What We Do

Travel! More specifically, we go on monsoons, but I’m sure you’re wondering “what IS a monsoon?“

mon•soon,ˈmän-sünˈ

verb, monsooned, monsooning.

(1) to travel with limited time and money, (2) to take advantage of the time you still have left in sampling the world so you’ll know exactly where to return when you’re older, (3) to efficiently and thoroughly explore vast regions of the world in a short amount of time

noun, Trademark

(4) a unique type of seemingly-unfeasible travel itinerary that dares travelers instead to laugh in the face of impossibility and empowers them to travel the world without feeling like they have to quit anything or dip into their savings.

First known use: May 2010

So What Exactly Do We Do?

We’re everyday people who make a habit of embarking on group travel adventures to off-the-beaten-path destinations around the world. Our monsoons focus on immersive cultural experiences, exploration, and adventure — all while keeping our everyday lives intact back home. We believe you don’t have to quit your job or break the bank to travel regularly. Instead, travel can be integrated as an affordable, ethical, and sustainable investment in your life, much like a daily routine. We embody this with monthly monsoons around the world , and anyone is welcome to join.

However, monsoons aren’t your typical “follow-the-flag” vacations. Instead of rigid itineraries, spontaneity and the thrill of discovery lead the way. We encourage our monsooners to embrace the unknown and remain open to the unexpected.

A monsoon means unstructured, flexible, and ad-hoc adventures — raw, real, and unapologetic. The chaos of the world outside your bubble will challenge you, and our trips thrive on that chaos. While our style isn’t for everyone, those who join will return home knowing a shift has occurred — a needle has moved. You’ll leave having learned something no classroom or upbringing could teach you. You might access uncanny experiences with serendipity, strangers, and soul-strangers, and become part of a global collective of monsooners who understand the journey you’ve just been through.

When we’re not traveling, or if you’re eyeing a destination not on our upcoming trips, we can help you organize affordable adventures, or you can join trips led by other monsooners. Don’t let your dreams stay dreams.

How It Started

It takes just the right conditions for a monsoon to form.

Summer 2006: While grieving the sudden loss of his father, a teenage Calvin was cleaning out his father’s closet when a pair of camera lenses fell into his hands. Wiping off the dust, he promised himself that one day he would put them to good use.

Two years later, in the summer of 2008, Calvin stumbled upon a picture of Halong Bay. Fresh out of college with no plan, something about that image tugged at him, stirring a feeling that he couldn’t shake. A few months later, fate intervened again. One winter night while bartending, Calvin lost a bet to a girl, leading to a spontaneous trip to Egypt. Days later, he unexpectedly found himself alone there — an event he now describes as “synchronicity.”

That moment in Egypt, coupled with his fascination with Halong Bay, stirred a wanderlust in Calvin that he could no longer ignore. Time or money be damned—he knew he had to travel. His friends doubted him. “You’re about to be a medical student,” they said. “You don’t have the time, you don’t have the money.” But Calvin needed to prove them wrong—or perhaps, more importantly, prove it to himself. And so, in May 2010, The Monsoon Diaries was born.

Since then, Calvin has found himself lost in the crevices and hidden coves of both the world and the mind. Egypt taught him that travel wasn’t just about the destination. How he journeyed, who he traveled with, and whom he met along the way were just as important. Travel became not a plan, but a practice — an investment in the eternity of the present moment.

Now, 240+ countries and territories, countless companions, and 14 years later (all while graduating medical school and completing residency on time), Calvin is still moving — currently working as an Emergency Medicine Physician and Clinical Assistant Professor based in NYC.

His mission remains clear: be aware of the present, monsoon the world, break down stereotypes, dispel ignorance, and uncover the obscure. With his father’s lenses still by his side, Calvin knows that wherever he goes, he’ll never be alone.

The Monsoon Diaries Team

The Monsoon Diaries is a community of monsooners run by Calvin Sun and other monsooners. Our monsooning team members help to create trips, co-lead, and document the wild adventures and stories of each monsoon.

Ann Wen (Guide, Director of People, Pun-erator)

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal.”

