Story

OUR STORY

I got my first backpack when I was five years old.

Nowadays they call it ‘world-schooling’. My mother, Renata, took my brother and I to see the world before we started school. As a family we travelled the globe, always a little happier when things didn’t go to plan. I fell in love with that feeling of never knowing what was around the corner.

The world is full of extraordinary beauty, but it’s not without risks. Mum used to carry a small waterproof card with her, and on that card she’d write all of our names along with where we were staying.

Eventually we were old enough to travel alone, and mum wanted us to carry something like that waterproof card. Something we couldn’t lose. Something that would never get stolen. Something that would put us all at ease when we were thousands of miles apart.

That thing was the Vagaband.

I spent years exploring the world with a Vagaband on my wrist, amazed that something so simple could potentially save my life. With my vital information so close at hand (literally), I was free to travel the way I wanted without worrying so much about things going according to plan.

A close friend and I soon joined mum in turning our kitchen table into the Vagaband headquarters. We patented our idea, and with the help of thousands of people on Kickstarter, we’ve raised nearly £25,000 - our dream of bringing lifesaving wristbands to the world has become a reality. To date, we’ve put Vagabands on more than 5,000 adventurous wrists.

I still love that feeling of going into the unknown - seeing and doing things I never thought possible. Now, as we explore the vast potential of Vagaband to make travelling safer and simpler, I feel privileged to connect with and inspire a new intrepid generation.

Oh, and I’ve still got that backpack.

Walker Pappin