Introducing the Monsooners to El Salvador!

Introducing the Monsooners to El Salvador!

by | Nov 16, 2021 | Introductions

  

I made the announcement last week and within less than that, at least 6 monsooners will join me for a last minute arranged monsoon to my final country in Central America: El Salvador!

Here are our next generation of monsooners:

 

Calvin "O Captain My Captain" Sun - Expedition Leader | NYC | Clinical Professor & Emergency Medicine Physician

 

Nina "Shark" Zhou - Return Monsooner: Sept. '21 (Sardinia & Corsica) | NYC/Denver

 

Kimmy "WimmyKu" Wu - Upcoming Monsooner: Jan '22 (St. Lucia & Martinique) | DC | Grad Student

 

Chyne "Wall-E" Tan - Return Monsooner: Sept. '21 (Sardinia & Corsica), Nov. '19 (Egypt) | NYC | Pediatrician, Adolescent Medicine

 

Brandon "The Only Voting Democrat In South Dakota" B. - Return Monsooner: Aug. '20 (USA), Aug. '19 (Tanzania), Nov. '18 (Armenia) | Ipswich, South Dakota | University of North Dakota

 

Tony "The Untarnished" Fung - NYC

 

Rajani Mohan - NYC | Doctor

 

And where we’re actually monsooning next week:

 

San Salvador
Tazumal
Los Volcanes National Park
Santa Ana

 

 

We still have spots available, but not for long!

Want to join us? More details about the trip can be found here.

 

Meet The Monsooners to St. Lucia & Martinique!

Meet The Monsooners to St. Lucia & Martinique!

by | Oct 18, 2021 | Introductions

  

After the enormous success of our first partnered trip with The Yacht Week last September, we return less than 4 months later with TYW for the Caribbean: Saint Lucia & Martinique.

Since I’m curious if I could enjoy more of the experience for as much of the week as possible (rather than just the last day when I finally relieved myself — or rather the universe relieved me — of responsibilities at the trip’s end), I’m keeping this one to a more manageable one yacht crew this time…

….Although I won’t fight you if more of you still want to join us; I just might have to assign lieutenants to help out! Please still inquire if you are interested.

 

 

Once again, I introduce the next generation of monsooners:

 

Calvin "O Captain My Captain" Sun - Expedition Leader | NYC

 

Koichi "KoKo" S. - Returning Monsooner: Spring '17 (Luxeumbourg, Malta & Tunisia) | NYC/LA | Finance

 

Sela "Swiss'ed" Schneidinger - NYC, Zurich | Medical Scribe

 

Bruce Zhang - NYC | Medical Scribe

 

Rasheedah Namutebi - Boston | Epidemiologist/Public Health

 

Tammy "Music Box" Ying – NYC, Singapore | Teacher, Musician, Singer/Songwriter

 

Umbi "Pretty Reasonable Skipper" Genovese - Returning Skipper: Sept. '21 (Sardinia/Corsica)

 

Sabrina "Chief Mate" P. - Returning Monsooner: Sep. '21 (Sardinia/Corsica) | NYC | RN

 

Kimmy " Wu - Grad Student | DC

 

Kelsey "Nomad Nurse" Carniglia - ICU RN | Duluth, GA/Tacoma, WA

 

Paul "The Auteur" Woo – NYC | Photographer | Ohio State University

 

 

And where we’re actually monsooning through this coming January:

 

 

St. Lucia

 

Martinique

 

We still have spots available, but not for long!

Want to join us? More details about the trip can be found here.

 

Meet The Bae-laric Islanders!

Meet The Bae-laric Islanders!

by | Jul 30, 2021 | Introductions

  

Next week 3 new monsooners will join Jeanette “Energizer Bunny” (who’s returning with us again after Cyprus!) for a last minute arranged trip to all 4 Balearic Islands!

