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,...

Where Do Dreams Come From? Part II: Not Your Usual, Jordan-ary Return to Petra

by Calvin Sun | Mar 14, 2022 | Jordan, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt

I'm back, and this time with a tripod. The last time I was in Jordan, it was nearly 11 years ago on one of my first monsoons and I had regretted not leaving enough time to visit the Dead Sea or bring a tripod for the awe-inspiring Petra by Night. Be it so that...

“Samarra” Happy To Be Here!

by Calvin Sun | Mar 13, 2022 | Iraq, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

For our third and final day in Iraq, we embarked on our journey to Samarra, capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and the only remaining Islamic capital retaining its original architecture, plans and relics. Before leaving we were treated to the royal treatment when...

What Are You Babylon About Again?

by Calvin Sun | Mar 12, 2022 | Iraq, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

After a morning paying our respects in the holy city of Karbala, we enjoyed a private chicken and lamb lunch at a rest stop in Hillah before another 30 minutes' drive to Babylon. Upon arrival we first posed in front of the only remaining (and bullet-riddled)...

Not Cutting Out the Karb-ala!

by Calvin Sun | Mar 12, 2022 | Iraq, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

For our second morning in Iraq, we drove an hour onwards to Karbala, the "mecca" for Shi'ite Muslims where tens of millions of Shi'ite Muslims visit twice a year to commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. As we approached, they made sure all...

I Told You I’ll Be Right “Bagh”-dad!

by Calvin Sun | Mar 11, 2022 | Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Iraq, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

Less than 4 years ago I was invited on a whim to join my friend Rik Brinks for a beer in Kurdistan Iraq. So I went without a moment's notice, not realizing how easy it was to get in with a visa on arrival. There I ran into not only Rik, but also...

Too Van-“cou”ver For School

by Calvin Sun | Mar 4, 2022 | Canada, Washington

3 years ago while on one of our annual monsoon ski trips in Vermont, I had promised to lead another one in Whistler. Then the pandemic happened, capped off by my first time in Seattle. Then after making so many friends from Seattle 5 months ago on our first...

Meet The Monsooners To Iraq, Jordan, & Egypt!

by Calvin Sun | Feb 28, 2022 | Introductions

No matter what happens, I am grateful to know I live in a world where even if I'm heading to a place like Syria or Iraq, a wonderful group of great people would join me.Due to the security clearances for USA passport holders taking longer than we had expected, I...

Meet The Monsooners to French Polynesia, Tahiti, & Bora Bora!

by Calvin Sun | Feb 12, 2022 | Introductions

We're doing it again. After the enormous success of our first partnered trip with The Yacht Week last September, and then less than 4 months later with TYW for Saint Lucia & Martinique, we return with TYW to Tahiti in 2 months.Our return...

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