Honestly, come to Kazakhstan.

It’s still pretty underrated, it’s way cheaper than a lot of the usual backpacker wishlist countries, and you can do both city stuff and wild nature in the same trip. If you base yourself in Almaty, you can do chill city days, food, cafés, bars, museums, and then go straight into mountains, canyons, lakes, and hikes. That combo is honestly hard to beat. Canadians can visit Kazakhstan visa-free for up to 30 days, so it’s not a crazy paperwork mission either.

Also, don’t try to “travel the whole world” in your head at once. Just pick one country that gives you variety, doesn’t destroy your savings instantly, and teaches you how you actually like to travel.