Here are our next generation of monsooners:

 

Calvin "O Captain My Captain" Sun - Expedition Leader | NYC | Clinical Professor & Emergency Medicine Physician

 

Ayra K. - UK | Medical Student

 

Alex C. - NYC

 

Jeanette "Birthday Queen" W. - Returning Monsooner: Jun '21 (Cyprus) | NYC | MRI Specialist, NYU

 

Tony "The Untarnished" Fung - NYC
Youssef Z. - Medical Student | UK

 

 

And where we’re actually monsooning next week:

 

 

Ibiza

 

Corsica

 

 

 

Formantera

 

Menorca

 

 

We still have spots available, but not for long!

Want to join us? More details about the trip can be found here.

 

Meet The Sardinians!

Meet The Sardinians!

by | Jul 21, 2021 | Introductions

  

This will be our biggest monsoon since Cuba 2014.  Let’s start with the return of nearly EVERYONE from our recent Cyprus monsoon only 2 months prior:

Don’t forget the others returning!

  • Raubern “Director of the Moving Image” Totanes: Our videographer and 3 time monsooner to Egypt, USA, and Budapest
  • Anderson “I See The IATA Matrix” Brock Lee: 2 time monsooner to Cuba and Antarctica
  • Sampson “Charging Station” Lau: 2 time monsooner to Australia and The Pacific Coast Highway
  • Nishant “The Wolf Of Wall Street” Anandan: Returning after Armenia
  • Evie “Magic Guitar” Joy: Returning after USA
  • Ashley “Party Crasher” Jia: Returning again after we kidnapped her from Slovenia
  • Chyne “Wall-E” Tan: Returning again after Egypt

 

Here are the main safety precautions our group has taken for this trip:

 

  • Can I trust you?

    The majority of the group have known/worked with me personally or already traveled with me AND each other in the past, whether in international conflict zones or with nearly impossible itineraries. This familiarity of having been through difficult travel circumstances already establishes a critical mass of trust and a culture of safety. I already know how most of them handle pressure and we’ve minimized any possibility of unforeseen personality differences.

 

  • Is everyone healthy and fully vaccinated?

    Everyone has been fully vaccinated, medically screened and regularly checked in on for a month prior to the trip.

 

  • Can everyone prove they’re healthy?

    Everyone will have provided proof of either being fully vaccinated (i.e. more than 2-3 weeks since their final dose) and/or having tested negative for an active COVID-19 infection within 10 days prior joining trip and/or has self-quarantined since.

 

  • Can I trust your lifestyle and habits?

    I know the majority of the group personally and their COVID-19 exposure for the past year and we ensured none of us has done anything out of the ordinary between having tested negative and the start of the trip (eg. going to a nightclub).

 

  • “Is there a doctor in the house?”

    At least a quarter of the group are medical and have had clinical experience with taking care COVID-19 patients without having gotten sick, and knows what the disease looks like up close and personal.

 

  • Have we had formal training?

    Everyone has been either trained or reminded at orientation to know how COVID-19 spreads, how and when to appropriately wear face coverings, how to ensure high quality hygienic practices, verbally de-escalate or walk away from situations, tell who might have symptoms, and adapt appropriate PPE to each particular circumstance (outdoor vs. indoor, etc.).

 

  • Have we minimized all controllable variables?

    We’re all coming from low prevalence areas such as NYC, not setting foot in any high risk layover spots, only traveling to low-risk outdoor areas, avoiding indoor public spaces, large gatherings and hotspots, and we can easily seal ourselves from the outside world if necessary in our own private vehicles.

 

  • Do we have backup plans?

    Contingency plans (location of hospitals in each location, immediate isolation precautions, how groups will be separated) have been planned ahead.

 

  • Is there informed consent?

    We’re going in with the expectation that even with all our preparation, the concepts of “travel” and “the future” still remain unpredictable. And yet we also know that those who can survive anything aren’t the strongest or the wisest, but the most adaptable. Everyone here has therefore self-selected themselves just to be among other like-minded individuals who are willing to work together and be flexible under any circumstance. We all know what we’re getting ourselves into, what we signed up for, and therefore have mentally prepared ourselves to be in the best possible position to handle anything that comes our way.