Truer words could not have been said. After landing her first full-time job while attending NYU as a full-time graduate student, everyday became a tedious routine. Struggling to stay sane, something had to change. Travel was always in the back of Ann’s mind, but free time, finances, and school were the limiting factors. As if timing couldn’t be any more pristine, an opportune trip to Luxembourg during 2017 Memorial Day weekend popped up on her feed and she decided to go. Since then she has been on many more monsoons and has even co-led trips. Each trip as a returning monsooner has changed Ann’s life in a positive and meaningful way and strives to help others see the beauty in taking a leap of faith into the unknown and travel.

Raubern Totanes (Vlogger, Eye of the Storm)

Raubern holds 2 STEM degrees but neither have been as fulfilling to him as traveling has. He began traveling at a young age with his family and hasn’t stopped since. Having been to 34 countries and counting, he jumps at any opportunity to travel, whether solo or accompanied. Raubern was introduced to The Monsoon Diaries when Calvin spontaneously crashed a trip he was on in Eastern Europe with a mutual friend (Raubern has since forgiven him). Sometime later, Raubern decided to officially try out what these ‘monsoons’ were like and found himself in Egypt with a bunch of strangers. It was on this trip where Calvin discovered that Raubern knows a thing or two about videography and video editing, and thus was brought onto the team as the official vlogger. Whether or not he was on a particular monsoon, Raubern will try to make a recap video that will do the trip justice.

Diana Klatt, MPH (Travel Ethicist, Storyteller)

Diana is a social epidemiologist (she likes to refer to herself as a “mathemagician”) that works in health access and equity, she works with sexual and reproductive health and COVID-19. Outside of her work, Diana works in communications, education, and digital content creation. She is the cofound and producer of Global Caveat (non-profit and podcast), is a subject matter expert for science shows, and the Travel Ethicist & Social Media Manager for The Monsoon Diaries! Sounds like a lot right? No! Diana loves to learn as much as possible about culture and loves history and the dynamics of human behavior and politics… and loves to share what she’s learned with others.

Melissa Weinmann (Guide, Videographer)

Melissa is has a degree in Communications and Spanish Language and has worked in advertising, publish, and video editing for several years. After returning from her travels with Monsoon Diaries to Central Asia she applied to the Peace Corps Vanuatu English literacy program. While in Vanuatu, she worked with her fellow teachers creating a grassroots effort in improving English literacy in the local central school. While living in the Pacific, she’s had the opportunity to explore some of the diverse 80+ islands of Vanuatu, as well as surrounding Pacific island nations and SE Asia.

Taylan Stulting (Guide)

Taylan stumbled upon  The Monsoon Diaries when a trip of theirs had fallen through and they found themselves on a 3-week adventure on the Trans-Siberian/Mongolian, finishing in Tibet with a group of 10 strangers-turned-friends for life. During that trip, Taylan was overcome with wanderlust and decided to go everywhere and attempted to visit 100 countries in a single year. 3 months and almost 40 countries later, they haven’t looked back. While there always have been challenging moments inherent in solo travel, group travel, mental health, and the frustrations of traveling while transgender – the opportunities to see the world is more than worth them.

Dave Zhou (Guide, Big Uncle)

After a few trips with The Monsoon Diaries, Dave decided to leave his promising career in finance in NYC to explore the world, learn more about himself, and discover the secrets of living a happy life. Instead of doing what he was supposed to – as taught by society, his parents, or his friends – Dave realized that you only have one life to live so you had better do what you want, enjoy it to the fullest and have no regrets. That is why he believes that everything in life should be experienced at least twice!

His other endeavors have included businesses for e-commerce, accessories wholesale/retail (Tribal Couture LLC), manufacturing and 3D printing in China (AdmTech), personal matchmaking services (Click2Asia), impersonating famous DJs (Steve Aoki), a travel & tourism businesses in Bali (Mudita Villas), and real estate investments all around the world. Over the last couple of years, Dave relocated to Southeast Asia and has been investing in SaaS startups and becoming more active in the live-streaming industry, most recently working as an Agent for UpLive (AIG Ltd).

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