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...

Announcing Our Inaugural Social Media Manager: DIANA KLATT, MPH

by Calvin Sun | Oct 10, 2019 | Introductions, Post-travel Reflections, Serendipitous!

After 2 months deliberating over an incredibly competitive applicant pool on the eve of our upcoming 10 year anniversary trip to Egypt next month, I have the unique pleasure to finally announce our inaugural social media manager for The Monsoon Diaries: DIANA KLATT,...

Greenland Day 6: We “Rømer Fjord” & Turner Up The Sund!

by Calvin Sun | Sep 23, 2019 | Greenland, September 2019: Greenland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

This morning after breakfast we set out towards Turner Sund and Rømer Fjord on our last day of zodiac cruising. This was planned to be the wildest part of our trip knowing that sudden changes in weather patterns could sneak up on us....

Greenland Day 5: Ittoqqortoormiit

by Calvin Sun | Sep 22, 2019 | Greenland, September 2019: Greenland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

After 2 straight days of some of the best weather East Greenland has ever seen, it would seem that all good things must come to an end. After breakfast we had intended to land on the tundra of Liverpool Land by Hurry Inlet, a peninsula of East Greenland....

Greenland Day 4: Sydkap & Hall Bredning

by Calvin Sun | Sep 21, 2019 | Greenland, September 2019: Greenland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

This morning we woke up to another gorgeous cloudless sunrise, this time in Jyttehavn: Every passing moment here illuminated another shade of brilliance. Somehow here the sun-kissed peaks of Jyttehavn recalled for me the Mac OS X...

Greenland Day 3: We “Røde Fjord” Through Greenland!

by Calvin Sun | Sep 20, 2019 | Greenland, September 2019: Greenland

A video recap of today: This morning we finally woke up to a clear, nearly cloudless sunrise at 7am. It was worth staying out in the cold for: After breakfast, all of us took a zodiac cruise in the inner Scoresby Sound to Røde...

Greenland Day 2: Vikingebugt & Danmark Island

by Calvin Sun | Sep 19, 2019 | Greenland, September 2019: Greenland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

Greenland just got served. A video recap of today: This morning we sailed into the fjords of East Greenland where some of us woke up at sunrise to see if we could catch the golden hour and morning light, but were met instead with the...

Greenland Day 1: The East Greenland Sea

by Calvin Sun | Sep 18, 2019 | Greenland, September 2019: Greenland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

After one night of sailing from Akureyri north for Greenland, by morning we crossed the Arctic Circle and spotted blue and fin whales swimming alongside us. Otherwise it was mostly a sea day where we stared endlessly into infinite waters. I handily...

I Have “Akureyri” For You: How Much Longer Until Greenland?!

by Calvin Sun | Sep 17, 2019 | Iceland, September 2019: Greenland, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

What a beautiful lazy morning in Reykjavik: Today at 9am we departed via chartered bus from the city hall of Reykjavik on a 6 hour trip to Akureyri, in the north of the country. The views outside while driving up western Iceland: ...

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