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 Yacht Week x The Monsoon Diaries: French Polynesia Days 7: Returning to Raiatea

by Calvin Sun | Apr 30, 2022 | April 2022: French Polynesia, Crisis, French Polynesia, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

Today from Bora Bora we set sail back to the main islands at 10am. And for 3 hours we braved the rocky seas as I watched the whole boat except me and our skipper Borna fall like flies. I hope my Disney and 90s throwback music helped. Hakuna Matata. ...

The Yacht Week x The Monsoon Diaries: French Polynesia Days 5 & 6: It’s Never a “Bor-a Bora!”

by Calvin Sun | Apr 28, 2022 | April 2022: French Polynesia, Crisis, Fit for Foodies, French Polynesia, How's the weather?, Serendipitous!, What Dreams May Come

After an epic regatta run, we made sure to stay up on deck to take in the view of our approach to the legendary and iconic island of Bora Bora. After all, a warm welcome from the dolphins at the reef pass is more than enough of a reason to stay outdoors. ...

The Yacht Week x The Monsoon Diaries: French Polynesia Day 4: T”a-ha’a!, We Found It!”

by Calvin Sun | Apr 26, 2022 | April 2022: French Polynesia, French Polynesia, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

Today we headed back from Huahine on a 4 hour sail for the two main islands for another free day. By 1pm we reached Taha'a island where life slows down; this charmingly quiet island sweeps you deep into the typical Polynesians' easygoing life. If...

The Yacht Week x The Monsoon Diaries: French Polynesia Day 3: Huahine

by Calvin Sun | Apr 25, 2022 | April 2022: French Polynesia, Fit for Foodies, French Polynesia, The Nightlife

What I woke up to today: While some of us stayed on our yacht, others headed for 8am yoga back at our private beach before reuniting for breakfast at 9am. We then raised our anchors to slowly drift into the main settlement at Huahine...

The Yacht Week x The Monsoon Diaries: French Polynesia Day 2: Plage Hana Iti

by Calvin Sun | Apr 24, 2022 | April 2022: French Polynesia, Fit for Foodies, French Polynesia

Believe it or not, we worked in a solid night of sleep before waking up the next morning to another Polynesian sunrise. While I personally had expected to wake up again to footsteps of our crew getting underway for our 4 hour sail from Raiatea...

The Yacht Week x The Monsoon Diaries: French Polynesia Day 1 – Tahiti to Raiatea

by Calvin Sun | Apr 24, 2022 | April 2022: French Polynesia, Fit for Foodies, French Polynesia

We're now a far cry from Iraq a month ago: I finally journey westwards to the French Polynesia this week for our next monsoon with 13 other beautiful people. Along the way I took advantage of well timed omakase at Sushi Kashiba in Seattle (happy...

You’re Going to Miss … Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt

by Calvin Sun | Mar 24, 2022 | Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, You're Going to Miss It...

PRESS play and read the post with the music . . . Adventure is a mindset, not a destination. The thought of it alone both hurts and invigorates, for no pleasure can exist without pain. No desire without restraint. No sweet without the sour. Therefore...

Egypt Maktoub

by Calvin Sun | Mar 22, 2022 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Crisis, Dubai, Egypt, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Serendipitous!, United Arab Emirates

Adventure is a mindset, not a destination.Last month after I had spoken at Mercersburg Academy and returned to DC, Kimmy, Ihita and I debated what we could do with our extra 4 days after Iraq now that Syria would likely be once again postponed. It was...

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