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...

Erbil: So I’m In Iraq

by Calvin Sun | May 6, 2018 | How Did You Do That?, Iraq, Kurdistan, May 2018: Kurdistan Iraq, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Serendipitous!, Travel Warnings, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

A "helpful" friend sent me this last night, reposted from the Iraq Travel Advisory on the US Department of State website, updated January 10, 2018:Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism and armed conflict U.S. citizens in Iraq are at high risk for...

Turks & Paridisos

by Calvin Sun | Apr 29, 2018 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Layovers, Turks & Caicos, Weekend Trips

I'm a simple man: I see 3 days off, I find cheap flights, I go. And this weekend, I go to Turks & Caicos.A British Overseas territory in the Caribbean that ironically uses the American Dollar, Turks & Caicos oversees a distribution of 40 islands...

Miran With The Mostest In Mostar

by Aaron Lam | Apr 6, 2018 | Bosnia & Herzegovina, Epiphanies on the Road, Guest Posts, Post-travel Reflections, Uncategorized Stories, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, You're Going to Miss It...

To be honest, prior to this trip, I did not know much about Bosnia and Herzegovina and its history aside from the fact it was part of the former Yugoslavia and had been battled by war. Thus, heading into our bus ride from Split, Croatia, I had no idea what to...

From Den Haag (The Hague)/Amsterdam Via United Polaris Business Class

by Calvin Sun | Mar 29, 2018 | Flying Fancy, How Did You Do That?, March 2018: Central Europe Road Trip, The Netherlands

Yesterday afternoon I took Austrian Airlines' Business Class from Vienna to Amsterdam where I got in a great 2 hour nap and try some of the best food you can get within the Star Alliance network: I landed in Amsterdam at around 7:30pm, from where...

Lovely Little Linz

by Calvin Sun | Mar 28, 2018 | Austria, March 2018: Central Europe Road Trip, Public Transportation, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come

I can't really explain why my life has been so full of coincidences, (and no it's not because it would "make sense" that extroverts would have an easier time running into other extroverts...my coincidences include the most skeptical of introverts as well!) but...

Viva Vienna

by Calvin Sun | Mar 27, 2018 | Austria, Crisis, March 2018: Central Europe Road Trip, Serendipitous!, Walking Tours, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

Yes, I've been to Vienna just so so many times. But I'm glad this time it would be through the eyes of a local and my friend Daniela.After a wonderful day in Bratislava, Keseena, Maria, Daniela and I turned in at a reasonable hour, getting somewhat a full...

The Brat Pack Reaches Bratislava

by Calvin Sun | Mar 26, 2018 | Epiphanies on the Road, Introspection, March 2018: Central Europe Road Trip, Serendipitous!, Slovakia, Walking Tours, What Dreams May Come

Since my first visit to Europe in the city of London in 1995, it would take me 13 years to finally conquer the continental landmass of Europe.And I wouldn't have had it any other way than the stories and people I would spend with today in Bratislava.Following a...

Buddha With The Best In Budapest

by Calvin Sun | Mar 25, 2018 | Hungary, March 2018: Central Europe Road Trip, Serendipitous!, What Dreams May Come

When I did Budapest by night 6 months ago, I made a promise I'd return with a group of monsooners. A promise made is a promise kept. It's good to be back. After flying in on a 8:40am Norwegian Air Shuttle flight from Stockholm,...

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