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...

So I’m In Kabul, Afghanistan Right Now… (Updated July 1, 2019)

by Calvin Sun | Jun 25, 2019 | Afghanistan, Epiphanies on the Road, How's the weather?, June 2019: Afghanistan, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Post-travel Reflections, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, Travel Warnings, Walking Tours, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come, What to Pack

(Given the ever-changing security situation here, this post will be updated as circumstances develop so check back often) Travel WarningsA helpful warning as I set off for Kabul today:Do not travel to Afghanistan due to crime, terrorism, civil...

The UAE/Oman Road Trip: Khasab, Musandam Oman

by Calvin Sun | Jun 23, 2019 | Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, June 2019: Unknown UAE, Khasab, Oman, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, Weekend Trips, What Dreams May Come

After 3 days road trippin' around the UAE and visiting all 7 Emirates and Omani/Emirati counter-enclaves, it's finally to the literal end of the road to Khasab: the main city in an exclave called Musandam Oman and can be considered Oman's "Alaska". It's also...

The UAE/Oman Road Trip – “Conclaves”: Fujairah, Madha, & Nahwa

by Calvin Sun | Jun 22, 2019 | Border Crossing, Fujairah, June 2019: Unknown UAE, Oman, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Unrecognized Territories, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

UAEAfter visiting Abu Dhabi and the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman-UAQ-RAK pentafecta of emirates yesterday (which epic-ness will be hard to beat), we woke up early and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel-with-hostel vibes at our lodgings in Rove City Centre . ....

Naked & Afraid – Off Roadin’ the UAE/Oman Road Trip: Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, & Ras Al-Khaimah

by Calvin Sun | Jun 21, 2019 | Ajman, Dubai, How Did You Do That?, June 2019: Unknown UAE, Ras Al-Khaimah, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Sharjah, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, Umm Al Quwain, United Arab Emirates, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

One of my most epic days of traveling ever. And this is days before we head into Afghanistan! Following our whirlwind morning in Abu Dhabi, our driver Hosain took us up an hour's drive towards Dubai at the ENOC Gas Station by Ibn...

The UAE/Oman Road Trip: Abu Dhabi Doo! Where Are You?

by Calvin Sun | Jun 20, 2019 | Abu Dhabi, June 2019: Unknown UAE, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Walking Tours

Another monsoon begins. And this time it begins in the desert. Taking the 10:55pm Etihad Airways Flight #100 from JFK to AUH, I first experienced nearly an hour's delay on JFK's tarmac before taking off. While up in the air, I was able to knock out...

Off the Beaten Tracks in Angkor Wat and Beyond

by Aaron Lam | Jun 15, 2019 | Cambodia, Guest Posts

When I first began to plan my trip to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, I knew Angkor Wat was a must for many reasons…a world wonder, impressive in size and rich in history, an architectural feat, a cultural/religious symbol. Not only that, it was a special...

Meet The Monsooners To Afghanistan!

by Calvin Sun | Jun 1, 2019 | Introductions

Introducing my next group of badass team of return monsooners for our upcoming super secret, off-the-books expedition to Afghanistan: The details of our trips are off the books for security reasons. I would also end off with...

They Might Be Giant’s Causeway

by Calvin Sun | May 30, 2019 | How's the weather?, May 2019: Ireland Of Man, Northern Ireland, What Dreams May Come

After last evening exploring Belfast and dining at Ox, we returned the next morning to Established Coffee for a quick breakfast: Then we were picked up by Paddy Campbell's Famous Black Cab Tours by the legendary Paddy Campbell himself at...

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