The Monsoon Diaries: How to travel the world with no time or money -

Grenada Más

by Calvin Sun | November 4, 2025 | Grenada, October 2025: Pirates of the Caribbean's At World's End | 0 Comments

🇬🇩 190 down. 3 to go. After our 3 day stay in Dominica, we took a long hour-and-a-half drive back to the airport from our Portsmouth lodgings, stopping for a quick photo opportunity along the way. Dominica's airport is tiny. You...

Dominica-n’t Miss This

by Calvin Sun | November 1, 2025 | Dominica, October 2025: Pirates of the Caribbean's At World's End, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

From St. Vincent, we boarded InterCaribbean Airways JY 717 at 12:20pm. Their new airport, however, was built just 8 years ago and still has some operational quirks. The staff double-printed my first leg itinerary from St. Vincent to Barbados without including...

Dead Men Tell No Layovers: St. Vincent & The Grenadines in 12 Hours

by Calvin Sun | October 29, 2025 | Layovers, October 2025: Pirates of the Caribbean's At World's End, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0 Comments

Fresh off a quick overnight in Grenada (courtesy of a free JetBlue voucher from last October's Welcome to Chinatown gala), we touched down at Maurice Bishop International Airport at 1:53pm. This marked the beginning of a 3-country Caribbean...

Getting Away With Robbinsville: The Akshardham Redemption

by Calvin Sun | October 6, 2025 | Camping, Layovers, New Jersey, October 2025: Camping in Robbinsville | 0 Comments

One of my more unique camping trips to have monsooned; this is what happens when you plan a camping trip months in advance just to visit a temple arguably worth seeing as a world-class destination. I was stuck at work all day Friday as Eddie took the initiative...

A Quick Halifax Check

by Calvin Sun | September 12, 2025 | Layovers, Lessons Learned, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Walking Tours | 0 Comments

After two days in Saint-Pierre (and a turbulent ferry ride to Miquelon and back), we boarded an hour-and-a-half direct Air Saint-Pierre 9am flight to Halifax, landing around 9:30am local time (Halifax runs an hour behind Saint-Pierre), Our onward...

Miquelon Impossible

by Calvin Sun | September 11, 2025 | Doctor in the House, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

Sometimes the most spontaneous detours leave the strongest impressions. That morning in Saint Pierre, we hadn't planned on leaving the island. But after completing two walking tours around St. Pierre and checking the ferry schedule, we realized we could still...

48 Hours in a Little Saint-Pierre-ce of France

by Calvin Sun | September 11, 2025 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

After three days soaking in St. John's charm, we dropped off our rental car at YYT Saint John's airport to catch the rare 5pm direct flight (PH1127) via Air Saint-Pierre to Saint-Pierre & Miquelon: one of the few weekly connections between Newfoundland and...

Don’t Be Dildo-Dallying

by Calvin Sun | September 9, 2025 | Canada, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

While based in St. John's, we took a spontaneous day trip by rental car to the now-famous town of Dildo. You'll know when you arrive; they're incredibly proud of their distinctive name. Though a vocal minority has repeatedly raised referendums to...

St. John’s: The Eastern Edge of Everything Everywhere All At Once

by Calvin Sun | September 9, 2025 | Canada, September 2025: Newfoundland to Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

Months ago I decided to gift myself a week off after Labor Day...simply because I could. After a year as wild as this past one, I craved actual and intentional self-prioritization to restore some balance. Finding fares under $200, I booked a morning departure:...

Singapore Airlines Business Class FRA-JFK

by Calvin Sun | August 5, 2025 | Flying Fancy, Germany, Summer 2025: The Long Road to Berlin | 0 Comments

After a slow morning walk and talking about our villain (antihero?) origin stories in Berlin, I hugged Daniela and Gabe goodbye, hopped on the tram for a few stops, went underground for the metro, and made it back to the hostel in time for a 1:30pm check out. Nisha,...

Today, I Move

by Calvin Sun | Apr 5, 2012 | Pre-travel Preparations

A trip involving 4 months in the making and 9 months of dreaming begins today. It will take us about 2 days to reach Iran, beginning with a layover in Dusseldorf and a half-day layover in Vienna. Once again, I'll see you on the other side of the world.

The U.S. State Department Cares About Me

by Calvin Sun | Apr 4, 2012 | Pre-travel Preparations, Travel Warnings

Thank you U.S. State Department for issuing this travel warning for me. Keeps everything into perspective, doesn't it? IRAN The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to carefully consider the risks of travel to Iran. Dual national Iranian-American citizens...

Why I Move

by Calvin Sun | Apr 3, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Introspection, Post-travel Reflections, Pre-travel Preparations

A dozen outstretched hands descend upon me. I scan the faces of the rickshaw-wallahs and I ask for the lowest price in their native language. A thousand teeth grin at my brazenness and the game begins. We knock down local currency to exaggerated sighs and clicks of...

Meet the Brave Ones

by Calvin Sun | Mar 29, 2012 | Introductions

This is the true story... of 10 strangers... picked to live on a backpack...travel together and have their lives blogged... To find out what happens... when people stop being polite... and start getting monsoonal... ...The Monsoon Diaries. The last...

The Iran Visa Requirements For U.S. Citizens

by Calvin Sun | Mar 19, 2012 | April 2012: Iran, Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Iran, Pre-travel Preparations

What does it take to get into Iran as an United States national? Apparently a bit more effort than what it took to get into North Korea. Unlike North Korea for which visas must be applied way ahead of time, tourism in Iran has been going on for awhile;...

You’re Going to Crave … Spain

by Go Yang Park | Jan 20, 2012 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Fit for Foodies, Morocco, Post-travel Reflections, Spain, You're Going to Miss It...

You're going to crave slow roasted chicken, beef, or lamb tajines on the rooftops overlooking Morocco, the fresh and perfectly seasoned roasted vegetables, and the happiness of knowing that while Calvin is blogging, he's not eating, so there's more to go around......

Why You Should Come With Us To Iran (And/Or Chernobyl)

by Calvin Sun | Jan 17, 2012 | Our Next Adventure, Post-travel Reflections, Pre-travel Preparations

We at The Monsoon Diaries have traveled to over 30 countries in the last 18 months, all while spending very little and keeping fulltime jobs, remaining as fulltime students, or both. We've been to beaten paths and off the beaten paths. We've survived war...

Running Into Gerard Butler…again

by Calvin Sun | Jan 4, 2012 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Fail, Morocco, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

They say that 1st time is happenstance, 2nd time is coincidence... Let it be known that after our first run-in -- and now definitely after this second coincidental run-in, Gerard Butler now reads this blog, and I quote from June (left in photo):...

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