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,...

A “Lilongwe” To Lake Malawi

by Calvin Sun | Aug 1, 2016 | August 2016: Southern Africa, Blitzkrieg!!!, Fit for Foodies, Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Malawi, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

Dear Calvin, I hope this finds you doing well. I came across your site via CU Class Notes. I am CC 2010. I have been inspired by your story and website, and as a fellow lover of travel and medical student, would definitely be keen on learning more about your...

A Sunrise In Nairobi, Kenya

by Calvin Sun | Aug 1, 2016 | August 2016: Southern Africa, Blitzkrieg!!!, Kenya, Lessons Learned, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Walking Tours

Our 2-hour, 7:30pm flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ended up getting delayed (not surprising given that ADD airport has its share of logistical difficulties), so we didn't arrive into Nairobi until 11pm at night. Unlike Ethiopia's confusing and...

Addis You Don’t Have To Worry About Being the Ababa-black Sheep!

by Calvin Sun | Jul 31, 2016 | August 2016: Southern Africa, Blitzkrieg!!!, Ethiopia, Fail, Lessons Learned, Walking Tours

The Monsoon Diaries' first ever trip to sub-saharan Africa just began today with a 12 hour layover in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. To begin the trip, I got to use 80,000 United Miles to score 2 free business class...

What Happens In Vegas…

by Calvin Sun | Jul 24, 2016 | Fit for Foodies, How Did You Do That?, How's the weather?, Lessons Learned, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Nevada, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, The Nightlife, United States, Walking Tours

...might not stay in Vegas. Having achieved another rare golden weekend off from work (3 days exactly!), I headed out from another overnight shift in the ER to make a Friday morning 11:10am direct 5 hour Delta Airline flight from...

Meet The Monsooners Of Southern Africa

by Calvin Sun | Jun 16, 2016 | Introductions

I present to you our newest, one of the most diverse roster of fresh (and return!) monsooners: And for 2 weeks starting July 31st, we are heading out to the...

Escaping The Bermuda Triangle: My 100th Country

by Calvin Sun | Apr 23, 2016 | Bermuda, Blitzkrieg!!!, Epiphanies on the Road, Introspection, Post-travel Reflections, Serendipitous!, Walking Tours, Weekend Trips

After a day in Bermuda’s capital of Hamilton, the next morning we took a 30 minute, $40 USD cab ride to Bermuda’s other city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, St. George. We started off in King’s Square, the town’s center. The old, central Town Hall...

Lost In The Bermuda Triangle: My 100th Country

by Calvin Sun | Apr 23, 2016 | Bermuda, Blitzkrieg!!!, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Walking Tours, Weekend Trips

Since beginning my lonely (and not so lonely) journey 6 years ago, I decided finally to check off my 100th country today. With about 36 hours off from work and finishing my overnight shift in the ER at 7am, I headed to JFK airport where I boarded an extremely...

The D.C. Cherry Blossom Watch

by Calvin Sun | Mar 27, 2016 | District of Columbia, United States

I would not be pleased to break my recent streak of weekly travel for the past 8 weeks. Therefore, this weekend I headed to our nation's capital for the annual cherry blossom festival where the cherry blossoms are at their peak bloom. After work on a long...

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