Featured Traveller: Shiggi Pakter – BJJ Globetrotters
Age: 38
Belt: Purple (1 stripe)
Profession: Uh, Space Unicorn? Audio Editor, DJ, Mixed Movement Instructor
How many years in BJJ: 6 years, 10 months
Other martial arts: Tae Kwon Do, Capoeira, Fluid Tactics (Filipino MA + Jeet Kune Do)
Where do you live: Wherever my two backpacks are stationary
Where are you from: Kenya
Other fun or curious information you would like to share: My BJJ nickname is Storm – due to the silver mohawk I used to sport when I started BJJ, and the equally comic-loving professor I trained under thought I reminded him of Storm from X-Men.
Also, I’ve got this crazy big plan behind all this 10 month travelling stint – to support the Kenyan BJJ scene, but to ultimately build my own dojo for retreats and a local academy outside of Nairobi that’ll provide a girls’ combat scholarship programme with a select core group of schools.
Shiggi Pakter – BJJ Globetrotters
Tell us what inspired you to travel and train?
When I started BJJ in 2017 after around 43 classes (yes I count them, currently on 536) and truly got the bug, I put down the challenge that I’d want to take BJJ back home to Kenya once I got my purple belt. That happened in 2022, and I figured before relocating from London, UK I should probably get a broad experience of gyms under this purple belt beforehand. Also getting the insane opportunity to help with and edit Christian Graugart’s audiobook during lockdown gave me inspiration right in my ears whilst working!
Tell us about your most recent travel and your upcoming travel – where have you been and where are you going?
I’ve been on the road since February 2024, spending varied amounts of time at random locations, finding gyms to train at nearby. Tenerife and Gran Canaria was probably the best way to start, with the easy pace of life, great weather, and super friendly gyms.
I’ve since been through Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. The last leg is coming up and that’s a quick speed run through the US, maybe with a cheeky stop in Mexico.
Shiggi Pakter – BJJ Globetrotters
What are the things you enjoy about travelling?
The freedom of being able to move when I feel like it. Solo travelling as a woman has a lot of fears thrown around it, but I honestly haven’t felt much. Just being a little bit proactive prior to travels and keeping your head on your shoulders whilst out and about works quite well.
Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that make it worth traveling and training?
Having trained with some folks in Lisbon a few days prior and rolling with some folks in Barcelona just before the IBJJF Europeans, I decided to spectate at the competition and was pleasantly surprised to bump into a lot of folks from Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lisbon… and past rolling buddies from a few gyms London were there too. Whilst I am definitely more on the reserved/introverted side of things, making friends from training means you’re never short on local recommendations, or even just going out for a drink afterwards.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
Honestly, how easy it is to fall in love with the vibe of a place, and random things aligning that means I ended up volunteering at the Gran Canaria hostel I was staying at and training at a BJJ gym for a month! I also taught a class or two.
Shiggi Pakter – BJJ Globetrotters
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I’m a budget traveller – shoestring even! I use a host of apps to cross check for cheap deals around accomodation and transportation. Between Agoda, Hostelworld, Booking, Hopper, and other accommodation websites I often find fairly decent options.
Hostels are great, and so many places have really cute and quirky accommodation. The most important thing though, is a well stocked kitchen and suitable fridges. If you can cook your own food in bulk and just chip away at it during your stay, you save a lot!
Lastly, laundry! I have my gi and no-gi stuff and I’ve washed them all in buckets/bathtubs and sinks and hung them on coathangers in showers to dry. If you can put a few shekels to one side, getting to a laundrette is almost like a special treat.
I live out of two backpacks – one a 28 litre and the other 40 litre. They’ve mostly been okay as carry-on when you pay for a large cabin bag on flights. Otherwise, busses make for an easy option too.
If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow Globetrotters, what would it be?
BJJ really is everywhere! I love going to smaller or newer gyms in places to really find what makes them tick and see where that drive for folks to stick with BJJ starts.
Whether you’re travelling for a weekend or a few months, let go a little. This whole idea of a fully regimented life all the damn time is madness.