 

Once again, I introduce the next generation of monsooners:

 

Calvin "O Captain My Captain" Sun - Expedition Leader | NYC

 

Ann "Narcoleptik!" Wen - Senior Monsooner: Jun '21 (Cyprus), Aug '19 (Eastern Coast of Africa), Jan '19 (Prague & Budapest), Jun. '18 (The Persian Gulf), Jan '18 (Australia & NZ), May '17 (Luxembourg) | NYC

 

Raubern “Director of the Moving Image" Totanes - Videographer, Returning Monsooner: Aug. '20 (USA), Dec. '19 (Egypt), Mar. '18 (Sweden & Budapest) | NYC | Consultant // IT Technician, Citadel

 

Jeanette "Energizer Bunny" W. - Returning Monsooner: Aug '21 (Balearic Islands), Jun '21 (Cyprus) | NYC | MRI Specialist, NYU

 

Belle S. - Returning Monsooner: Jun '21 (Cyprus) | Quincy, MA | Massachusetts College of Art and Design

 

Gina - Returning Monsooner: Jun '21 (Cyprus) | Denver, CO

 

Ashley "Party Crasher" Jia - Return Monsooner: Oct '17 (Slovenia) | NYC | Finance

 

Chyne "Wall-E" Tan - Return Monsooner: Nov. '19 (Egypt) | NYC | Pediatrician, Adolescent Medicine

 

Evie "Magic Guitar" Joy - Return Monsooner: Aug. '20 (USA) | NYC | Comedian & Singer/Songwriter

 

Alice "Sunsets" Hong - NYC | Family Medicine Physician

 

Nina "Shark" Zhou - Denver, CO

 

Sabrina "Stylophyle" P. - NYC | RN

 

Alex Y. - Houston, TX

 

Yutong Z. - NYC

 

Gina Y. - Seattle | RN

 

Leo "The Pilot" Liu - Lawyer, Pilot | NYC

 

Daisy J. - Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of Banish | CA

 

 

Ihita "It All Starts With A Good Story" K. - Yacht Week Lead, Return Monsooner: Winter '17 (Russia) | DC

 

Mihaela "I Am The Captain Now" K. - Lieutenant, Senior Monsooner: Jun '21 (Cyprus), Aug. '20 (USA), Dec. '19 (Egypt), Nov. '18 (Armenia), June '18 (The Persian Gulf), Oct. '17 (Slovenia), Aug. '17 (The Balkans), May '17 (Luxembourg), Mar. '17 (Scotland), Jan. '17 (Mongolia & Tibet) | NYC | Cytologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering

 

Donna "Speed Racer" V. – Senior Monsooner: June '21 (Cyprus), May '19 (Isle of Man & Northern Ireland), Jan '19 (Prague & Budapest), Aug. '18 (Japan), Winter ’18 (Australia & NZ) | Boston, MA | Real Estate & Construction | Wentworth Institute of Technology

 

Anderson "I See the IATA Matrix" Brock Lee - Returning Monsooner: Apr. '14 (Cuba), December '13 (Antarctica) | Houston, TX | Consultant | University of Texas at Austin '08

 

 

Uriah K - Returning Monsooner: Jun '21 (Cyprus) | NYC | Pharmacist

 

Patricia - Returning Monsooner: Jun '21 (Cyprus) | Construction | Los Angeles, CA

 

Nishant "The Wolf of Wall Street" Anandan - London, UK | Associate | RBC Capital Markets | The Australian National University

 

Sampson "Charging Station" Lau - Returning Monsooner: Aug. '20 (Pacific Coast Highway), Winter '17 (Australia) | Mountain View, CA | Engineer

 

Justin "Josh" C. - NYC

 

Ashley K. - NYC | Real Estate, Medical Scribe

 

Eric "Early Retirement" Pan - NYC

 

Song K. - Los Angeles | Neurologist

 

Alan H - Houston, TX

 

Tom Chen - NYC

 

Priscilla Y. - Seattle

 

Sujay S. - Radiologist | Chicago

 

Alice "Miss Chinatown" Zhang - Marketing | NYC

 

Christy H. - Government | DC

 

 

Meet The Cypriots!

Meet The Cypriots!

by | May 28, 2021 | Introductions

 

“…and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars…” 

— Jack Kerouac, On The Road

 

 

I am grateful to know I live in a world where if I’m seeking a group to travel responsibly with me immediately after a pandemic — especially on a secluded Mediterranean island with a group of fully immunized group of people — I can still find a ride-or-die crew.

When 11 exceptional, socially responsible, team-playing and healthy monsooners – 4 of whom have traveled with me before – jump on for an experience for which a majority would have otherwise gotten cold feet, I’d find that it would be a bigger risk now to not risk anything at all.

Travel might not be for everyone these days, but if we can plan for a trip that is ethical and sustainable on an island with historically low rates, filled with proven COVID-19 negative and full vaccinated individuals and without making any impact on our communities at large (especially for those of us who waited out travel for over a year just for an opportunity like this), this is how we may better recharge before whatever the next crisis befalls us.

. . . And I’m especially grateful to those returning with me for their 4th, 5th, or 10th monsoon:

 

Here are the main safety precautions our group has taken for this trip:

 

  • Can I trust you?

    The majority of the group have known/worked with me personally or already traveled with me AND each other in the past, whether in international conflict zones or with nearly impossible itineraries. This familiarity of having been through difficult travel circumstances already establishes a critical mass of trust and a culture of safety. I already know how most of them handle pressure and we’ve minimized any possibility of unforeseen personality differences.

 

  • Is everyone healthy and fully vaccinated?

    Everyone has been fully vaccinated, medically screened and regularly checked in on for a month prior to the trip.

 

  • Can everyone prove they’re healthy?

    Everyone has provided proof of either being fully vaccinated (i.e. more than 2-3 weeks since their final dose) and/or having tested negative for an active COVID-19 infection within 10 days prior joining trip and/or has self-quarantined since.

 

  • Can I trust your lifestyle and habits?

    I know the majority of the group personally and their COVID-19 exposure for the past year and we ensured none of us has done anything out of the ordinary between having tested negative and the start of the trip (eg. going to a nightclub).

 

  • “Is there a doctor in the house?”

    At least a third of the group are medical and have had clinical experience with taking care COVID-19 patients without having gotten sick, and knows what the disease looks like up close and personal.

 

  • Have we had formal training?

    Everyone has been either trained or reminded at orientation to know how COVID-19 spreads, how and when to appropriately wear face coverings, how to ensure high quality hygienic practices, verbally de-escalate or walk away from situations, tell who might have symptoms, and adapt appropriate PPE to each particular circumstance (outdoor vs. indoor, etc.).

 

  • Have we minimized all controllable variables?

    We’re all coming from low prevalence areas such as NYC, not setting foot in any high risk layover spots, only traveling to low-risk outdoor areas, avoiding indoor public spaces, large gatherings and hotspots, and we can easily seal ourselves from the outside world if necessary in our own private vehicles.

 

  • Do we have backup plans?

    Contingency plans (location of hospitals in each location, immediate isolation precautions, how groups will be separated) have been planned ahead.

 

  • Is there informed consent?

    We’re going in with the expectation that even with all our preparation, the concepts of “travel” and “the future” still remain unpredictable. And yet we also know that those who can survive anything aren’t the strongest or the wisest, but the most adaptable. Everyone here has therefore self-selected themselves just to be among other like-minded individuals who are willing to work together and be flexible under any circumstance. We all know what we’re getting ourselves into, what we signed up for, and therefore have mentally prepared ourselves to be in the best possible position to handle anything that comes our way.

 

Once again, I introduce the next generation of monsooners:

 

Calvin "O Captain My Captain" Sun - Expedition Leader | NYC | Clinical Professor & Emergency Medicine Physician

 

Narcoleptik! - Senior Monsooner: Aug '19 (Eastern Coast of Africa), Jan '19 (Prague & Budapest), Jun. '18 (The Persian Gulf), Jan '18 (Australia & NZ), May '17 (Luxembourg) | NYC

 

Ambrose "Knickerbocker" Chu - Previous Monsooner: Jun. '19 (Unknown UAE), Mar. '16 (Scotland), Aug. '15 (Scandinavia), Dec '15 (SE Asia), Aug. '16 (Southern Africa) | New York, NY | JP Morgan | Boston University

 

Patricia - Los Angeles, CA

 

Belle S. - Quincy, MA | Massachusetts College of Art and Design

 

Gina - Denver, CO

 

Brianne "Parachutes" - NYC

 

Mihaela "ROFLOLMAO" K. - Lieutenant, Driver, & Senior Monsooner: Aug. '20 (USA), Dec. '19 (Egypt), Nov. '18 (Armenia), June '18 (The Persian Gulf), Oct. '17 (Slovenia), Aug. '17 (The Balkans), May '17 (Luxembourg), Mar. '17 (Scotland), Jan. '17 (Mongolia & Tibet) | NYC | Cytologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering

 

Donna "FOMO Queen" V. – Returning Monsooner: May '19 (Isle of Man & Northern Ireland), Jan '19 (Prague & Budapest), Aug. '18 (Japan), Winter ’18 (Australia & NZ) | Boston, MA | Real Estate & Construction | Wentworth Institute of Technology

 

Deenah K - Austin, TX | Social Media

 

Uriah K - NYC | Pharmacist

 

Jeanette W. - NYC | MRI Specialist, NYU

 

And where we’re actually monsooning through this June:

 

 

Larnarca

 

The Castles of Northern Cyprus

 

Kyrenia

 

 

Nicosia

 

Paphos

 

The Ghost Town of Varosha

 

 

 

Want to meet us along the way? More details about the trip can be found here.

 

Meet The Anti-Buddies! Preparing For Domestic Travel in the Era of COVID-19

Meet The Anti-Buddies! Preparing For Domestic Travel in the Era of COVID-19

by | Jul 29, 2020 | Introductions

 

“…and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars…” 

— Jack Kerouac, On The Road

 

I am grateful to know I live in a world where if I need a group to travel responsibly with me in the middle of a pandemic — especially in a self-sufficient RV that can be cut off from the outside world and any potential for COVID-19 infection — I can still find a ride-or-die crew.

When 9 exceptional, socially responsible, team-playing and healthy monsooners – 5 of whom have traveled with me before – jump on for an experience for which a majority would have otherwise gotten cold feet, I’d find that it would be a bigger risk now to not risk anything at all.

Travel might not be for everyone these days, but if we can plan for a trip that is ethical and sustainable in a self-sufficient RV that can be cut off from the outside world, filled with proven COVID-19 negative individuals (read on) and without making any impact on our communities at large (especially for those of us who waited out travel for over half a year just for an opportunity like this), this is how we may better recharge before whatever the next crisis befalls us.

. . . And I’m especially grateful to those returning with me for their 2nd, 3rd, or 9th monsoon:

 

Here are the main safety precautions our group has taken for this trip:

 

  • Can I trust you?

    The majority of the group have already traveled with me AND each other in the past, whether in international conflict zones or with nearly impossible itineraries. This familiarity of having been through difficult travel circumstances already establishes a critical mass of trust and a culture of safety. I already know how most of them handle pressure and we’ve minimized any possibility of unforeseen personality differences.

 

  • Is everyone healthy?

    Everyone has been medically screened and regularly checked in on for a month prior to the trip.

 

  • Can everyone prove they’re healthy?

    Everyone has provided proof of having tested negative for an active COVID-19 infection within 10 days prior joining trip and/or has self-quarantined since.

 

  • Can I trust your lifestyle and habits?

    I know the majority of the group personally and their COVID-19 exposure for at least the past 3 months and we ensured none of us has done anything out of the ordinary between having tested negative and the start of the trip (eg. going to a nightclub).

 

  • “Is there a doctor in the house?”

    Nearly half of the group are medical and have had clinical experience with taking care COVID-19 patients without having gotten sick, and knows what the disease looks like up close and personal.

 

  • Have we had formal training?

    Everyone has been either trained or reminded at orientation to know how COVID-19 spreads, how and when to appropriately wear face coverings, how to ensure high quality hygienic practices, verbally de-escalate or walk away from situations, tell who might have symptoms, and adapt appropriate PPE to each particular circumstance (outdoor vs. indoor, etc.).

 

  • Have we minimized all controllable variables?

    We’re all coming from low prevalence areas such as NYC, drive in a self-sufficient RV, only traveling to low-risk outdoor areas, avoiding indoor public spaces, large gatherings and hotspots, and we can easily seal ourselves from the outside world if necessary,

 

  • Do we have backup plans?

    Contingency plans (location of hospitals in each location, immediate isolation precautions, how groups will be separated) have been planned ahead.

 

  • Is there informed consent?

    We’re going in with the expectation that even with all our preparation, the concepts of “travel” and “the future” still remain unpredictable. And yet we also know that those who can survive anything aren’t the strongest or the wisest, but the most adaptable. Everyone here has therefore self-selected themselves just to be among other like-minded individuals who are willing to work together and be flexible under any circumstance. We all know what we’re getting ourselves into, what we signed up for, and therefore have mentally prepared ourselves to be in the best possible position to handle anything that comes our way.

 

Once again, I introduce the next generation of monsooners:

 

Calvin "O Captain My Captain" Sun - Expedition Leader | NYC | Clinical Professor & Emergency Medicine Physician

 

Raubern “Director of the Moving Image" Totanes - Videographer, Previous Monsooner: Dec. '19 (Egypt), Mar. '18 (Sweden & Budapest) | NYC | Consultant // IT Technician, Citadel

 

Brandon "The Only Voting Democrat In South Dakota" B. - Return Monsooner: Aug. '19 (Tanzania), Nov. '18 (Armenia) | Ipswich, South Dakota | University of North Dakota

 

Sina "Charge" May - NYC | Orthopedics PACU Nurse, Hospital of Special Surgery

 

Evie "The Artist" Joy - NYC | Singer-Songwriter & Comedian

 

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Sampson "Apalca" Lau - Returning Monsooner: Winter '17 (Australia) | Mountain View, CA | Engineer

 

Karen A. - Santa Clarita, CA | Hematology/Oncology & Telemetry Nurse, LAC+USC Medical Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mihaela "ROFLOLMAO" K. - Lieutenant, Driver, & Senior Monsooner: Dec. '19 (Egypt), Nov. '18 (Armenia), June '18 (The Persian Gulf), Oct. '17 (Slovenia), Aug. '17 (The Balkans), May '17 (Luxembourg), Mar. '17 (Scotland), Jan. '17 (Mongolia & Tibet) | NYC | Cytologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering

 

Brynn "The Savvy Rogue" C. - Driver | Portland, Maine | ICU Nurse

 

Daniel "Jesse Wallace" Reesman - Returning Monsooner: Jan. '19 (Prague & Budapest) | Madison, Wisconsin

 

Noeleen "Drive-by Shooting" T. - Videographer, Driver | NYC | SUNY Binghamton | Video Editor/Cinematographer

 

Charlie "The New Favorite" - NYC | Cockapoo

 

 

And where we’re actually monsooning through this August:

 

 

 

Chicago

 

Badlands National Park

 

Grand Teton National Park

 

Yellowstone National Park

 

North Cascades National Park

 

Olympic National Park

 

Cannon Beach

 

Glass Beach

 

San Francisco

 

Los Angeles (If COVID-19 rates are reasonable)

 

Mount Rushmore

 

Glacier National Park

 

Devil's Tower

 

Lake Coeur d'Alene

 

Seattle

 

Ruby Beach

 

Humboldt Redwoods National Park, Avenue of the Giants

 

Bodega Bay

 

Big Sur

 

San Diego (If COVID-19 rates are reasonable)

 

The California Zephyr (Amtrak)

 

Want to meet us along the way? More details about the trip can be found here.