The Monsoon Diaries: How to travel the world with no time or money -

Where Do You Go When You’ve Already Been Everywhere?

by Calvin Sun | May 17, 2026 | Camping, Epiphanies on the Road, Fit for Foodies, May 2026: Bobo's Farm, New York, Post-travel Reflections | 0 Comments

Where does one of the youngest most traveled person in the world still travel to after they've been to nearly every country in the world? Home, of course. I've hitchhiked onboard trains through the endless expanse of The Sahel, slept in guesthouses in...

It Zermatt-ers A Lot You Followed Through!

by Calvin Sun | April 3, 2026 | Border Crossing, Crisis, Fit for Foodies, Flying Fancy, How's the weather?, Serendipitous!, Spring 2026: French & Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Weekend Trips, What Dreams May Come | 0 Comments

Any normal person would have headed home after 4 consecutive days of 6+ hours of skiing black diamond powder at 3,330 meters followed by six hours of raving in a blizzard. But I am not a normal person. Unlike most people, I don't procrastinate on fulfilling...

Alpe “d’Huez” in Charge Here? We Couldn’t Wait Until Tomorrow, for Tomorrowland Winter

by Calvin Sun | March 28, 2026 | Festivals, France, How's the weather?, Spring 2026: French & Swiss Alps, The Nightlife | 0 Comments

We made it to a Tomorrowland Aftermovie! Click on the YouTube video below where it starts right where you see us dancing to Alok; me on the left, and Patricia right in the center in her lavender hoodie as the video slows in on her/us (well, really just her)....

Why Not “Disfrutar”?

by Calvin Sun | March 23, 2026 | Fit for Foodies, Flying Fancy, France, How Did You Do That?, How's the weather?, Introspection, Layovers, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Serendipitous!, Spain, Spring 2026: French & Swiss Alps | 0 Comments

We got a lot going on in the world right now: There's now a war in Iran, the funding bill for our DHS still hasn't passed, and the entirety of the TSA has been working without a paycheck for the past month. With the war, I'd imagine both the region and Emirates...

Meet the Tomorrowland Winter Monsooners!

by Calvin Sun | March 2, 2026 | Introductions | 0 Comments

Why do Tomorrowland just once a year when you can do it twice AND ski/snowboard at the same time? Introducing the following returning monsooners for this iteration of our favorite annual festival. Welcome back those returning with me for their 2nd, 3rd, or even...

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...

Pies, Waterfalls, Bottles, And Oklahoma

by Calvin Sun | Apr 8, 2015 | Missouri, Oklahoma, Spring 2015: The Great USA Roadtrip, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

Day #2 of the road trip, which means Day #2 that I'm still stuck in NYC working in the ER for my final shift before I can rejoin the group.:-(A few months ago one of the places I put on my Route 66 "must-do" lists was supposedly described...

Living Vicarious: Chicago To St. Louis

by Calvin Sun | Apr 7, 2015 | Fail, Illinois, Missouri, Spring 2015: The Great USA Roadtrip

After 12 spirited hours in Chicago, I headed back home to NYC this morning to work two 12 hour shifts in the ER. Today the rest of the group continues onwards from Chicago to Springfield, IL to St. Louis, MO while I plan to rejoin the group wherever they are on...

“I Must Go Now, Gotham Needs Me”: Chicago, IL

by Calvin Sun | Apr 4, 2015 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Crisis, Fit for Foodies, How Did You Do That?, Illinois, Spring 2015: The Great USA Roadtrip, United States

Route 66. Let's begin.If it's not already playing, press play. And then start reading. Despite American Airlines delaying our 6am flight to 9am and then canceling it due to unknown reasons (they literally said "we don't know...

2000 Miles To Graceland

by Calvin Sun | Apr 4, 2015 | Spring 2015: The Great USA Roadtrip, Tennessee, The Nightlife, United States, Walking Tours

I couldn't hold it back any longer, 4 days of working in NYC while a trip was going on without me was too much to bear. After an overnight 7pm-7am graveyard shift, I went straight from the hospital to LaGuardia Airport. Getting there an hour early, I...

To Nashville

by Calvin Sun | Apr 2, 2015 | Spring 2015: The Great USA Roadtrip, Tennessee

Photo credit in this post goes to Map&Move and Roza Rice. One more day working in the ER before I meet them in Memphis. Until then, the gang packed up and headed out from Knoxville to Nashville: Upon arrival into Nashville, they met up...

Back To The Future In Tennessee

by Calvin Sun | Apr 1, 2015 | Spring 2015: The Great USA Roadtrip, Tennessee, Virginia, Way Way Off the Beaten Path

Photo credit in this post goes to Map&Move and Roza Rice. As I continue to toil away in the ED here in NYC, the group headed onwards today through Virginia towards Knoxville, Tennessee, where Roza reportedly got her first speeding ticket (or at least some summons...

Into Virginia

by Calvin Sun | Mar 31, 2015 | Spring 2015: The Great USA Roadtrip, United States, Virginia

As I live vicariously from home (gotta work a few shifts in the ER before I can join them later in Memphis and Chicago!), the group drove from DC and found themselves in Virginia, stopping for the night in Roanoke after a full day of driving. As...

From NYC To DC

by Calvin Sun | Mar 30, 2015 | District of Columbia, Fail, New York, Spring 2015: The Great USA Roadtrip

Gareth, Jenn, Jorge and I spent the last 2 days leading Roza and her husband, Stephen, around NYC, living vicariously through their wonder at a place we fondly call home. Sometimes you don't have to travel very far to discover you can once again...

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