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,...

Lake Assal-t on Our Senses

by Calvin Sun | May 16, 2023 | Djibouti, How's the weather?, May 2023: Horn of Africa, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

On our way back from the beautiful hellscape of Lake Abbe, we grabbed a quick breakfast back at our camp, bid good riddens to bug filled Klendathu, and then made our way for another 3 hour drive for lunch back at the same hotel in Dikhil. We then drove onwards...

Take a Chance Take a Chance … on Lake Abbe

by Calvin Sun | May 15, 2023 | Camping, Djibouti, Epiphanies on the Road, Fail, How's the weather?, May 2023: Horn of Africa, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

After arriving yesterday and breakfast this morning in Djibouti City, we boarded our convoy of 8 (Eight!!!) 4x4s at 8am. Thus begins our grueling 9 hour drive under an oppressive >105ºF sun towards the border between Djibouti and Ethiopia for Lake...

Shake “Djibouti”!

by Calvin Sun | May 14, 2023 | Djibouti, Fit for Foodies, Getting that VISA, How's the weather?, May 2023: Horn of Africa, Walking Tours, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

I seem to be on a roll with getting great premium economy deals over business when flying across the Atlantic. After forays with British Airways Premium Economy, Air Tahiti Nui Premium Economy, Air Senegal Premium Economy, American Airlines Premium Economy, I...

Meet The Greek Island Hoppers!

by Calvin Sun | May 9, 2023 | Introductions

It feels like there's no limit to our Yacht Week collaborations. After our book launch last September, we headed to my apartment for an afterparty where a large contingency from our Tahiti Yacht Week crew there requested to repeat the adventure in Greece. As if...

Jeju Know We’re Still in Jeju?

by Calvin Sun | Apr 5, 2023 | April 2023: South Korea & Jeju Island, Epiphanies on the Road, Jeju, Post-travel Reflections, South Korea

After 3 days in Busan and Boseong, we packed up for our last stop of our South Korean itinerary: Jeju, the honeymoon island frequently compared to "the Hawai'i" of South Korea or the Okinawa of Japan, Taking the metro for about an hour from Busan's...

We Survived the Train to Bu”sauna”

by Calvin Sun | Mar 31, 2023 | April 2023: South Korea & Jeju Island, Fit for Foodies, South Korea

After almost 2 full days in Seoul we packed our bags and took the bus to Seoul Station. With our prepaid tickets I reserved online, we caught our 11:57pm KTX #027 bullet train to South Korea's second city of Busan. No zombies...

Riding the Magic SchoolBoseong

by Calvin Sun | Mar 30, 2023 | April 2023: South Korea & Jeju Island, South Korea

For years I've heard many great things about Boseong's famous year-round blooming Green Tea fields especially from all its photos that reminded me of the tea fields of Munnar, India. To get there from Busan via public transportation may require a...

Seoulmates

by Calvin Sun | Mar 29, 2023 | April 2023: South Korea & Jeju Island, Fit for Foodies, Getting that VISA, South Korea, Walking Tours

How do we do a megacity like Seoul justice? Certainly an 18 hour layover isn't going to cut it. And that's a big reason why I've returned to visit Seoul properly. Accompanied by 19 new and returning monsooners, all of us touched down in ICN airport to begin our...

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