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,...

The Calm Before The Storm…

by Calvin Sun | Dec 23, 2011 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Portugal

I know this isn't really considered "backpacking" at the moment but with all the frequent flyer miles/perks I've accumulated over the years, you just can't say no to free access to first class lounges...I admit it. I`m mortal and I caved. In Porto,...

Starting Off With Some “Good Luck”

by Calvin Sun | Dec 22, 2011 | Fail, Lessons Learned, Pre-travel Preparations

Currently at the airport and we've already had our first mini crisis. The other Calvin had his father buy his ticket for him a few months ago. Unfortunately, however, TAP Portugal airlines requires that in order for check-in, his father had to be present to produce...

Pack Attack

by Go Yang Park | Dec 22, 2011 | How Did You Do That?, Pre-travel Preparations, Spain, What to Pack

So this is how I packed for roughly 12 days in Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, and Morocco. The temperature ranges from 35 (F, at might) to 65 (F, during the day). I think I packed appropriately...

Beginner’s Luck

by Go Yang Park | Dec 21, 2011 | Pre-travel Preparations, United States

You know what I thought of the other day? If Calvin married a lady friend with the last name Moon (some Koreans have this surname) and she decided that she wanted to have both names registered as her surnames, she would be ***** Moon Sun. Or if she kept her...

Meet the Spanish Inquisition; This Trip Could Be The End Of Me

by Calvin Sun | Dec 17, 2011 | December 2011: Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Portugal, Introductions, Pre-travel Preparations

This is the true story... of 7 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. This is as...

The Kindness of Strangers: Belize

by Calvin Sun | Nov 29, 2011 | Belize, November 2011: Guatemala & Belize, Post-travel Reflections, Serendipitous!

No other country has left such a positive impression on our departure than Belize. I woke up this morning realizing for the very first time in my life, I could possibly miss a flight. Let me break down the math for you: It was about 7:45am and our flight...

From Guatemala To Belize (11 Years In The Making)

by Calvin Sun | Nov 28, 2011 | Belize, Blitzkrieg!!!, Border Crossing, Fit for Foodies, November 2011: Guatemala & Belize, Pre-travel Preparations, Uncategorized Stories

The first time I've heard of Belize was when I was 14 years old. I was sitting on the 7 subway train coming into Manhattan and my friend Sara Yoo was sitting across from me when she looked at me in the eye and firmly declared: "I want to visit...

Stars And Sunrises: Tikal

by Calvin Sun | Nov 27, 2011 | Guatemala, How Did You Do That?, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, November 2011: Guatemala & Belize, What Dreams May Come

Random: Did you know that Tikal is the same place George Lucas chose to film Yavin IV (the location of the Rebel base) in Star Wars IV: A New Hope? Well, our version is prettier: Panoramas of Tikal by day: But the real...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »