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

All Aboard the Santa Claus Express!

by Calvin Sun | February 10, 2026 | February 2026: Lapland, Finland, Fit for Foodies, Flying Fancy, Lapland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

I woke up to an Arctic sunrise again, this time to send Mel off on her early flight back at 7:30am; she had to return a day before the rest of us. After she left in an Uber to the airport, I cooked the last of what was left in the fridge at the Airbnb and saw...

For Richer, For Polar

by Calvin Sun | February 9, 2026 | February 2026: Lapland, Finland, Fit for Foodies, How's the weather?, Lapland, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

I just woke up to this Arctic sunrise before everyone else in the Airbnb. I took the time to make some scrambled eggs for breakfast, brewed the coffee, and leisurely sat down to write this blog post as I waited for the rest of the group to come to life. What a...

The Coolest Hotel in Lapland (Literally)

by Calvin Sun | February 7, 2026 | February 2026: Lapland, Finland, How's the weather?, Lapland, What Dreams May Come | 0 Comments

After sneaking in some sugar donuts just in time before Kahvila Lohihovi Oy closed at 5pm, we continued our 2 hour drive south from Ylläs to the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos, about 30 minutes north of Rovaniemi on the shores of Lake Lehtojärvi....

Ylläs Hear Me Out

by Calvin Sun | February 6, 2026 | February 2026: Lapland, Finland, How's the weather?, Lapland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path | 0 Comments

How This Trip Happened On September 30, 2025, a monsooner named Yuhan — who's been on many trips with me — randomly invited me to watch her favorite anime that had a surprise 2-week return to theaters: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, originally released in 2006. I...

Sundance’s Last Dance: Park City, UT

by Calvin Sun | January 27, 2026 | How's the weather?, United States, Utah | 0 Comments

Once again we're gathering friends across time zones and milestones; some have flown in from Philly, others from NYC, one flying over from Dallas just for the weekend to make new friends, all converging together this week on a mountain town for a week of...

Meet the Lappi Wedding Party!

by Calvin Sun | January 26, 2026 | Introductions | 0 Comments

Meet the Sundancers!

by Calvin Sun | January 2, 2026 | Introductions | 0 Comments

From a trip planned over a year ago after a bunch of friends joined me in Killington 2024, we are flying out to Park City, UT for our first time at the Sundance Film Festival for their final time in Park City, UT! Welcome back those returning with me for their...

Niger At Last: A Second Chance

by Calvin Sun | December 10, 2025 | Border Crossing, December 2025 Annex: Niger, Fail, Flying Fancy, Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Layovers, Niger, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come | 1 Comment

11 months ago, I sat on the tarmac in Niger's International Airport at Niamey, watching my trip evaporate due to visa complications. The Niger Embassy in Washington D.C. had stopped issuing visas to Americans entirely. But I don't give up. In late...

Yemen Day 4: Mukalla Drive

by Calvin Sun | December 5, 2025 | December 2025: Yemen - Hadhramaut Valley, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, Yemen | 0 Comments

Al-Mukalla Pulling ourselves away from a desert mirage paradise at Haid Al-Jazil, we swapped our armed guard at another checkpoint during the 2 hour drive to Mukalla. You point that thing away from me! After a long wait at one of the...

Yemen Day 3: Where Reality Surpasses Dreams at Haid al-Jazil-lion Miles Away From Reality

by Calvin Sun | December 4, 2025 | December 2025: Yemen - Hadhramaut Valley, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come, Yemen | 0 Comments

Haid Al-Jazil As the afternoon began to wane, we continued onto our accommodation for the night at the Haid Al-Jazil Resort Hotel, named after what it overlooks and its location perching dramatically on a cliff overlooking the Wadi Do'an. You'll find remarkably...

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):...

You’re Going To Miss … Spain & Morocco

by Calvin Sun | Jan 4, 2012 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Fit for Foodies, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Post-travel Reflections, Spain, What Dreams May Come, You're Going to Miss It...

You're going to miss the freedom of wandering, the days that begun with nothing to expect, the trust in what's around the corner, the feeling of wanderlust, the time when you were free to do anything that you wanted. You're going to miss rambling...

12 Hours In Lisbon

by Calvin Sun | Jan 3, 2012 | Blitzkrieg!!!, December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Doctor in the House, Fit for Foodies, Layovers, Lessons Learned, Portugal

In Portugal I harnessed the sun in the palm of my hand... ...while I dream of desserts from my last hour in Marrakech: We awake from these dreams, while we wait for the sun while overlooking Lisboa, the city of 7 hills: We...

It’s Not A Competition!!!

by Go Yang Park | Jan 2, 2012 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Portugal, Post-travel Reflections

Calvin is kicking kicked my ass in the blogging department!! But BOY do I have some great excuses for that! I brought the wrong charger to my netbook. Whoops. Calvin travels with all the force of a great Monsoon. Zzzz, so tired. I'm sick. Sleeping in trains, train...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »