I had made a friend that knew me at my best.
Years passed as they tend to do, and it took a minute for me to grow into the person capable of being the who I needed to be to make BackPass happen. Through a mosaic of beautiful stories and souls that span this globe, you've found your way here. I wholeheartedly welcome you to BackPass.